84 S 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fJtJN6 t, 1887. 



for 850 mauad8 of tea at a total cost of R58,261, which 

 includes cost of boiler, engine aud drying and rolling 

 machines, as well as of putting out 55 acres more 

 tea. There will probably therefore be a deficiency of 

 K24,2()I on this season's working, which can be added 

 to Elock. 



PLANTING IN NETHERLANDS INDIA. 



(Translated for the /Straits I'lmes, May 11th.) 

 In the province of Pasaruan, the Resident has 

 forbidden the people to take away young bamboo 

 Klioots from clumps of that plant. These shoots are 

 largely used by the natives as an article of food, 

 and as such are sold in the markets in hundreds. 

 Among the poorer classes, slices of bamboo shoots 

 are the only relishes to rice. The prohibition has 

 been promulgated to save the bamboos there from 

 total extermination, but will be found hnrd to enforce. 

 In Lhe Lampong districts, according to the Batavia 

 Kieutvsh/ad, disease has broken out among the pepper 

 plantations. The Resident of the province has forth- 

 with repaired to the spot to make enquiries. His 

 report on the subject is already in the hands of 

 Government. The spread of the disease will prove 

 detrimental to the wellbeing of the natives in that 

 quarter. Experiments with tobacco growing there, 

 have so far not led to any satisfactory results. Tin 

 has also been sought for in the Lampong districts 

 but hitherto without encouraging results. 



CHINA TEAS GOING OUT OP CONSUMP- 

 TION. 



The London Tea Broking Firm whose China tea cir- 

 cular we quoted lately, have since issued the follow- 

 ing :— 



Dear Sirs, — Since wir had the pleasure of writing 

 you last week the position has become more acute. 

 It is no use China buyers any longer living in a 

 " Fools's Paradise," the fact stariug them in the face 

 is that China tea is going out of consumption with 

 the most alarming rapidity. For example the delivery 

 of congou last month (March) wasS millioiis ; if we allow 

 2| millions for export, it leaves 5| millions for Home 

 consumption against 7j millions of Indian growths, 

 and for the first three months of the year figures 

 stand thus: — Congou deliveries 1885, 33,253,000 lb. 

 1886,29,103,000 lb. 1887, 23,500,000 lb. If figures prove 

 anything this should be tolerably convincing. 



In former years when prices materially gave way, 

 consumption quickly responded, but not so now. The 

 trade find that they c;in get such value in Indians at 

 (id to 7d that common Chinas are dear at less than 

 the cost of production, that is to say we take it that 

 ' Shuntaams cannot be laid dowu here at 4^d, nor 

 common whole leaf red at 5d with an export duty of 

 Tls. 2-8 included. 



At the opening of your markets it would seem 

 that exchange would be lower than ever before 

 known, freights may be, as well as Marine Insurance. 

 If the differences on all these are to be calculated in 

 the laying down cost aud given to the Chinaman 

 " the game is up." For there to be any safety in 

 the trade, you must pay the teaman (and so the 

 grower) a tael price that will not induce him to pluck 

 for quantity. 



We quote a few sales made in the auction room 

 this week : — A choice Kiutuck said to have cost Is 

 Sid at lid, a few sold on arrival at Is .od. Another 

 bought on speculation by a well-known judge of fine 

 tea at Messrs. Thome's sale in June at Is 5d re.sold 

 at lid, an Oonfaa counterpart sold at Is 2d, at 9jd, 

 a choice Ningchow part sold it Is M, at lid. " Wing 

 Mow" a contract Pekling per mail steamer at llgd. 

 A choice Paklum part sold last month at Is 2d to ll^d. 

 ♦— ; _ 



Coc.^o Planters are in a fair way to be 

 strongly congratulated in Ceylon: their product is 

 equally with coffee, rapidly approaching the round 

 lOO.s per cwt. and with the good crop prospects 

 which Matale aud Dumbara as well as other dis- 

 tricts shew, the Ceylon owners o£ cacao may well 

 be aatigfiej. 



A TRIP 



THROUGH THE 

 VALLEY. 



KELANI 



(From a Correspondent.) 



I have just returned from a visit to the Kelani 

 Valley, one of the new and flourishing tea districts. 

 The estates are a good deal scattered through this 

 large Valley. Starting from Avisawella Rest-house, I 

 visited some of the estates in the neighbourhood. On 

 Atherfield, a few miles off, I met Mr. Ingles the 

 Manager formerly of Mariawatte ; this place was look- 

 ing well aud I was informed that 600 lb. per acre had 

 been taken otf this property. More land was being 

 opened and the only complaint had reference to the 

 risk of an insuflaciency of labour. 



On the properties managed by Mr. Byrde I fouad 

 other products, such as coconut and cardamoms but the 

 latter, I was informed, was not productive, the elevation 

 being too low for this kind of cultivation. Arecanuts 

 I found were planted everywhere, the profits from this 

 cultivation being estimated at R50 per acre. Klston, 

 a large and fine estate with a manager aud assistant, 

 and close by is Farnham, managed by Mr. Willisford ; 

 this property looked remarkably well cared for — even 

 the surroundings of the buildings being all so neat 

 and tidy. 



On Doranakande I met Mr. Grigson, who was busy 

 plucking, and found it, he said, hard to keep up with the 

 flush as many of his coolies were down with fever. 

 From Avisawella I proceeded to Dihawita ; on the 

 way I was ferried across at two places where bridges are 

 being built. At Dihawita Messrs. Glenny, Fielder & Co., 

 have a store and agency under the management 

 of Mr. Ferguson-Jones. A cart road is in course 

 of construction between this place and Veyangoda 

 which is about 15 miles off, passing Springvale, 

 Brazenose and Dewalakande— the latter has a fine 

 large iron store and is a well cultivated property 

 uuder the management of the popular Secretary 

 of the Kelani Valley Planters' Association, Mr. H. 

 V. Masefield. At Yatiyautotte I noticed a large 

 quantity of machinery lying on the roadside which 

 I was informed was for Polotagama, where a large 

 store had just been completed. I also passed through 

 Parusella and Kelani — all very fine tea estate^'. I passed 

 through Ivies near the Yatiyautotte Rest-house and on 

 the banks of the Kelani Ganga and went on to Balgownie, 

 near by which is the IMorDon estate under the man- 

 agement of Mr. Hope who has also the opening of 

 Eila — a new place. On my return I visited Lavant and 

 Ekkioya both places being worked as one property 

 under Mr. Wright: this was as fine a block of 25(1 

 acres of tea as you could wish to see. Befere leaving 

 this district, I went to Mipitiyakande,and also to the ad- 

 joining property (Dunediu) belonging to the Oeylou Tea 

 Plantations Co. Here I spent some hours with the 

 courteous manager, Mr. Turpin, who has just completed 

 a fine store and was busy planting up more land. Op- 

 posite this estate and in sight of the Bungalow can 

 be seen the Degalessa estate, a large new clearing of 

 over 200 acres. From Yatiyautotte I proceeded to 

 Ruanwella, the site of a former Military station aud on 

 to Veyangoda. I passed through Sunnycroft and some 

 other places ; on the last-named place a large force of 

 coolies were busy planting. I also passed through 

 several new places where planting had not commenced 

 as yet, though the laud had been cleared. As I passed 

 through the villages, I heard bitter complaints of the 

 ravages of fever and passed a number of huts that had 

 been recently forsaken by the occupants. These huts 

 are built alongside the roads recently opened to the 

 tea estates in this district, and 1 suppose on the out- 

 break of fever which has been worse than usual this 

 year, the Sinhalese must have cleared off. On enquiiy 

 I was told that ' at Karrawauella there was a Doctor 

 and Assistant and an Out-door Dispensary. The hos- 

 pital, I was told, was just being built. 



[It is shameful that the Government have not been 

 earlier with their hospital, and that, so far as we can 

 find, no one was sent through th^ villages in the fever 

 districts at the out-break, to distribute fever powders, 

 —Ed.] 



