498 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Jan. 1, 18874 



3. The quantity of Coffee (estimated at 2,516 cwt. 

 sLipped home was 2,416 cwt. agaiust a crop of 5,499 

 cwt. last year, and the amount realised from Coffee 

 ^ives a total of t'7,702 13s. The pi ice of the Com- 

 jany's Coffee during the past year las been better 

 than in 1884-85, having averaged 66s 8d per cwt. against 

 (JOs per cwt. last y^ ar. 



4. The Cinehoua Lark harvesteil has been about 

 105,580 lb. (of which 30,402 lb. were sold in Ceylon: 

 Ihe greater part has letn realised and the wliole is 

 expected to produce i'4,'.i22 Us 5d. 



"). In consequence of injury to the shade trees and 

 the consequent prevalence of insect pests the Cocoa 

 which was estimated at 500 cwt. has only produced 

 11)5 cwt., realising ,€528 15s (id, but additional shade 

 trees have been planted and the general appearance 

 of the Cocoa has greatly improved, and there is every 

 prospect of a good crop for the current year. 



0. The plantations of Cardamoms have not pro- 

 duced the estimated quantity, only 893 lb. having 

 been received which realised f50 3s. The prospect, 

 however, is more promising for the present year. 



7. The first plantings of Tea of Fordyce Estate 

 have fully answered expectations ; the estimate for 

 the year was 15,000 lb., but the shipments received 

 amount to 34,519 lb. realising .£1,770 5s 6d and show- 

 ing a net average of Is O.'fd per lb. 



8. The Tea Factory a;t Gouagalla having been found 

 unequal to the proper manipulation of the largely 

 increased pickings of Tea leaf, a Jackson's Excelsior 

 Tea Roller has been purchased and shipped for 

 Ceylor. This will anablo the Manager to prepare 

 and send forward the greatly increased quantity of 

 Tea which the Estates are expected to produce. The 

 estimate for the current year is 120,0(JO lb. As the 

 Tea trees on the Company's 450 acres of Tea at 

 Foidjce and Gonagalla come into full bearing, they 

 will supply sufficient leaf for the Gonagalla Factory 

 and consequently our Colombo Agents concur with 

 the General Manager in recommending the erection 

 of a Tea Factory at Fruit Hill Estate, which is 

 ckse to the Railway and conveniently placed for the 

 purchase of leaf in the event of the 237 acres of Tea 

 there, not furnishing enough to keep it fully em- 

 ployed. The estimated cost of this factory is about 

 ±'1,250 and there is ample water power at Fruit Hill 

 for working the factory. 



9. Your Directors have pleasure in stating that of 

 the froposed issue of 2,000 six per cent £10 Preference 

 Shares (part of the authorised Capital of 5,000 Prefer- 

 ence Shares) of which 1,100 had been allotted at the 

 date of their last Rej)ort 230 shares in addition have 

 been since applied for and allotted, leaving 670 shares 

 still available for applicants. 



10. The dividends on the Preference Shares issued 

 prior to the 30th June la.st, have been duly pai 1 out of 

 the profits shown by the Accounts. 



11. No addition has l^eea made to the Company's 

 estates during the year under review, and the present 

 state of cultivation is sutEciently shown in the Tabular 

 Statement contained in paragraph 19 of the Report for 

 the year 1884-5. 



12. Your Directors regret very much that they are 

 not in a position to pay any dividend on the Ordinary 

 Shares. Since of the formation the Corrpauy its manage- 

 ment has been a const;, nt source of anxiety and ri('- 

 sponsibility, but although the Directors have been well 

 nigh beaten by bad seasons, low prices, leaf disease and 

 other causes over which they have had no control, they 

 still consider that, with better .reasons, the Company will 

 before very long be in a better position than it has 

 been for some time past. The Directors have now four 

 products to rely on, coffee, tea, cinchona and cardaaioms 

 and they rely on each of them, coffee and tea as their 

 support, Chinchoua and Cardamoms as helps. Ceylon 

 -Coffee will shortly be if it is not now a luxury, and 



many parcels have been lately sold at over 100 .shillings 

 a cwt., whilst Ceylon Tea ia making a most remark-' 

 able progress in the estimation of the Tea drinking 

 public. Although costing more, Ceylon Tea goes 

 much further than most other Teas, and in the opinion 

 of these ujost competent to judge there will always 

 b; a makct for it so long as it is carefully prepared. 

 On these po/pt«! the following Extract from" the Ctijlon 



Ohei-ier of the 9th November latt may be iLter- 

 esting : — 



"We think our home friends mav rest aBsured that 

 ( eylon can compete with any other country in supply- 

 ing superior Teas at moderate prices, ;uia as the 

 h-URlish taste gets educated to the fine Indian and 

 Ceylon Jeas, clearly the bulk ofinferior ' China ' kinds will 

 not pay to export. A certain proporllou of line China Teas 

 will always find a good market in Kngland, but we 

 certainly expect to see inferior Teas snper.seded. Cey- 

 lon Agents are everyv.heie pushing our Teas in new 

 markets. As regards pliuitiiiK and cicps, the work of sup- 

 plying and even planting out Tea has been carried on 

 vigorously uiicoiiniry. ]ii<. crops of Cofifee are being 

 Kjithered lu Haputale and some other parts of Uva, 

 Tliere is Rreat activity still about Cinchona bark, but 

 iRter ( n a slackening here, simultaneons with a large 

 iucren.se in the export of Tea, is anticipated." 



If the cultivation of Cinchona does slacken it will be 

 good for the Company, as great attention is being given 

 by the General Manager to the proper cultivation of 

 this product. The Directors acknowledge with plea 

 suie the zeal of their General Manager and of thei- 

 Colombo Agents. Mr. Henry Bois, the senior member 

 of their Agents' Firm has lately visited the Company'r 

 Estates, and has written a very interesting Repors 

 thereon. The Report was not intended for publict 

 ation, but as it will put the Shareholders in full posses-- 

 sionof our Agents' views, the Directors have determined 

 to publish it as an Appendix to this Report. The 

 Shareholders may rely on the Directors continuing to 

 exercise the utmost care in the management of the 

 property. The very large share they hold in the capital 

 of the Company, to say nothing of that held by their 

 personal friends, is a sufficient guarantee that they will 

 do all they can for its benefit. The two Directors who 

 on this occasion retire are Mr. George Allen and Mr. 

 James Thomas White, and they both being eligible 

 offer themselves for re-election, 



Mr. John Smith (a shareholder) the Auditor, also re- 

 tires and offers himself for re-election 



By order, "\MLLIAM BOIS, Secret&ry 



No. 8' Old Jewry, E.G., 10th Dec. 18f56. 



APPENDIX. 

 REPORT ON ESTATES BY MR. HENRY" EOIS 



Colombo, Ceylon, 7th Oct. 1886. 



The Secretary, Lanka Plantations Company, Limited, 

 London. 



Dear Sir, — Between the 7th and 18th ultimo, I 

 visited nearly all the Company's Estates, that is to 

 say. Fruit Hill, Gouagalla group, Rillamalle, Rap- 

 pahannock, Ampittiakande, Arnhall and Thotugalla. 

 Mr. Harding, who accompanied me, has sent you Re- 

 ports upon some of the Properties. 



Speaking generally T found all the Estates in a 

 good state of cultivation, quite as good as we could 

 expect for the money spent upon them. I doubt if any 

 further material economies can be efl'ected or if any 

 changes could be profitably made anywhere in the 

 superintendence or management of the Properties. 

 The Tea is growing well nearly everywhere and the 

 Coffee did not appear to me to have gone back since my 

 lait visit. Gonagalla has a very fair crop upon it 

 and the Autumn crops in Haputale are also fairly 

 good. Spring crops will, however, certainly be short. 

 The season has been most unfavourable, constant rain 

 when sun was wanted. At the date of my visit the 

 weather was fine but rain has since fallen I believe, 

 and in anj' case it is now too late to expect anything 

 more than very small Spring crops from the Haputale 

 and Uva Properties. 



As regard.'! Fruit Hill the tea is growing satisfactorily 

 but not so vigorously as on some places that I have 

 seen. The estate is, however, so conveniently situated 

 that it can be worked cheaply and the leaf can be 

 sold to great advantage, owing to the proximity of 

 the estate to the railway station, should it be found 

 impracticable to manufacture it all at Gonagalla as 

 at jn-esent. I do not tliiiik it iriU be adrisalile to j>iit up 

 a fticioy on tJiin projierli/, at all events not for some 

 time, i see no reason to doubt the estimate of 20.000 

 lb. of tea and "('0 bushels coffee for ltSO-7. A few 

 acres of coffee manured with refuse from the bazaars 

 has put ou a very large crop; I do not suppose, 



