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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[February i, 1883. 



To flu Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 

 TKOPTCAL AGRICULTURE. 



West Indies, 11th Dec. 1882. 

 g,K,— Will you kindly oblige a subscriber to your 

 inv.ihiable paper with a little information ? 



Oem-a nihher. — Will it thrive on a somewhat poor 

 soil, slightly elevated above the sea ? 



How long after planting the seed can the tree 

 be bled profitably '>. What will be the piobable yield 

 per tree per annum ? Is the process of preparing the 

 rubber for the market difficult or expensive ? 



Cardamoms. — What is cardamom ? On what eoil will 

 it grow ? How long does a tree take to come to 



maturity ? ,,.,•• ii 



Oliveit.—Uo olive trees come to perfection in tbe 

 tropics? -Yours, A SUBSCRIBER. 



[As to ■' Ceard rubber " and cardamoms, our oorre. 

 spondent can learn all he wants from the handbooks 

 published at this office, which are to be sent to him. 

 As regards "ohvee," the European olive grows in 

 India, but does not bear fruit, we believe. Our cor- 

 respourient will find information regarding the real 

 olivo and the Ceylon olive or weralu in the first vol. 

 of the T. A— 'Ed.] 



c. To upkeep for 2nd year... ... 



d. To upkeep for .3rd year - .,, 



To cost of tea-house, trays, sieves, etc., etc., 

 for manufacturing tea 



Total 



THE COST OF TEA CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 

 Colombo, 6th .Jan. 1883. 

 Dear Sir, — A few months ago there appeared in 

 the columns of your journal an estimate furnished 

 by a tea planter. It was one which an expert at 

 planting could make something of, though even for 

 an expert there was much information needed to 

 make it comprehensible. The details seemed to show 

 that the cultivation of part of the property was 

 about to be extended and improved, whilst the produce 

 of another portion was about to be manufactured. 

 As the probable expenses were all thrown into one 

 general account, it did not give a clear idea of ex- 

 penditure and profit, particularly in the absence of 

 a description of the property as to extent, age of 

 tea, etc., etc. 



There are many resident capitalists, large and small, 

 particularly amongst the native gentry, who would 

 be glad, and, I believe, are anxious, to have some 

 simplified statement to satisfy themselves that tlie 

 cultivation of tea is a safe investment and will give 

 them a fair and decent return. It is r.ither difficult for 

 them to gain an idea from an estimate in which 

 provision is nmde for blasting powder and dynamite. 

 There are many who can offer a better statement 

 than the one enclosed, but, as none have as yet ap- 

 peared, I offer the following information, trusting 

 it will be of some service, and that it will lead to 

 others contributing their knowledge and experience 

 for the benefit of present and future investors in tea 

 cultivation. 



TakiuCT for granted that suitable land has been se- 

 cured uTa suitable district and of low altitude and 

 also accessible by rail, road or river, or by all. this 

 estimate is made for the guidance of small capital- 

 ists and the extent of land is fixed only at 100 

 acres, HO for tea and the rest to be reserved for 

 timber and fuel, A reserve of 30 acres of good 

 forest is, however, ample, and 20 acres could be 

 utilized as shade clearings for vanilla, pepper and 

 car-damoms. 



Statement. R. 



(I. To value of 100 acres at R30 per acre ... .3,000 

 b. To cost of opening and planting tea, erection 

 of some buildings, and upkeep for the 1st 

 year of 50 acres at ROO per acre ... 4,500 



1,250, 

 1,250 



750 



RIO, 750 



e. By value in 4th year of 15,000 lb. tea (300 lb. 



per acre) iit 50 cents per lb. ... ... 7,500 



Less cost of production, which includes field 

 expenditure, supervision, etc., for the cur- 

 rent year ... ... ... K4, 560 3,000 



or R60 per acre profit. 

 To the cost of land the opening and upkeep of it 

 to the end of the 3rd year («., b. c, d.) add interest at 

 10 per cent as follows : — 

 From 1st year 10 per cent on R7,500 for R. 

 3 years ... ... ... 2,150 



„ 2nd year 10 per cent on Rl,250 for 



2 years ... ... ... 125 



,, 3rd year 10 per cent on R2,000 for 

 1 year ... ... ... 200 



Total ... R2,575 

 The interest is calculated as if the sums for each 

 year were Invested in a lump at the beginning of 

 each year, which is not the case. If the interest is 

 calculated as the sums are expended, in all probability 

 about two thii-ds of the above total would be the cor- 

 rect figure. We will then have R10,7504-R1,716= 

 R12,46(i, on which a return of R3,000 for the 4th 

 year is equivalent to nearly 30 per cent. 



From the 4th year 450 lb. of prepared tea can be 

 fixed as a fail' average in low altitudes, giving a 

 profit of R90 to RlOO per acre. A proprietor of J 00 

 acres of tea can look to a safe return of R10,000 a 

 year. The very best farmuig in England a few years 

 ago gave only a clear return of £2 per acre. Coco- 

 nut gardens in Ceylon yield an average return of 

 R30 per acre now, and. if the outlay and interest for 

 12 to 15 years is carefully calculated, this return 

 will represent a profit of one to two per cent. 



Now to enter into details regarding the several 

 items in the above statement. 



a. The value of the land is put down at R30 per 

 acre as an average price. It might be got much 

 cheaper, though, on the other hand, some land, owing 

 to its ricluiess, depth of good soil and other ad- 

 vantages, cannot be had for R50 or more per acre, and 

 it may be well worth this money. From poor soils 

 good and profuse flushes of leaf cannot be secured 

 after a few years without the aid of manure. Tea, 

 like coffee and many other products, cannot last for 

 a long time without the aid of manure. Li Assam 

 and Darjeeling, manure after a time is an indispens- 

 able article in tea gardens. Manuring early means 

 the adding of a subsidiary capital to an investment 

 which the buyer of very goocl laud does at the start, 

 with a sum whicli is siiiiiU in comparison witli the 

 subsequent outlay in manuring a few years after 

 opening out land of inferior soil. 



h. The cost of opening includes upkeep for the 

 first year, supervision, fellmg, burning and clearing 

 the forest, value of tools, tracing and cutting roads 

 and drains, lining and pegging, cost of the plants 

 and planting, monthly weeding for six months, cost 

 of small bungalow and a set of lines for 30 men. 



If seeds are purchased cheap and a nursery grown, 

 the value of plants can be reduced by 30 per cent 

 to 40 iier cent. 'Ihe felling and clearing, etc., may 

 according to the nature of the forest and locality 

 cost RIO to 22 per acre. There must be good, in- 

 teli^ent supervision. Good conductors could be got 



• Is it possible to keep Jowcountry lai d clear ol weeds for 

 a rupee an acre per mensem ? We believe not.— Ed. 



