238 



THE ~ 



AL AGRICULTURIST'. [September r, 1882. 



Chinese are evincing wisdom in not showing them- 

 selves indifferent to this tendency. It is easier to 

 note the evil than to assign the cause or to fix the 

 remedy. Several circumstances have contributed to 

 the decline of Chineso tea in popular favour. Over 

 competition among Chinese planters and merchants 

 appears to have resulted in a deterioration of the 

 quality of the tea itself. What are callfd best " crops" 

 are distinctly inferior to what they were ten years 

 ago, and the main cause of this falling off seems to 

 be the over haste shown in despatching t"a from the 

 fields to the market. The principal object with both 

 the Chinese and the English merchant in China ap- 

 pears to be not to send the best tea so much as the 

 earliest tea on lo the market. If persisted in, this 

 must prove a suicidal policy. There are, no doubt, 

 several other reasons. It must also be borne in mind 

 that tta is a heavily taxed article, and one also out 

 of which many dift'erent persons have to derive a profit 

 before it reaches the cup of the consumer. The 

 Chinese Government derives, by the export duty, about 

 3Jd. from each pound, and our own tax on it is still 

 expensive. — Olohe. 



THE CEYLON AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 



The Committee members then presented their report 

 on the subject of the exportation of Ciuuamoii Chips in 

 accordance with the Vlllth Resolution, and it was 

 resolved that the same be jjrinted and circulated 

 amongst the members of the Association, and that a 

 general meeting be called for the 19th August 1882, 

 at 1 p. m., lo consider this subject and other matters 

 that may be brought forward. 



In terms of Kesolutiou VIII passed at a general meet- 

 ing of " The Oeylon Agricultural Association," held at this 

 office on the 24th .June last, the Committee of the said 

 Association beg to submit the following report on the 

 iubject of the exportation of chips. 



On referring to the Chamber of Commerce returns, the 

 following are the figures appearing, showing the exports 

 of Cinnamon, quills and chips, for a series of years. 



Total quantity exported from 1st Oct. to 30th Sept. 



It will be observed from the above, that the export 

 of chips has gradually increased, till in the 10 months 

 of this season there has been exported more chips than 

 was shipped in any one season during the past 10 years, 

 (with the exception of 1880, when the enormous quantity 

 of 474,484 lb. were exported;, aud during the remaining two 

 mouths of this season, it is expected that a furiher quant- 

 ity will go forward. 



It is well known thit, at every quarterly sale of cinnamon 

 in London, there is a larger quantity of spice oilerecl for sale 

 than can find purchasers, aud the consequence has been uu- 

 precedentoclly low prices lor quills, and a large adilition to the 

 stocli, and as long as chips are at hand, and can be ob- 

 tained at 2(1 to 3d per lb., :igain?t 2s to 3s the rates for 

 quills, it is not to be wondered at that competition for the 

 latter is anything but satisfactory. The Committee trusts 

 that, cinuamon-growers will see the necessity of stupping- en- 

 tirely, or at least reducing, the quantity of chips tor 8hi]i- 

 menl to London and other markets, and so, to a csrtain 

 extent, increase the demand in the Loudon market for quills, 

 and the advance in rates will assuredly be correspoiidiuf . 



In this coiineotion, the oiiinion of an emineut Lon- 

 don firm, long in the Ceylou business, 'S worth every 

 attention. To an cnquii'y legarding chips they write : — 



" With reg.ard to your proposal to keep back your chips and 

 send them to the distillery, we do not think it would 

 make much difference if one shipper was to do this. Of 

 course if all shij>jicrs would agree uot to send forward any 

 chips for 12 months, it would strengthen the position of 

 the m.arket for tlie quills. " 



The Committee, under these circumstances, trust that 

 all members of this Association, who are interested in the 

 cultivation of cinuamou, will join in doing their utmost 

 to stop the scraping of chips on their estates, say for a 

 period of three years, save for the purposes of their own 

 stills and those of their constituents. 

 Colombo. July 28tli 1882. 



Resolved: — "That the Secretary be requested to 

 address the agents or proprietors of Galluapokena, 

 Kimbulpitiya aud Ratmalane estates, aud lo invite 

 their co-operation in this movement for the suppres- 

 sion of the trade in chips, as injurious to the interests 

 of cinnamon proprietors." 



It was al^o resolved that, at the next general meet- 

 ing, interpreters be employed to convey wliat passes, 

 in Sinhalese aud Tamil, to such members as may 

 not be acquainted with Euglish. 



Resolved: — "That the Secretary do write to pro- 

 prietors who have not already joined aud invite them 

 to join this Association." 



Read letter from Mr. Laker MacMillan F. C. 8., 

 dated Calcutta, 15th July 1882. Etsolvcd .— " That 

 the Secretary do write to Mr. MacMillan thanking 

 him for the offer of his services as honorary consult- 

 ing chemist of the Association." 



Resolved : — ' ' That a vote of thanks be accorded to 

 the chair." S. Peter Soy.sa, Secretary. 



Colombo, August 1st, 1882. 



"WHAT AILS OUR COFFEE TREES?" 

 Such is tlie heading of a letter signed "W.," 

 which will be found on page 244. Those who have 

 attentively penised the articles which appeared in 

 the Observer recently, and which will be found in 

 the leading pages of the most recent edition of 

 the Ceylon Handhooh and Directory, will see tliat 

 we attach much importance to abnormal seasons and 

 exceptional meteorological conditions as factors in the 

 terrible change for the worse in tlie fruit-bearing 

 powers of the great staple product of Ceylon, Arabian 

 coffee. Elaborate calculations were made and im- 

 portant figures quoted to prove the especially adverse 

 influence of abnormal rainfall in the blossoming season. 

 We have nothing to say against "W."'s position 

 that, in common with that of a large portion of tlie 

 world, the agriculture of Ceylou has suffered for a 

 series of years from abnormal weather — from dis- 

 jointed seasous, the causes of which are beyond human 

 ken ; unless, indeed, we fall back on the effects of 

 solar disturbance, the mention of wliich " G. W." 

 as carefully avoids as the use of the little, but in 

 our estimation sadly potential, word "Grub." Surely 

 this latter omission, in a letter professing to trace 

 the causes of the fearful depression under which the 

 leading industry of the island (it is still that) suffers, 

 is worthy to be ranked with the most curious of 

 literary, scientific and metaphysical phenomena of our 

 day. So is also the developed tendency of so practical 

 a thinker to suggest occult causes, and undervalue 

 the gravity of symptoms which lie either on the 

 surface (hemileia rastatrix) or not far below the surface 

 (v:hUe ejrnb). The latter, as we have said, is utterly 

 ignored, while " W." makes light of the fungus 



