Jau. r, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



447 



Bince 1861/1862. The state of cultivation now, of 

 course, is very different from what it was in those 

 years, and the vast area covered by the plantations 

 almost preclude the possibility of an absolute scar- 

 city in the production of the bean. On the other 

 hand, we are assured that there is a disease at work 

 among the Coffee trees, which has already caused 

 considerable damage, and which must be carefully 

 watched. An Imperial Commission has been appointed 

 to inquire into this all important matter. The only 

 chance for a moderate crop would be a luxuriant 

 blossoming now, but even this would hardly be suffi- 

 cient to save the situation, because before the cherries 

 could be thoroughly formed, they would be assailed 

 by the strong sun of November and December, we 

 fear, with . terrible effect.— S. Mausfeld & . Co. 

 London, 11th November 1886." 



MANILA NEWS:- KAPOK, SUGAE, RAILWAYS, 



{Translated from "Straits Times.") 

 The advantages of growing Kapok or silk cotton 

 has so far attracted attention in the Philippines that, 

 according to the Oomercio, the authorities there have 

 decided upon taking measures to further its cultiv- 

 ation. It is their intention to secure seeds or young 

 plant of that useful produce articles. The object in 

 view will be to experimeut with its cultivation in 

 those islands to find out the possibility of acclimat- 

 ising it. Should the trial planting succeed, the 

 Philippines will be the gainer by the con- 

 sequent increase in the tale of export articles 

 sure as it is to thrive in the country, and yield 

 handsome profits indeed to enterprising cultivators. 

 The local committee for ensuring a suitable display 

 of Philippine products at the coming Madrid Exhibi- 

 tion have so slackened their energies, that the Central 

 Committee in Spain have been obliged to stir them up 

 to incrpased activity by means of circular letters. 

 , The handicapping of Philippine sugars and produce 

 generally by heavy import duties in Spain to the great 

 detriment of trade between the two countries, has 

 been at last remedied. The Home Government has 

 decided upon lowering these duties considerably, and 

 admitting into Spain sugar from the Philippines duty 

 free when borne in Spanish vessels. 



After four fruitless calls for tenders to construct a 

 railway from Manila to Dagupan, an important sea- 

 port, an English firm sent in the only tender opened 

 at the last call. Should the firm secure the concession 

 it is by no means sure whether the venture will pay. 

 The expected passenger traffic will it is said, not pay 

 expenses. The goods traffic has no prospect of ex- 

 pending sufficiently to yield a high income. 



HUNASGERIYA TEA COMPANY, LIMITED. 



At the annual general meeting of this company, 

 held in London on the 26th ultimo, the Directors 

 presented the following report : — The total value of 

 produce secured during season 1885-8t), amounted to 

 ±'1,558 9s .5d. This sum has been deducted from the 

 cost of planting, upkeep, &c., and the balance of 

 £2,189 6s lOd has been carried to Property Account, 

 so that the Estate now stands in the Company's books 

 at £21,509 13s 3d. 



As stated in last report, the planting of a large 

 acreage of Tea was accomplished at the beginning 

 of the season now under review, and besides the 

 expenditure on this and the upkeep of the former 

 clearings, the Ceylon expenditure includes outlay on 

 machinery, tea houses, &c., and also the cost of seed, 

 nurseries, and general preparation for the planting of 

 further 75 acres ; this latter clearing has now been 

 planted up, making the total area under Tea SSo 

 Bcres as under : — 



AKEA UNDER TEA. 



Planted July— October, 1882 ... 25 acres 

 Do do 1884 .. 188 „ 



Do do 1885 ... 297 „ 



Do 



do 



1886 



75 



Total under Tea at tbia date 



585 acres. 



Thd weight of Tea manufactured on the Estate for 

 the season amounted to 12,527 lb. 



The yield per acre is considered very favourable 

 as the leaf was secured almost entirely from the 25 

 acre clearing, only a small plucking being taken from 

 the 188 acres towards the end of the season. 



It will be seen that the average price of the Tea 

 sold in London was Is O^d per lb. Although the 

 Tea market was ruling very low during last season, 

 a higher average price would have been secured had 

 the quantity coming forward from the Estate been 

 larger. 



The small area yielding leaf, and the consequent 

 minute daily pluckings during the early part of the 

 season, made it necessary to retain the manufactured 

 Tea on the estate longer than is usual, so that parcels 

 large enough for shipment might be sent off, and this, to 

 some extent, caused a loss of flavour. Even then the breaks • 

 of Tea were not of sufficient size to command the 

 full competition of the trade, and from these causes 

 the Tea realised' a lower price than would otherwise 

 have been obtained. 



Now that the plucking is being carried on over a 

 much larger area, these disadvantages are disappear- 

 ing, and good saleable breaks will now come forward 

 with regularity. The market for fine Ceylon Teas 

 has also improved. The returns given by the other 

 minor products were in accordance with the expect- 

 ations. As stated above small pluckings of leaf were 

 being secured about the end of last season from the 

 188 acres planted in 18S4, and as the yield is rapidly 

 increasing, it is thought that between 40,000 and 50,000 

 lb. of Tea will be secured during the current season, 

 viz. : 1886-87, and this, with the returns from the 

 other products, should very nearly meet the year's 

 expenditure- Looking at the age of the Tea, and the 

 small area yielding leaf, such a result would be deemed 

 most favourable, and the prospects for the following 

 season, 1887-88, are very encouraging as ♦■hat will 

 be the first season during which any applicable area 

 will be old enough to yield a considerable crop of 

 leaf. A reference to the planted area, as given above 

 will at once show that there will then be 510 acres 

 of Tea giving larger or smaller supplies of leaf. With 

 these facts before them the Directors cannot but 

 feel that it would be greatly to the advantage of 

 the Company if from 100 to 200 acres of Tea could 

 be planted up each season, until a total of 1,000 

 acres is reached ; but with the capital at present 

 subscribed the Board do not feel justified in sanctioning 

 any further extension. They would, therefore, strongly 

 impress on Shareholders the desirability of at once 

 subscribing Shares to the extent of £4,172, thus bring- 

 ing the capital up to £25,000, so that the further 

 planting of Tea may not be delayed. A clearing of 

 '25 acres of Cardamoms has been pl.'inted up during 

 the season, making a total of 33 acres under this pro- 

 duct. — Plan ters' Gazette. 



-♦- 



Tea Hair. — We have received from Mr. Gow 

 a small tin of this curious product of our tea 

 with the bright colour which indicates tannin 

 and golden tip. Under the glass the fine hairy parti- 

 cles of the mass are readily discernible. The 

 sample can be seen at our office. 



The Luminosity of Leaves. — Dr. Gorlam has dis- 

 covered that the light reflected from green leaves con- 

 sists chiefly of red and green rays, and by ascertaining 

 the proportions of these colours reflected from leaves, 

 and taking a revolving ring with the like proportions 

 of colour on it, he has been able to mix these colours 

 as it were in the eye and reproduce the tint of the 

 leaves. He found during the enquiry, however, that 

 the simple colours did not exactly reproduce the 

 colour of the leaf required, but that a certain admix- 

 ture of black was necessary to this end. Black, it 

 may be remarked, is well known to exist in the 

 cellular structure of leaves in the form of carbon. 

 It is deposited there, as is believed, from the ab- 

 sorption of carbonic acid gas from the atmosphere 

 by the siomata or mouths on the underside of the 

 leaf, — Indian Oardener, 



