The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-29
PREPARE FOR THE
FAMINE IN TEA
The Trouble in China, the Importers
Say, Will Have u Disastrous Effect
OH the Price and Quality of the
Chinese Herb.

Tea is going TO be scarce.
That is what the tea dealers say, and
they ought to know.
In vain there are those who whisper that
the tea of commerce comes from Cuba
and that the real Canton nnd the excel
lent Pekin brands have never been further
away than Porto Rico and the Hawaiis.
The importers insist that the war in CHINA
will make tea scarce ana that the herb
will be as hard to obtain as the pure gin
ger OF India.
What the potato is TO the Irish farmer,
and the apple to the New Englau6er;
what the wheat is to the western grower
and corn to the middle and northern
Suites, what tobacco IS to the South-even
so and more is tea 10 the Chnaman. The
women ana children may employ their
spare time in making little articles OF brio
a-brac and the rest of the family may toss
together the American tire-crackers at
spare intervals, but the raising of tea is a
steady industry u profitable employment
which comes down from father TO son IN
the land which the dear kind Emperor
and Empress have allowed them to cui-
tirate
The tea crop is just ready to be har-
vested The first growth is gathered. Fast
steamers are now on their way from
Europe md Russia 10 China. They 90 by
the Mediterranean and Suez canal, and they
stop at CeyIon and Singapore. They 90
from here 10 Shanghai and up the Yang
tse kiang, seven hundred niles into the
interior of China They stop at the city
OF Hankow, which IS the greatest ter mar
ket in the world. Here they load as
quickly as possible and steam back home
as fast as they can, These tea ships run
a race every year, and the steamer when
gets in first receives the highest price
for It's ten. Should the Yans-tse c.Eer be
closed by war in late summer, it will re-
suit in a great loss to the tea merchants
The prce Of japanese tea will GER
tainly be increased and its export will
probably be greater than ever. The Jap
anese tea is by no means so good as that
OF China. so it s sad. II IS nerve-ex-
citing, and If ii stands il becomes bitter
The majority Of people OF this country do
not know what good tea is.
They like green tea, and they mix the
green and black together in most bar
barous way They think they are payinS
a high price when they give 81 for a
pound of tea, and it will be surprising to
many OF them to know that there is tea
in China which IS worth s25 a pound, and
tea which costs more than 500 pound.
L
dollur a pound brings about twenty-five
cents pound in China. and what the
Chinese cali good tea is worth at least
a dollar a pound wholesale in China, and
il would bring in the United States g a
pound Tea which costs $40 a pound IS
by no mems uncommon among rich China
men. and there are some Chinese nabobs
who serve up $50 tea 10 their guests The
man who knows nothing of tea. but thinks
he knows a good deal. wants the liquor 10
be dark coiored and considers this sign
of strength. The best Chinese tea IS often
as clear as crystal, and the color OF Soo'
ten should be a very light yellow. naraiS
as dark as light amber
THE FIRST CROP
The first leaves of the tea Plant are
the tenderest, and the first picking, o.
course. brings the r-ost money we use
every year about 100000 worth OF chi-
nese tea, and we are fast becoming
consumers of Ceylon and India tea The
Chinese do not think TINT milk or sugar
should be used with tea. Boiling water
should be poured over the tea. but the
taa should by no means be boiled
The Yank-tse-Kians is the river which
runs right through the center OF the Chi
nese F,mnfre cutting the country almost
in half. They say that the best teas are