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CEYLON UPCOUNTRY PLANTING REPORT. 



LOW l-BICES FOR THE CEYLON NEW rEODDCTS IN LON- 

 DON — SATISFACTORY RESULTS OF A CINCHONA PLANTA- 

 TION AND BARK ANALYSES — THE WEATHER : .•• ROMISE 

 OF RICH HARVESTS. 



28th March 1887. 

 The late newd that tea was down 2d a lb. all 

 round ; that cinchona had dropped J of a penny ; 

 and that cacao was receding in value was pretty 

 good for one week. The only comfort is that 

 that kind of thing can't go on, but a little of it 

 goes a long way. In these days there is really 

 more excitement in tropical agriculture, than in 

 a gambling table ; and although the planter's life 

 is supposed to be a quiet one and his daily oc- 

 cupation void of the fever of commerce, still his 

 waters are troubled now and again, and the fluctu- 

 ations in the value of his products are so violent, 

 as to upset his calculations and make him feel 

 that ordinary forethought goes for little, and that 

 to be in a state of preparedness for the time 

 he would need to be a prophet or seer of some kind. 

 If the mantles of these long-headed fellows could 

 bo imported for the rise of the planting community 

 what a run there would be on them, and what a 

 comfort it would be to get into one. 



As an example of the upsetting of a basket of 

 eggs the following figures which are authentic, tell 

 their own tale. Eighteen months ago, there was 

 a parcel of renewed succirubra bark about, .5,000 

 lb. in weight, sent to Colombo, which showed 

 by analysis the fine outturn of 4-35, and was 

 sold at Rl-4.5 a pound. The Manager of that place 

 was more than delighted with this tine result, and 

 for the last year-and-a-half he has guarded and 

 cherished those trees, as he would an Eldorado. 

 He shaved them again the other day, with hope 

 in his eye, and a vision of funds cheering his 

 heart, and harvested quite as much as before. But 

 from the time he parted with his bark he has had 

 no comfort, for the analysis came up showing 2-20 

 as against the former 4'.35 and whereas the old 

 price had been Rl-45 a pound, the broker valued 

 the parcel in Colombo, at 34 cents if sold at once, 

 and he recommended that he should sell ! It is 

 when you extend these figures that the superb 

 beauty of the contrast is shown thus : — 



5,000 lb. sold 18 months ago . . . . R7,250-00 



6,000 lb. from same trees worth today. . 1, 700-00 



difference . . 



.R5,550-00 



In this Jubilee year it is perhaps as well that things 

 should be " done handsome " and there is no one 

 will dispute that the figures above are a step in that 

 direction, as a record of the " downs " which the 

 Ceylon planter is subject to — the " ups " he 

 takes more philosophically. I suppose there is 

 nothing specially unique in this, others might 

 tell similar tales. It must, however, be a comfort 

 to the growers of cinchona, that if the experience 

 which I have just chronicled is to be looked for, 

 the export of bark will fall off in time, for it 

 would lead one to believe that one has but to 

 keep one's trees long enough to find them worthless, 

 The behaviour of the manager under his severe 

 disappointment is worthy of all praise. He did 

 not swear at the analysts, as some people do, nor, 

 take up his parable against " those Colombo 

 fellows " which is always a relief to the heart of 

 the stricken planter. No, he sat for a time speech- 

 less in the gloom of his depression, and by-and~ 

 bye consoled hmiself with music, for which there 

 are historic precedents. The instrument which is 

 his favourite in hia darkest hours is the penny 

 tin-whistle, it is easily learnt, and can be carnsd 

 SO 



about without trouble, and, as he says, "if things 

 go on like this, one never knows what one may 

 have to do to get a living." I suggested that 

 perhaps he might teach his dog to carry " a tinny" 

 in his mouth, for if he succeeded he could then 

 laugh in the face of adverse fortune. When 

 I left him his spirits were steadily rising, and 

 this spite of produce declining all round : but 

 the dog was on his haunches. 



This " tropical winter," which was broken a few 

 days ago by welcome rain, seems to have set in 

 again with great intensity. Everywhere there is 

 blossom and flower, and a promise of a rich har- 

 vest of fruit. In the matter of coffee, alavanga 

 pruning is evidently going out, and the old methods 

 are being reverted to. But the bug, will that 

 keep away? It is about, and in pretty strong 

 force in some places ; but you have to look for it, 

 as the black fungus, which is its baneful shadow, 

 seems to find a difficulty in developing in these 

 dry days, and attention is in consequence less 

 liable to be directed to the presence of the plague. 

 If we are spared an infliction of the pest — and 

 even with that our place would still not be among 

 the highly favoured, as we have plenty of other 

 things to bother us — the coming crop of coffee may 

 be expected to be better than we have had for some 

 years. Peppercorn. 



LETTERS FROM JAMAICA:— No XVI. 



weather and crops— banana CULTIVATION — BUILDINGS, 



Blue Mountain District, January 1887. 



Dear Sir, — Since I last addressed you the weather 

 has improved, but it is not yet as settled as 

 could be desired for the " curing for market " 

 of our lower field crops. The weather is very 

 cool, cloudy and pleasant, with occasional light 

 showers , but the sun does not shine continuously 

 all day long : yet when it does come out it seems 

 very fierce for the time of the year. This month 

 usually brings cold winds and hot sun, as it does 

 in Ceylon, and an occasional " Norther," one of 

 which visited us on the 18th-19th and was very 

 strong indeed, and must have done a good deal 

 of damage in exposed places. What causes these 

 occasional wind-storms puzzles me, unless it be 

 the absorption of air into some place where 

 evaporation is constantly occurring. 



Crops, judging by my own lower fields, have 

 been very good for settlers, especially as they 

 are getting 7s a tub (two Imperial bushels) for 

 their cherry coffee, the price in London being 

 still H4s per cwt. for ordinary Jamaica coffee in 

 bags. What prices will eventually be realized by 

 those who are buying largely, must be causing 

 anxious qualms, for it all depends on the Brazil 

 crop ; for if news came of better supplies down 

 would go the market, but we must hope Brazil 

 has seen its best days as regards its slave-grown 

 coffee, and that the West Indies, and other pro- 

 ducing countries, will once more have " a good 

 innings." 



Three miles farther on brought us to our destin» 

 ation, "Water Valley." We passed some banana 

 walks and sugar-cane fields, all looking very fine, 

 for St. Mary's and Portland are considered the 

 best soil for bananas as well as for sugar, the land 

 being very rich and fertile. During our visit we 

 rode one day into Annotto Bay : it is a mere 

 hamlet as to size and houses, but there is a fine 

 church, a court-house and police-station, barring 

 the Fort and the old Dutch houses. It reminded 

 me somewhat of Matara, as there are no lesa 

 thaa three rivers emptying themselYcs into ibf 



