54 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1885, 



not quite sure which quality to seleot as a "good 

 working jat. Some are in favour o£ as nearly aproach- 

 the indigenous as possible. In this case, Mr. Ashton of 

 Torringtou possesses a nursery of indigenous plants &c., 

 and he is willing to exchange in proportion to value 

 with his neighbours, or sell by the thouand. Mr. Ash- 

 ton's nursery is a success, and the plants are of a uni- 

 form quality, very light in colour and no doubt the 

 real article. Another gentleman in the Agras who 

 pushed forward the coffee enterprize in his time has 

 made extensive tea nurseries. Mr. Johnston, the gentle- 

 man referred to, has been selling plants at Thornlield 

 estate and made nurseries for others. His nur- 

 series are well made, and the plants good 

 and in a hardy condition and ready for planting. 

 A central factory will be required for the Agras. 

 Mr. Jackson of St. George's has planted tea on parts 

 of that estate, and informed me that Messrs. Carey, 

 Strachan & Co. have already upwards of two thousand 

 acres of tea put down in different districts. 



Great Western is not behind in the tea enter- 

 prize. The manager of Scalpa estate will gather from 

 500 acres and have a proper tea house fitted up with 

 all requisite machinery. Messrs. Tilly and Murray are 

 also planting tea on Louisa estate and Galkandcwatte. 



I have not seen Glasshaugh estate operations 

 whore machinery is working. Tlie general appearance 

 of the districts of Uikoya and J)imljula promises well. 

 Some planters are cutting away the lower primaries 

 of their cofl'eo to give light and sun to their young 

 tea plants, and from the railway track between 

 NawaUpitiya and Talawakele several glimpses of tea 

 Citales may be obtnined from the carriage-window. 

 G.illebodde estate with au even sheet of tea. 

 Elackwater estate on the righthand side coming 

 up, Carolina store which has been often written 

 about iu the Observer, ' largo nurteries at Kotiya- 

 galla, and Uatton estate being cleared up for tea. 

 Plucking has been commenced at Middleton, and all 

 the estates in these districts are doing some- 

 thing or intend conimencing soon. It is 

 very encouraging that old districts in coffee 

 should be doing so well with tea. I hear the 

 Brothers Scovell are doing wonders at Strathellie and 

 in Maskeliya district. Mariawatte must have 

 astonished disbelievers in the theory that tea can 

 be cultivated to pay where coffee Tailed, and the 

 district of Dolosbage, always a struggling district, 

 will now reward the Labours of Messrs. Blaokett, 

 Drummond and others who have toiled so many 

 years. Yatiyautota, Awisawella, and other hot places 

 where there is a good averagn rainfall is the per- 

 fection of climate for the growth of the tea bush, 

 and heavy crops of leaf can be expected from that 

 quarter iu a short time. 



Henry Cottam. 



WYNAAD PLANTKIIH' ASSOCIATION. 



The monthly general meeting was held at Pookote club, 

 Vythery, on the 3rd June ; — 



OoFFEK OuuiNd. — Mr. Jowitt asked if any member 

 could give a reason why AVynaad coffee is deficient in 

 colour and also in size, and invariably fetches a lower price 

 compared with that of other districts than it did in former 

 years. Mr, Walker and others attributed this to the de- 

 terioration of the coffee trees from the effects of leaf 

 disease which could only he overcome by growing them 

 under heavy sliside such as exists in Mysore and Ooorg, 

 but not iu Wynaad. After considerable discussion it was 

 resolved that the Honorary Secretary should address the 

 various rlanters' Associations of Southern Indi.a, asking 

 iul'ormiition on the following points : — 1. How docs tho 

 borin of colfee grown under shade compare in colour 

 with tliat grown in the open 'i 2. Is there any proved 

 system of estate curing, that will affect the colour of tho 

 bean'? 3. Is there any marked dilferenco in tho colour 



of the beans cured at the West Coast, East Coast, and 

 inland colfee works ? 4. How do manures affect the 

 colour ? 5. Have the different modes of packing any in- 

 fluence on the colour ? The W. P. A. will be glad to 

 receive the opinions of arty persons interested in this 

 matter. Kesolved that those questions be circulated 

 separately as well as in the Report of proceedings. — Madras 

 Mail, Juue 20th. 



♦ 



COOPvG PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 

 (From Hon. Secretary's Anmial Eejwrtfor 1884-85.) 



I think you will agree with me th.at this past year has 

 beeu a very trying one to us all, and the severe crisis we are 

 now passing through, owing to the heavy fall iu the price 

 of coffee, has told hardly ui^on a good many of us ; but let 

 us hope that the experience we have gained has taught us 

 a lesson that we shall few of us forget, and that by reduc- 

 ing our expenditure within reasonable limits we may yet 

 again make coffee pay even at the present reduced values. 



Labour Question. — The first and most important matter 

 that occupied our attention was the endeavour to induce 

 the other Associations in Southern India to join us in re- 

 ducing the wages for labour, and doing away with advances 

 toMaistries. 'This is a question that has occupied the atten- 

 tion of this Association for some time, and as we did not come 

 to any unanimous decision amongst ourselves, it was un- 

 likely that where so many different districts were concerned 

 with altogether separate interests that any one united ac- 

 tion would be evolved. The replies from the ditfereut Associ- 

 ations were laid before you at the time, and although 

 they could not come to any definite agreement to reduce 

 their present rates of pay ; or promise to give no advances 

 in fature to Maistries, still they were one and all unanim- 

 ously of opinion that it behoved each district for itself to 

 reduce its wages for labour, and advances to Maistries, as 

 much as possible according as circumstances permitted. 

 Thus although no definite agreement has been come to, still 

 the question has been well ventilated, and is bearing fruit 

 already. "We in this district have already reduced the wages 

 of all Coast labour from 5 annas to 4 annas a day, and the 

 pay of all locals to the same level aS Canarese. The ques- 

 tion of advances to Maistries has, I consider, solved itself, 

 as owing to the tightness of money I believe that few or 

 no fresh advances have been given out this j'ear, but on 

 the contrary, large sums have been recovered from tho 

 Maistries. This is a step in the right direction, and if wo 

 will only persevere in the same course next season, I feel 

 confident that wo shall have given the death-blow to ad- 

 vances to Maistries, and to the heavy losses that planters 

 annually sustain therefrom, not to mention the release of 

 a large amount of capital hitherto locked up iu these ad- 

 vances, and which will now be profitably employed in tho 

 cultivation of our estates. 



Adulteration of Coffee.— We in company with other 

 Associations of Southern India agreed to refer this ques- 

 tion to the Ceylon Central Association, and it was 

 understood that they were to draw up a Memorial on 

 the subject for presentation to the Home Government ; 

 but as over a year has now passed, and nothing has been 

 done, I think it behoves us to act for ourselves, unless 

 we wish the matter to drop altogether, which I think 

 would be unwise considering the present depressed state 

 of the coffee enterprize. 



Curing Charges. — Our representations to all the Coast 

 Curing Firms and Agencies on the subject of a reduc- 

 tion of their charges during the present depressed state 

 of coffee did not meet with the favourable reply that 

 we could have wished, but did not iu the least expect ; 

 and they one and all politely but firmly declined to meet 



our views. 



^ 



THE TEA-ROLLER PATENT CASE. 



The case of Jackson r. Kerr, was argued in the District 

 Court on Saturday last, upon the plaintiff's motion for an 

 interim injunction restraining the defendant from making, 

 selling and using the machines known as Kerr's Tea-Kollcrs, 

 the plaintitV alleging that such machines involved infringe- 

 ments of his patent rights iu respect of Jcakson's Tca- 

 Itoller. 



Mr. Advocate Layard, for the plaintiff, explained to tho 

 Court with help of working models, tho two pcculiiir feat- 



