April i, i885.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



667 



4. The Cinclioua Bark harvest has been about 

 V25,011 lbs. (o( which ■2.),637 lb. were sold in Ceylou); 

 the greater part has been realised and the whole is ex- 

 pected to produce €4,873 33. lOd. 



;■>. In consequence of drought and from other 

 causes the Cocoa has not produced the anticipated 

 results. 



6. The plantation of cardamoms has become pro- 

 ductive, the first shipment has been received, and in 

 future this article will form part of the annual produce 

 of the Company. 



7. The importaut results to be attained by the cult- 

 ivation of tea has had for a long tmie past tne earnest 

 attention of the Directors. The first plantings ha\-iug 

 fully answered expectations the acreage has been 

 steadily increased and the Company now has upwards 

 of 1.006 acres of tea planted, of which about 000 acres 

 have become productive, and two shipments have 

 recently been received from Fordyce. These teas are 

 considered by the Company's Brokers to be of good 

 f|uality and calculated to realize good prices. The 

 Broken Pekoe has been sold at Is 9d per lb. and the 

 Pekoe at Is 3d. 



8. The following statement shows the present acre- 

 age planted with tea 



bikoya 



Haputalc 



Maturata 

 Cda Pusselawa 



Hatale 



300 acres 



150 „ 



225 „ 



120 „ 



M ,, 



50 ., 



5U .. 

 60 „ 



Fordyce 



Gouagalla 



Fruit Hill 



Ampittiakaude . . 



A run all 



Eiliamallc 



Bappahannock .. 



Yattawatte . 



1,005 acres 

 9. The erectiou of a Tea Factory at Gonagalla 

 and the purchase of the necessary machinery, has 

 iovolved an outlay which your Directors considered 

 should be made without any loss of time. A Jackson's 

 Roller and a Daridson's Sirocco were purchased and 

 shipped some time since, and it is believed that at this 

 date the Factory has been completed aud the machinery 

 Sxsd aud in working order. 



iM. From all sides evidence is accumulating that 

 Ceylon will produce excellent teas both in qu.intity 

 sud quality. The.se teas are now sought for in llie 

 mark't imiDediately on arrival, and are sold at higher 

 prices than those from India or China, and if the 

 prefent average price is fairly maintained tea cultiv- 

 Htiou will prove largely remunerative. 



11. A further selection of desirable situations for tea 

 planting on the estates is being made aud it is hoped 

 that by the end of Jane there will be an additional 

 200 acres, planted. Care is taken uot to interfere 

 with good coffee, but where coffee (as always happens 

 on parts of estates) cannot be profitably cultivated, 

 Tea will be planted, either amongst it or in its 

 place, and it is probable that in this way and by 

 planting up land not suitable for other products the 

 land in Tea will gradually increase to 2,000 acres. 



12. The quantity of tea produced per acre varies 

 with situation and soil, on one Escate in Ceylon as 

 high a return as 1,100 lb. per acre has been obtained, 

 but if an average weight per acre of 400 to .iOO lb. 

 is obtained, the cultivation at present prices will leave 

 a handsome profit. That Tea properties are highly 

 remunerative is evidenced by the market value of the 

 shares of the Assam, Jorehaut, Darjeerling, Leboug 

 and other Tea Compames. 



IS. Under date of 24tli November the general 

 manager writes that the "T«.-ais flushing grandly" 

 at Fordyce and Fruit Hill 'especially the latter) and 

 that "about WX) lb. of (green) leaf is coming in daily." 

 The completion of Factory and machinery will greatly 

 facilitate the preparation of the Teas and regular 

 shipments may reasonably be expected. 



14. Although for some time past the opera^ons of 

 the Company have been constantly attended with 

 more or less anxiety to your Directors, they have 

 now every reason to believe that a great change for 

 the better has taken place in the position and pro- 

 spects of the Company, and that m the immediate 

 future, it will resume the payment of dividends on its 

 ordinary capital 



15. The prospects of the Company are therefore 

 certainly encouraging. The coffee crop for this season 

 may not" be large, but as only good eofl'ee is now under 

 cultivation a good return for ouilay on upkeep may be 

 expected; the greater part of the tea in l)ikoyadi.strict 

 will soon be productive ; the cocoa on "Vattawatte will 

 be bearing more equally, the cinchonas will supply a 

 larger quantity of bark than heretofore, and the card- 

 amoms will add to the Company's revenue. 



U>. Your Directors deem it right to refer to the 

 fact that of the 2,000 6 per cent. £10 Preference Shares 

 1,100 have been applied forand allotted, and that 900 

 Shares still remain available for applicants. 



17. The Dividends on the Preference Shares already 

 issued have been duly paid uut of the profits shown by 

 the Accounts. 



18. The Directors propose to deal with the amount 

 remaining at the credit of the Profit and Loss Account 

 by transferring €2,137 2s 4d to the credit of tlie|Divid- 

 end Account, by which the sum distributed in 1883 (on 

 nu estimate of profit not realised by reason of falling 

 markets, ice.) will be discharged, and to carry forward 

 the balance to the Account 1885-0. 



19. The following statement shows the names, 

 acreages, prod uct.s and cost of the ComiJany's Estates, 



J O 3-. 0-. O .-^ t^ ~. -^ ".C 





IKlOX 



lodJOj 5> 

 JO d^ndi:iv 



ripaj JO ai(iwa.)v 



•C030J 

 JO dZiediJV 



■fcmomupjBi^ 



JO .*i<B^it»V 



■V-^X JO oiiuai.iy 



•■i-'IJO.O 

 JO ■i^\;^l.ty 



(C rt ^- -»* 01 -< o 

 to t-. :^ o 04 t' ifi 

 cc ^ o* «> « -^ c* 



Li ^ 



I M I M I 

 M II I I I 



I?; 



l:i' |: 



■^ O lO Ci CI o o 

 iM 1(1 c*j c- irs U5 "; 





X 3 



SK-s 



as 



N?i • I i i 

 Mil i I i i 



: : « : ; ' : 



: -jTSJi! : • : 



• ■ ~ ^ c = tJ 



~ U - Cl— O ^ 



E: c o k:^ .n ca 

 'i. t. C5 K K H >■ 



The Cinchona on the several estates is estimated by 

 the General Manager at about 1,400,000 trees ol various 

 descriptions aud (in a recent letter) as cove.ing 

 an aggregate of .">« acres. This efltimnte is exclu£i\ .1 

 of Cinchonas planted amongst the coifee. 



21. Referring to the notice given of an' Extraordin- 

 ary General Meeting to be on the same day as the 

 adjourned Ordinary I ten' ;al Meeting, your Directors 

 think it right to state, that it ha>< been found that from 

 time to time expenditure becomes necessary, which in 

 their opinion from it.i nature ought not in fairness to bo 

 charged against the ])rofits of the year in whidi »ueh 



