7t6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1886. 



The attention of the General Committee was drawn 

 to the increase in the importation of Chma tea into 

 India, and from tij^ures supplied by the Department 

 of Finance and Commerce it \\ as found that the total 

 imports in the ten montiis, from 1st Ajiril ISHl to Hist 

 January ISyfi, wer« S.Sl.l.OVl Ih., of which nearly the 

 whole, say '2,9ilO,:i()7 lb., was tal<cn by I'.ombay. The 

 export of foreic^n tea from India durin;:; the years 

 188.S-»>4 and 18IS1-H5 were 'i.OlD.a llj lb. and 2.072,187 lb. 

 respectively, the bulk of which was sent to Kabul and 

 Persia. 



In their circular of the 4th May, the (Jeneral Com- 

 mittee were able to publish a]\ estimate of the out- 

 turn of the crop of 1886, .say (;S,735,458 lb. On the 

 12th November a revised estimate was publislicil 

 based upon actual results to thi^ Hist August and re- 

 ducing the fiyurc s to 66,1)^7,640 lb.; but as some change 

 in the prospects uf the crop had tjikcu place .since these 

 returns were .sent iu the Committee asked for fre.<h 

 eetimntcs based on results to the Hist October. From 

 the returns then obtained, it appeared that the crop 

 would be rii;,Un.807 Ih. but it hMs actually turni.-d out 

 aecordin;; to figures applied to the Association, 

 «li,7.iO,2iy lb. 



The atti'idion nf the General Committee has been 

 drawn to certain figures in the annual rt^port on the state 

 of tea culture iu Assam issued by thf! Chief Conimi.ssioner. 

 The laud under cultivation is divided into that under 

 mature and immature plants, but (he Comnuttee have 

 pointed out that it would be very much better if 

 the di.slinction were made between yieldii^g and uon- 

 yic'.ding are.i, as the term "immature" may mean any 

 plants from 1 to 5 years old, some of which would, of 

 course, he yielding leaf. It is impossible, mider the 

 existing classification, to arrive at a correct calculation 

 of the yie-ld per acre, so it is satisfactory to kuow 

 that the (thief Commissioner has adopted the sugges- 

 tion uf the Comndttee. 



As regards the costs of cultivation and manufact- 

 ure, it has been pointed out that in most cases 

 this inf( rmation can only be obtained from Calcutta 

 agents, and the Committee have said tliat, if there 

 should be any tlithculty in collecting these part- 

 iculars, the Association will be happy to render 

 all the assistance in its power, but on the understand- 

 ing that no details are publi.shed. 



The General Committee were informed by the Lou- 

 don Association that, at the request of the Trade, the 

 Board of Customs had been petitioned to allow some 

 slight alterations in the rules for weighing Indian tea. 

 The result was a General Order from the Custom 

 House, dated 9th November, copy of which was em- 

 bodied in the Association's circular of the 19th Dec- 

 ember. Attention was therein calleil to the importance 

 of careful bulking and weighing at the gardens and 

 to the desirability of the tares of packages running 

 as even as possible. It was also stated that inform- 

 ation had been asked for as to the nature of tlie state- 

 ment required to be given by importers of tea under 

 clause 2 of the revised liegulations. The information 

 in question has since been received and was embodied 

 In the Counnittee's circular of the 8th February 



I am happy to say that the Association now re- 

 presents A planted area of 14o,125J acres, and that 

 the accounts closed to the 2Pth instant, which are laiil 

 On the table, nhow a balance in hand of I\l.(i94-7-2 

 after payment of contribution to the Chamber for the 

 current month. Owing to the reduction of the 

 amount of contribution this year from 1 anna to 1 

 ftil aun > per acre, the receipts have only amounted to 

 Kb, 103-10. includiiig a small .sum of K66 from the 

 Francis Fund, while the expenditure has been 

 K7,837-l5-ll. 



D. OftuiCKSHANK, Chnirman. 



SKINNY MEN. 



"■\VellB' Health Ht newer " restores health and vigor, 

 cures J^yspepsia, luiputcnce. Debility, 



W. £, Siuitb Si Co., Uidiis Sole A^entt, 



COMING COFFEE, TEA AND COCOA SEASON 

 IX CEYLON. 



Goi-KHK Blob«03is.— The exceptionally dry hot 

 season we are experiencing all over the island 

 is liaving a beneficial effect on eollcc, especi- 

 ally in the high and Uva districts. From Hapu- 

 tale we learn that the planters' hearts are glad- 

 dened by such blossoms, as Ihcy have not 

 seen tor many years back, and on the coffee re- 

 tained in cnltivation in the younf; districts we 

 may also expect to lind a really profitable return 

 in crop for once in a way. 



Te,\ is flushing in a wonderful way in many 

 districts notwithstanding tlie dry weather, but the 

 great rush in plucking will be after the flrst rains 

 of the little monsoon, a few weeks hence, Mr. 

 Bond, who leaves by this steamer, after a few 

 years in Ceylon, can practically cxcniplify the great 

 success of tea in Ceylon. He is the fortunate pro- 

 prietor of Bitterne estate, Maskeliya, where tea 

 has succeeded coffee in the most nourishing way, 

 and has also a share in Kandaloya, a largo and 

 successful lea plantation. 



Coeo.v is having a very favorable season, and good 

 reports of crop prospects come from both Dumbara 

 and Matale. 



TEA AND SUGAR IN FIJI. 



Tea culture is slowly extending, and conlidenco 

 is maintained in its promise of remunerative re- 

 turns. The Alpha crop finds a ready sale in the 

 local market at 2s per lb., and the Levuka agent 

 reports that the demand cannot be supplied. In 

 the face of this advices received from Auckland 

 read strangely. Though the Alpha yield is at pre- 

 sent unequal to local demand, the b.alance would 

 soon be changed by the larger area conring into 

 bearing, and therefore the proprietor sensibly tried 

 to find for his product a wider market. With 

 this view he sent some to Auckland, having taken 

 special care in the preparation and packing. After 

 remaining there for some time the grower was 

 advised that the highest oll'er made tor it was Id 

 per lb. I He has directed it to be returned to 

 Fiji, where it will find immediate sale at therate 

 first quoted. Tea cultivation is th riving verywell 

 on Messrs. Mackiuuon and Barratt's Masusu 

 plantation, Wainunu, It has not been more than 

 two years under way from the time of prepar- 

 ing the nurseries, and the young trees now 

 present so luxuriant and licalthy an appearance 

 that Mr. Barratt, an Indian tea-grower of con- 

 siderable experience, asserts he never saw such 

 remarkable growth. He is most sanguine as to the 

 prospects. About a month ago, to test the properties 

 of the leaf, he nmnulactured a few pounds of pekoe 

 and pekoe sonchoiig. The pioduct was submitted 

 to a number of competent judges, who. however, 

 do not profess to be experts, and it was prououneed 

 to be excellent in strength, llavour, and aroma. 



Sugar shipments, princij ally to Sydney aud 

 Auckland, have been unusually heavy since the data 

 of my last, and beside large consignments from the 

 Mago. Taviuni, Denba and Ba mills, by regular 

 steamers, sailing vessels have taken full freights from 

 the Rewa Company's and the C. S. E. Company's 

 mills. The latter mill stup) ed for the season early 

 in December, and the output for the season is stated 

 at S.OOO tons. The Itewa planters say the back 

 season has been a splendid one, and the canes 

 promise even better for nixtyear than they did for 

 that just past. To improve tliis chance, timely rains 

 have fallen throughout the group. A week ago a 

 heavy downfall on the I'pijer Kewa brouglit the river 

 down with a high fresh, but fortunately uo damage 

 it! reported. Work i^s going on steadily ou the New 



