TH£ TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
SS6 
3; I have not much to tell you this vceek. Dealers 
are holding off under the belief that there will be 
poon a fall in tbe price of the Tea. One paper indeed 
has a paragraph to the effect that wires from Colombo 
have already reached here, quoting a fall on the local 
inarket there. I have wired to London to ascertain 
the trnth- 
Mr. Blechynden and I went down to Philadelphia 
last week to visit a Food Show where our teas were 
being exhibited. As is getting too common we found 
“greens” and “mixed” being sold as Ceylon and 
India Teas. This is going on to a greater extent 
than we like, but it is difficult to stop it. 
The largest wholesale grocers in America with 300 
travellers have made up their minds to handle a 
Ceylon — Indian tea package — I see I mentioned this 
in my last letter*— but it is now a settled matter, as 
they have ordered 10,000 lb. in one-and-one-half lb. 
packages. 
Copy. Letter referred to. 
Toronto, Oct. 5th, 1897. 
Dear Mr. Mackenzie, — I am giving you a clipping 
from a letter from our man, whom since hearing from 
ou, we have kept down in New B'unswick, Nova 
cotia and Prince Edward Island. You see we are 
not only introducing Ceylon tea in Canada and the 
United States, but also in Prance, through their Navy. 
I am enclosing Japanese advertisements that 
appeared in the Neio York Herald, Kew York Sun and 
Lv,falo Express ; it is really poor advertising, although 
they have taken fine positions they are paying 
pretty sweetly ; it is a column on the front page, in 
the A ew York Herald. 
I am enclosing avertisements that appeared in 
last Saturday’s papers in the city of Toronto, in 
all, fifteen in number. Ceylon tea is well advertised 
here, isn’t it ? I am ambitious to bring about the 
same state of affairs in the Provinces of New Bruns- 
wick, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I. ; then we have Canada 
well covered, and I have no doubt that after two 
years work, and possibly less, there will be as large a 
consumption of Ceylon and Indian Teas in those three 
Provinces, as there is today in Ontario. 
In Quebec Provinces we are making great head- 
way and no mistakes. Last week was the biggest week 
we have had in the city of Montreal ; in Quebec 
Province our sales for the city were 1,810 lbs ; in the 
country East of Montreal, 9301b. making a total of 
2,740 lb. I am just giving you below, what the 
increase has been in the Province of Quebec and 
thereabouts, which includes, of course, everything done 
from our branch there (Montreal) 
lb. 
lb. 
July 
4 ’96 
517 
.. July 
3 ’97 
1,768 
11 
577 
• ♦ »» 
10 
1,646 
18 
603 
• • >> 
17 
1,646 
M 
25 
705 
• • 
24 
2,560 
31 
1,861 
Aug. 
1 
651i 
.. Aug.. 
7 
2,079 
8 
914 
• • 11 
14 
1,743 
»» 
15 
905 
. . Aug. 
• • 
21 
1,764 
22 
791 
28 
2,416 
29 
411 
Sept. 
5 
505 
. . Sept. 
4 
2,615 
ft 
12 
974 
• • ») 
11 
2,632 
n 
19 
1,527 
• • ft 
18 
2,421 
26 
983 
25 
3,078 
Oct. 
3 
1,040 
, . Oct. 
2 
2,740 
9 
3,346 
This is very encouraging isn’t it ? Last week 
.vould have been very much larger for the Montreal 
Branch, but our traveller was home part of the time. 
There is no doubt about it, that the same state of 
affairs will come about on the American side, but it 
will take time, as it has here. Yon would be sur- 
prised at the talk that goes on in Buffalo now. 
Very often latterly, our man will be received, when 
he goes into a store, with “ Oh no, we don’t want 
any more ‘ Salada,’ we have got a Ceylon of our 
own now; yours isn’t the only Ceylon tea!” . . j 
Of course, we never told them that it was, but they 
Beem to have formed that impression themselves 
[Reb, I, 1898. 
and when some wholesaler came along and sold them 
a box of Ceylon tea, and they immediately jump to 
the conclusion that they can displace' “ Salada ” 
with this. We generally find that, in the course of 
another week or so if they are low in “ Salada ” 
when the man calls again, he gets an order, because 
people want what they are used to and know to be 
good and they won’t take the loose Ceylon tea for 
it, that is, in most cases. We have the wholesales 
still sending in for small lots, but very small ones. 
The trade is a regular every day trade, but so small 
that I do not feel like keeping tab on it, although 
I am going to start now, and have books kept at 
Buffalo and Pittsburg, showing the exact sales every 
week. I did nut keep this in Montreal for a long 
time after I had started, because it used to cost 
us about two dollars a pound to sell the tea. It is 
paying us a good round profit now every week, 
latterly never less than $40 or $50, and as big as 
$76 ; and my man down there thinks he wnll soon 
be able to put another ‘0’ to the end of it. 
You will be glad to hear that, at the beginning 
of this week, we had 71 accounts in Cleveland and 
many signs up. We are now running in the “ Press ” 
there. 
Mr. Larkins’, manager in Montreal, tells me he 
feels quite confident the sales by October, 1898 will 
be 10,000 lb. a week (at the Montreal Branch) that 
is, that they will in the next 12 months treble, as 
they have done in the last year. 
A large dealer in Philadelphia was shown a Ceylon 
sample — apekoe — a few days ago. He likedit, and asked 
how much there was left ; but being told there was 
only 25 chests he said, I don’t taste a tea unless 
there are at least 300 packages. He has been ac- 
customed to buy from standards of China Tea. I 
send some samples of the advertisement, used in Canada 
by Tetley & Co., under our joint scheme for working 
the Eastern portion of Canada. 
Also — The tea trade “Tussle” we are putting into 
magazines and newspapers just now. 
I am going out west next week, Pittsburg, Chicago, 
Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, etc. 
1st Dec., 97. 
My last letter was that of 19th November, 
written before I went west. Mr. Blechynden accom- 
panied me and we have returned much pleased with 
what we saw and heard. Much more interest is 
now being taken in our teas and the convictions are 
gaining ground that they have come to stay. Two 
or three of the largest importers still refuse to carry 
a stock of Ceylon or Indian, but they are constantly 
taking a few chests from those who have stock, show- 
ing that their customers insist ou getting the teas. 
You would have seen Gow, Wilson’s circular showing 
the great increase in American importations during 
first nine months of this year, as compared with 
same months of last year, viz., 8,464,000 lb. as against 
5,560,000 lb. Whether our estimate of 12,000,000 lb. is 
to be realized or not, time must tell. The recent 
rise in price, stopped many orders. I have heard 
of a few large ones sent to Calcutta, because low grade 
teas there are cheap enough to meet the limits given. 
1 am glad to say Lipton’s managers, here and in 
Chicago, are again pushing vigorously, and are meet- 
ing with much success. Their recent progress with 
packet teas sutprises themselves. I saw today a 
letter from a New York grocer asking for samples 
and prices and ordering 200 lb. Now Lipton’s people 
had never solicited this man’s trade, they had never 
even heard of him, but he evidently had enquiries 
for the tea. A letter which I enclose from Miss 
Parkinson gives her experience of the increasing in- 
terest created by our advertising. 
Lipton and Franklin Maeveagh <fc Co., of Chicago 
have been introducing our teas into dozens of towns, 
smalt and large,in the Far West. The latter firm assisted 
by us are advertising the Naban Ceylon Tea in the 
most important papers between Texas and Washing- 
ton territory on the west coast. 
It was chiefly because of the work done by this firm 
that I asked the Committee’s permission to spend a 
portion of the Fund beyond Chicago. 
