492 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Jan. I, 1887, 



Compound iuterest for three years before any 

 return can be expected at 6 per cent . . 2,093 



Annual expenses. .13,053 



Wliite overseer and maintenance . . X'200 



(3ne other white servant . . 70 



ftledical attendance on the negroes 25 

 NeRTO-supplies, clothing, tools, salt 



iish, &c. .. ,. t>00 



Colonial taxes . . 100 



Three years' expenditure 

 Compound interest 



£595 



1,785 

 221 



2,006 



Total expense. .15,059 

 Returns the fourth year at £i per cwt, 

 being the average price of coif ee for five years 

 previous to 1792 : — 

 From 150 acres of voung coffee may be 

 expected the fourth year 45,000 lb. .£1,800 

 Deduct annual charges for 



the fourth year . . .t'595 

 Sftoks and saddles . . 40 



635 



Clear profit (being equal to £7 14s per 

 cent on the capital.)... ... 1,165 



Returns the fifth and subsequent years 

 1.50 acres yielding 750 lb. per aero, 112,500 lb. 

 at £4 .. .. .. .. 4,500 



Peduct annual charges 



as before . . £595 



Backs and saddles . . 80 



Repairs of mills, &c. . 100 



. 775 



Clear profit (being equal to 24 3-5th per cent on 

 capital) . . . . . . £3,725 



Peppercorn. 



Sugar appears to be the one absorbing topic 

 throughout the West Indies. As in Jamaica, 

 British Guiana, and Trinidad, so in Barbados, it 

 is discussed and looked at all round, in the hope 

 that something may be done to improve its mar- 

 ketable value. A writer in the Barbados Herald 

 thinks the West Indies might help themselves 

 by the abandonment of obsolete modes of manu- 

 facture, the erection of modern improved mac- 

 liiuery, and their emancipation from many in- 

 veterate prejudices which, he alleges, impede, their 

 progress. With the abolition of the bounties, or 

 such readjustment of duties as will enable them to 

 compete on even terms with other manufacturers 

 the principal grievance would be removed, and if 

 then sugar cannot be produced at a profit he sug- 

 gests that it should be abandoned as a forlorn 

 hope. — Colonics and I)tdia. 



Coffee : The Lakka Company and Coffee Cultiv- 

 ation. — Our London Correspondent was misin- 

 formed — though he named some one who sught to 

 know, as his authority — in saying that the Lanka 

 Company were rapidiy clearing out all their coffee in 

 order to replace it by tea. Such is by no means 

 the fact. The Company's Manager has, of course, 

 allowed certain fields never very favourable for 

 the old staple, to be cleared and planted with 

 tea ; but the main portion of the Company's 

 coffee in Haputale, Udapussellawa and Dikoya was 

 never more carefully conserved and cultivated 

 than at present and well it may be, seeing 

 that crops of from 4 to (> cwt. per acre are likely 

 to be gathered over a considerable area. Altogether 

 the Lanka Company is fortunate enough to own 

 from 1,000 to 1,200 acres of good coffee; 1,500 

 acres of tea chiefly young, but with enough in 

 ^caring to give perhaps 50,000 to 70,000 lb. this 



coming season ; besides 400 acres cacao in Mtaale, 

 doing well, and cinchona, cardamoms, &c. The 

 Company has not yet done much for its share- 

 holders in the way of dividends ; but certainly' it 

 has been making money when the Directors have 

 been enabled to plant so much tea without 

 calling in any additional capital. The dividends, 

 after the tea comes into full bearing, ought to be 

 satisfactory to the shareholders. 



Cultivation IN Madkas.— The total area under cul- 

 tivatiou iu the Madras Presidency duriug the past official 

 year was 22,900,594 acres. No less than 24 per cent 

 was under paddy, 17 per cent under eholuni, ten per 

 cent under cambu, seven per cent under ragi, six per 

 cent under cotton, three per cent under castor oil seeds, 

 2 per cent uiuler general seeds, and one per cent under 

 iudigo. The quantity under sugarcane was only 0*2 of 

 the total area. Iu nearly all the districts the pro- 

 duce over half the area was either middliug or poor, and 

 only eight per cent, of the total area yielded a full 

 crop. It would be interesting to know whether tlie areas 

 here given are even approximately correct. — Pioneer. 



Mr. Elphisstone ox Russian Teas, d'c. — 

 Mr. G. H. D. Elphinstone is good enough to write 

 to us with the Report and Valuation on the Tea 

 Samples referred to in his last. He says :— " As 

 promised in my previous letter, I herewith send 

 you copy of the London Report and Valuation on 

 the Russian Tea Samples I brought with me. I 

 have sent Mr. Rutherford the samples, I think you 

 will be satisfied on looking over the comparative 

 values that Russia is undoubtedly next to England 

 the best tea market. I know myself from ex- 

 perience in both the American and Australian 

 markets that neither market was as good as Russia, 

 and I trust by a gradual process we may be able 

 to introduce the Ceylon tea into Russia, and so 

 keep up the price for our teas when the yield of 

 the island has increased so as to exceed the English 

 demand," 



List of Russian Tea Samples : London Repost and 

 Valuation on Same. 

 Petersburg Samples. 

 No. Roubles, s. d. s. d. 



1 8 @ 1 11 equal 15 4 Reddish' leaf not in 



LoudonOoloug liquor 

 valueSd. 



2 5 „ do 9 7 Flowery pekoe v.<i!ue 



Is, not iu Loudon. 



3 4 „ do 7 8 Moning with flowery 



Tip-leaf, not in Lon- 

 don Liquor value 9d. 



4 304 ,, do 5 9i Moning Pekoe Flavor 



lOid. 



5 2 04 „ do 5 0^ Moning, Ninchow 



value 8Jd. 



6 2-40 „ do 4 6 Mouiug value 7^d. 



7 2-21 „ do 4 3i „ „ 7d. 



8 2-00 „ do 3 10 „ ., 7d. 



9 1-84 „ do 3 6J „ „ 7d. 



10 1-60 „ do 3 Oi „ „ 6id. 



11 Brick Tea Roubles 1-20. No value in Loudon. 



12 Petersburg spurios Tea worthless, used for mixing 



and adulteration. 



Moscow Samples. 

 No. Roubles. 9. d. 



1 268 equal to 5 IJ Ninchow Pekoe, 1b Id 



to Is 2. 



2 2-20 do 4 2 Pungent Ninchow Pekoe 



Flavor Is 6d. 



3 200 do 3 10 Ninchow Is Id. 



4 2-00 do 3 10 do 10*d. 



5 1-80 do 3 51 do lOd. 



6 1-40 do 2 8i Moning Spautum Gid 

 Remarks. — You will note that on the whole 



Moscow sells a better tea than St. Petersburg. 

 Duty amounts in English mouey to la tkl per lb. 

 Freight, lauding charges, etc. in English 



money to St. Petersburg *. ..3d per lb. 



Do do to Moscow . . 4d do 



10th Dec. 1866. G. H. D.E 



