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THE, TROPICAL AGkiCUL'VtjmBT. 



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CEYLON UPCOUNTEY PLANTING REPORT. 



UESULTS OF THE LATR HEAVY KAINS — QUEER STORY 

 OF A TEA AUTHORITY " GOW SYSTEJl" OF TEA MANU- 

 FACTURE — LAST BREAK OF AGAE's LAX3) TEAS — 

 COFFEE — THE WEATHER, 



30th August 188C). 



From the late heavy rahis there have been many 

 results : cooly lines washed away, tea stores tlooded, 

 big slips on the railway and roads, and little 

 slips on estates, leaking roofs and damp bungalows, 

 wrecked bridges and burst drains, besides many 

 other things beneticial and otherwise. These were 

 natural and to be expected. It was, however, rather 

 out of the ordinary course of nature that planter's 

 expectation, who in an answer to a store-keeper 

 whose smile is not bland, and who expected some 

 grumbling from his customer, said: "No, no, I have 

 not come in to grumble ; was just passmg and 

 wanted to see if the late heavy rains had washed 

 down your prices any!" 



By the way there is a (|ueer story of a 

 tea authority being employed by a local firm to 

 sell or influence the sale of their "Boom Roller." 

 He is not known to be in the swim, but as ati 

 authority, he is of the consulted : many men 

 are anxious to get the result of his experience, to 

 suck his brains in fact, and to these he yields of 

 his stores willingly and in an innocent way. He 

 will instruct you in tea from planting to packing, 

 but is greatest in machinery. As to rolling, well, 

 his universal advice is: "Go in for the 'Boom 

 Roller,' two hand ones are much better than one 

 of the large size ; both are not likely to break 

 down at once, you know, and / can recommend it." 

 If this seemingly unbiassed opinion is followed 

 he scores a commission, and this in a gentlemanly 

 way, having no visible connection with trade. 



It is rather a ticklish matter evidently saying 

 anything about Mr. Gow, the tea authority. Around 

 him there has been a good deal of dust kicked up, | 

 and \ woui.l like to keep out of it if I can. But 



" There is a Providence that guides our way," 

 and when a friend of mine sent me a note of the 

 •• (!ow System," I felt I whs mixed up, and must 

 inkc my chance with the others. This is how the 

 mutter is |>ut : — •' Tiikc half the (|UiUitity of the full 

 charge and roll from five to seven minutes ; then 

 take it out and do the same with the other half. 

 Heap them both together and allow them to fer- 

 ment for half-an-hour; then re-roll for thirty to 

 forty minntes, complete the fermentation, and roll 

 again for twenty minutes, then sift and lire." Tea . 

 which had been manipulated in this way, and 

 which lately had been getting about lO^d a lb. 

 when treated in the ordinary fashion was valued i 

 at a good deal over a shilling. The tea was said 

 to have a lure black appearance and has a strong 

 liquor. To keep this system going, two rollers arc '' 

 wanted, if there be much tea to manufacture, but 

 the diifcreiice in price from what the estate had 

 been getting before, and the valuation of the new ■ 

 tea manufficture on the " Gow Sytem " was so i 

 great as to make the buying of another roller a 

 mere nothing. 



I don't care to name the exact figure which was 

 mentioned, it being something very hne, and a 

 great deal loss would satisfy. If Mr. Gow brings 

 about such results, he will have unmistakably shown, 

 that, although good teas can and have been made, , 

 still he can make better. 



I have not seen any notice of the sale of the 

 last break of " Agar's Land " teas which was dis- 

 posed of the other day privately at Rl 00 a lb. all 

 round. That is a price which should surely satisfy 

 the fortunate proprietor, and take a good d eal to 

 beat, TJie break, \ understand, was not sold in grades, i 



Now that t/he price of coffee is rising almost 

 df.ily, it is not a little vexing to see how the 

 miserable sprinkling of crop which we hoped in 

 time to gather is somehow disappearing. Whether 

 it be the effect of bug or the persistent attention 

 of leaf-disease or the sheer " cussedness " of things, 

 certain it is that the lean promise -too scanty 

 even at its best, either to cheer or to inebriate 

 — which was held out of stomethinn in the way of 

 coffee, this promisi? is again to be a disappoint- 

 ment. It is not much that any of us on this 

 side hoped from it, as goodness knows; but when 

 you have humiliated yourself to estimate a one- 

 man-crop, and to find that thai has to be reduced, 

 it is then that you realize what it is to have your 

 mouth in the dust. I heard, however, of more 

 fortunate people ; and with them I can rejoice, for 

 it is not many good things which fall in the way 

 of our planting brethren in these days. 



The weather still keeps very favourable for the 

 young tea plants, and several showers we had last week 

 were specially welcomed, coming as they did after 

 a few days' hot sun. Peppercorn. 



■ --^ 



SPRING VALLEY COFFEE COMPANY, LIllITED, 

 Directors. — -John Brown, Esq., Managing Director, 

 Edward Conder, Esq., Leon Famin, Esq., Henry Hart 

 Potts, Esq. 



Report. — To be presented to the Twenty-first 

 Ordinary General Meeting of the Company, on ^Vcdnes- 

 day, the 1th day of August, 188ti, at 12 o'clock noon. 

 The Accounts now presented to Shareholders com- 

 prise a Balance Sheet, showing the Company's 

 Financial position on 31st May 188(i, and 

 Profit and Loss Account for Season 1884-85. Spring 

 Valley Crop somewhat exceeded the estimate given 

 in last year's Report the total weight of Coffee 

 sold being ,'i,58.5 cwt. o qr. 3 lb., the net proceeds of 

 which amounted to £1.'),845 4s 2d, equal to an average 

 price of 5Gs 9d per cwt. Refuse Coffee sold in 

 Colombo realised 1'663 Os 8d. bringing the total 

 receipts from sales of Produce up to £16, .508 4s lOd. 

 The Ceylon Expenditure includes R2'2,iV23-20 spent 

 on Tea clearings, and after providing for tliis, tho re- 

 sult ol Hie Season's working is a profit of 1'1,S.37.')8 -jd 

 wliicli addcil to the balance of t'), l.X) '.Is 11(1, brourlil. 

 forward from last year, makes a sum of £B,oO? 

 los 4d at the credit of Profit and Loss Account. 

 The average price obtained for the Coffee was 33 

 per cwt. below that of last year, and taking 

 into account the sum expended on 'Tea ])lant- 

 ing the Profit secured is considered satisfactory. 

 L'c will be seen that no Cinchona Bark is brought 

 into the present account ; this arises from the fact 

 that enrly in the season the labour force was reduced 

 it being then thought that crop was to be very 

 short. The gathering of the larger crop secured, 

 however, fully employed all the coolies retained, and 

 no labour was available for Cinchona harve.stiug until 

 after the close of the Company's financial year. 

 The original estimate of the Coffee Crop for Season 

 1885-86 was 2,450 cwt., the latest reports, however, 

 show that no more than 1,200 cwt. can now be. 

 calculated upon. The returns from Produce will be 

 very materially augmented by the large harvest of 

 Cinchona Bark ; 25 tons of this Product being ex- 

 pected to come forward. 'lac Coffee Market 

 also shows signs of improvement, but it is 

 not thought that receipts from that crop will 

 be sufficient to meet the year's outgoings. Until 

 the ajrival of the last advices, the Boart 

 fully conte iiplated the payment of a dividend at 

 the present time, but in view of the reduced crop as 

 above, they now consider it prudent to carry for- 

 W; .'d the balance at the credit of Profit and Loss 

 until the produce for 1885-86 has come forward and 

 boon sold, when j,liey will be in a better position to 

 see whether there will be any important deficit on 

 that crop to be provided for. 

 Tea,— Shareholders were informed in last Report 



