642 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
March i, 1898 . 
portant matter, and I urge upon you to do all 
you can to make this fact known to Ceylon. The 
number of Ceylon teas that come to this maiket 
now, either very open in leaf, badly rolled, or rolled 
to powder, is extraordinarily large, and it seems a 
pity that it shuts out a great many teas from mar- 
kets where they might find a remunerative outlet. 
Where teas are very small and very open, I fancy 
it must be either from a considerable over-wither, 
or from under-wither, whereas in the case of the 
Javas you only have to look at the teas to see that 
the withering has been perfect in every respect, 
otherwise the even small pekoe leaves could not 
be made. Of course, they might pluck finer there 
than in Ceylon, I cannot say, not having been to 
that country ; but this is a complaint with all the 
dealers in Ceylon leas, that they don’t come 
up to the Java or Indian teas in style of 
make. Were they to ■ do so, were they to be 
heavier, bulk for bulk, there is no doubt in my 
mind that the consumption of Ceylon tea — already 
satisfactory — would at once show a large increase, in 
fact, the difference would amount to eight or ten 
millions in the year if it were possible by some “ fait 
legendaire ” to ensure that every lb. of tea leaf in 
Ceylon were rolled as well as it is possible. Of 
course, this cannot be so. At the same time, there 
are a great many go-a-head planters who, if only 
they knew the importance of it, would certainly take 
means to have their teas more closely rolled, and 
there is no other way I can think of in which Ceylon 
planters can make their produce more valuable than 
by paying more attention to close rolling and good 
make. As I told you the other day, I would rather 
remain anonymous in communicating this to you, and 
so I will simply sign myself.” 
I am, sir, yours truly, A. PHILIP, 
Secretary to the “ Thirty Committee.” 
Indian Tea in India— is the heading of at sub- 
editorial in the latest (?fo6e(Jan. 21) on a subject 
which has often attracted attention. Why should 
on it the millions of India, Burmah, Siam, Straits, 
Java and Ceylon drink tea as well a« the Chinese 
and Japanese? There is cCTtainly room for 
increased consumplion in Asia. If all our com- 
mon teas were so used, it would be well for 
tea planters : — 
The conservatism of the people of India is very 
marked in their reluctance to use their own tea. 
India produces annually about 137 million pounds 
of tea. Of this 1.32 millions is exported, no less 
than 124 millions going to the United Kingdom. 
Only five millions of pounds, therefore, remain m 
India for the consumption of 300 millions of people; 
while the United Kingdom, with only about 40 
millions of people, takes 124 millions. In other 
words, India uses less than half an ounce per head 
per annum of its o^Tn tea, while each inhabitant 
of the United Kingdom consumes on the average 
about five and a half pounds. The contrast between 
these figures becomes the more nib.rked when we 
learn that the bulk of the tea fised in India if con- 
sumed by the English community there, no fewer 
than one million pounds— out of the total of five 
millions — being purchased for the use of the British 
soldier alone. It is not that the natives of India 
have any prejudice against the use of tea; for they 
like it, and rate its medicinal properties against 
fever very highly. It is merely that tea, as a 
beverage and a luxury, has not yet found its way 
into the daily life of the natives, although the con- 
sumption is increasing year by year among the 
population of the larger towns, especially among the 
Mahomedaus. The Indian tea-planting industry has, 
therefore, a splendid future before it. Not only is 
it fairly dividing with Ceylon the markets of the 
world from which the merits of both have practi- 
cally ’ousted China tea, but in the slowly educated 
nonulation of 300 millions of native Indians it will 
a ne'w market of its own in the future. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Vanilla in Ceylon. — A young German who 
h.us been tea-planting in Ceylon for some years 
has purchased an estate of nearly a hundred 
acres, on wliich he intends cultivating vanilla. — 
Cheininf and Dru;jgist, Feb, 5 
“ The Ceylon Fobestee.”— A Quarterly Magazine 
of Forestry, Natural history and Shikar. Edited 
by H. P. C. Armitage, Assistant Conservator of 
Forests, Jaffna. Fourth Quarter, 1897. No. 7. Con- 
tents : — The Terrestial Mollnsca of Ambagamuwa ; 
Para Rubber ; Reviews ; The Admininistration Re- 
port of the Ceylon Forest Department, 1896 ; Fire- 
wood Forests, Mirigama ; Mexican Rubber; Ex- 
periments to Test Durability of Wood ; Utilization of 
Forest Produce; Extracts; The School of Forestry, 
Ceylon ; Sleepers on the Railway ; Value of Teak. 
Indian Coffee in Ceylon. — There is a very 
good business done in this line, chiefly among the 
Tamils of the Pettah and their neighbours of the 
Coromandal Coast. Fairly good sized parcels are 
often imported and there is a ready sale for them in 
the local bazaars. The grades are chiefly “triage.” 
Occasionally parcels of “ Native ” are brought 
down to Colombo, and these mixed with our own of 
the same name are sold to exporters, and pass off 
as entirely Ceylon “Native.” It is generally well 
known that our Island’s produce in this line has a 
better marketable value than the Indian, which 
has not the same delicious flavour as, that of good 
old Uva ! — Cor . — Local Examiner Feb. 17 
Fixing Barbed Wibe. — Commence by first passing 
a complete turn of wire round one end post, and 
securely fasten it with stout galvanised staples ; 
then carry the wire to the other end, and having 
gauged the approximate distance between extreme 
supports, bind two or three turns of the wire round 
a piece of quartering, by means of which using it as 
a lever against the back outer edge of the post, the 
intervening line of wire may be tightly strained 
across the face of the post, where it shonid be 
secured. The lever can then be removed, and a turn 
of wire passed completely round and stapled to the 
post in order to keep the line strained. An assistant 
will probably be wanted during the straining pro- 
cess, and it will be desirable to fix spurs to the 
inner sides of the end posts to prevent them being 
pulled over. A single staple driven in each inter- 
mediate post will be tufficient to keep the wire in 
position, and if more than one row is to be fixed, 
secure the top one first and the bottom line last. — 
From Worh for February. 
Circumstances Alter Cases.— It has been 
assumed that Mr. Chamberlain’s reference to 
the proposed grant-in-aid of the West Indies 
was intended to apply to sugar growing. 
It is now pointed out — says the Home and 
Colonial Mail, of 4th February — that this aid 
will be offered not to support the sugar industry 
alone, hut it is to help in starting new' plant- 
ing industries. If this be so it will be in accord- 
ance with the recommendation of Sir Henry 
Norman’s commission, but it will also be unfair 
to planters elsewhere. For instance, how would 
Indian and Ceylon tea planters feel if planters 
in our West India possessions were assisted by 
the State to grow tea in competition with India 
and Ceylon. It is claimed that the soil and 
climate of some portions of the West Indies 
are suited to tea planting, so that such a situa- 
tion might occur. When the Ceylon coffee 
growing enterprises came to grief, Ave are nob 
aware that tlie State came to the rescue, nor 
did Parliament vote a dole to enable planters 
in the island to develop other jiroducts. The 
Ceylon planters w’ere left to their oAvn resources, 
anil had to fatten on their own enterprise. 
