TH£ TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
April r, 1890. 
tanks down the valley, finds its outlet into the sea 
about eight miles east of Hambantota. At present it 
only runs for about three or four months in the 
north-east monsoon. 
« 
PEOSPEOTS OF TEA AND NEW OUTLETS. 
A planter writes in praise of the " Russia 11 
scheme, " or rather we may call it, the scheme to crimp 
Russian buyers from the enemy's camp ! I do hope 
the P. A. and lea Fund Committee may take it up 
at once and do the thing properly. The idea is a 
grand one, so feasible and at comparatively small 
expense too. Our man will meet more Russian 
buyers in a week than 10 commercial travellers would 
in six months, doing their " level best " in Eussia. 
Besides Russian buyers, our man may meet men from 
all parts of the globe, and there and before them 
compare our teas with the best they can produce. 
The question of quantity will soon be overcome ; once 
a demand sets in — see what we can do! Give us the 
price and you shall have any quantity. Why look 
at the fresh acreage coming into bearing every year ! 
My fear is less we get outlets the prices will go 
down and remain there, and then Oeylon men may weep 
and wail and it's too late, too late to do much. The 
pity is, some good men stand aloof from the 
American 'scheme : what would be light for the 
many is heavy on the few ! I'm glad you touched 
upon that subject." 
— — ♦ 
GEMMING OPERATIONS IN EAKWANA. 
March 11th. 
There is little news in Ratnapura, The gemming 
syndicate are all concentrated at work in Rabwana. 
None of them have been so fortunate as to find a 
valuable gem yet, but large and valuable finds could 
hardly be expected out of a prospecting pit here 
and there. There is doubtless far more treasure 
in the gem lands of Sabragamuwa than has yet 
been unearthed, and which can only be realized 
through the agency of modern scientific npplianef s and 
British capital. A splendid new gem-yielding stratum 
has been discovered near Pelmadulla which has resulted 
in a lawsuit, and all the illian from a n timber of 
pem-pits has been sequestered by the Fiscal pending 
the decision of the District Court. One pit was dug 
by the landowners, 3 partners, on spec., resulting 
in finds of blue sapphires &c. to the value of R7,000. 
Of course a succession of pits were opened all along 
the line of watershed (which must be the bed of 
an old river), and the news flying to Ratnapura where 
a man who holds the lease of the said field for the 
purpose of cultivating paddy, so off he set to claim 
a share, which was refused. In consequence of this 
refusal he went to law. 
Scrub Exterminator.— The Madras Government 
coneider it desirable to obtain an official expres- 
sion of opinion from the Governments of Victoria 
and New South Wales regarding the utility of the 
chemical, before making any experiments in their 
Presidency on prickly pear, &c. 
Mu. A. C. Curtis of Ting Ling, in his annual 
report says : — " I was further handicapped during 
th.-. season, having run short of sirocco wood. This 
was due entirely to the misleading statistics given 
by Mr. Davidson, who estimates a maund of wood 
in fairly dry condition to a maund of tea, whereas 
I discovered from careful observation and the 
quantity of wood given out that the consumption 
of fuel was more like 2£ maunds to a maund of tea." 
We shall be glad to record the experience of planters 
in this respect.— Indian Planters' Gazette, 
Ceylon Tea for Russia. — We call attention to 
the advertisement of the Tea Fund Committee, 
following up the suggestion made in our columns. 
We trust the right man will be forthcoming for 
the mission. It was mentioned that he should be 
a good linguist and no doubt, a knowledge of French 
at least would be an advantage ; but as nearly all 
Russian tea buyers speak Eng ish well, this is not so 
important as a good address, busineFS qualifications 
and a thorough acquaintance with tea 
The Bulletin du Mwsen Commercial says that it 
has now been proved by various experiments con- 
ducted by experts that the plant known as "alang- 
alang" (Imperatce arundinacea?) can be successfully 
used as material for the manufacture of paper. 
This plant grows in the Dutch Indies and the 
Malay Peninsula in boundless profusion, and 
requires no cultivation. Alang-alang under advan- 
tageous circumstances grows to the height of a 
metre and a half, and in most places farmers and 
planters are engaged in incessant efforts to keep it 
within bounds.— H. Ac 0. Mail. 
Tea on Old Coffee Land, — We are often 
asked the question as to whether tea grown on 
old coffee land is likely to " pay " in the face 
of low prices. The statement published for the 
old fields of Dambulagalla the other day partly 
answers the question ; but from the other side of 
the country altogether we have an illustration given 
to us of 500 acres under tea most of it on land 
occupied by coffee previously for 40 years and yet 
the return for the past year equals 180,000 lb. made 
tea from fields 3 to 6j years old covering the 
500 acres. This tea (notwithstanding a substantial 
sum spent on artificial manure) has been put on 
board ship at 27 cents per lb., the average return 
being about 54 cents. 
Railway Extension to the Indian Tea 
Districts. — We quote the following from the Ra)tgoo?i 
Times for two reasons: (1) for the intrinsic in 
terest of the news that the Bailway is to be carried 
from Chittagong through Silhet and Cachar into the 
Assam tea districts ; and (2) because the mode in 
which this line is to be made may well afford a 
precedent in the case of our own Northern lines. 
Of course in the absence of equivalent present 
traffic, the inducements in land-grants would have 
to be increased, Some may think it a pity that 
Government should alienate Crown lands in this 
way ; but it were surely better to do bo than to 
go on for another decade — a generation practically 
in Anglo-Colonial experience — without seeing a start 
made. Our news from Rangoon is as follows : — 
The prospects of the port of Chittagong seem 
brightening. The new railway which is to start from 
that place to Dhubri will pass through Silhet and 
Oacbar, and some of the most densely populated dis- 
tricts in India to the tea districts of Assam. A large 
part of the tea and jute which now goes to Calcutta will 
find its way to Chittagong instead. The concession for 
the line has been given to Sir Theodore Hope, the late 
Public Works Member of Council, who is to raise a 
capital of six crores of rupees for laying the line. No 
money guarantee is to be given, but the land for the 
rail is to be given free, as well as 5 square miles of land 
for every mile of rail laid, or 30,000 square miles in all ; 
as well as the exclusive right to work coal and petroleum 
in a seleted area of thirty square miles. It is believed 
that the Burma line may eventually be connected with 
this Chittaaong-Assam'linp, but at what point is not yet 
known. We believe. Mr. Buyers, the Eugineer-in-Ohief 
o? the Mu-Valley railway has had the offer of the 
Enginoer-in-Obiefship of the Chittagong- Assam line, he 
having been (Thief of the survey. He goes home next 
month however on eight months leave, and will very 
possibly return as Engineer-in-Chief of the Ohittagong- 
Assam line. We have not heard who will succeed him 
in Burma. 
