THE 
Vol. XI. COLOMBO, JANUARY isT, 1892. [NO- 7 - 
THE INADEQUATE SAJrriJNa OF TEAS. 
P what has been stated to our 
London oorreepondent rela- 
tire to the above matter may 
be accepted ns fully oorreot, 
we can readily understand the 
strong feeling on the subjeot 
evinced by the Indian Tea 
Planters’ Aasooiation, and can sympathize with 
the steps that body has seen fit to adopt 
with reference to it. It is very ocrtnin, of oourso, 
that a grievance of such a character must bo 
fully shared in by our own planters, and we can 
only wonder that it has not before evoked re- 
monatranoo by them. We are not aware, however, 
if the facts ns now stated to us — if they be really 
faots have on any previous oooasion received 
publie notice. Some of our upoountry friends and 
oorrespondenta may possibly have heard complaints 
of this nature, but if so they have not been 
communicated to os. The Indian Association may 
bo able single-banded to have the evil remedied, 
and wo are quite sure that Mr. Leake and the 
Committee of the Ceylon Association in London 
well co-operate heartily with their Indian confreres 
in the endeavour to secure such a result. But if j 
their combined efforts should prove to bo unable f 
to secure suooess, we hold that it will be 
the duty of out Planters' Association to unite j 
with both the bodies named and so impress i 
upon the brokers its feeling on the subjeot as to 
enforce the observanoe of what is but a rule of | 
simple and neoessary justiee to our hard-working ] 
tea planters. For how oan it bo expeoted that J 
we oan avoid hearing of complaints of the quality 1 
of Oeylon teas being constantly not up to sample, 1 
if as a matter of fact, those samples have never j 
been in any way tested! As we understand the 
allegation made, it is that in the rush and hurry 
of business as it is at present oonduoted, in the 
haste to put teas which arrive on the market 
directly they are landed, the sampling if done at 
all is most ioeffloiently done. It would seem to 
bo the ease that in very many inetanoes a handful 
of tea is just taken out of one of the ohosts of 
a break, and that without even the necessary 
preliminary of liquoring and tasting this is offered 
as a sample of the contents of perhaps one hundred 
chests. Now we know from experienoe, from 
repeated instances mentioned to us, that perhaps 
not even two or three of the ohosts in a break of 
the size mentioned would fairly represent tbs 
average quality of the whole. Some defect in 
packing on the estate, or injury arising from 
rough usage or from the unseasoned wood of a 
I partionlnr box, may cause the one soleoted 
I to be of very interior quality to the great bulk 
I of such a quantity of tea. As a matter of fact, 
we should ourselves say that a sample for each 
five boxes should be subjected to the most careful 
I tasting and description before an average sample 
I should be determined upon. Wo oan fancy wo hear 
j shippers on this side. But we can hardly think 
that, if the difficulty bad been fairly represented to 
them, if the possible loss arising out of undue haste 
bad been fully explained to them, these would 
continue a course of insistence almost oertaiu to be 
fraught with bad finanoial results to themselves. 
They would, we should think, moderate their 
I demands as to speed of disposal so as to give the 
I brokers a ohenoo of carefully Karopling their teas 
I before offering them to public sale. Doubtless we 
I shall soon hear more parlionlara as to this matter; 
At present wo are without details, and have only 
j beard the statement of one side, so we must suspend 
judgment as to the degree of blame to be awarded 
I and as to the parties to whom it should be im- 
puted. But although thus compelled to await 
fuller information to do so, this does not detraot 
from the necessity for oalling particular attention 
to the subjeot ; lor if what is stated is practised 
on any extensive soale, the faot may go largely 
towards accounting for the very seriously low ptioes 
that our teas have been lor some months past 
fetching at the London sales. 
BOGUS CEYLON TEA IN .ADELAIDE. , 
A correspondent writes as follows : — 
“ A friend of mine bought in Adelaide the 1 lb. 
paoket of tea herewith sent for 2a. It bears a label, 
‘Pure Ualtioola Ceylon Tea.’ Is there such an estate in 
Oeylon, or do you ihink it is meant for ‘ Battigalla f 
You can make any use of this as you may think fit. 
Uavo it loated to see if it is Oeylon tea.” 
There is no suoh tea estate in Oeylon, and tms, no 
doubt the person who adopted the false tiame for 
a fraudulent article well knew. The opinions of 
brokers are most deoidedly adverse to the so-oalled 
Oeylon loa. Mr. A H. Thompson writes 
“ Ih'ivo tested tlia tea. I think the Oeylon men 
should go for this Company, as I am sure 60 per cent 
