710 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March 2, 1885. 



hitherto recorded ; it amounts to 11-31, of crystallized 

 sulphate of Quiniue. This is reported to be the. average 

 from twenty-one trees not quite six years old. The next 

 best analysis is that of Mr. Thomas North Christie s 

 celebrated St. Andrew's trees in Ceylon, which at the 

 age of six years were said to average 10'25, These 

 splendid results have been accomplished by private 

 individuals, and our Government in twenty-five years 

 has done nothing except get a batch of inferior seeds 

 over. We understand that Mr. Hamlin the proprietor of 

 the Ohembaly estate has a few seeds to spare, and those 

 who really desire a first-class strain of plant should secure 

 them. The Government should also secure some for their 

 experimental plantation under Mr. Lawson at Gudalur.— 

 South of India Obsi rver. 



. DOCK COMPANIES AND TEA DISCOUNTS. 

 The competition between the Dock Companies resulting 

 in an increase in the discount allowed upon tea, and the 

 consequent reduction in profits is exercising the minds of 

 directors of, and shareholders in, the various dock com- 

 panies and several letters have appeared in the limes on 

 the subject. At the half-yearly meeting of the proprietors 

 of the East and West India Dock Company, held at the 

 Dock House, Eilliter Street, EX. (Mr. H. H. Dobreem 

 the chair), an interesting discussion arose on the subject, 

 respecting which the following paragraph appeared in 

 the report adopted by the meeting :—" The only feature 

 in the business of the past year calling for special notice 

 is the increase in the discount allowed upon tea, winch 

 has beeu forced upon this company in spite of the strenu- 

 ous opposition of thedirectors."— Rome, and Colonial Mail, 

 .Ian. 23. 



"CEYLON AS A FIELD FOR THE INVESTMENT 



OP CAPITAL AMD ENERGY." 



How a Coffee Plantation has Paid its Way in 



A POOR FART OF A HIGH DISTRICT. 



You ask me to tell you the story of "How we 

 kept our wattie." I cannot give you full particulars, 

 because, if I did so, my paitner might not like it ; 

 and a good partner is not to be sacrificed to satisfy 

 the cravings of an inquisitive public. 



I think one of the chief elements in our successful 

 attempt to hold our own over a space of 12 years 

 was our being mutually blessed (ahem !) with cautiou 

 prudent partners who would not contract a debt 

 greater than they could pay off with funds available 

 elsewhere. 



A good soil for coffee and a climate suitable for 

 this peculiar tree were not what kept the wolf from 

 our door; for the elevation was over 4,000 feet; the 

 climate decidedly wet, say 180 inches, if not more 

 S. W. exposure ; and the plants in nursery were 

 covered with leaf-fungus. I question if there could 

 have been a poorer investment as a coffee estate 

 pure and simple. I don't think we ever averaged 

 more than 2 cwt., and we often tumbled down 

 to A a cwt. We did not spend much on buildings. 

 I thick bungalow, lines and stores did not cost more 

 than K4,000. We wasted about R6,000 in manure. 

 We roaded and drained the estate very effectively. 



Cinchona has done not so badly however; officinalis 

 very poor ; but the plain but honest succirubra has 

 certainly done us a good turn. 



The superintendence averaged Fv2,000 per annum 

 for a little over 200 acres— given to others. If we 

 had workfd our own property, that would have been 

 an income very few farmers in England or elsewhere 

 would have got out of 200 acres. 



To sum up, the estate stands us at £3,000 sterling. 

 We have 80 acres of good cinchona, which, if harvested 

 in the next year, should give us .£2,000 worth of 



bark, and we have this land for tea. We have 110 acres 

 of good land planted with tea from 1 to .3 years 

 old most promising, and about 30 acres of not so 

 bad coffee that will last for two or three years yet, 

 if we do not find tea a more profitable investment. 

 The conclusion I at any rate have come to is that 

 I would not part with the property for £0,000, should 

 any of those Tea Company gentlemen offer "cash 

 down." Why should we? I think we have found 

 the products that will give us paying returns. We 

 were very despondent about 18 months ago. We are 

 now chirpy. 



Ceylon property, if the .proper product is grown in 

 it and, if judiciously and carefully managed, will hold 

 its own with that of any other country, and what a 

 place it is to be here. A really temperate climate, 

 only three weeks distant from England by P. & O., 

 but will be only that time's distance from the dear 

 old country when the first "ditcher" really does her 

 best. The passage to London and back will soon be 

 R500. I shall be able to harvest my tea and go 

 home and square up with my London agents for four 

 months every year if so disposed. 



Ceylon gone ? Never a bit ! We have a shot in 

 the locker yet, and her Planters have the stuff in them 

 that command success. Floreat Lanka. 



COFFEE VS. TEA PLANTING IN OEYLON. 



A WARNING TO YOUNG TEA PLANTERS. 



(By Old Colonist.) 



The grand old happy-go-lucky planting days of Ceylon 

 are no more !— the days when the gentleman in charge 

 of estates could, with impunity, leave the store kau- 

 gauies to dispatch crop, and, mounting his kudu-i, leave 

 the tottam to take care of itself, tor days or weeks. 

 This evidently won't, suit tea, and I can well under, 

 stand how tedious and irksome the life must be to 

 many a good old coffee planter. 



I have beeu led to this reflection by having just 

 superintended the opening of 10 chests Ceylon tea. 

 My attention was first attracted to the tea trickling 

 through the gaping seams of the boxes as they were 

 being landed from the lorry to the pavement. And 

 this is "the tea of the future, is it?" chafungiy 

 said a big wholesale grocer; "1 hope it 's better than 

 it looks outside." 



The chests are certaialy not first-rate specimens of 

 handicraft. It would be difficult to conceive of any 

 village " wadurala" in the wilds of Sabaragamuwa who 

 would not blush to own tbe work. The doors on a 

 R15 set of lines would look cabinet work beside 

 these rude boxes. 



It was all very well for the store kangany to 

 shout: " Kariyam illai, summa kondu po ! " as the 

 innocent cooly called attention to the gaping seams, 

 but this sort of thing is apt to crop up again. 



The rough exterior is, however, not the worst 

 feature in this case, no attempt at soldering or even 

 over-lapping the lead can be discovered, but a 

 dirty piece of grey paper covers the top, while the 

 huge nails, by which the little bits of hoop are 

 fastened, effectually lacerate the lead around the sides. 



The net retult of all this is, here I have before 

 me 900 lb. of Ceylon tea, decidedly musty. A beauti- 

 ful leaf, evidently well and carefully prepared, but 

 spoiled for lack of ordinary oare in packing. Reduced 

 in value in consequence from Is 6d to Is Id per lb. 

 How differently the Chinese stuff is treated ! how 

 carefully any little aroma it ever had is preserved ! 

 how neatly the lead is soldered ; and with what pains 

 the air is excluded ! Papered and painted, the chest 

 is a work of art in itself which it would be in vain 

 to hope tbe Sinhalese to imitate, but undoubtedly, 

 if Ceylon tea is to get fair play, more care will have 

 to be taken in packing it. 



