September i, 18S2.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



or another, are weeding anti pruning ; and as theBO 

 do not come to more than seven cents per pound, on a 

 total cost of 3.3 cents, the difference on a large or 

 small yield would be very slight. 



These figures, which will no doubt be criticized closely, 

 are made up as follows :— 



Superintendence and contingencies 4c per lb. 



Weediug and priming 7c „ 



Picking green leaf by task work 9c „ 



Mauufactui'e where there is a rolling 



machine 6c „ 



Lead-lined tea boxes 5c „ 



Transport to Colombo 2c „ 



Together 33c „ 

 I, believe these figures will be found to be tolerably 

 correct, but any alteration iu them will not aft'ect my 

 argument. 



Freiglit to and charg09 in England come to about 

 10c per lb., from which has to be deducled the difference 

 between currency and sterling, gay five cents per lb. 

 This wouhl make Ceylon tea cost about niuepence per 

 pound laiil down in England, but exclusive of interest 

 on capital invested. 



In India, tea estates stand in from five hundred 

 to one thousaud rupees per acre, but in Ceylon, I 

 believe, forest land may be planted, and brought into 

 bearing with requisite buildings and machinery, for 

 about two huniired rupees per acre. 



As an adjunct to a coffee and cinchona estate, aban- 

 doned coffee land may easily be cleared, planted and 

 brought into bearing foi R70 per acre, made up as 

 follows : — 



Clearing cliena land per acre ... ... KIO 



Holing and lining 3| ft. by 3| ... ... 20 



Weeding for two years ... ... ... 24 



Ee-openiug drains, roads and contingencies ... 6 



Boiling machine for 100 acres ... ... 10 



Together ... R70 

 It is unnecessary to give any estimate for bringing 

 tea planted amongst coffee in cultivation, as holing and 

 lining are the only items. 



In the foregoing estimates I have not included 

 anything for plants : these may cost a few shillings to 

 forty rupees per acre ; whilst one planter may be con- 

 tent to plant seed at stake another planter may 

 prefer to pay RIO per thousand for plants. 



I do not recommend anyone to plant on abandoned 

 land, which is either steep or has been much washed. 

 With a moist climiite,gently sloi^iug or undulating land 

 oiiginally good and planted tolerably close should 

 yield at least .300 lb. (jcr acre. 



The benefit to be derived from planting cinchonas 

 amongst tea is too, obvious to necessitate being ex- 

 patiated upon by me. 



The great advantages which Ceylon possesses as a tea 

 producing country are not sufficiently known or re- 

 cognized, its climate, situation, faciliiies of trans- 

 port, and relative cheapness of labor will enable it to 

 defy tlie competition of any other country where labor 

 is paid for. 



Our climate enables us to crop all the year 

 round, and thus work with a much smaller number 

 of coolies; it gives us three hundred days to do the 

 eame work performed iu more norlht-rn latitudes iu 

 oue hundred and twenty <lays, and our forty j ears' 

 experience gained in carrying on a cognato iuduetry, 

 enables us to economize labor to the fullest extent. 

 In what other part of the woild can virgin forest- 

 land be d conviirted into a productivetea estate, tor 

 two hunivd rupees per acre, or cultivated on formerly 

 cultivated land at from twenty to seventy rupees per 

 acre ? 



A few years hence when Gorernraents di.-covcr 

 the inconsistency of preaching doctrines of sobriety 

 to tlreir peoples, and at the same time taxing excess- 

 26 



ively their non-intoxicating beverages, unalloyed tea 

 may from its cheapness become, as m Eastern Europe, 

 and Northern and Eastern Asia, the chief drink of 

 the masses of the people. 



We could not of course compete with China, but for 

 the great number of stiles on the roads from the nativo 

 villages to the markets, at each of which tolls have 

 to be paid to all engaged in the industry, from the 

 Government downwards. 



Japan can no doubt beat us in the race of compet- 

 ition, but we are a long way yet from entering into it. 



The chief obstacles in Ceylon to the more ex- 

 tensive cultivation of tea, are first, the poverty 

 of the planting community, secondly our unskilful- 

 ness iu manufacture. With the number of teachers 

 which are now coming to tho island, the necea.sary 

 knowledge will soon be acquired, and iu two or thiee 

 years hence, there is little doubt our produce will 

 rank in cpiality, second to none. 



When English capitalists have their attention drawn 

 to all the advantages which Ceylon offers, for the pro- 

 fitable employment of capital, in the pruduction oi an 

 article the consumption of which is permanent, and 

 increasing and which involves comparatively little out- 

 lay and very small risk, I have no doubt money will 

 again flow in the meantime what we have to fe;ir is 

 the loss of labor during the present syncope of coffee 

 planting, which however is a very long way from death, 

 especially if it can be supported in its hours of sick- 

 ness by cinchona and tea. — Yours truly, C. SHAND. 



MR. GORE'S CINCHONA PEELER. 



Eookwood, Deltota, 1.5ih July, 



Dear Sir, — Touching cinchona peelers, I think we 

 have a really good thing in Mr. Gore's, and cheap. 

 It was tried here yesterday and yielded 88 lb. of 

 suocirubra bark: the coolies were purposely left to 

 themselves, and the day was very wet and winrly. 

 Mr. Gore states, in his advertisement, it can harvest 

 501b. of officinalis bark which is a fact. Another 

 recommendation it has is that it can be so easily moved 

 about the field, tied on to any log for use. The in- 

 tention evidently of the inventor was to screw it 

 down, but this is a mistake; the holes intended for 

 screws come useful to pass the rope through. My 

 notice of this machine (if you are good enou;^h to 

 give it to your readers) mny seem somewhat in the 

 way of a puff. What matters ? My object in giving 

 it to you is that I feel we at last have the lierfect 

 bark harvester for twigs and branches, diseased as 

 well as healthy, and cheap and portable withal; but 

 it was tried, and I am sure none can dispute its 

 merits. — Yours faithfully, 



C. SPEARMAN ARMSTRONG. 



[In publishing this testimony, we may fay that we 

 ought ere now to have published a very favour- 

 alile account we received of Mr. Rae's muchine ; and 

 there is also the Norwood invention doing wonders; so 

 thnt our cinchona planters are surely "ell oft' now.— 

 Ed.] 



CINCHONA OFEICINALLS. 



Bogawantalawa, July 17th, 1882. 

 Dear Sib, — It is refreshing to sec . ome one take 

 up his pen in defence of the much-maligned C. 

 oJficmaKs, for during the last few ni0i.ihs the V. A.'s 

 who run it down as almost a curse to the country 

 have had it all their own way, and liave been allowed 

 to condemn and vilify poor olBcinaliB unchecked and 

 unchallenged. A visit to the Agmpataua end of 

 Dimbula should. I think, be sutliciei.t to prove the 

 fallacy of their statements with refeiencc to the fear- 

 ful mortality 0. officinalis is said to be heir to, and, 

 although this variety of cinchona is ii'iioriously sens- 

 itive to cold wet and "clayey" soils, surely this is 



