]a^, I, 1S87.J 



tHE TROPICAL AGPJCOWtJRlSt. 



49iJ 



Ijovvever, that this would be repeated a second season 

 pr that it can be taken as an indication of what 

 colfee would do if heavily manured, 

 ,. GoxAtfALtA (Group)— Owin:^ to constant rain the 

 ferdund had a soddened appearance and the coffee 

 looked as if it wanted some sunshine. Assuming that 

 the bearing acreage of coffee is correctly estimated 

 I do not think the estimated crop more 1 ban* is on 

 the trees. The tea is combig on sat i<f actor i/i/ and 

 further provision will have to he made formanvfacture. the 

 present Rolling Machinery being inadequate. I be- 

 lieve Mr. Harding wrote to you about sending out 

 an Excelsior Roller, Jlr. Murray Robertson has just 

 purchased one for us direct from the manufacturers 

 and you will no doubt be able to do the same, 

 thereby saving the extra sums charged by Mr. Jack- 

 son's C"olombo Agents. 



From Gonagalla I proceeded to Rillamallk and I wish 

 I could write more favourably than I can of 

 this Property. It is, in my opioion, the most un- 

 promising of the Company's Estates. The 

 Coffee Avhich was so fine when it was young is now 

 yellow and unhealthy, the wood wiry, and the general 

 appearance indicating but little prospect of crop. Mr. 

 Harding and Mr. Owen both insist that this is the result 

 of long coutiijued wet weather and that with normal 

 seasons the trees will recover and crop well. This 

 may be so to some extent but it is also true that 

 leaf disease, green and black bug, and, Mr. Owen 

 says, also grub are at work upon the Coffee, and it 

 i% probably the combination of all these adverse cir- 

 cumstances that is answerable for the unsatisfactory 

 appearance of the Property. So far there had been 

 little or no blossom and it is certain that the crop 

 will be very small, how small cannot be determined 

 just at the moment, for Mr. Owen was still hoping 

 that fine weather would force out a blossom. 'I here 

 being sufficient Tea Plants iu the nursery for the 

 purpose the 70 acres planted with Tea are to be in- 

 cic'dsed to 100 //li.a i/eur. I thoidd .•<top at that for the 

 present to see how it does. On the neighbouring 

 Estate the Tea planted some years ago shows a veiy 

 fair growth and Rillamalle will probably do the same. 

 There is, however, i/ixch against Tea cultivation at this 

 spot. The transport is very ditficult, everything hav- 

 ing to be carried ID miles, part of the way over a 

 very rough mountain road to Padiapelella on the 

 high road to Knndy. It (PadiapeluHa) is possible that 

 something may be done by Government to provide the 

 district with a proper outlet, in which case Tea cul- 

 tivation will be less handicapped, but there is no 

 immediate jirospect of any such work being under- 

 taken. 



I should like to see Rillamalle again some months 

 hence— in the meantime I do not .see that anytliing 

 el.se car be done than what is proposed by Mr. Hard- 

 ing—the trees certainly want pruning. This means ex- 

 penditure; but the coffes has hardly a chance to do 

 much witii a lot of very bad wood upon the trees. 



Kappaiiannock is another unsatisfactory property. 

 It has, iu common with nearly all T'va estates, missed 

 its blossom for .spiing, and crop will certainly be very 

 short. There is a large quantity of healthy "cinchona 

 on the estate, and a corrcspondiug large harvest of 

 bark can be secured ; but unfortunately prices are so 

 low tliat large shipmeut.s of bark do not mean very 

 much monty, I think that about 150 acres in the 

 centre of ibe estate should be kept and cultivated a.s 

 coffee, manure being applied whenever a set blossom 

 promises a fair crop. All the cinchona should be 

 cut out or uprooted in these fields, for it is a fact be- 

 yond all question that cinchona and coffee will not 

 grow toyctlier after the former is some years old. The 

 coffee almost invariably deteriorates, and ceases to be 

 productive. I agree with Mr. Hnrding that the 57 

 acres at the bottom of the estate shtaild be put into tea. 



The fine coft'ee on Ampittiakande looks, I think, a.s 

 well as evef it did, an 1 it has the best crop on it 

 that I saw anywhere. The acreage of the fine coffee 

 however, is smaller than it used to be, and there is 

 not suflieient area to admit of the place giving very 

 large crops. I was agreeably surprised to see how 

 well the tea was growing wa this estate, ftud I see uo 



ireason why it should not be a success. Transport 

 difficulties are no doubt against it, but they are not 

 really serious as is the case with Rillamalle. I think 

 when tea is manufactured in any quantity the factory 

 for both Ampittiakande and Arnhall shou'd be at the 

 latter place. 



Arnhall has a very fair autumn crop upon it. The 

 coffee did not strike me as having gone back tiuce I 

 last saw it, and there is no doubt the rain has been 

 favourable to these low-lying places. The quality of 

 the coffee should be much better than it is when 

 picked in a pry season. 



Tiiotulagalla /.-.■ ahoi't the finest sheet of coffee in 

 the coinpani/'s possession, and with fine weather I 

 believe it would have given a very satisfactory crop 

 this season. 4,000 bus. (parcht) are supposed' to be 

 on the trees ; how much more will be yielded can- 

 not yet be quite estimated. For the expenditure 

 incurred, I think the condition of this estate creiit- 

 able to Mr. W. Harding. Pruning is, perhaps a little 

 behindhand but it is not possible to do the work very 

 quickly on such large trees with the limited labour 

 force kept upon the property. Mr. W. Harding's 

 health seems to call for a change to England for a time. 

 I think during his absence the necessary work of the 

 estate might be carried on by Mr. Bouton, he drawing 

 his own pay and half IMr. Harding's. The latter gett- 

 ing leave on half pay. 



The (/7-een bug to which Mr. E. G. Harding refers 

 is, in my opinion, not the old variety of cocus that wc 

 have known iu former years. Its attacks appear to 

 be of a more persistent character, and there is no 

 doubt that in many instances serious results have fol- 

 lowed upon its attacks. I saw it more or less every- 

 where on my travels, and I am not disposed to mini- 

 mise its importance. I am in hopes that fine vigor- 

 ous coffee will not be permanently affected by it, but, 

 on the other hand I am bound to saj' that I have 

 seen really fine trees almost killed by it. Thatching 

 the trees with Jlana grass and applying lime perhaps 

 do a little good, but in olden days we found that 

 there was no real cure for it until nature caused its 

 disappearance. 



The railway to Haputale is still an unsettled ques- 

 tion. It is hoped that the Governor's stiong recom- 

 mendation of the work will induce the Colonial Office 

 authorities to agree to the commencement of the ex- 

 tension. Perso.nally, I have no faith in a 2-feet gauge 

 line to Uva. — I am, dear sirs, yours faithfully, HE>>RY 

 BOIS. 



LANKA COMPANY, LIMITED. 



Eal.\.nce Sheet, 30ih June, 188G. 

 Dr. 



£ s. d. i s. t1. 



To Capital paid up ... 1(32,000 U 



l."i,000 Ordinary Shares 

 of £10 each ... 1.50,000 



1,200 Preferance 

 Shares of £10 each ... 12,000 



To Loan obtained on the pay- 

 ment of the Mortgages on 

 Arnhall & Ampittiakande ,,. 

 To Sundry Creditors 



Bills Payable ... 7,898 2 10 



Sundries ,., 4,445 lu 1 



To Balance of Piolit and Loss 

 Account... 



Cr. 



M s d. 

 By Estate,^ ,.. 



Ampittiakande ... 2ii,2'Jo 5 U 

 Arnhall ... 18,.521 ti Si 

 Fruit Kill ... 10,232 14 

 Fordyce and IJarbawn lij,liV) 2 

 GonagiiHa and Para- 

 matta ... 18,1.«.T 12 11 

 Rappahannock ... 22,84ii 10 7 

 rvilhimalle ... 10,333 11 9 

 '1 hotulagalla ... ;'5,143 13 1 

 VaUawntte • 6,083 13 (J 



9,030 

 12,311 12 11 



02: 9 i 



£183,869 2 .3 



£ s, d. 



16:{,721 10 4 



