March i, 1898.J 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
617 
ditions met with in Russia certainly differ widely 
from those in the countries where so much money 
has been spent on advertisements of our staple. 
The great mass of the people cannot read, and 
to this fact is attributable the rather carious 
extent to which picture representations of the 
goods dealt in are displayed on the outside of 
shops. The newspapers are read by compara- 
tively few, and the journals have even a more 
limited circulation. The censor, to-, has to be 
reckoned with, and no advertisement either in news- 
papers or by means of circulars, brochures or 
placards is allowed until the matter lias passed 
him. There are a good many restrictions as to 
what may be said, and 1 was told by a lead- 
ing advertising agent that such statements as 
“ Ceylon tea is the best ” or “ Ceylon tea is 
preferable to China ” would certainly be struck 
out. I asked whether in a brochure one might 
mention the fact of the Czar having accepted a 
gift of Ceylon tea, and I was told that such a 
statement would not be allowed, and that the 
names of members of the Royal Family could not 
be mentioned in connection with any commercial 
matter. Mr. Rogivue informed me that as regarded 
some suggested advertisements by means of 
m.agic lantern slides and descriptive lectures, it 
would be necessary to have the pictures ap- 
proved of and a licence or permission for each 
lecture obtained, and that the jnesence of a 
Government Officer on each occasion would be 
essential. 
Apart from the difficulties attending advertising 
in Russia, it must be remembered that nine-tenths 
of the Ceylon tea which goes into consumption in 
that country does so mixed with China tea, un- 
acknowledged by the dealer and unknown to 
the consumer. The continued and extended use 
of Ceylon tea must for several years to come be 
as a strength and colour-giving ingredient in the 
dealers’ mixtures. It is plain that for that des- 
cription of business advertisements would not be 
of use. I enclose a pro forma estimate for a 
general and extensive advertisement of Ceylon tea 
drawn up for me by a leading Moscow Agent. 
The cost, it will be seen, is considerable, say, 
£4,800 for £3,200 insertions amongst 80 of the 
leading papers and journals. The advantages of 
dealing with an Agent are that a larger discount 
is obtainable, and payment can be made at the 
end of each month, after the advertisements 
have appeared. 
THE ATTITUDE OF THE RUSSIAN DEALERS 
TOWARDS CEYLON TEA AND THEIR 
USE OF IT. 
Speaking generally,' the attitude of all the hi' ge 
Russian dealers is not a friendly or appreciauve 
one. They are conservative in their tr.ade, and 
they regard a new product as likely to bring in 
new dealers and possibly unsettle their Agents 
and customers. They would, I think, prefer that 
Ceylon had not appeared upon the scene, and 
most of them have, as it were, been driven in 
self-defence to handle a product that a few years 
ago they would not have touched, and which 
they declared was unsuited to the Russian taste 
and mode of drinking tea. The chief reason given 
me for the proportion of Ceylon tea now used by 
almost every packer was that the quality of China 
tea had fallen off .and that Ceylon tea had to 
be used to give strength and colour to the mixture. 
The great cry, liowever, seemed to be for cheap- 
ness, and the lowest priced China leaf supplies the 
quantity, while a Ceylon tea (gives the strength. 
I found the importers quite alive to the advantage 
which the lower exchange gives to China tea, and 
I heard the opinion expre.ssed that the consump- 
tion of Ceylon tea would not increase, and might, 
indeed, decrease owing to the lower sterling cost 
of suitable China tea. 
MR. ROGIVUE. 
I visited .all of Mr. Rogivue’.s establishments in 
Moscow, as well as that of hi.s Agent in Kief, and 
I inspected the shop which he has secured, and is 
about to open, in a capital position in Odessa. 
I am able now r,o form some idea of thegreni, diffi- 
culties he had to face and overcome, and the Thirty 
Committee iuis never in iny opinion spent any 
money to greater advantage than that spent 
through Mr. Rogivue, who might well claim much 
of the credit for the present satisfactory consump- 
tion of Ceylon tea in Russia. 
RUSSIAN TEA IN THE CAUCASUS. 
From all I heard of the cultivation there, I do 
not think Ceylon has much to be afraid of. Of 
course the cultivation could not be carried on at 
all but for the heavy protection afforded by the 
import duty, and the general opinion seemed to 
be that witli the chance of the Government 
puting on an excise duty (if the production ever 
became seriously large] and the difficulty of 
getting labour, it wa.s unlikely that much ‘land 
would be opened out. The sample of tea I saw 
was of very f^ir quality, and I believe most of the 
tea is sold in Kief. 
SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS. 
Every fact I learned and almost every opinion I 
heard leads me to the conclusion that -while Ceylon 
tea h.as got a firm hold in Russia and will liiore 
and more go into consumption there, the market 
is notone to be carried by assault, and we must be 
content to see and stimulate a steady annual 
increase. Wlien we consiiler the opposition and 
the various retarding influences, nothin" could 
be more encour.aging than the almost * 1611 - 101(1 
increase which h.as taken place in tlie last halt 
dozen yeans. The mixture of Ceylon tea with 
China will gradually accustom th'e Russian taste 
to a stronger and more flavory beverage, and 
eventually pure Ceylon tea will be appreciated 
and asked for, but for a good many years to 
come, I think the g-o.at bulk of our tea taken 
by Russia must be consumed mixed -with chat 
of China. It does not much matter to us how 
it is con-umed so long as it is consumed ; 
only were tim taste more for our tea in its pure 
state we could push its .--ale much more etti 
ciently than -w'e can, so long as its use is for 
mi .iiig. My recommendations to the Committee 
may sta,rtwith a negative one, viz, not to think 
of appointing a special Commissioner to oush 
the business, as has been done in America. 
Such a Commissioner would find little to do.' 
He could only come to the conclusion that retail 
dealers were the peoi)le to aim at aiding, and 
he w'ould lind, oven with Sir. Rogivue’s success 
as a beacon to attract them, bub few people pre- 
p ired to devote the necc,s.s.ary time and capital 
to the enterprise. He would find that the whole- 
sale dealers would regard him as a positive enemy 
to be checkmaled in every po.ssible way. The 
conditions which no'w prevail will ga-adually 
change, and after some years there may be sr-ope 
for a Commissioner, but at present there cer- 
tainly is nob. 1 recommend for the present the 
Committee .should 
1. Endeavour to get theRu.-sian Import duty 
leduc^.d, as thegrcatc-t. aid to increased consump- 
tion. ' 
2. Encourage retail de.alers in much the same 
way as they have done Mr. Rogivue. 
