[CHAPTER XXXIII.]
STATISTICS REGARDING INDIAN TEA.
As early as 1780 a few Chinese plants were to be seen in Calcutta cultivated by a Colonel Kyd.
The possibility of cultivating Tea in India was first mooted in 1835-36, and the Indian Government started an experimental garden at Lukimpore (Assam) at that time.
Indigenous Tea was first discovered in Assam by a Mr. Bruce in 1830.
In 1845 and following years the Government imported large quantities of China seed and established nurseries on the Himalayas.
Tea planting was commenced in India by the Assam Company about 1840, and the cultivation was undertaken in other districts in the following years:—Kumaon and Gurwhal, 1850; Cachar, 1855; Dehra-Dhoon, 1855; Sylhet, 1857; Kangra, 1858; Darjeeling, 1860; Terai, 1860; Chittagong, 1860; Neilgherries, 1862; Chota Nagpore, 1872; Dooars, 1875.
Thus it may be said Tea planting in India dates from 1840 by one Company, but 1850 by individuals.
The following figures show the imports of Indian Teas into Great Britain since 1870 in millions of pounds:—
| Year | Millions of Pounds |
|---|---|
| 70 | 13 |
| 71 | 15¼ |
| 72 | 17 |
| 73 | 18¼ |
| 74 | 17¼ |
| 75 | 25½ |
| 76 | 29¼ |
| 77 | 31¾ |
| 78 | 36 |
| 79 | 38½ |
| 80 | 44 |
| 81 | 45¾ |
| 82 | 54¾ |