February i, 1896.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRIOULTUmST. 
S«3 
there is the prospeot of more capital seeking in- 
vestmeri, in suoh property during 1890. The fol- 
lowing are some of the estates sold, so far as 
we have been able to learn : — 
District. Estate. Sold by. Purchaser. 
Kelaui Valley Wilton A. J. Thackwell Native 
R17,000 
„ Otaertsey Ross-Wright H. Fyler 
Maskeliya... Mousakelle H. M. Husey £6,000 
„ Ekolsund W. B, Seton £5 000 to 
Mr. Harding 
„ Ladbroko Oantlays A. O. White 
Dimbula Rot>ita Fraser-Stepheus Jas. Hill 
,, Tangakelle Sir W.Gregory Ceylon Tea 
Plantation Co. 
£6,500 
Dikoya Battegalla W. Willans Messrs. 
Harding and 
Saunders 
Medamaba- Kobonilla 
nuwara Horaukanda & „ E. J. Young 
Meemunagalle 
„ Waitalawa Heirs of Charles 
Thos. Hudson Strachan 
R4.510 
Pundaluoya Harrow and Messrs. Kars- Mrs. Har- 
Kaluoya lake man and 
H. Van 
Cuylenburg 
Nuwara Eliya Margherita E. T. & A. 
A. Delmege E. Radley 
„ Court Lodge „ A. Rogers & Co. 
Matale Ityliadde L. F. Kelly J. H. Barber 
R3.000 
'O. B.C. W.D. Bosan- 
Liquidalor quui aud 
C. E. Rowlands 
Group of Estates in 
different districts 
In addition to the practical reports given in our 
last issue in regard to Coconut and Cinnamon pros- 
peots, we append the following from the review of 
our Ceylonese contemporary of the " Examiner" : — 
The prices cow ruling for Goconnts and Copra are 
in favour of the producer, and if the demand for Oil 
continues to be brisk, Planters will have little cause to 
complain. The preponderance of opinion against the 
idea that the leaf disuase which is believed to be 
spreading offers serious cause for alarm, is consoling ; 
but it should not relax vigilant and intelligent obser- 
vation. A useful index would be the crops on indivi- 
dual Estates — whether to confirm or correot the im- 
pression that crops have been disappointing in recent 
years, or to ascertain how far the seasons are re- 
sponsible for the retrogression, or absence of due deve- 
lopment, if such there be. So far, the only hopeful 
ieature about Cinnamon is that Chips are scarce. 
The action of the larger Proprietors has thus been 
successful in arresting the production of the article ; 
but it has not yet stimulated the demand for Quills. 
Immediate results are, of oourse, not to be expected 
from measures such as have been adopted ; but the 
fact remains that, locally, the prices for Quills are 
lower than they have been for months past. The 
London Quarterly Sales next month should show the 
beginning of, we trust, a steady advance in prioe, 
through the diminished production of the coarser bark. 
The demand lor Plumbago oontinues at highly satis- 
factory rates, and there is no reason to apprehend a 
restricted demand dn'ing tie year. 
In respeot of the Grain Cultivation of the island, 
there is no 'aok of progress under the stimulus 
given by the extraordinarily liberal— some people 
think extravagant— policy of the Government in 
respect of irrigation works and this has been se- 
conded by the invention of a wonderfully economical 
oement sluice by Mr. A. Murray, P. W. D., one of 
the specially satisfactory event of the year. A 
bad — that is too dry a season — in some distriots 
and especially the failure of the North-east monsoon 
in the Eastern Provinoe, make 1889 and part of 
this year a very unfortunate time for the rural 
population affeoted. We pay little attention here 
to the unnatural, unhealthy agitation got up in a 
certain quarter — seldom happy but when agitating 
on a big scale — for a revolution in the system of 
grain taxation. The simple answer to suoh a demand 
is that the only alternative to the existing Oeylon 
system is the Indian system of land taxation, and 
that the Ceylon rioe-oultivator as he is, is far 
more lightly taxed than his brother in India. In 
other respects, the condition of native agriculture 
is satisfactory and by degrees tea, cotton, tobacco and 
fibre-yielding plants may be expected to be added on 
a large scale to their gardens, while fruit and root 
cultivation is steadily extending. The holding of 
four Agri-Horticultural Shows -at Kandy, Matale, 
Kegalla and Matara,— is a matter for gratulation ; 
for their influence for good on the people and 
their industries, is undoubted. 
OUB NEW PRODUCTS. 
(B¥ A Pbactioal Planteb.) 
Tobacco. 
This product is no doubt making rapid strides in 
certain districts, and the coming season promises to 
add considerably to the acreage under cultivation ; 
Wattegama is to be the field of one Company's 
operations (Ceylon Tobacco Company, A. Philip, 
Esq., Secretary, with the Hon. T. North Christie 
as Director), where the soil and rainfall appear 
to be almost all that oan be desired for this 
crop ; land however in the district appears diffi- 
cult to obtain. The tobacco grown at Wattegama 
during this last season though somewhat small is of 
very fin« texture and can be cured to the desired color 
to meet present tastes, at Wattegama. With the 
above Oompai'y Messrs. Vollar and Gwatkin, T, O. 
Owen, Rariley and others will be interested in tobacco 
cultivation. Matale, Katugaatota, Kurunegala will 
also come to the front as tobacco-growing districts. 
The Ceylon Tea Plantations Company Limited pro- 
pose opening tobacco clearings at or near Lunugalla. 
The curing of the tobacco in many cases will be done on 
the estates where it is grown, whilst other estates' 
tobaccos will be sent to Karandagalla to be cured by 
Messrs. Vollar and Gwatkin, who have, we understand, 
cured some 60 tons of their own and for other estates 
this season. The experience of several tobacco growers 
and curers from Sumatra, India and Borneo during 
thei> visit to Ceylon has been imparted to their friends 
here, during tbe past year w> i :h should assist in brings 
ing this product to the English and Foreign markets 
as a more desirable article than it has previously been p 
and we shall look with interest to the future of to- 
bacco as a paying investment for Ceylon planter*. 
C®TT0N. 
Another product quite in its infanoy when consi- 
dered in connection with Ceylon, appears also to be 
attracting more attention by the European planters 
Previously it has been almost entirely in native hands 
who have cultivated it in small quantities for their own 
use and found a difficulty in disposing of it for sale, 
now, however, with the Spinning and Weaving Com- 
pany ready to purchase raw cotton in any quantity, 
there are prospects of cotton growing becoming a large 
agricultural enterprise in Ceylon. 
Plauters are evidently hoi ling baok for more reliable 
information than has yet been given on the subject 
of cotton planting. There is no doubt that cotton 
requires certain qualities in the soil to induce it to grow 
and bear well and the point will be to find what 
distrieis are suited to i s remunerative growth ; when 
this id known it uiight be planted with great advantage 
as a " catch" crop with say cacao, tea or coffee ; being a 
six months' crop it would not interfere muoh with the 
growth of the young cacao, tea or coffee but would 
rather shelter these permanent products and provide the 
estate with funds by a quick return ; two or even 
three crops might possibly be taken by pruning down 
the cotton trees after cropping before it would do any 
material damage to oaoao. In Dumbara, Wattegama 
and Matale we hear of very fine cotton bein g grow 
