712 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April r, 1892. 
to mention bia name. In my opinion, the ordinary 
retail tea-dealer must, in the management of his 
tea trade, atand aaide to Mr. Lipton, and continue 
to do 80 until be finda out the strength of bis argu- 
ment. The aubatanoe of what Mr. Lipton says to 
the pnblio ia this ; — ' 1 am the owner of certain tea 
eatatee, from which I derive my produce without the 
intervention ol any persona — except, of oourae, bia 
managers in Ceylon and London — and I therefore 
am in a position to supply you (the public) better 
than anyone else, because the tra'era who now 
supply you do not buy from a plantation, and 
therefore purchase from other soarocs in which 
there must be middlemen's profit.' The argument 
ia overwhelming to a publie whose duties in the 
struggle for life will not permit them to enter into 
the proa and eons, and thoa the day is gained. The 
whole question ia one to bo gauged by the grocer 
who ia up to date ; and be will at once see the 
advantage, for trading purposes, ol being a part 
proprietor ol plantations from which he can obtain, 
without being tied, as much or as little ol his tea 
direct, without any intermediate expenses, show 
his oustomera views ol the plantations in which be 
is interested, and other evidences of bis strong 
position and the special attention he gives this 
partioular paying article.” 
Qurta k Mistake. — This oorrespondent is in error 
if be auppoeea that we have scouted the idea that 
no tea gardens, the property of tea retailers, can 
possibly pay. We only suggested, and that more 
by inference than direct statement, that planting 
tea is one thing, and selling it retail another, 
and that before it could be taken for granted that 
the two in combination offered a brilliant prospect 
ol Bucoees, it would bo useful to ask those who 
have tried it. In fact, we merely suggested further 
enquiry. 
It Does not Follow. — Because certain companies 
whose gardens arc managed by experienced men on 
the spot pay handsome dividends, it does not follow 
as a matter of course that every retailer who 
carries on a large tea trade will do better if he 
grows the tea plant himself instead of buying the 
leal in Mincing Lane. _ We did not, nor do we, 
now assert that any individual or company owning 
gardens in order to supply bis or their shops 
direct must in all cases be in a less advan- 
tageous position, but in the absence of reliable 
details and figures proving the contrary, we cer- 
tainly incline to the view that something of this 
sort is highly probable. 01 cousre there ia no 
more reason why a retailer of tea should not grow 
bis own produce than that a tea planter should 
not sell his tea to his mother-in-law, but if in 
isolated oases of this kind success followed the 
experiments, it would hardly justify the extinction 
ol the middle man, nor would it demonstrate that 
either the retailor or the planter could not have 
attained a greater measure of success bad each 
struck to bis particular business. 
Ko Bbason Whatevkb.. — There is no reason why a 
retailer ol produce should not grow that produce if he 
can nor do wo know ol any law ol commerce, written 
or unwritten, which prevents a builder owning a 
timber forest, a tailor ololh mills, or a jeweller a 
gold mine. Possibly a shrewd man in either trades 
might find it useful and profitable to extend the 
sphere ol his operations in this way. Say a clothier 
with a good oonnection and twenty shops all, over 
the country, were to desire to make his own cloth 
or even roar sheep for his wool, he could find 
managers who would carry out his views in Australia 
and in Yorkshire, and the idea might prove very 
remunerative ; but it by no means follows as a 
matter ol course that it would be so, or that 
he would make better clothes. There are 
divisions and sub-divisions in trade circles, 
and wo should deem a man prudent who 
waited to ree the result of operations on the large 
scale before he essayed the venture on bia own 
account. This is praetically all we inferred, and 
we meant no reflection upon the correspondent or 
anyone else. So far from thinking the former bad 
only eupetfieial knowledge of the subject, we are 
prepared to credit him with considerably more than 
this, altboush we cannot go the length ol be- 
lieving with him that the working of a combination 
scheme for growing and selling tea, and then sup- 
pressing the grower, as such, as well as the broker 
and wholesale tea dealer, is the essence of wisdom. 
We strongly incline to the view that a clever buyer 
of tea in the Lane, who knows what he is about, can 
buy to greater advantage than he could if he invested 
bis capital in and took tbe risk of tea gardens about 
which he knew next to nothing, although it does 
not follow that a clever and powerful combination 
of retailers might not be able to manage a tea plan- 
tation company in London with succoss. We notice 
that our correspondent ia the “secretary of a tea 
plantation company now in course <>l formation," 
and wo may trust he may test any theories he may 
have formed on the subject ol growing tea and re> 
tailing it entirely to bis own satisfaetion. 
Ceylon Tea and Procuck OoiirANiES in Enoland. 
— Mr. Bulherford, the managing director ol the 
Ceylon Tea Plantations Company, has compiled 
an interesting statement, which we publish in 
this week's issue, showing acreage, capital, and 
dividends ptid lor year 1890-91 of the Ceylon Tea 
Estate and other produce companies registered in 
England. 
Tea Eon Pebsu. — Consul-General MacLean, of 
Meshed, reporting on the trade ol Ehorassan and 
Seistan for the year 1890-91 writes ; — " The value 
of green tea imported daring the year 1890-91 fell 
by £7 9.S3, being only £17,781, as against £125.714 
in 1889-90. But the value of black tea imported 
amounted, on tbe other hand, to £33.209, or 
£11,120 more than in 1889-00, when the total was 
£17,143. It may bo noted here that all tea imported 
from Bombay by the Persian merchants ol Yezd goes 
direct to Busti n territory via Sabzawar, Of the 
green tea about £11,010 worth was Chinese tea pur- 
chased in Bombay, against £1 18,571 last year. The 
v.ilue of Indian green tea was £6,765 worth against 
£7,1-13 worth last year. Of Black tea £28,269 
worth was imported, of which £19,700 worth was 
Indian, against £12,000 last year. Of the green 
tea about £98,305 worth passed on to Bussian 
territory.” 
Last Week's Sales. — At public sale the sup- 
plies of Indian brought forward, says the Produce 
Markets' lieview, have been smaller, and, as has 
been the case ol late, the bulk has chiefly consisted 
of common qualities. Values generally show no 
alteration. Tbe medium and finest kinds continue 
to meet with a fairly active demand, due, no doubt, 
to the unusually small proportion of teas giving a 
fine, strong infusion. As, moat probably, the latter 
shipments will not bring a liberal supply of these 
grades, there is every prospect of their value 
advancing. The value of Ceylon te.as shows little 
change, but there is still a tendency in tbe direction 
of higer prices lor fine descriptions, and rather 
lower values for the common kinds. The beat 
demand is lor full flavoury brokens at from Is per 
lb., but both leaf and broken teas worth about 8d 
upwards ere in request at lata rates. Below 7 id 
however, a very low range of prices has been 
reached, and these grades undoubtedly show better 
value than has ever been previously kniwn. It 
seems hardly possible that the trade can be fully 
alive to the excellence of the value obtainable at 
