8i8 
tHE TROPICAL AGRlCULtURlSt. 
[May 2, 1892. 
ESTLMATES OF THE TEA CHOPS. 
It ia satisfactory to learn that Mr. Koberts, of 
Messrs. S. Kuoker and Co., whose views as to 
the position ooonpied by our teas in the London 
market have been so repeatedly verified, hss 
expressed the opinion that whatever the outcome 
of this year's crop may prove to be, whether in 
exoess of or below the eslimatea mads by ourselves, 
it is not likely to affect prices to be obtained for our 
teas. Several years ago, our readers will remember, 
Mr. Roberts told our London correspondent that, 
even if the time came when Ceylon should export 
80 million, or even 100 million, pounds of its tea, 
an adequate market could be found for it. Indeed Mr. 
Roberts, while naming those figures, stated that, so 
fat as be as an expert could foroeeo, there need 
be necessarily nc limitation to the export. The 
solo effect of this, whatever its amount might 
be would, in his judgment, be the displacement 
of’ a similar amount of China tea. To such a 
view, it appears, be still adheres ; and bis former 
prophesying has hitherto been so entirely justified 
by results, that we must perforce feel bound 
to attach great weight to his opinion. China 
tea is, as Mr. Roberts predicted it must 
be, succumbing year after year as the 
result to the production of this island hav- 
ing been placed in annually irioreasing quantity 
upon the London market, and although the aseur. 
auoe derived from this fact could not justify us in 
abstaining from making every exertion to open 
up new sources of consumption, we may take it 
for granted, we think, that up to the utmost 
limits of the capacity for tea-growing in Ceylon 
means may be found for its profitable disposal. 
Wo learn that Mr. J. L. Shand, who, during his 
late stay in Ceylon, has been actively engaged in 
visiting our upcountry estates, has written that 
he believes our export of tea for the year now 
current will be barely up to 71 million pounds. 
That gentleman has further written, wo under, 
stand, that he has seen many fields, the bushes 
on which have shown unmistakable symptoms of 
having suffered from over-plucking; and he augurs 
from this that, unless more discretion be exer- 
cised, many gardens that have hitherto annually 
yielded large crops must gradually show a groat 
falling-off in their production. We have little donbt 
that in this opinion Mr. Shand will be supported 
bv many other experienced planters. Bushes that 
have never been allowed any ohanoe of attaining 
a oeitain amount of maturity for their leaves 
that have been constantly stimulated towards re- 
production of bud by denying to their sap its 
natural outlet must, like all forced forme 
of growth, suffer ere long, and must need 
a period of rest for recuperation. The faot stated 
by^ Mr. Shand might perhaps well account for 
the difference between the estimate first made by 
ourselves and that his lata experience oompels 
him to adopt. It we had heard of Mr. Shand’s 
figures without the assuranoe given us by Mr. 
Roberts, we think it might have been justifiable 
to asBumo that his reduced ORtimato would have 
been one upon whioh our planters and others 
interested in tea might bo congratulated. But Mr. 
RobertB tells us that if our or ginal estimate had 
been likely of fulfilment wo need not to have 
feared from the faot that any lowering of prices 
obtainable for Ceylon teas would result. As it is 
we believe we may look upon the issue to this 
year’s operations, whatever it may be, with almost 
entire indiflerenoe. Of late many alarmist pre- 
dictions have found utterance as to the probable 
oonseiiuenoes of our greatly increased production, 
and there arc many who with oursolves have 
attached an importance to them which, wc now 
hsrdly think they can be said to deserve. It 
must, at all events, bo some lime yet before our 
exports can rise to the figure of 100 million 
pounds, at whioh it may bo that Mr. Roberts 
would foci disposed to reconsider his present de- 
cision respecting this matter ; and wo fully 
adopt bis view that until that figure of export bo 
reached wo may regard the extension of tea 
cultivation in this island with a satisfied oalmness. 
This is, however, but one light in which to regard 
the facts communioaied to ns. The second in 
which these may bo viswed ia of importance as 
regards the finanoiol prospects before our planters. 
If the tea bushes are to he weakened by a course 
of overplueking systematically pursued, it is possible 
that it will be found that planters will have to 
face a large destruolion of trees on their estates. 
They will in faot find that they have “ killed the 
goose that laid the golden eggs,” and they will 
have to lie by to await the attainment to maturity 
of new trees put in to take the place of those which 
have been killed by peraiatenoe iu an unwise ooursc. 
And it may well be assumed, we think, that for 
recent largely increased exports this system of 
over-piuoking has been largely responsible. It will 
be well, perhaps, if the diminished estimate of 
yield made by Mr. Shand opens the eyes of all of 
us to cheek the prosperity of our planting 
enterprise ia likely to receive by persistence in 
a course whioh in the long run must, as it seems 
to us, prove very uneconomical. It will be better 
that we should be contented with lighter returns 
from our estates than thai we should find ourselves 
compelled to in many cases lie by for several 
years to obviate the effeot of excessive plucking 
in the oonsciiuent destruction of our trees. 
SCIENTIFIC TEETOTALISM. 
[The following is a specimen of the extravagant 
nonsense in which others btsidesSir Andrew Clarke 
indulge. Tea is valuable as a food as well as a 
non-alcoholia stimulant. The use of tea has greatly 
inoreased the value of life and even its abuse is not 
to bo compared for a moment to the ravages of 
alcohol. — En. T. A.] 
In tho current number of the Anntt'altMUui MfAica 
6'aret(e, Ur. . 1 . Miirray-Gibbes, of Boort, Victoria, ha® 
an iutereatiug paper on what ho calls “ Scientific 
Teototaliam.” After admitting that tho toototallers 
aro right in saying that alcohol in fermented liquors 
is injurious to tho body, ho proceeds to ask whether 
teetotalism as cai-ricd out now is advantageous to tho 
human race and how it is carried out. 
" It is a total abstincnco from alolioholio stiinu- 
lants. But arc those the only stimnlants consnmod 
now-a-days? By no means so, for iu no period of the 
world's history has the consumption ot stimulants 
boon so prevalent as at tho prosout moment. But it 
may be said, how can this ho when teototallors who 
now muster by the thousand, novor touch stimulants ? 
Uou't they? AV’hy they consume as much, or even 
more stimulants than tho non-abstainora, for instead of 
taking them in the form of alcoliol they take thoin as 
tea and coffee, for tliein or caffein ia as strong a 
stimulant as alcohol.* They have simply suhstitutod 
one form of stimulant for another. Tea and coffee 
rapidly spread over Europe when it was first intro- 
duced iu tho seventeouth century, hocauso it 
noted as a anbstituto for tenuentoa heyeragos, in 
that the tannic acid in it delays tho digestion of 
nitrogenous substancos. Thein is a pure stimulant 
to tho nervous system, only it acts in a more subtle 
way. Witli alcohol you soo moat of tho effects at 
once, hut with thein it is different, for it acts like 
a most insidious poison. Tliero ia a certain balance 
in the power of the norvons system, for if it is over- 
stimulated it afterwards suffers from a snbao<ineut 
exhaustion which wo soo in nervous irritability, 
atonic dyspepsia, iiouralgia, decayed t ooth, coiist l- 
• A blatant faUchood.— En. -L 
