194 



"TliK TROPiCAL AQkiCVttVnmT. {Suh. i, md- 



and the wonderful enterprise of Ceylon acta on him 

 rather as an incentive to exertion, than as food to the 

 green-eyed monster. He is justified in gauging the 

 force and resources of his adversary, and assessing them 

 at their true value. He does not believe he is to be 

 overwhelmed in the contest, and perhaps he is correct 

 in his estimate of the drawbacks of Oeylon as an 

 abiding and formidable rival. — Nilyiri Express. 



[Most of the coffee land planted with tea was not 

 worn out but rather improved by tillage. Such tea 

 as was planted on worn out land has not yet had 

 time to make its influence felt. There is, in truth 

 nothing new in our experience. Effects of pruning, of 

 unseasonable weather and other circumstances have often 

 bajffled the best and most experienced tea-makers in 

 in India. — Ed.] 



♦ 



CEYLON PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION TEA 

 SYNDICATE :— CIRCULAR. 



[The following copy of circular has reached us, from 

 which it will be seen that the Syndicate movement 

 has already met with good support, and is likely 

 to be a success. Even at the risk of some small 

 temporary loss on sales, planters should join in 

 Bending supplies of tea to be sold in untried or 

 little tried markets. No doubt the Syndicate will 

 be glad of money subscriptions, but the great object 

 is to introduce Ceylon tea and promote a demand 

 for the article where it is not at present known. 

 — Ei>.] 



It has been decided to establl; h, under the auspices 

 of the rianters' Association of Oeylon, a Tea Syndicate 

 for the purpose of introducing our teas to, and pushing 

 their sale in, markets other than that of Great Britain. 

 The very favourable opportunity which the Colonial and 

 Indian Exhibition affords the Syndicate of obtaining smj- 

 able agents in the Colonies will be availed of, Mr. J. L. 

 Shand, the Planters' Association's Commissioner, has 

 been instructed lo take the matter in hand at once, and, 

 with the aid of the various Colonial Commissioners, to 

 obtain introductions to suitable Colonial merchants will- 

 jiig to become Agents for the Syndicate. Agents will be 

 appointed on the Continent, in America, Canada, Aus- 

 tralia, New Zealand, and in such South African, West 

 Indian and other Colonies as may be found desirable. 



Full information will be obtained as to the class of 

 tea and size of package most suitable, quantity of tea 

 required to open up connections, and the likelihood of 

 succesR in the various new markets. 



It is so manifestly to the interest of growers (how- 

 ever small their outturn may be) to extend the field 

 for the P.iles of Ceylon teas, that it is hoped all grow- 

 ers will join this Syndicate. 



It is hy sending considerable quantities (which can 

 only be obtained by every one contributing) that 

 our teas will become known and obtain a firm foot- 

 ing ; when that has been achieved, the Syndicate's 

 operations may cease and the further development be 

 left to individual enterprise and the usual course of 

 trade. 



Th«' Siili-coiMfiiitto« of the I'lanteir*' Association 

 (jil'n.strd witii thii scheme pro]iof»es the following 

 MtU'S, but- tiie Still-committee will be glad to receive 

 any suggestion.-? calculated to proijnotc the operations 

 of the Syndicate:— 



1. That inenibers supply the Syndicatt; with such 

 ((iiautitifs of tea as they deem fit to foster the scheme 

 of introduftioa into other countries. 



2. The Secretary of the Planters' Association will 

 beeonio the Secretary of the Syndicate, receive the 

 teas, arrange for their shipment and pay over pro- 

 cce<ls of sale, for which work a charge of Ig cents per 

 lb. of tea will Ix' made. 



;?. Tlie Syndicate's Agents will (unless there is some 

 special .agreement) be paid by commission on sales. 



4. Eiicli member in forwarding tea will state to 

 which country he wishes his teas consigned. 



5. Great care should be taken by all members of the 

 Syndicate to ship nothing but really good teas, which, 



before shipment will be examined, tasted, and reported 

 on by an expert whose fees will be paid by the member 

 shipping the tea. 



6. If it be found desirable to bulk teas in Colombo 

 so as to obtain an even tea in quantity, this method 

 will be adopted. 



7. The services of two Oeylon Planters, who are 

 leaving the Island, have been offered to the Syndicate. 

 Mr. McOombie Murray is prepared to work New York, 

 and Mr. Hugh Mackenzie would push teas in Australia. 



The undernoted quantities of tea have already been 

 promised, and the Sub-committee requests that you 

 will be good enough to intimate on the annexed form 

 what quantity of tea you would be disposed to con- 

 tribute during the next twelve months : — 



11). 



Dunediu Avisawella 5000 



Mariawatte Oampola 5000 



Sembawatte Navvalapitiya 5000 



Dewalakande Avisawella 5000 



Torwood Bogawantalawa ... 1000 



Tillyrie Do 1000 



Scrubs Nuwara Eliya lOOU 



Wallaha Lindula 1000 



Rogart Kalutara 1000 



St. Andrews Muskeliya 1000 



Corfu Do 1000 



Laxapana Do 1000 



Woodstock Ambagamuwa 1000 



Kauapediwattie . Pussellawa 500 



Kandaloya Nawalapitiya TiOOO 



Strathellie Do 5000 



Orwell Gampola 1000 



Degalla Avisawella 1000 



Kotiagalla Bogawantalawa 1000 



Kanaiigama Avisawella 1000 



Gneiss Rock Nawalapitiya 1000 



Coolbawn Do 1000 



Penrhos Do 500 



Relugas Kellebokka 500 



Hatale Do 500 



Gomera Knuckles 500 



Mahacoodagalla. Maturata 500 



Logan Avisawella 250 



Hattenwella Laggala 250 



Approved for' the Ceylon Company 's Estates, though 

 I am not at present in a position to promise definite 

 quantities. — (Signed) John H. Starey. 



I approve of the scheme, but at present cannot say 

 more than Mr. Starey. — (Signed) Jas. Hill, Messrs. 

 Carson & Co. 



I desire to join the Syndicate on behalf of Fa-ndale 

 estate. I would suggest that subscriptions should be 

 received from those estates that prefer. — (Signed) H. 

 W. Hornby. A, Philip, Secretary. 



Kandy, August 1886. 



^ 



Indian TE.is this season, are being as severely 

 criticised as those from Ceylon, to judge by the fol- 

 lowing report in the Produce Markets Review of 

 July 10th :— 



" The new imports are very disappointing, and the 

 increased supplies show no improvements in quality. 

 The small quantity yet arrived may not truly repre- 

 sent the quality of coming shipments ; at the same 

 time the Teas so far placed on the market are de- 

 cidedly below the staudai-d of the first shipments of 

 some years past. Ceylon Teas have beeif freely offered, 

 and have sold at steady rates, but Java Teai are less firm." 



Wkeils AN)' ^VoKMs. — A pretty common idea 

 that the existence of weeds on cultivated lands pre^ 

 sents insect attacks on the cultivated plants, is thus 

 expressed in the Report on the Administration of 

 Coorg ; — • 



The teak plantations at KootompoUe are doing very 

 well, they measure now 231 acres. An invasion of 

 caterpillars after last monsoon did much damage. 

 They appeared in crowds (8 or 10 different kinds) and 

 devoured not only all the leaves, but the lop shoots too 

 in some cases. 'This plague retarded the growth of the 

 trees somewhat. It is probably attributable to the sur- 

 face of the soil being too clean of weeds and jungle 

 vegetation, so that there was nothing else but the teak 

 for the caterpillars to eat. This theory is borne out by 

 the fact that the old plantations where the weeds are 

 allowed to grow did not suffer. The cost per acre of 

 teak plautatiou wa» H105, 



