exposure to the oxydizing influences of the atmosphere, the greatest caution having to be exercised in avoiding those that will not keep for any length of time owing to this most objectionable peculiarity, losing flavor quicker and decaying faster than any other kinds, not even excepting low-grade Japans. This loss of flavor and rapid decay is greater in some sorts than in others, the grades most easily affected in this manner being the highly-fired, light-flavored and open-leaf makes. The demand for India teas in this country is only limited, owing to the present taste of consumers, and there appears little hope of any increase in the future. What little is sold being used chiefly for blending with the softer and more mellow-flavored teas of China; the India grades supplying the absent quality of strength to the latter. Strenuous efforts have and are being made to introduce them, but so far with indifferent success. The character of the liquor after the infusion is so entirely foreign in body, color, flavor and aroma from that of the China and Japan sorts to which the people have been accustomed, and which appears to be an inherited taste, so deeply is it set, that little or no progress can be made in these attempts. The great strength, pungency and pronounced flavor of the choicer grades rendering them valuable only for blending purposes. Still it is difficult to overestimate the importance of India as a source of tea supply. Twenty years ago it furnished only about 10,000,000 pounds to the world’s supply, but so rapidly has its production increased that the crop for 1892 is estimated at 110,000,000 pounds. Its consumption in England is annually increasing, the total deliverance for that year being 103,000,000 pounds as against 99,000,000 pounds for 1890, while for 1889 the increase was upwards of 12,000,000 pounds over that of 1888. These enormous strides in the consumption of India teas in England is only equalled by that of Ceylon teas, the British public demanding strong, dark liquoring teas irrespective of flavor, aroma or effect. CEYLON TEAS.