August i, iSSj.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



137 



The Great Bark Cocnthy of Amertca is thus 

 deBcribed in a recent account ;— Thp Kimaa Cathilic 

 religion is tlia prevailing one in Bo'ivii. Anyotler 

 form of faith is merely tolerated, and genfral educ- 

 ation is much nfglected. Tho leading society i:- 

 lariiely composed of military adventurers and m'!n 

 of the bar. The backwardness of the pcoiile at large, 

 and the miserable trca ons which ever aiid anon jir.- 

 committed by Government oflioials. c n'i'iua'ly thrcv 

 ing the codntry into a dreadful state of aiiarclij 

 and guaranteeing no security for luvestmcntB, hav. 

 hitherto been II e Btumbliugblock on the rond o. 

 proijrt ssive life in Bolivia.— 5o!((/i American Joiinial, 

 .yay loth. 



* Published at "Ceylon Observer" Office, pages 77; 

 price III ; in London, 'i, Bouverio Street, 2i, 



18 



" TEA, CACAO, CIXCHOXA, ARECA AND 



OTHER PLANTING INDUSTRIES IN CEYLON.*'' 



(A Review.) 



As one who has spent over twenty years in diCfereot 

 parts of the world, I have often been applied to for 

 advice as to which was the most promising place 

 for a young man to go tu, and as to the sort of life 

 which ho would h.ive to lead there. With regard to 

 the Australian settlemcuts, my advice has alwaj's 

 been easily given, and the foit of life and prospects 

 there have been as easily understood, but, when I 

 came to deEcribe the life of a Ceylon planter, and 

 the chances of success in the accumulation of money 

 in that island, 1 have had f.ir greater difficulty in 

 making myself intelligible to thoso desiring to emi- 

 grate, fiom ihe fact that tropical agriculture is not 

 understood by these at ull In a small p.Tmphlet 

 entitled " Tea and Othfr Planting Industries in Cevlon 

 in 1S85," 1 have found a rtady solution to the 

 difficulty, for that work tells as clearly and coucistly 

 as it isijossible, what the prospects are fora young 

 man, with a little cipital and plenty of em rgy. The 

 work is published with the express purpose of point- 

 ing out that Ceylon is a good field for investment, 

 and, I think, it has nude a verr good case, without 

 being too optimistic in its argunidils, for " Moder- 

 ation " steps in with a very wholesome letter of advice, 

 which, so far from damaging the case by ti.e tue- 

 picious which he ventures to express, aotaally leaves 

 the reader with a more favourable opinion of the Held 

 for investment, by the very clearing away of those 

 suspicions by the encouraging reports which come in 

 answer to " Moderation " s letter. Of courbe. Tea is 

 held up as the means by which a young man is to 

 increase his capital ; but other products, such as cacao, 

 cinchona, spices and even the nearly defunct " King 

 Coll'ee," are not forgotten, but are all spoken of 

 favorably ; and when I remember the splendid fields 

 of cacao in Dumbara and Matale, I think it well de- 

 serves to be classed well to the front. Philosophers 

 speak about a nave of depression, which is sweeping 

 over all parts of the world at pre."ent, and, without 

 going into the reason why this is so, I think the 

 pamphlet under notice has proved that Ceylon is no 

 worse off than other countries, but ii deed may be said 

 to be in a more favorable way, as the ''wave"se(m8 

 to have swept past its shores, and it is onco more 

 on the faT road to repay these who have stuck to 

 the ship when supposed to be in a sioking slate. Tho 

 compiler modestly fays that he will be repaid any 

 trouble it may have coft him if the | ages serve to 

 interest even a few young men in tho industr'es of 

 Ceylon. I think I may safely say that not one single 

 re.ider will I.15 down tie wrrk W'ithout having had 

 his interest thoroughly awakened in tho subject. 



A Retiiied Planter. 



In the Old Country, June 16tb, 



COFFEE ADULTERATION. 



Kandy, 10th July 1885. 

 To the Editor of the Tropical ArjricuHurist, Colombo. 

 Sin,— In reference to page 54 of the issue of tho 

 Troiiirid A'ji-icii/tun-it ioi inly, ]\xat received, I observe 

 an extraetfrom the Annual Report for 1884-85 of the 

 Coorg Planters' Association, and think it right to prevent 

 any misapprehension regarding tho paragraph on 

 the .adulteration of cofTee to annex a copy of the 

 letter, which I had addnssed to the Honorary Se- 

 cretary of the Coorg Planters' Association on the subject. 

 — I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



A. PHILIP, Secretary. 



(Letter nferred to.) 

 Planters' Association of Ceylon, Kandy, 30th June 1885. 

 <i. I{. Evans, Ksq., Hon. Secretary, the Coorg Planters' 

 Association, Mercara.— Dear 8ir,— I ob.serve from the re- 

 port of the proceedings of your Association in tho Jfadms 

 IVeekiy .1[uil of the 13tb instant that reference is made 

 to tliis Associalinn iu connection with the steps to be 

 taken ill regard to the admixture and adulteration of cofTeo. 

 As von may not be aware of the decision rome to 

 sometime ago, I beg to transmit by book-post a copy of 

 proceedings of this Associalion 1883-84, and to refer you 

 to pages 218-221, &c., &c. The book of proceedings for 

 the year emling February 1885 will be issued soon 

 when I hope to have the pleasure of sending you a 

 copy. I shall bo glad if you will reciprocate with copy 

 of your proceedings etc. from time to time.— I am, dear 

 sir, yours faithfully, (Signed) A. Philip, Secretary. 



THE TEA INDUSTRY IN INDIA: 



Btl Colonel Money. 



(If'iittcn fpeciilli/ for the "Ceylon Ohierver.") 



THE RAPID GROWTH OF THE INDIAN TEA INDUSTRY — THK HIS- 

 TOKV OF TEA PLANTINO IN INDIA — MISTAKES MADE UY 

 THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SELECTION OF LAND AT HIGH ELEV- 

 ATIONS — THE INDIAN TEA DISTRICTS— MONEY LOST BY 

 MISTAKES— IBKEPAEAIiLE MISCHLEFDONE BY THE IJLPOETA- 

 TION OP CHINA SEED — THE DISCOVERY OF THE ASSAM INDIGEN- 

 OL'S TEA — HIGH AND LOW GROWN TEAS— INDIAN AND 

 CHINESE TEA MIXTURES — PURE TEA THE EXCEPTION — IN- 

 CREASE IN THE I5IP0R1S FROM INDIA ,\ND DECREASE IN 

 THOSE FROM CHINA — THE TEA OF THE FUTURE — INDIAN 

 TEA NOT A FINANCIAL SUCCESS— SUPPLY EXCEEDING DE- 

 MAND AND CONSEQUENT FALL IN PRICES — A WARNING TO 

 CEYLON PLANTERS— NEW MAKKETS - ADVANTAOE.S OF INDIA 

 AND CEYLON OVER CHINA— TEA FlRlNCi JIACHINERY. 



East India Club, St. .lames' S(|uare, S.W., 12tli June 18^5. 



Perhaps no great undertaking of any kind has ever as- 

 sumed larger proporiions in a comparatively short time 

 than the tea industry in India, which boasts today of nearly 

 300,00(1 acres under plant. Fifteen years ago tea from Hindu- 

 stan w.ts virtually unknown in Kn;;'and. The imports did 

 not then exceed 13 million pounds in the year. They are 

 nov/ 04 million, or above one-third of tlie whole consumption 

 of Great Britain. 



The history of the lea Industry in India is a very remiu-k- 

 able and curious one. The iiossibibty of growing tea there 

 wiisfirft mooted in iS38, and the Indian (ioverntnent started 

 an experimental ganlen at Lukimpore (As.sam) at that time. 

 It is perhaps strange this war, not dolw; before, for, as early 

 as 17'Sil some tea plants had been brouglit from China by a 

 Colonel Kyd, and were cultivated in Calcutta. As Calcutta 

 is not a coud climate for tea, the cliaiic< 8. are,' — the plants ditl 

 not thrive well. However that may be, it is certain nothing 

 wILs done witli a view of growing tea in India till 1S36. From 

 183fi till )845 again little or nothing was done. Assam is a 

 long way from the seat of (iovernim-nt in (.'alcntta. As re- 

 gards time, it was nuicli farther in those days than Knglaml 

 is now. There are no records to show how the said experi- 

 mental garden in Assam flourished ; it failed eventually ; but 

 in 1845 and following years the Indian Government awoke 

 to the faetth-tt tea cnn/i/ ho grown in India, and large 

 quantities of China seed were imported. 



The first mistake was then made. Because, presuinafciy 



