fHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1887. 
unless a great drought requires the soil to be 
moistened before that operation. The neighbour- 
hood of still uncleared forests is perceptibly in- 
jurious to the cultivation of coffee. The monkeys 
are excessively fond of the coffee berries ; three 
hunters are specially told off to kill all those 
that trespass on the estate. These forests con- 
tain also numerous deer, tigers, and reptiles. A 
■watchman this morning recognised the tracks of 
a tiger. In order to rid themselves of these un- 
pleasant neighbours, the Chinese frequently set 
fire to the woods. A conflagration had recently 
occurred. 
We take delicious coconuts whose milk is drunk, 
and whose kernel, of hazel-nut flavour, is eaten 
with relish. Besides the fruits of the country, 
among which are the pineapple and the banana, 
we find the pamplemousse. 
The country is very undulating and the two pro- 
menades we take through the plantation, some- 
times in our carriage, sometimes on foot, are very 
pleasant. The property contains twenty-seven miles 
of roads perfectly kept in order for the passage of 
wheeled vehicles. The mill for the manufacture 
of tapioca can without too much expenditure be 
converted into a factory for coffee. 
BBITISH INDIA TEA COMPANY, LIMITED. 
The annual general meeting of the above company 
was held on the 21st inst., under the presidency of 
Mr. Arthur Oapel. The following repoit was adopted 
and a vote of thanks to the chairman passed : — 
The directors beg to submit to the shareholders the 
annual statements of accounts, duly audited, as fol- 
lows : — 
1. — Revenue statment for the past season 1885-86. 
2. — Statement showing the working of the gardens 
for past season 1885-86. 
3. — General balance sheet to June 30th, 1887. 
4. — Profit and loss account. 
From the accounts it will be seen that the amount 
of £3,794 15s Id. stands at the credit of the revenue 
statement, and after deducting from this £1,183 12s 
for debenture interest, £1,033 16s 6d for extension, 
and £119 19s lOd for income tax, kc, there remains 
a balance at profit and loss account of £1,101 18s 9d. 
As there is a very fair presumption that this poor 
result on last year's working is exceptional, and con- 
sidering the prospects of the present season are more 
encouraging, the directors recommend adding to the 
above balance of profit and loss account the sum of 
£418 13s 9d, out of the £1,000 reserved last year for 
equalising dividends, to allow of the payment now 
of 28 6d. per share, leaving £581 Os 3d still at reserve. 
Peoduce op 1885-86. — The crop for this season was 
estimated at 588,0001b. of tea ; the actual quantity 
made and shipped, however, was 632,234 lb., being an 
increase of 44,234 lb. on the estimate, and of 35,7791b. 
on the actual of 1885. It v as disposed of as follows : — 
Shipped to London and sold there 617,172 lb. 
Lost in transit— value recovered 4,670 „ 
Trade allowance for tariDg, &c. 10,39? „ 
Total crop 632,234 lb. 
The sales show the following results: — 
Invoice Account Sales Nett 
weight. weight. proceeds. 
Chests. lb. lb. £ s. d. 
6,997 632,234 621,842 20,041 12 2 
Average per lb., gross 9'53d.; nett 7 - 73d. 
In the half-yearly report issued last January, the 
directors referred to the very serious falling off in 
the yield at Urrunabund owing to the hailstorms 
which bad taken pl>ce at that garden in April and 
May last year, the out-turn being 29,918 lb. less 
than was estimated ; but for this unfirtanate visit- 
ation there would have been about £1,000 more at the 
credit of profit and loss account. 
This is the more to be regretted as the prices of 
Indian tea during the past year were the lowest on 
record, and showed an average fall of nearly 3d per 
lb., as compared with the previous year, the drop 
in the prices of this company's tea being exactly 
2|d per lb. 
It will be seen from the accounts of nearly all 
the Cachar concerns, that the crop throughout that 
province was an excep'ionally poor one, owing mainly 
to climatic causes, and unfortunately this company 
suffered with the rest in this respect. 
The following abstract of the 1885-86 revenue state- 
ment, gives the results per lb. worked out on the account 
sales weight, viz., 621,842 lb. 
Gross proceeds of tea 
sold &c 
per lb. 
£ s. d. d. 
24,965 4 4==953 
Less expenditure — 
Total Indian ... ... 21,233 3 0=8 19 
Less equation of exchange 5,579 0 6=215 
15,654 2 6=6-04 
London charges 432 14 4=0-16 
Freight, dock dues, insurance 
agency, &c 4,653 11 2=1-80 
Total.. £20,740 8 0=8'00 
Commission to garden man- 
agers 160 1 3=0 06 
Total expenditure under all 
heads 
£20,900 9 3=8-06 
Profit... £3,794 15 1-=147 
By thG above figures it will be seen that the cost 
of working, including all expenses, was 8a per lb., 
and the estimates for 1886-87 show that it is to be 
kept within that figure this year, but the special 
attention of all the managers has been called to the 
consideration of the best means of effecting still 
greater reductions in expenditure, and again to the 
very important question of improving the quality 
of the tea, in order that a possible further decline 
in market prices may be met by a saving on the 
total estimated cost. 
The usual profit and loss statements of each garden 
are shown, giving the results of each for the past sea- 
son as compared with those of 1884-85. 
Estimates.— The out-turn had been put at 7,950 
maunds, or 636,000 lb. for a total Indian outlay of 
R.222,854, which at an exchange of Is 5d per rupee, 
would be £15,785, or 5'96d, f.o.b. Calcutta; to this 
has to be added £5,425 for stores, machinery, 
freight, dock dues, sale charges, and London ex- 
penses, making a total expenditure under all heads of 
£21,210, or 8d per lb. 
The directors are glad to be able to state that no 
serious hailstorms have occurred this year, and 
that the out-turn received by telegram, showed an 
excess to July 9th of 62,900 lb. as compared with 
the figures to the same date last year. It therefore 
seems very probable that the estimated yield will be 
obtained, if not exceeded. 
Market Statistics.— The following figures will be 
interesting to the shareholders : — 
Total imports from India in 
1886-87 
Total imports from Ceylon 
in 1886-87 
Total deliveries— India, in 
1886-87 
Total deliveries — Ceylon 
in 1886-87 
Estimated imports — India 
in 1887-88 
Estimated imports — Ceylon 
in 1887-88 
The above heavy increase of 
year's imports would point to 
lb. 
78,200,000 
8,060,000 
lb. 
86,260,000 
75,425,000 
7,744,000 
83,169,000 
86,000,000 
16,000,000 
102,000,000 
16,000,000 over last 
a further drop in 
prices ; but the consumption of Indian and Ceylon 
