76S 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTyeiST. 



fMAt i, im§, 



to compete with Mr. Jeffries in the outward appear- 

 ance maintaining my superior method of t'crmtnt- 

 ation. — I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 



J. P. COTTON. 



(Citpij of li-ttcr from Mesm-s. Vvlkart Brothers.) 

 Colombo, 18lh February 188G. 



J. P. Cotton, Esq., Watterauteune. 



Dear Sib, — lu reply to our letter of the 15th 

 iustaut, we are glad to iuform you that the quality of 

 the last lot of Watterauteuuc cocoa, in fact all the 

 cocoa we bought from you, with the exceptiou of tlio 

 small lot delivered ia December last, is all that could 

 be expected, as far as priparatioii aud fermcidutioii 

 of the actual cocoa ia coucerued. The only improve- 

 ment that could be wished for, regards ontrard ap- 

 pearance and color. AVe send you today a sample of 

 Gangaruwacocon which produce has hitherto stood fore- 

 most with regard to colour and appearance of ikin. though 

 your cocoa is no doubt superior, so far as thorough 

 fermentation and real qualify of the beans goes. lu 

 spite of the latter advantages, the Gangaruwa 

 cocoa will, through its better appearance, perhaps ft:tch 

 three to four rupees more with some buyers than your 

 cocoa. 



It" you could manage to combine the same fermenta- 

 tion, which your cocoa had so far, with the appearance 

 of Gang.aruwa cocoa, AVatterantenue would be almost 

 perfection and fetch fancy prices. From all what we 

 have heard, however, thorough fermentation and good 

 color do not go hand in baud, but the one must 

 be always partly sacrificed to the other, aud 

 ■we are of opinion that Mr. Jeffries of Gangaruwa 

 has, as a rule, done a little too much for color aud 

 appearance. 



The lot, from which we are sending you the 

 sample, has, we understand, been dried by an 

 American fruit-drier tried for the first time on 

 Gangaruwa with the result that the inside of the 

 bean presents a better look, and is better fermented 

 than former lots from that estate. It is of course 

 always desirable to give the cocoa a light color, as 

 appearance is for many buyers of more importance than 

 thorough fermentntion, but unless you are sure not to 

 impair the fermentation, in attempting to arrive at 

 the outward appearance of the Gangaruwa produce, 

 we would advise you to continue curing on your 

 present method. 



It is very risky to go in for color only, as really 

 deficient fermentation much more seriously affects the 

 price than a dark appearance, aud your cocoa is really 

 very little off in this respect. There is now aud tlien 

 a parcel (chiefly native produce) brought to this 

 market which has a strikingly briylit ml color— tile- 

 rod it might be called. This is a sure sign of bad, i.e., 

 deficient fermentation and such stutf is of very little 

 value aud almost useless for the manufacturer. 



We believe Mr. Jeffries' trees are of another 

 variety than yours, ;'. f.,Cabello which is naturally of 

 lighter color. It has certainly a rounder beau than 

 yours. — Yours faithfully, 



(Signed.) Volkakt Broiueks. 



[This is all vei-y interesting so far as it goes, 



but cacao planters would of course like to have Mr. 



Cotton describe his process of fermentation and 



Mr. Jeffries his process with the fruit-drier. — En.] 



I'iBH Mancue for Tea Gabdens. — Under this 

 heading, a native correspondent of the Indian Ayri- 

 ciilliirinl advises an application of a handful to each 

 bush and states : — " In a garden in Assam, also 

 in one at Madras situated on the Hills (1 omit 

 names here) lish manure was used to renovate the 

 soil, as the out-turn ot these two tea gardens had 

 fallen off in flavour and quantity, though they had 

 been well manipulated. The lish-manurc proved 

 efiectua!. 



J,WA Ci.NCHONA planters too, are beginning to 

 find out that it is more to their interest for them 

 to ship bark to London than to Amsterdam, owing 

 to brokers at the former city paying greater 

 attention to sorting operations for the fortnightly 

 sales, ■ dealing with their customers in a more 

 businesslike manner, and remitting proceeds forth- 

 with by telegraph. At Amsterdam, on the con- 

 trary, brokers take their own time in transacting, 

 so that planters often have to wait two months 

 after the close of the sales for remittances ot 

 the amounts due them. In liOndon Java bark 

 fetches higher prices than at Amsterdam, from 

 greater competition among bidders.— S(r«i(s Tivteg. 



CoFi-EE AND Cinchona in Ceylon iVnd Java. — 

 Talawakele, 1st April.— We are having 'perfect 

 weather for blossoms, and wherever there is coffee 

 worthy of the name, there will be a good crop. I see 

 red-spider flourishing in all directions. My young tea 

 is sorely stricken, but I suppose the coming rains will 

 wash it ofl. I suspect that is to be our pest on the 

 new product in a not very distant future. 1 liear 

 Belgravia is for the second time one white sheet ot 

 blossom. May it all " set " and come into store, for it 

 is a precarious crop nowadays. Could you not pro- 

 cure for us reliable information re cinchona in 

 Java ? If the large acreage of high percentage 

 bark one hears of, is really under cultivation, and 

 within a couple of years of being tit to operate 

 upon, tlie sooner we get rid of our inferior 

 stuff the better, for there will be uo market for 

 it. Then what about Bolivia with its extensive 

 plantations of high-class cinchona '? Whether the 

 extended areas one hears of in other Countries 

 will turn out as deceptive as that said to be 

 under the cultivation in Ceylon in 1881, ought not 

 to be difficult to arrive at. It would not be a 

 bad idea for those interested here to subscribe to 

 send a reliable expert to find out all about it. I 

 should be glad to give my mite. Fancy the blue 

 looks of many of us two years hence, if we found 

 that our cinchona would not pay for harvesting ! 



The bipoETATioN of Java Tea in London 

 rose from 4,808,827 pounds in 1875 to 5,.5i)0,0(>9 

 in 1885. That article has gained a firm foothold 

 in England from its soundness and good quality. 

 The imported quantity is not likely to increase 

 very largely within the next few years owing to 

 there being no prospect ot any speedy growth of 

 production in the near future, as the exports from 

 Java to different ports sliow but little variation ot 

 any moment within the last ten years. In (|uality 

 Java tea is said to be open to great improvement 

 by Indian varieties coming more 'generally under 

 cultivation. Heeds of these have been increasingly 

 imported into Java ot late, from planters there 

 having become more convinced of the need for 

 laying hold of every available means to ensure 

 their produce approaching more nearly the standard 

 quality of first class Indian and C'cylon teas. Java 

 planters now prefer to ship their produce rather 

 to London than to Amsterdam, with the result 

 that they liave been charged with lack of patrio- 

 tism in seeking a market among foreigners instead 

 of among their own countrymen. Their reason 

 for disregarding tho Homo market is that, at 

 London, business is more quickly transacted, all 

 the quantities shipped are sooner accounted for 

 at rmiunerative rates; wlicreas, at Amsterc'nrn there 

 is less certainty of high profits, greater loss of 

 time, and lower quotations ruling. Ten years ago, 

 says the .hivti Bode tea growing in that island 

 had apparently reached its highest point and the 

 yield had actually begun to fall olT, whereas, now, 

 owing to the article finding ready sale in Britain, 

 its cultivation is steadily incrcatiug and plouters 

 Ipok forward to a brighter iui\xie,—StraiU limes. 



