66 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. LJuly i, 1889. 
A, decurrens. I should not think that the wood 
of A. decurrens would be of any value excepting 
for fuel, certainly very young trees were not. 
From the bark, when wounded, exudes a gum well 
suited for office purposes ; I use no other. Messrs. 
Piesse & Lubin manufacture a scent from the 
blossom. A fluid extract of the bark was sold in 
London for £50 per ton a few years ago. 
My experiment was on too small a scale alto- 
gether, to be taken as conclusive that the cultiva- 
tion will not pay. My trees were planted as a 
breakwind to shelter cinchona on an exposed ridge, 
a purpose they answered well. The cinchona 
being replaced by tea, the shelter was not needed, 
and the spreading roots rendered the tea for a 
chain below and 40 feet above unprofitable. A 
ditch 2' by lj' below whioh they were planted 
merely checked the spread of the roots for a 
short time : consequently on receipt of the valuation 
I felled and burnt the lot. 
To those wishing for further information I 
would refer them to the reports by Mr. J. E. 
Brown, Conservator of Forests, to the Legislative 
Council in Adelaide, in the T. A, 1884-5 (pages 
165 and 916). I enclose two or three leaves of 
A. pycnantha, the true golden wattle, taken from 
the Local Board nursery. I think this will con- 
vince you that Mr. Nock was right when he ex- 
pressed doubts as to there being any of this variety 
in Nuwara Eliya.*— Yours faithfully, 
WALTEB R. TRINGHAM. 
p.S.— German oak barks give 13 to 16 per cent 
of tannin only . — W. R. T. 
THE NEED OF MAKING "OOLONGS" AND 
SOME CONGOU TEA IN CEYLON — OF SUIT- 
ING AND MEETING THE DEMAND : 
ENCOURAGING ESTIMATES. 
30th May 1889. 
Deab Sir, — I am sorry to see the cold water 
thrown by the press generally upon the proposed pro- 
duction of oolongs in Ceylon, as, if we_ are to 
command the tea market in both America and 
the Greater Britain, it will not be done by confin- 
ing our attention to one description of tea only, 
nor by producing only the finer qualities of black 
tea. It is depressing to anyone believing, as most 
of us I hope do, in our capability of producing 
teas of all qualities at as low a rate as our neigh- 
bours in India or elsewhere, to see the outcry raised 
by correspondents when prices fall to below lOd ; 
as we must be prepared to see them fall still 
lower before any permanent improvement can take 
place. It seems to be admitted that we cannot 
place congous at anything near the price of China teas 
of that class, i.e., 4£d, in London ; but I think it 
will be found on examination, that, although an 
average of 4jd would be ruinous, a proportion of 
from 12 per cent to 20 per cent of the total yield 
of a tea estate can be sold at this figure, and that 
notwithstanding a small profit per acre can be 
made. I doubt if the Chinese who sell congou at 
4jd make money on that particular grade, though 
they may make a profit on their general average 
of about 8d, as many Ceylon estates would pay 
fairly well at the same figure. The average yield 
per acre in Ceylon of tea in full bearing is gener- 
ally, I think, taken at 300 lb per acre: this aver- 
age yield at low rates should give a fair interest 
on the money invested, and taking Ceylon as a 
whole the tea enterprise may be said to be in a 
sound state as long as our average does not fall 
below 9d. That many estates giving large yields 
and favourably situated as regards Sinhalese 
labou r and other advantages would pay handsomely 
* Certainly the leaves Bent are very different to 
aDy we h»ve Been on trees in Nuwara Eliya.— Ed. 
at even lower figures, is probably known ; but in 
looking at the enterprise as a whole 9d may be 
taken as about the lowest remunerative price for 
our teas, though prices would have to fall below 
8d before a loss was made on working expenses. 
The question may be asked as to whether it is to our 
interest to produce and sell congous at as low a 
price as 5d. If we were the only producers it would 
obviously not be so, but as if we do not ship cheap 
congous others will do so, and our not shipping merely 
keeps up the price of these teas and encourages 
other countries to continue producing them ; it is 
probably better for us to ship a proportion of con- 
gous, with a view to displacing these other pro- 
ducers. Anyone looking at the Indian and Java 
price lists will see that either these countries can 
produce teas at a less average cost than a portion 
of the Ceylon estates, or must be working at a loss. 
We shall probably not know for some time what 
is really the case, and in the meantime must do our 
best to rjroduce sound teas of all qualities at as low 
a figure as possible, bearing in mind that to restrict 
production would be but to leave an opening 
for other countries, who would not follow our 
example, and that, though temporarily relieving the 
market, the quantity short manufactured by our 
only making say, high-class teas would soon be sup- 
plied by India or Java. If, as seems to be conceded, 
we can produce Oolongs of good quality, the press 
and publio generally should support the attempt. 
It would be taking some of our eggs at any rate out 
of the black tea basket, and if Oolongs were made 
on any large proportion of Ceylon estates, it would 
prevent our outturn of black teas assuming the 
gigantic proportions it seems likely to do in a 
few years. The attitude at present taken is worthy 
of the British manufacturers, who. on reoeiving 
orders for axes and other tools of a particular 
pattern for the East, refused to execute it, saying that 
their ordinary patterns were superior to those 
wanted and they could have them or go without ; 
naturally enough the orders went to the Continent, 
where manufacturers were found more accommo- 
dating, and a large section of trade was lost to the 
too conservative British manufacturers, nor did they 
get much sympathy. It must be remembered that 
if we will not make Oolongs there are others who 
will, and that if the American want Oolongs and 
prefer them they will have them (and why not ?); 
they cannot be expected to take to black 
teas to suit our convenience. The market for 
Oolongs is ready and does not want educating, and 
it would enable the Ceylon-American Co. to 
operate with a better chance of success from the 
very beginning if they could supply Ceylon Oolongs 
either as a blend with our ordinary teas or by itself. 
If as a blend it would gradually instil a taste for our 
ordinary teas, but if we produce Oolongs in any 
quantity it will be immaterial to us which kind they 
buy, provided it is produced in Ceylon. After all it 
is a matter of " Will it pay ? " and from what I hear 
of some estates making Oolongs and selling them at 
very remunerative prioes, wisely saying nothing 
about it, I have no doubt Ceylon Oolongs will pay 
very well.— Yours truly, SABARA.GAMUWA. 
Result of an estate giving 300 lb. per acre medium 
plucking and shipping 12 per cent of production at 5d: — 
Colombo 
equivalent 
per cent. cents. 
B. pekoe ... 26 @ 1/0 equal 61 equal 15-86 
Pekoe ... 29 „ 0/9 „ 42 „ 1218 
P. souchong ... 33 „ 0/8 „ 36 „ 11-88 
Congou etc ... 12 „ 0/5 „ 18 „ 2-16 
100 42-08c. average per lb. 42-08 
= 9d. 
