January i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
fipf 
SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE, 
If my memory serves me correctly allusion has 
formerly been made by me to the subject of the follow- 
ing paragraph cut from the Times. The information 
given by it shows that Mussaeda is not likely to be 
muoh of a rival to coffee in public favour: — 
"MUSSAENDA, THE NEW SUBSTITUTE FOR OOIFEE AND 
Chicohv. — The British Consul at Reunion, in his 
last report on the trade of that island, says that at 
one timo he was besieged with letters from merchants 
in England asking for information respecting a shrub 
clled " mussaenda," the discovery of which, it had 
been said in some commercial journals, would deal 
a severe blow to the coffee aud chicory trade. About 
two years ago a rumour was spread that the berry 
of this shrub could be advantageously employed as a 
substitute for coffee and chicory. Its true name is 
" gaertnera." It grows to about 10ft. high, has very 
few leaves, and its branches are wide apart. The 
berries do not grow all along the branches as is the 
case with coffee, but in bunches at tbcir extremities. 
At present it is only met with in the mountains 
where it grows in a wild state ; but as it is widely 
disseminated over the forests, the picking of the 
fruit is not only an arduous, but, at the same 
time, an expensive process. It is just possible that, 
if regular plantations of the shrub were undertaken, 
"mussaenda" might be produced on an extensive 
scale, and muoh more cheaply than at present, but 
even then it is doubtful whether, by reason of its 
inferiority in fragrance and colour, it would ever 
compete with coffee to such an extent as to endanger 
the trade of the latter, as nas been supposed in 
England." — London Cor. 
LA.N.KA PLANTATIONS COMPANY. 
Coffee —Tea — Cocoa. 
It is also possible for me to send you by this mail 
an early copy of the Report of the Lanka Planta- 
tions Company, the compilation of which has been 
completed very considerably earlier than we . had 
been led to expect it possibly could be, owing 
to conditions but lately mentioned to you by 
me. As the working of this enterprise has 
so muoh more of local bearing than has that of 
the P. & 0. Company above but briefly referred to, 
I shall venture on a resume of its contents despite 
the required encroachment on the limits of this 
letter. The report first deals with coffee. The 
quantity of this shipped home during the year was 
l,fi56 cwt., a very slight increase on the amount 
received during the year previous, which was 1,601 
cwt. But owing to the fact that the average price 
obtained per cwt. has been 92s 3d as opposed to 
but 73s lOd during 1887-88, it has realised upwards 
of £1,800 more in value, the total received being 
£7,728. Alas ! what a falling-off as to king coffee 
is shown by the figures given for the year 1881-82 
when the Company derived from this item of its 
cultivation no less than £16,704. The next pro- 
duction mentioned is cinchona. Of this 45,071 lb. 
was received, and this sold for £509. The directors 
express their resolution, taken consequent upon the 
continued depression in the market for this article, 
not to press its harvesting. Cocoa, which it was 
estimated would yield 600 cwt., only reached the 
figures of 423 cwt., the sales of it realising £1,499. 
Cardamoms also did not come up to the estimate, 
the Company's receipt from this product being only 
£133. The tea dealt with by the Company during 
the year was 157,567 lb., but of this 34,000 lb. 
was not grown on its estates. If we deduct the latter 
quantity, we have the production on the Company's 
own properties of 123,567 lb. as against 103,364 
lb. in the year previous. Altogether the Company 
now has 1,270 aores under tea out of the total aoreage 
of its properties of 4,097$ aores. After dealing 
with the matter of production, the report proceeds 
to mention changes made in its management 
in Ceylon, and states that Mr. R. P. Harding 
and Mr. J. T. White retire from the directorate in 
the course of rotation, but offer themselves for 
re-eleotion. In this report the directors have made 
what we believe to be a new departure, for they 
give in it with great detail the estimates sent 
home by the superintendents on their several estates 
for the year 1889-90, both of yield a cost of working 
with anticipated surplus. Nowhere in the report 
do we find any mention made of any proposed 
dividend. It has reached me at too late an hour 
for it to be possible for me on this occasion to 
tell you why this should be the case ; but as, to 
judge form the profit and loss account, it seems 
apparent that the net profit of- the year has been 
£493 7s 7d only, it is evident that the payment to 
preference shareholders of £414 odd in June last 
has left but little available for a further dividend 
even to them, let alone any chance for the ordin- 
ary shareholders of the Company to reap any 
present benefit from their investments. But it will 
be reoolleoted how adverse have been the circum- 
stances against which the Lanka Plantations 
Company has had to struggle ever since its formation. 
It has had to transform the whole of its production and 
we may expect to see the sum received for tea during 
last year, £6,360, very considerably increased year 
by year as the newly planted acreage comes to 
maturity. — London Cor. 
TEA IN TRAVANCORE : NAGAMALLY 
TEA CO., LTD. 
Capital £20,000 in 4,000 Shares of £5 each, first 
issue of 2,000 Shares, of which 1,160 will be allotted 
as fully paid-up Shares on accouut of purchase-money, 
and 840 are now offered for public subseription. 
D : rectorj.— Greorge W. Paine.E-iq., (Chairman Kelani 
Valley Tea Association, Limited) ; Charles J. Scott, 
Esq., (of Mayfield Estate, Ceylon), Boxgrove, Guildford ; 
Leopold F. Davies, Esq., (Messrs. Gow, Wilson & 
Stanton, Tea Brokers), Rood Lane, E. C. Manager 
iu Travancore. — F. W. Bennett, Esq, 
Secretaries and Offices. — Messrs. Anderson Brothers, 
16, Philpot Laue, E. O. 
PROSPECTUS. 
This Company has been formed to acquire the lease 
and develop the properties known as Ouldoorty and 
Nagamally, situated in the State of Travancore, in 
Southern India, approximate to Ceylon, held under a 
lease at a peppercorn rent per annum from the Travan- 
ore Government, of which fifty-three years or there- 
abouts are yet unexpired. The Vendors are now negoti- 
ating to have the lease made in perpetuity. 
The property consists of 
1,500 acres, of which 120 are under tea. 
50 ,, being in full bearing. 
45 „ planted in 1887 
15 „ „ 1888 
10 „ „ 1889 
aud 1380 „ forest, all available for tea 
Included in the 1380 acres are some Nutmeg trees, 
Liberian Coffee, and Indigenous Tea, yielding a re- 
venue of about £100 per annum, and which are a valu- 
able adjunct to the property. The buildings, factory, 
and machinery, as described in the report, w th some 
small additions, are sufficient for some time to come. 
The price to be paid to the Vendors is £6,800, of 
which they take £5,800 in fully paid-up shares, aud 
the balance of £1,000 in cash. The property is to be 
taken over from January 1st, 1890, the Vendors pay- 
ing all expenses connected with transfer of lease aud 
formation of the Company. 
Tea estates in Travancore possess all the ad- 
vantages, as to soil and climate, incidental to 
Oeyloo, whilst labour is more plentiful and trans- 
port cheaper. The property has been very favourably 
reported upon by Mr, F. M. Maokwood, of. Ceylon, 
