New-York tribune., 1901-06-15
THE CHARM OF CEYLON.
a MAGNIFICENT ISLAND AND ITS TEA
INDUSTRY.

GOLDEN TIPS: A Description Of Ceylon and Its
Great Tea Industry; BY Henry ". Cave. Illus
syo, pr. Xii. 474. Imported by Charles scribner's
Golden tips are the fine. small ends Of the
tea plant Of Ceylon, containing the essence of
the leaf, and when sold alone. bringing fabulous
prices in the London market. 1t is this plant
that has given a new impetus to the activity
and prosperity of that remarkable island. sup
planting industries that have failed for one
reason another. Mr.. Cave writes with en-
thusasm Of the beauties of Ceylon and Of the
tea production there with evident knowledge.
on this island every prospect pleases. and Mr..
Cave has given many pages Of glowing descrp-
tiOns of its tropical beauties. The first impress
sions of the visitor favorable, for he finds in
Colombo, with many quaint native surround
ings, a handsome city, possessing hotels in
fnitey superior to any others in the East" and,
if the photographs to be trusted, full of
buildings of high architectural pretensions. The
tea country is in the mountainous region
around Handy, ''incomparably beautiful
district" The pretty little old native town the
impregnable stronghold of the chiefs for cen
tuTies is situated about a hundred miles inland
from Colombo. Mr.. Caves descriptions of the
wild and luxurious country that must be ira
versed to reach il vivid, and the excellence
Of his photographs adds conviction what he
portrays. There is an endless panorama of viii
lagos embosomed in palms. magnificent groups
of tropical trees sheer crags over which the rail-
road passes and from which the passenger
gaze down a thousand feet; dense forests q
leved here and there by the vivid green terraces
of rice fields; deep ravines and foaming water
falls Everywhere there is the impression of
luxury and plenty-all obtained, Mr.. Cave
assures us. from the benefits of English rule.
All through this region is to be seen "the per
fection of village life" Nature provides every
thing; the Cingalese need poor laws nor
have any, and they live In great contentment
happy after their manner, and enjoy baths as
their chief and most frequent luxury.
The Ceylon tea industry is only about twenty
years old having been introduced the failure
of coffee and the overproduction of cinchona.
Ii not only gives employment to the natives.
hut has caused other laborers to from
India gain what Mr.. Cave speaks of the
high wage of eight cents a day. Pucking is the
most important part of the tea industry. requr-
ing careful teaching and constant supervision
of the ouckers:
Only the young and succulent leaves can be
used in the manufacture. and the younger the
leaf the finer the quality of the tea; that if
a specially delicate quality is desired, only the
bud and two extreme leaves of each shoot are
taken.
These must he picked 10 leave the eye
of the leaf uninjured the branch. The
women get so skilled that it is difficult for the
uninitated to believe how carefully each leaf or
| shoot is chosen. The twisting of the leaves and
| the subsequent roll breaking to separate the
masses into which they are pressed, are done by
machinery: and this. Mr.. Cave observes, keeps
the tea pure and free from the dirt which finds
its way into the teas of China, where the opera
tion is performed by the hands of the bland but
unwashed All Sin" In fact. through all the proc
esses OF manufacture everything is done to
| avoid handling the tea, and from the bush to
| the table such methods OF cleanliness are OBJ
| served as are employed I'm scarcely any other
food product The best Ceylon tea is the So
| called broken orange pekoe." fine and small
consisting largely of young tips that look like
| little chips of wood. These golden tips alone
would be far too strong for the teapot though