46 
THE TROPICAL AQRI0ULTURI8T, 
[July i, 1891. 
and the collection of but a comparative!; small quan- 
tity of which absorbs the shoots of plants throuKhuul a 
very krijo area of ground. Our reproaentative was 
shown a sample of the stuff sold, which looked rather 
like a tobacco mixeuro than tea, there being nothing in 
the nature of the ordinary leaf, hut the whole having the 
appearaueu of a short-chopped fibre, some of the in- 
gredients being golden, and others of a darker 
hne. The golden was explained to be the superior 
article, and a comparison with a sample of wbut wits 
previously sold at the n< xt highest piice jueti&id the 
advance in the lignres, the gold being in far larger 
proportion in yesterday’s supply. Wo learn that when 
tea of similar oharaoter tetchod over iilO per lb. a 
few weeks ago, the Sultan of Turkey desired to parohaae 
an onnee, which was sold to him (or a sovereign, and 
that to sundry others who take an interest in curiuri- 
ties of the kind, small quantities were sold at high 
rates. It is snticipated that in the present case there 
will be a similar demand in certain quarters, and it 
is thought probable that the greater part of the lot 
will And its way to the Chicago Kxhibition. We fear 
that persons who may purchase the Masiwattoe Com- 
pany ’a tea will not be able to detect in it any infusion 
of the £25 lOs per lb. supply. It will be (ouud on 
oalcnlatiun that that price represents nearly half the 
weight of the tea in gold. 
The recent wiakness of the tea market is attributed 
to the heavy supplies coming from Ceylon, the know- 
ledge of which has depressed ladiau teas generally, 
in addition to which the lailure of Messrs, Adams 
and Bell, an old firm of China tea merohants in the 
City, with liabilities estimated at £200,000, has had 
a disturbing etfoot on the market . — Financial Times, 
May 8 th. 
TKE C'EYLO>' AND INDIAN TEA 
ENTKRJ’IUSE. 
The Hon. W. W. Mitoholl writing to us under 
date 7th May, says:— “The tea market has given 
" way a little, buyers being frightened apparently 
“ at the largo shipments of Ceylon tea, the result 
“ of the heavy Hushes consequent upon the abnor- 
“ mal rains you have bad. Estimates of the shipments 
during April have beeu anything from 5i to 7 
•‘million lb. and it is a pity that accurate returns 
“ are not issued more promptly. 1 know the dilfi. 
‘‘oulty there is iu getting steamers' manifests 
“ comploled, but the Chamber of Oommerce might 
•• devise means of procuring more expeditiously than 
•'at present, information that a good deal of im- 
“portanoe is attaohed to on this side. Mr. 8. 
“ Eiwood May, the President of the Ceylon Planters’ 
•• Tea Oo. in America is here on a visit, and has 
mat the Tea Committee of the Assooiation and 
“impressed them very luvourably. The support 
“given by thu Planters as a body, has so far 
“ beeu vory meagre, as wituesa the resolution passed 
•'by the Association in January last, and he would 
“like mote of an • eudorsemeut' by thorn. Ceylon 
•' should make a good demoustratioa at Chicago, 
“ and it goes without saying that no better ohannel 
“ could bo found tor doing it than through the 
“ Ceylon Planters’ Tea Co. I hope the Tea Fund 
“Committee will behueral when the occasion oomes, 
•• seeing that they have never given a cent towards 
•'the intcoiiuotion of tea into America.’’ 
Wo give prominence to this information in addi- 
tion to that in our London Letter, because un- 
doubtedly the great practical question of the day 
belure Ceylon is (1) how to laoilitato the sale of 
her leas in Miuomg Lane, and (2) how to extend 
the demand in new countries and in America 
more eapeoially. Wo may therefore feci certain 
that the Tea Fund Committee and our tea planters 
generally will view favourably any proposals com- 
ing to ihem w.th the approval of the businessmen 
on the Commiitoo of the London Assooiation, while 
the Committee of the Chamber of Commeieo 
Will no douljt seo what oan bo done to meet 
the requirements pointed out by Mr. Mitchell 
As regards our Tea industry generally it is evident 
that maoy people in the old country are beginoiug 
to think that it is not only destiued to shut up 
China, but to beat India handsomely in the race of 
oumpetition. Our Loudon correspondent brings for- 
ward two Companies which ho finds reported together 
in the Loadeiu Times and he makes out that they 
may be taken as typical and that they show Ceylon 
is by far the better adaiitod lor a tea-growing country 
and that our credit ought to rise acoordingly. 
There is something in this and more might be 
made if our largest Company — and the biggest 
Tea Company in the world, the Ceylon Plantations 
Tea Co. with its 15 per cent wore quoted in com- 
parison with the largest and beat of Indian Companies. 
We do not say, of ooi’rse, that so strikiug a 
contrast could be maintained in the case ol all 
Companies working respectively in Ceylon and India. 
8till, we should have no difficulty in citing 
striking juxtapositions many times over were 
we oalled upon to do so. No doubt the coin, 
oidenco ol the quotation by tho London Times will 
arrest the attentiou of many of the enormous 
number of the readers ol the leading journal, 
and it may fairly be ounclnded that deuuotiona 
highly favourable to Ceylon oredit will be made 
upon the facts disclosed. At the same time 
that public attention haa thus been drawn to the 
superior position occupied by Ceylon as a country 
wherein to invest iu tea cultivation, the sucoeed- 
ing issue of the Times coutaiued the announcement 
of the fact that our teas had been sold in Mincing 
Lane for a price somewhat exoeediug a guinea an 
ounce I We, out here m Colombo, can discount the 
weight of this last aimounoement. We know very 
well that it relates to a mere tour dt force, that 
the circumstanoe is altogolhor outside of practical 
eommercial results. 'The British imblio, however, 
will noi, be so readily able to recoguise this, 
although the trade must oe fully aware of it. Two 
sucoeediDg issues of the world-read metropolitan 
journal — along with praatioaliy the whole English 
press— have therefore ooutaiued an advertisement of 
our plantiag enterprise which must be productive of 
satistactory elleot. Fur the generality of people 
will uut stay to consider the oondilions under 
which thia and former abnormal prioes have been 
obtaiuoJ. We have seen how ignuraut have been 
tho ocnduclura of home jourhals as to these con- 
ditions, and we may be quite sure that tho conclusion 
ol the great majenty of those who have read the two 
anncjUneenicms telerred to will bo that, not only does 
Ceylon grow tea of a value such as haa never 
been heard ol, but that tho results of a finan- 
oial kind are close upon three times as good in 
Ceylon as they arc in India 1 
Itisaaiicipatod.ot home, that benefit toCcylonmust 
follow upon this. Home oapitalists, have of late been 
exceedingly oautioua in their inveaimeats, and they 
have required strong inducement and very complete 
assuranee to lend money on oolonial enterprises. But 
the sutficient inducement and assurance, it is now 
thought many moneyed men at homo will find in 
the ease of the Ceylon tea enterprise. It 
remains to be seen whether the lutihor transfer 
of estates from proprietors working— in some 
eases at least — with burrowed money, to individual 
or Company purchasers commanding capital, is 
likely to follow. There is no doubt still room lor 
amalgamation and the thorough equipment of 
central factories serving a large seveage. But mean- 
time, anything to strengthen tho oredit of the 
staple industry ol Ceylon is an advantage and 
as such we welcome the wide and favourable adver- 
tising of our teas and tea culture, this mail 
presents, 
