THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
February i, 1P92.] 
sYi 
TIIK EXPORT TRADE OF CEYLOX 
FOR TEX YEA US ; 
tea from its first APPEARAXCE IX 1873. 
The Caatome (Ipures ntid those of the Charabtr 
pf Conimeroo tor the export of tea from Ceylon 
• n 1890 differ by moie than a taillipn of ponnda. 
The Chamber cf Commerae table shows Ihe 
onormouB export for the lart week of the yiar 
>'( 3. 793, 087 lb , or more than the quantity opposite 
nioat of the months of 18;0. The result of this 
addition to i rcrious figures is to bring up the 
total for 1891 to the large turn of 68,274,420 lb. 
The discrepancy may be due to the fact that only 
poinpletod oargofs of ships which have sailed are 
included in the one case, while daily thipraents 
are included in the other. If the Chamber of 
Commerce figures really r. present the quantity 
taksn away from the island, they largely support 
the guess we at one lime hazarded that the exp rts 
of 1891 would closely approximate to 70 millions of 
pounds The quantity consumed in the island 
Would go far to mako op a total crop of 69 
otillionslb, for 1891. The figures in our Directory 
which represent the history of the entcrpiiro from 
the first small quantity sent away in 1873 arc those 
of the Customs, and to those previoutly given 
wo now add the figures for 1891. This done, we 
fiot the following phenomenal advance ; — 
Year, 
PrtCkug&i. Ih. 
R. 
1873 
a 
23 
88 
1871 
4 
492 
1,900 
1876 
4 
1,438 
2,403 
1876 
7 
767 
1,907 
1877 
a.H5 
.*^,457 
1878 
— 
19.rt07j 
30,900 
1879 
95.969 
88,239 
1880 
— 
162.876 
1881 
... 
— 
348,157 
322,993 
1882 
— 
697,288 
891,808 
1883 
— 
1.668,768 
91G.172 
1884 
a,392.97a 
1 ,4:1.5,784 
1885 
4.3JJJJ9 
2.842,269 
1886 
7,849,888 
8,102,437 
1887 
13,83«,U57 
8.30“,48l 
1888 
23,4*0,713 
12,624.H9.> 
1889 
34,348,852 
17,6.>0,81() 
1890 
a... 
45,702,619 
22,899,789 
1891 
67,0il.777 
33,510,888 
the two 
packages 
in 1873 
eeehl to 
have 
from lha 23 lb., we suppose 
R.^8 value as reprts'nUng a like 
The results are that in 
As 
been separate 
we may take 
number of pounds of tea. ....o.crui.o 
ly >cara tno cxJ)ott of tea from Ceylon ba<! risen, 
bounds Utterly, from 68 lb. valued at 
t)ao h7, 021, 777 lb. valued at no less than 
t<.i.i,510,888. This is atill more than a million cf 
tuptes bclow’ the value reached by oofl'-e in its 
oulmmating glory ; hut then there was no sudden 
usti upwards in oofTee as there has been in tea. 
ne annnal value of which is likely torn to leave 
^ higbeit figures ever attained by coffee far behind. 
IK showing the distribution of our Iras 
0 Chamber of Commerce figures are used. The 
vast prnpiortion of obr expotls, 63 745,000 1b. went 
•I between 1,600,000 lb. and 
1 U0,000 lb. wero ro-exporlbd to countries on 
fi'a of Europe and America, leaving 
for oonsumption (about 53 millions in 
" ) and to go into stoclf. Our second groat 
tl „ li"?.''. Australia, peopled mainly by men of 
Uritish race, whose acquired taste for China 
‘fa had to bo combated and 
J*8ht was a hard 
‘‘now, but 
ntir teas has been 
export having risen from lb, 
overcome. The 
one at first, as wo personally 
thB_ pregrees recently in demand for 
fit®** and gratifying, the 
2,.760,000 in 1890 
irt Q ... ..MV... ..m™ .m. ..,,juu,uuu 111 loyu 
JO 3,210,0001b. in 1891. There can be little doubt, 
tbetelore, that Ceylon tea will replace China tea 
tine oonsumption of whioh has rcauhed to over 
20 millions of pounds) in the Australasian markets, 
as it has done in Britain. The mi rkets of the Vnitod 
States and Russia — next to Britain, the greatest tea- 
drinking countries of the world — stim much more di- 
ffioult to effect, by cl anging (be taate of the tea 
dri kors. Hence the wisdom of (he contemplated Ohi- 
esgo crusade and of every effort which can be made 
for the much more difllcult conquret of the Russian 
marVet. At present tur ex> orta direot to Amerioa 
ore reprcEcnted by 168,000 lb. a fall from 
204,000 lb. last year. To Russia we sent direot 
only a misrrablo 11,000 lb. To both oountries 
(America including Canada) there wero exports 
of our teas from Britain, but only to a 
small though premising ixtoit. China took 
of our tias almost exsofy the same quantity 
as America got direct, while India took no 
lees than 620,000 lb. moat of it for the Ptraian 
Gulf, no doubt. In the oases of China and India 
there have been couaiderablo increases on last year, 
Bi d 60 indeed to Germany, France and other 
oourilries on the Continent of Europe ; but as yet 
einly about I^ million pounds of our teas are 
taken by other than comitrica peopled by the British 
race. All Ihia will irelong be chaiigod, however, 
to the benefit iqua'ly of those who consume and 
those who produce ( eyloii tea.- As regards total 
exports of tea in the year on whioh we have 
entered, we can huvo no desire for the re- 
currenoe of the meteorologioal oondiliona whioh 
resulted in flushes so overwhelming during a 
portion of last year that iliey could not bo 
properly ovortaVen l.y the curing processes. 
But there can be liitlo doubt tliat the total ex- 
port of 1892 will be little, it at all, abort of 
90,(00 000 lb.; and wo tiuet the demand for our 
teas will expand in propoitiop. To secure this, 
attontio i must be rariiestly devoted to upholding 
the reputation of the Ceyloi proi'uot for quality, 
— for retrieving indeed the giod nnme which some 
of tbo teas sent away in 1891, so seriously en- 
dangGi'i'd, 
The histrry of oofli-e snl cinrhor.a in the past 
ten years has l'e*n very difftrent to that of tea. 
The oourso in both oas-s has tein downwarde, 
the export oi coffee having fallen fn m 163,000 owt. 
to 86,000 owt.; while cinohora. i.(trr having risen 
from 4 400,000 lb. in 1882 to 14,838 0 01b. in 1886, 
has gradually dccrecatd to the still luge quantity of 
5 679,000 lb. Both arlieles are likely to shew 
still further diminution, unless the disappearanoe 
of leaf f'li'gns anl grein bug, leads to a return 
by plantirs to Iluir firet love. In 1873, when 
only B few pounds of tea appeared in our exports, 
tho quantity of coffee sent from our ports was 
951 591 cwt. valued at £4,220,750 sterling. Cacao 
has, with some fluctuations, risen from 1,090 cwt. 
in 1882 to 20,532 cwt. last year Conditions of 
soil Biid climate are likely to prevent any large 
increase in this article. For quality Ceylon oaoao 
r. nks first in the wor’d; end wo may aay 
the Bsme cf the cardamoms produced in 
our island, the export of whioh has risen 
from 21 too lb. in 1S82 to 422,0b0 lb. in 1891. 
The once fsmous cinnamon of Ceylon, a pound of 
which at one time realized olose on a pound 
steiling, is now down to the unremuncrative price 
of about one shilling average. The gradual ap. 
PKBch of this stale of things has not hindered 
increased exports, which indeed must be largely 
the oiUBo of lowered prices for a spioo whioh is 
eminently a luxury. Tho figures for 1882 were : - 
Baled t ark ... ... 1.587,016 lb. 
Chips 422.915 „ 
Total ... 2,009,931 lb. 
