January i, 1892.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
497 
THE CEYLON TEA CROP OE 1891. 
The exports up to the middle ol Dseomber 
closely touched the round number of 03 millions 
of pounds, the exact dgures being 62,948,000 lb. 
We may, therefore, fairly estimate the total to 
31st December at 05^ millions of pounds, Of the 
quantity already sent away, 68,814,000 lb. went to 
Britaio, and 4,134,000 lb. to other countries, the chief 
ol which were : — lb. 
Aastralia 
. . 3,022,000 
India 
. . . . 427,000 
China (I) 
IG’.OOO 
Amerioa • • 
. . 1,58,0;'0 
Germany 
90,000 
Austria • • 
70,800 
Africa 
69,0(X) 
Mauritius «. 
68,700 
France 
21,000 
Spain 
17,000 
KnflKia 
.. .. 11,000 
Other places. 
aggregate about . . 20.000 
seema exiraordmary that India, which was 
tea growing country nearly half a century before 
Ceylon was compelled, by the failure ol coffee, to 
enter on the cultivation, should bo our best direct 
customer next to Britain and Australia, There is 
a taste for our tea amongst many Europeans in 
India ; but the larger portion of the tea exported 
to India is, doubtlops, destined for the Persian Gull. 
Still more extraordinary is it that China, which 
preoeded both India and Ceylon by many centur- 
ies in the production of [cha, should now import 
no less than 162,000 of the fragrant loaf from 
her youngest rival in the enterprise. But very 
httla of this quantity is likely to be consumed by 
Chinese. Germany and Austria together, show 
America, which is disapppointing 
while Russia is still more so. We must not, 
h - ever, forget the oxuoiis of our tea from Britain, 
which are shown in Gow, Wilson, & Stanton’s 
latest report. None, of course, went from Britain 
to Australia, but to other countries quantities 
went as follows, Germany, in this case, including 
Austria 
United States . 
Canada . 
Ilolland , 
Germany 
Kussia 
France 
Other places ] 
. 
1891. 
lb. 
314,127 
. . 353,671 
. . 100,480 
. . 419,640 
49,174 
. . 34,581 
406,854 
Total 
. . 1,678,527 
Taking exports direct and from Great Britain, the 
quantities of our teas which will be taken by 
coun ries other than Britain in 1891 may be approxi- 
mately estimated as follows •— 
Countries. Direct. From Britain. Total. 
. , 'b. lb. lb. 
AuBtreha 3,160,000 3,150,000 
I“o‘» 450,000 450,000 
Chma...... 170,000 170,000 
Uoitod States .... 165,000 330,000 495,000 
Oauada 370,000 370,000* 
Holland 110,000 110,000 
Germany 139,800 440,000 579,800 
Hosaia 13,000 40,000 53,000 
^'»noo 25,000 40,000 65,000 
Otberplaoes 150,000 440,000 590,000 
Total...... 4,262,800 1,770,000 6,032,800 
As over 4J millions ol our exports will go to other 
countries than Britain and nearly 1,800,000 will be re- 
exported, while of the 61J shipped hence for Britain 
• Total to all America 865,000 lb. 
«3 
only about 60 are likely to reach it before the close of 
the year, the proportions in which our teas are 
likely to be taken by Britain and other oountriei 
in 1891 will be about as follows : — 
Britain .. .. 68.000,0001b. 
Other countries . . 6,000,000 „ 
Total .. 64,000,000 lb. 
Ol the whole of our crop, Britain and British Oolo- 
Dies, Australia (Canada, India, Mauritius, iko.) take 
about 62,600,000 lb., against 1,600,000 taken by all 
foreign countries, — whether direct from Ceylon oi 
by way of Britain I 
Snob ilgares strongly emphasize the neoessity 
of abating no effort to open up and cultivate 
markets for our tea in countries beyond the bonndi 
of the British Empire, 
The UnitedStates, instead of leas than 600,000 lb. 
of our tea, ought, before the close of this century 
to be our customer for at least 30 millions ; Buesia 
instead of a beggarly 63,000 lb., taking at least 
10 millions, and Canada an equal quantity, Ger. 
many and Holland should not be far behind, 
while even Franoe ought to taka 5 millions instead 
of a miserable 66,000. There are great possibilities 
too in the expansion ol the Asiatic markets, if 
only peace and progress can be preserved. But 
‘‘Push! push I push I" mast still be tba motto ol 
Ceylon tea planters. 
THE REPORT OF THE LANKA PLANTATIONS 
COAIPANY (LIMITED). 
The annual statement published by the directors 
of the above Company has always a particular 
interest. It is one of those Associations, now 
but comparatively tew in number, wbiob have bad 
to ffght the battle of the changed oonditiona 
which some years back overtook this colony, and 
which yet continue the cultivation on any con- 
siderable scale of that product which, after giving 
to this colony a cycle ol j oars of great prosperity, 
failed BO suddenly and almost to utterly. Coffee 
still finds mention, and in no ineignifioant degree, 
among the sources whence the Lanka Company 
derives its Income, and on that account, as well 
as from the fact that the report under notice 
evidencea that the Company is emerging from its 
long season of difficulty, that document will be 
regarded as one claiming particnlar attention by 
ourselves and by our readers. No less a sum 
than £9,603 18s 9d was obtained for the coffee 
prodnoed daring last year on the Company's 
estates, the weight of the crop being 2.031 
owt., or approximating to something like lOOs 
per owt. This crop appears to have been 
a eatiafactory one on five of the estates 
growing coffee, and we must presume that 
on other ol the Company's properties the yield 
had not been so good. It would seem that tbs 
directors were determined that nothing should be 
left undone to maintain a high cultivation of auoh 
fields of coffee as continue to promise well, while 
they had decided to gradually substitute tea in 
those localities whore the trees did not give evi- 
dence of a lasting vitality. It would be ipteresting 
to know how it can be that a tree, which at one 
time flourished under almost all conditions in our 
hill country, now promises vitality only in certain 
restrioted areas. Might not^ consideration given 
to the oonditiona under which it still earvives 
enable some oonelusions to bo arrived at as to how 
such oondilions might be secured for other 
localities ? Or is it simply a question of shelter 
and of soil, or, possibly, one of the date at which 
