January i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
479 
IXJURY TO THE GOOD NAME OF 
CEA'LON TEA. 
With depreseing Bhamo and bitter indignation, 
we attract attention to the truly shocking and 
diegraorful condition of things in regard to our tea 
enterprise, of the high oharacler of which we were 
until recently so proud, contained In Mr. John 
Ferguson’s letter “ From the Metropolis." That 
tea, properly plueked and as carefully as poeeible 
prepared, should sofTer from meteorological con. 
ditions and be inferior in quality to the high 
standard once enjoyed by our teas, is a matter 
for regret, bnt not a canse of shame or an oooasion 
for censure. But what are we to say to the un- 
principled enemies of Cejlon and its best interests 
who have managed to creep in amongst an 
honourable body of men and who have been 
guilty of the gross iniquity of deliberately sending 
into the market, ue Ceylon lea, trash only fit 
lor the dunghill, consisting of old leaves, twigs, 
and not contented with that, earthy dirt I 
_What was called Ceylon tea has, to our 
ineffable injury and disgrace been condemned by 
the customs authorities as nufit for human food 
and how moch better can tho rubbish have been 
which sold in Mincing Line down to n penny per 
pon; rl. When tho husbandmen found tares in 
his iuid, lio was justified in saying, “ An enemy 
hath done this." Equally U-gitimate is such 
language applied to the persona who prepared 
and these who sent into tho London market, the 
abominable trash described by the absent editor. 
Typical specimens of inferior teas, sent to 
ns by Messrs. Oow, Wilson & Stanton, can be 
seen at the Observer Otfioe, and we only regret 
that specimene rf the old leaves, twigs and dirt 
wore not also sent out. The time has surely come 
when the names of the wrong-dosrs should be 
published and for measures being taken to pre- 
ve.it tho despatch from our shoroe in the future 
ol stuff which can yield no profit to the enportere, 
but wbiob ia calculated most seriously to injurs 
a great onlerpriEc, on which the fortunes of the 
colony as well as of the mars of honourable men 
engaged in it so largely depend. If, oe is indi- 
cated, the rubbish complained of was exposed 
for sale at Colombo, surely there was a failure 
of duty amongst members of tho Tea Association 7 
♦ — 
FROM THE METROPOLIS. 
CEYLO.V TEA IN THE LONDON JIARKET. 
Nov. ’JOth, 1891. 
1 have been this week more than once with Mr. 
Stanton of Mosers. Gow, Wilson ife Stanton (the 
well-known brokers) arranging for a very much 
fuller teltgraphie message each week, by a new 
code, rcapeotiog Ceylon tea; and during these visits 
to Rond Lane, as well as others to the adjacent 
Mincing and Philpot Lanes, I have been much 
distressed to have indubitable evidence presented 
to me by the brokere and by such firms us Messrs. 
Anderson Brothers and others of the really deplor- 
able character of some of the tesB sent over from 
Ceylon to London this yosr. I need not refer (o 
the published lists of late when sales at fi.l, 5d 
and even less carry their own tale and roust rend 
a wholosomo lesson ; for, of course such prices 
must mean a downright loss to those connirned 
in preparing and shipping them. But I have 
actually seen samples of “Ceylon tea " sold at 3d, 
2i and dust at Id, and have had to hang my bead 
in dismay before the absolute trash liquored for 
my oonviotion in the brokers' olhoes. To think 
that we who have been proolaiming the absolute 
purity and good quality of Ceylon, as oontraeted 
with dirty, adulterated China teas, should have 
proof given that Ceylon tea planters or shippers 
are capable of sending over to London, parcels 
unworthy ol the name of tea, in some oases made 
up of twigs and big tea leaves (not flush) and even 
— mixed with foreign earthy matter— even dirt. 
Some of the worst, I am told, are teas sold in 
Colombo (at the weekly auction) and re shipped. 
If so, surely a remedy can be applied by the Chamber 
of Commerce and Planters’ Association 7 Some- 
thing must be done ; for, (tell it not m Oath, 
publish it not in the streets ol Askelon, but) it 
cannot be too soon known by these bodies and 
Ceylon planters generally that one parcel of so- 
called “ Ceylon tea " sold in the Lane, has been 
refused delivery by the Customs authorities, as 
being unfit lor human food. Now this we must 
hope is a climax to be reached only once 
in our history as a tea produoing oouutry. But 
to ensure no repetition ol an act which almost 
amount to a crime against the good nsme of Ceylon, 
it is absolutely necessary that public opinion through 
the two representative planting and mercantle 
bodies .should bo brought to bear on such offences. 
1 know nothing of names in tho oaso ; but if there 
is a repetition, it must be a necessity forced on 
Ceylon London journalists to get full parlicul.rrs 
and to publish them. Perhaps the Oeylon-London 
Association Tea Committee may take some steps ; 
but certainly tho Kandy P. A. should not wait lor 
this, but make some move of its own. Excuse can be 
made for tea being occasionally injured in the 
course of preparation — a bad withering, en error 
in rolling, fermentation, or even drying; but there 
is no excuse for preparing twigs, big loaves of tea 
bushes or for allowing earthy matter to get mixed 
with tea; tor packing and shipping trash condemned 
as uofit for human food. As matters stand, I 
land others) will be afraid to open our mouths as 
we have been doing in Venice, Vienna, Prague, 
Karlsbad, Munich and a host of other places about 
tbe purity of Ceylon tca.s. Some of the county 
dealers in England have even been returning pur- 
chases made on their account as unsaleable, and 
others writing sneetingly, that it is a good thing 
for Ceylon that they don’t sell euoh teas unblended. 
I have asked that certain samples of teas that 
never ought to have left Colombo should bo sent 
out to be shown at the Observer office to any 
interested, and perhaps circulated through the 
the Fort offioee. Tho newa 1 got yesterday in the 
Lane is that some more poor, if not bad, teas may 
be looked for from wet districts, consequently 
perhaps, on the heavy burst ol north east monsoon. 
But all allowance can be made for this cause of 
hurried imperfect preparation ; but not for the 
Bilinixtuce of foreign eubstanees, twigs and absolute 
dust. Let US trust that tbe comparatively good 
prices offering for fine teas will make all planters 
careful to see that their ‘‘pluckiug’’ is looked 
after; for even now there is an indisputable 
abBer!ce of much of the really good Ligh class 
teas that first gave a name to Ceylon. I heard of 
a buyer at Tneedaj’s sale who wanted “ a tippy 
parcel of tea ’ for a special market (^e South 
America) and who could find only one in the sale 
with a value properly f about Is bi, but for whioh 
he bad to pay over lePd, beeauee tbe quality was in 
such poor supply. This ought not to bo. 
It is gratifying to learn of new markets opening 
like those in South America as well as North 
America. In one case of a dealer in a South 
American eoast town to whom Messrs. Gow, 
Wilson, & Stanton sent a trial chest of Ceylon 
tea, he baa responded with an order wbiob hai 
