March i, 1883.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



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to been from one new product to another, as a panacea 

 for all our ills, and clinging with the couiago of despair 

 as we have done, to the hope that each in turn would be 

 capable of indefinite extension throughout the Island, and 

 after all our delusive hopes have proved imaginary, with 

 the exception of cinchona in some soils and climates, we 

 turn to tea, which unlike other now products has not 

 been heralded by a great flourishing of trumpets, but on 

 the contrary introduced with f»ar carried on in doubt, and 

 finally established in security. That the tea estates in 

 the lower districts will pay better than those at a high 

 elevation I think is nearly as good as proved, and the 

 statement once acknowledged as truth that the altitude 

 would give a finer sample most certainly has not been 

 borne out. The highest price ever paid for Oeylon tea 

 was that recently fetched by Mipitiakande, a break of 

 tea from that estate realizing 2s. 8Ad. quite recently, in 

 the London market. 



The AvissAWKLLA District. — Between the 20th and 21st 

 mile post lies the Salawa e-state belonging to the Do 

 Soysa family and this is the first sign of any systematic 

 cultivation on a large scale that one meets with on the 

 journey. The estate is a large one, 1,200 acres in extent, 

 and the laud most valuable for the cultivation of all low 

 country products. The enterprising proprietor has 

 large coconut fields of all ages, and about 30 acres old cinna- 

 mon to which he has added, 8 years ago, 50 acres of new ; 

 the whole of which bids fair to be as fine a field of cin- 

 namon as one could wish. Many acres of the 1,200 are 

 in paddy, and a pretty, sung little bungalow, perched on 

 a knoll overlooking the road is surrounded with fruit trees 

 of all descriptions from the sickly jack to the luscious 

 mangostiue and is bright with many colored crotons and 

 flowers. I here that Mr. de Soysa is about to open some of 

 his large reserve of jungle in tea, and that this is not 

 mere rumour is testified by the presence of a large tea 

 nursery, not far removed from the road. Soon after 

 passing the bungalow of the Native Superintendent of 

 this estate, the first view of a tea estate is seen, about 

 300 feet above the road and facing it. This was the 

 Elston Estate, the property of Oapt. Hayes, Mr. 0. Byrde, 

 and others and where a number of new products such 

 as cocoa, cardamoms, Liberian coffee, and rubbers of all 

 descriptions are being tried — but more of this anon. Op- 

 posite to Elston and facing the East lies Avissawella 

 EstatiEi, younger than Elston, but like it doing well, and 

 promising a good return for capital invested. I saw so 

 much whilst on my trip that was of interest, that I pre- 

 fer to describe first the lay of the land and the position 

 of the various estates before describing the number of 

 new products that are flourishing, or the process of tea 

 curing, &c. About a mile along the Government road, 

 after passing the turn off to Elston and a little off the 

 left hand side of the road, is Atherfield estate, belong- 

 ing to Messrs. Elphinstone and Campbell which is nearly 

 200 acres all tea and certainly looking remarkably well. 

 Below it and near the banks of the Kelani Gauga lies 

 Doraiiakande whilst on the west lies the snug property 

 of Ella, all tea. To the west of these again is to be 

 seen a splendid block of land, nearly 1,500 acres in extent 

 a small part of which only is opened up, planted with 

 the usual products of this district Tea, Liberian Coffee, 

 cocoa, cadamoms, and called " Penrith." All these estates 

 are situated between the 27th to 29th mile posts and are 

 the most westernmost estates in the district. Most of 

 the land about here belongs to Messrs. Simon Fernando, 

 E. J. Baker, and P. Daendliker. Ookwattie belongs to 

 the Byrdes, and all of it for miles around seems well 

 suited for tea. The laj' is certainly very fine, with long 

 swelling hills the steepest of which would be called flat 

 by a coffee planter of the hills ; and the absence of rock 

 is most noticeable throughout the district. The soil isa 

 free, gravely loam, intermingled with ironstone. Oabook 

 appears in patches, has all the appearance of iron.stone, 

 and sometimes when split discloses blue gniess imbedded 

 in its centre. From Atherfield knoll are to be seen the 

 two flue clearings of Indurane, in jat and growth second 

 to noue in the district ; alongside of this lie the flue pro- 

 perties Kenuington aud Mahale, all promising places as 

 well as Kudumiris which hitherto has suffered somewhat 

 from neglect, but which will in time no doubt, prove as 



fertile as its neighbours. Euanwella estate lies to the 

 south of the road to Yatiantota, about a mile and a half 

 from it ; this is in keeping with the surrounding estates, 

 near it is Kent nearly wholly Liberian coffee. Crossing 

 the river at Karawanella and within a few miles, you come 

 to the fine group of estates called the Yatiantota district. 

 Mipitiakande, Dunedin aud most of the estates in this 

 district are visited by Mr. Cameron, and the class of tea 

 now being turned out under his directions, bids fair to 

 place Ceylon teas in the foremost rank. Where all are 

 so good it would bo invidious to pick out any particular 

 esbito for special mentiou, but there is no doubt that 

 before many years elapse double the number of tea estates 

 will bo opened near here, and that this will in time be 

 looked upon as our largest aud best tea district. Though 

 no doubt tea may be profitably grown at much higher 

 altitudes, still, warmth as well as wet is requistite to 

 obtain a large number of flushes, and tliese the estates 

 near here have in abundance. — Cor. " Ceylon Times. " 



PAPER FROM VEGETABLE FIBRES. 

 As the suitability of certain plant-fibres for mauutaot. 

 ure into paper is a subject of considerable interest 

 for a,U who study the question of economic forestry, 

 we give this mouth, m extmso, the joint report bv 

 Mr. W. H. CogBwell aud Mr. G. W. Strettell, on the 

 samples of paper made from vegetable substances 

 shown at the Calcutta Exhibition of this year. The 

 seotion of the report dealing with this subject is 

 headed, "Class VII.— Paper " and the jurors report as 

 follows : — 



1. We the undersigned have the honour to sub- 

 mit a report on the samples of machine-made paper 

 and hand-made paper exhibited in the foregoing class. 



2. As this branch of industry is of paramount 

 importance to the producer and consumer, and is 

 one that is at the present time absorbing the earnest 

 thought and attention of diflerent governments and 

 the commercial world, we desire to be lucid, in our 

 remarks and minute in our reasons for the awards 

 recommended. Further, we propose to go a little 

 beyond our legitimate duty, and append to our report 

 a few suggestions that may ultimately tend to fur- 

 ther the developement of this manufacture. 



3. In adjudicating on the different descriptions of 

 machine-made paper exhiliited, wc will de.il with them 

 in the order they have been catalogued. 



Plantain. 

 •1. Plantain fibre, for textile and cord.-ige purposes 

 seems to have been in use for many years past. 

 The celebrated circumnavigator Dampier describes the 

 process of preparing this tibre in the Indian Archipelago 

 more than a century ago, and P. L. Simmonds 

 F.R.T.C., in his Essay of Fibres and Cordage of 

 recent date, refers to the different uses to which 

 plaintain fibre is put, amongst which he enumerates 

 light fabrics, damasks, and the finer sorts of furniture 

 hangings and upholstery generally. 



5. Nowhere, however, do we remember reading 

 of the plantain fibre having hitherto been used for 

 paper-making. The Bally Mill Canipaiiy therefore are 

 justly entitled to be called the originators of paper 

 manufacturtd from it. 



6. The nine samples of paper before us have been 

 maile from the three varieties of plaintain fibre noted 

 in the margin.* 



7. The fact that no bleud has been used is i-uflicient 

 proof that this tibre will run on the machine, and 

 produce a thin, strong, serviceable paper, which is more 

 than the ordinary grasses will do, unless mixed 

 with some stronger fibre. The samples show that the 



* 1. Borneo variety; 2. Andaman variety; 3. Variety 

 iniligenous to Lower Bengal. Through an oversight, this 

 latter variety, though represented, has not been noted in the 

 the catalogue. 



