6o6 
YHP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March I, 1890. 
tal of the shareholders in hand to the extent 
that it had been called up. Further calls would 
have to be made before long in order 
to admit of their sending more tea, and in order 
to place the agents in New York in funds for the 
expenditure which had to be incurred. Had the 
shares been taken up to a larger degree than they 
have been, it might possibly have been found un- 
necessary to call up more than a very limited 
portion of the capital. It might be that if, as their 
friends wrote from New York, they anticipate that 
a considerable number of shares may be taken there 
that they would not find it necessary to call up the 
whole of the capital, but at this stage it was not 
possible to say whether this oould be altogether 
adhered to. The total number of shareholders was 
very large— 355, and the number of shares held 
by them altogether 1,724, so that the number held 
by each individual was not a great many on the 
average. He thought, therefore, that they might 
very fairly expect the 355 gentlemen who had 
taken shares to take a larger number perhaps 
without hurting themselves very much, especially 
as the prospects appeared to be so promising. He 
spoke with all sincerity when he said that he believed 
it would turn out to be a good investment of 
capital. Of course if they were to be limited and 
hampered by want of funds then the result might 
be somewhat different, but he trusted that that 
would not be the case. 
The Chairman briefly supported all that Mr. 
Mitchell had said, and the meeting then con- 
cluded with a vote of thanks to the Hon. Mr, 
Grinlinton for presiding, 
» 
THE TALGASWELA TEA COMPANY OP 
CEYLON, LIMITED. 
DlBEOTOES' REPOET FOR THE YeAE ENDING 31sT 
December 1889. 
The Directors have pleasure in placing before the 
shareholders their Second Annual Report, together with 
a duly audited statemeut of the Company's affairs and 
financial position, as on 1st January, 1890. 
During the past year 206 acres of very choice land 
have been selected, from the available forest, and 
opened under Tea. This added to the 510 acres opened 
in 1888, gives a total of 716 acres under Tea. 
According to the Visiting Agent's Reports, planting 
operations have been successfully carried out, and the 
growth of the bushes is most satisfactory. A larg'e 
portion of the Estate gives promise of an early yield of 
leaf, and it is hoped that 25,0001b. of made Tea, if not 
more, may be harvested during the current year. 
The Directors are pleased to announce that instead 
of 500 acres under Tea, as originally proposed, there is 
one compact block of 716 acres now planted in accord- 
ance with their Report for the previous year. 
The tabulated rainfall for 1889 gives a Total of 
241 - 13' in 158 days, which contrasted with previous 
year, shews an excess of 62'93'. 
The past twelve months may therefore be looked 
upon as abnormally wet, although the rain appears to 
have been well distributed over 158 days. 
A Factory for present requirements and a permanent 
Superintendent's Bungalow have been erected on the 
property during the past year, oosting respectively, 
Factory and Machinery, etc. R13,344'77 
Superintendent's Bungalow and Outhouses 2,ll5 - 86 
These buildings and machinery are of a good perma- 
nent character and suitable design: 
Your Directors confidently hope that the Water Sup- 
ply may be made adequate to the power needed for 
Rolling and Firing Tea during the next year or two, and 
nntil it should be found necessary for an Engine to be 
put up. 
Towards the lattor end of 1889, Mining operations 
have been oornmenced by parties who are willing to 
work with their own oapital giving 10 per cent of what- 
ever is found to the Ealato. Up to the prosent, the 
prospecting parties have come upon several indications 
of Minerals which are now laid before the Gener.il 
Meeting, amongst them may be notioed Plumbago of a 
good quality. 
Estimates for the Current year's expenditure and 
Crop Returns have been framed, and are submitted to 
the Shareholders. 
The Directors are glad to say that the Rail- 
way to Bentota will be open for traffic in a few 
months, and that Surveyors are cow at work on an 
extension of this line to Galle. It is perhaps needless 
to add that facilities for trausport by rail have increased 
the value of landed property very considerably in 
the Southern Province ; as an instance of this, it 
may be stated that at a recent sale in Galle, steep 
rocky land in the neighbourhood fetched over R33 per 
acre, which could have been bought some years ago 
for the upset price of R10. 
The last call of R30 per share made in January 
1890 will about cover this year's Expenditure after 
which it is hoped that dividends may he looked for. 
Messrs. T. C. Owen and G. W. Suhren retire from 
the Directorate and offer themselves for re-election. 
By order of the Board of Directors, 
A. Schtjlze, Secretary. 
Colombo, 4th February 1890. 
+ 
PLANTING IN TRAVANCORE. 
Mr. Berry has returned from his visit to the 
Travancore tea districts. He landed at Quilon 
and was accompanied to Central Travancore by 
Mr. D. G. Cameron, who is at the head of 
the Quilon Agency house. Mr. Berry is well 
pleased with the tea gardens he saw of Messrs. 
Valentine, Marshall, Miller, Monour, Mackay, and 
he found plenty of room for extension by new-comers 
with abundance of good land available in a well- 
roaded country. Some of the old coffee properties 
in the abandoned estates are a melancholy sight — 
notably Strathmore, which had onoe 1.500 acres 
under cultivation. ■ — Mr. Jacob of the Travancore 
P. W. Department returned by same steamer as 
Mr, Berry, en route on a holiday trip to Australia. 
LETTER FROM MR. W. WATSON REGARDING 
THE NEW ZEALAND AND SOUTH SEAS 
EXHIBITION. 
Dunedin January 6th. 
A. Philip, Esq., Secretary Planters' Association, 
Kandy. 
Dear Sir,— I wrote to you last on December 5th 
(press copy enclosed), and have again the ideasure of 
informing you that the number of visitors to the 
Association s court in the Exhibition continues to 
surpass expectations. The following are the gross 
amounts taken at the Kiosk per diem since the 
opening : — 
November 26th, £2 5s 3d ; 27th, £1 11a 6d ; 28th, £2 
19s 2d ; 29th, £2 9d ; 30lh, £2 Is 3d. December 2nd, £4 
2s 3d j 3rd, £1 10s 9d ; 4th, £1 17s 8d ; 5th, £l 7s ; 6th, 
£ls 9s lOd ; 7th, £2 18s 6d ; 9th, £2 7s 8d ; luih, £2 Bd ; 
11th, £1 12s 9d ; 12th £1 12s; 13th, £l 16s ; 14ih £z 9s 7d; 
16th, 18s 9d ; 17th £3 es od ; liith, £4 7s ; lath, £l 12s 
3d ; 20th, £2 7s 5d ; 2lst, £S 5s 3 1 ; 23rd, £2 3s; 24th, 
£1 9s 4d; 25th, £6 10s ; 26th, £5 19s 3d ; 27th, £2 16s; 
28th, £4 3s 9J ; 30th, £2 lis; 31st, £i 12s. Jauuary 1st, 
£8 2s ; 2nd, £9 6s ; 3rd, £5 3s ; 4th, £3 14s 9d,— Total 
£L07 9a 7d. 
The above sum represents roughly; 8,598 cups of tea 
sold, and many cups of tea have been given without being 
charged for. 
The falling away in the attendance at the Exhi- 
bition may however be now anticipated, but the 
Tea Fund Committee may be assured that their Court 
has already fully answered the purpose for which it 
was got up, and that Ceylon tea, instead of being an 
article known only to a few in New Zealand, has now 
become known very widely. I must here inform vou 
that alter due consideration Mr. Begg and I agreed to 
raise the grade of the tea forwarded by you for use in 
he Kiosk. Of its own class the tea is excellent, prob* 
