AUfiUST 1, lS8^.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



ill 



from one of its cl^ises. " He has a good deal of broken 

 pekoe about him," remarked someone to me the other 

 day, and I found that what was meant was "side." 

 Perhaps when one hears it the second time and without 

 the exiilauatiou, it may have more force in it than it 

 has now. 



The want of shade for cacao, is being seriously felt 

 where there is none, and there is a considerable rusli to 

 plant it up. To »ee how the drought in the early parts 

 of I he ye-M has affected some trees is very grievous and 

 makes one appreciate the planter's remark that while 

 ctcao was a food for the body, it was also clearly be- 

 coming a food for the mind. One is never done with 

 cac^o scares of some kind or another, and it is too 

 evident that in very few places indeed will it be grown 

 with success. The vellow variety is however 

 holding its ground well, and stands in unall'toted 

 grandeur alongside the badly-stricken Trinidad species ; 

 which is a heait-break to see. \Yind, drought, 

 luiofcltis, and root-disease — are a few of the abomin- 

 ations with which the cacao planter has to contend. 



Some of the places about Kand}', and in Dumbara, i 

 are looking bad enough from want of shade, and ; 

 the Hy besides. I bear that some who have got i 

 cacao growing under fair-sized trees say that they i 

 do not suffer fiom the fly very much, that it goes 

 up to the leaves of the trees above, and negUcts the 

 cacao pods and shoots. The man who gave th:it opinion 

 ought to know something about it, and if it bo veiified 

 it is not without r^ome comfort in it. 



At Walagama, where cacao grows particularly well 

 and which has been free from helopcltia, it is not 

 alwaj 5 to escape. The Hy, I understand, has begun 

 to appear there, not as yet in any great numbers or 

 with any deadly effect, but it is unpleasant to hear 

 that it is about. 



The following hint comes from a London broker : — 

 " He was told lately by a reliable party that keeping 

 the routs of the trees shaded very much improved 

 the ipiality of the cacao, and that, this was not 

 generally known." This, I suppose, must mean littering 

 the surface around the stem of the tree, although 

 it is not very clear. That that treatment has a 

 good effect is not uuknown here. 



The long-continued rain has not a little worried 

 the cacao-curer as well as the tea-maker, Indeed 

 most of us are getting a little tired of the 

 constant drip, and especially the high winds which 

 of late have been to general. The Irishman who was 

 green mouldy for want of a "bating," had he been 

 in the Central Province for the last fortnight, might 

 have got his hiding and not had his condition im- 

 proved. Peppkkcorn. 

 ♦- ■ 



A HINT TO PROPRIETORS AND SH«RE- 

 HOLUEKS OF TEA GARDENS. 



TO THE EDITOB OF THE " EXGLISllMAN." 



Sir,— Now that managsrs of tea gardens are vying with 

 one another a» to which sbnll land bis teas in the market i 

 at the lowest figure, it may not bo out of place to remind 

 both proprietors and shareholders that, much as agents are 

 to be congratulated on bringing about this very gratifying 

 rivalship between managers, it woukl be well if agents on 

 their part would look Into their own charges, and sati.'ify 

 their proprietors or .shareholders that these are legitimate 

 ones. It cannot be denied that, in gardens in which the 

 mufasal outlay has been reduced to tno lowest figure, Cal- 

 cutta charges stand out, in a most unproportioned manner, 

 and do not appear to ever lessen, but on the contrary seem 

 to be on the increase. In the prceent state of the tea market, 

 to make tea properties pay a reduction all round must be 

 made. I now propose to give a few suggestions as to how 

 this is to be done. 



I take an agent of a tea eiitate to be a paid pirsor, or 

 persons, employed to represent the proprietors or fbareholl- 

 ars' interest, to enable him to work the estate to the best 

 advantagp, and not, as it vvowUl appear to be in many cases 



a person who, after having secured the keep of a garden, 

 imposes as many charges on that estate, both directly and 

 indirectly, a.s the piopi-ietors or shareholders will in their 

 good nature, or ignorance, allow. I admit that, for tea 

 agents to exist aud to be dependable, the business must bo 

 a remunerative oue, and therefore must be well paid. A 

 good article is never cheap. They should, however, only 

 be allowed to make one charge, aud th.-it charge should bo 

 a commission on the gross proceeds. Of course, when funds 

 are required, the rate of interest should be agreed upon. 

 When once this has been settled between both parties no 

 other profits should be allowed to be made, such as on 

 coolies, stores, or machinery sent up to the gardens, but 

 the full beuetit of buying stores cheap, by purchasing them 

 in largo quantities and getting the trade discount, should 

 go to the garden. I take it to be incontestably a breaeh 

 of conlidence on the part of the agent to make a profit 

 on eoolies, stores, 5;c., sent up to gardens. .Shareholders 

 should insist on their agents only charging the estate the 

 net price on all stores, coolies, &c. 



Many proprietors of gardens find, when they go home, 

 or even to Calcutta, that they can purchase stores at a 

 much lower rate than their agents charge ! I know of 

 several instances of this being the case. I will mention one, 

 to put the matter vividly before sh.areholders. A pro- 

 prietor had asked his agents to ascertain the cost of an 

 iron roof, suiKcient to cover his tea-house. In due course of 

 time an estimate was sent up. In the meantime this owner 

 went down to Calcutta, aud whilst there ascertained for 

 himself, from diftereut firms, the cost of such a roof. The 

 result of his enquiries was that, by buying the iron roof 

 direct, the material for such would have cost verv much less 

 I believe 40 per cent less. Now, is this a legitimate profit 

 on the part of the agents ? I say decidedly not. Yet 

 many ageutsdo not .scruple to make large profits on stores 

 &c., sent up to gardens. They possess their own store go! 

 downs, which they fill with stores purchased at the very 

 lowest trade prices, and distribute them to gardens, guid- 

 ing themselves in their charge for these from the 'prices 

 put down in the different lists of stores published by the 

 trade. If proprietors and shareholders followed the fol- 

 lowing suggestions before they appointed agents, I feel 

 confident that they would soon see Calcutta charges very 

 much _ reduced :— Firstly : Agents to only receive a fixed 

 commission on gross proceeds. Secondly : A fi.xed rate of 

 interest on advances required. Thirdly: Only net outlay 

 to be charged on coolies, stores, &c. Fourthly : No tea 

 agent to be also agent for garden stores, &o. 



At present Calcutta cliarges are divided over so many 

 items that it is impos.sible to put a finger on auyasbein" 

 excessive. Until the advice I give above is followed Oal° 

 cuttacharges will always remain an unguessed conund'rum. 



A Poor Shareuoldeb. 



♦ • 



LEMONS IN INDIA. 

 ^ Dr. Bonavia, ot Et;i wall, writes to tlio Agri-Horticultuivl 

 Society of India in retVieiice to this subject as follows-— 

 _ " I wish to bring to the notice of your Society a most 

 important tree, v:z., the Malta lemon tree, which I im- 

 ported from the Mediterranean many years ago for the Horti- 

 cultural Garden of Luck now. I lately sent four plants 

 from here to Dr. King to ascertain how it would stand the 

 moist climate of licngal. I wis'i your Society would take 

 it up also and make some experiments to ascertain its 

 value in that climate. The facility with which it can be 

 propagated is simply marvellous. It stands the climate 

 herewith the greatest e.iscaud I believe would do every, 

 where in India, where oranges and lomou« can be grown 

 Sylhst, Nagporc, Delhi, Nepal Valley, Kangra, &o., fcc! 



If we could obtain citric acid ensilv in India and cheaply' 

 there is no vea.sonwhy citrate of iron and quinine cuuid 

 not be manufactured. It is the next important tonic to 

 quinine, and would be invaUiable for picking up the strength 

 of the people recovering- fn.m fever. The coniniereial 

 products of the lemon tree .".)c many. Could ytu kindly 

 heq) me in obtaining the ^titistics of imports into India 

 through Calcutta, Ijombay and Madras of the followiuir 

 commercial products of the U-nion aud orange viz. r 



1. Citrate of iron and quiidne. 



2. Citrate of iron and ammonia; there are other citrate 

 drugs, but I think theee are most important, hut soino of 

 the Calcutta chemifti) m.ay mention others, 



