57° 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 1888, 
and finds, that this peculiarity resides in an organ 
acid, which he has extracted from them, and called 
gymnemic aoid. 
13. Cyphomamdra battacea. — This grows well at 
Coonoor, and bears a very agreeably flavored fruit, 
about the Bize of a hen's egg. It belongs to the 
order Solanacece, is a native of south America, and 
sonaetimes goes under the name of the " tree tomato." 
14. Oastilloa Elastica. — This India rubber-producing 
tree, flowered for the first time last year. The see. Is 
were sown, germinated freely, so that there can be 
no doubt about our being able to establish this tree 
permanently in India. 
Government Order. — The management of the vari- 
ous gardens appears to have been satisfactory. Mr. 
Lawson may address the Government separately on the 
subjects of widening the road through Sim's Park, and 
improving the position of the Overseer iu charge. It 
seems probable that an experimental garden at Yer- 
caud on the Shevaroy Hills would serve no useful pur- 
pose, but the Government desire to have a report on 
the suitability of Oourtallam and Raaiandrug as soon 
practicable. 2. It is to be regretted that the work of 
rearranging the plants in the Madras Herbarium has 
not yet been completed, but the Government notice 
with satisfaction that Mr. Lawson recognises the im- 
portance of this work. Acknowledgments of his Ex- 
cellency the Governor in Council are due to those 
ladies and gentlemen who were good enough to assist 
the department with presents of plants and speci- 
mens. 
3. The notes on plants, contained in section VI of 
the report, are interesting and should prove useful. At- 
tempts might be made to cultivate the medicinal rhu- 
barb plant at Gudalur. Colonel Cox would no doubt 
be willing to assist in conducting the proposed experi- 
ments at Coimbatore. Trials might be made in the 
Jail garden, if the Superintendent sees no objection. 
The result of the experiments with Naregamia alaia, 
which are being carried out under the orders of the 
Surgeon-General, should be reported to Government. 
The report is silent on the subject of the cultivation of 
the Jalap plant, which was ordered in G. O., 7th July 
1886, No. 566, Revenue. The Government desire to 
know what progress has been made. 
+ 
MUEREE BREWERY COMPANY, LIMITED. 
The Ceylon Brewery Paying 11 per Cent. 
We read in the Pioneer : — 
This Company, taking advantage of the presence 
at home of Mr. Harry Whymper, the Managing 
Brewer, held its last meeting at Morley's Hotel, 
London, General H. C. Johnstone, c.b , in the chair : 
aome of its largest and most influential shareholders 
appearing to be retired Anglo-Indians. The share- 
holders in this country can hardly complain of their 
interests suffering in consequence, for what with the 
Report sent homo by General S. Black, one of the 
Directors resident in the Punjab, the Report and 
explanations of Mr. Whymper and the discussion 
which followed, the information obtained concerning 
the Company's progress and present position was as 
various and complete as could be desired. The 
result of the Company's working for the year end- 
ing 31st August 1887 was the declaration of a 
dividend of 12 per cent, a bonus of R10,000 being 
divided between the moro deserving of the Company's 
servants: among these the Brewers are honourably 
mentioned, and Mr. J. Brown, the Secretary, upon 
whom has fallen the brunt of a very large and difficult 
business during Mr. Whymper's absence, was singled 
out for special praise. Towards the dividend earned, 
tho Quetta Brewery gave a return of 8-£ per cent, and 
that at Ceylon about 11 per cent, which, for new con- 
cerns, is good. The Ootacamuud Brewery earned only 
2£ per cent, a relative failure explained by the fact 
that Madras and Bangalore, which are comparatively 
close to Ootacamund, drew but few supplies, whilst 
tCamptee and Socunderabad, which are distant, 
drew largely. At and near some of the seaport 
towns, the Scotch Brewers contrive to compete 
with a liquor which is sold even below the Government 
contract rate. It does not appear that there is any 
remedy for this state of things. General Black re- 
ports that the valuations of Buildings and Machinery 
at Quetta and Ootacamund have been reduced by 
R82,000 in all, and that the Company's stocks have 
been taken at low rates throughout. The Brewery at 
Murree, which was originally designed for an outturn 
of 5,000 barrels, and will, during the current season, 
require to produce 30,000, is, as can easily be ima- 
gined, all too small for its work. The difficulty must, 
Mr. Whymper states, be met either by building a new 
brewery, or entirely reconstructing the old one. If 
carriage between the hills and plains is one of the 
standing obstacles of breweries in tho hills, and 
beer can be brewed equally well at both elevations, 
Rawalpindi rather than Murree would seem the spot 
for a fresh start. There was some difference of 
opinion about the amount of the dividend, whether 
it should be 12 or 15 per cent ; but the lower rate 
was, as Mr. Whymper pointed out, a high average 
to maintain, and the ^meeting had not much hesitation 
in determining that the profits of a year of excep- 
tionally cheap material did not justify a lavish disposal 
of a sum the residue of which might come in use- 
fully were the current year less fortunate. A pro- 
posal put forward by General Sir R. J. Meade, that 
the Company should raise from three to five lakhs 
by 7 per cet>t debentures, the proceeds to take 
the place of a portion of their Bank credit, was 
lost in favour of an amendment, introduced by 
Colonel H. Lane, that the existing arrangement 
should continue. Such a concern as the Murree Com- 
pany ought to be able to borrow for all its needs at 7 
per cent., whilst a Bank Cash Credit is a much more 
manageable fund than a Debenture Bond. A share- 
holder wanted to have all dividends payable in Eng- 
land remitted home at a fixed exchange of Is lOd in 
the rupee — a monstrous proposal which was promptly 
sat upon, as it deserved. Mr. Whymper referred to 
the contract which the combined brewers of India 
had entered into with the Government, for a term 
of ten years, at reduced rates — an arrangement, 
by the way, which applies only to Bengal and 
Bombay, Madras and Burma being excluded. The 
contract is a good one for both sides, and Mr. 
Whymper is mainly to be credited with its conclusion. 
The Company is to be very truly congratulated upon 
having agreed to retain his services to the end of 
the contract. It commenced operations in 1860, and iu 
eight years had lost nearly half its capital. It took 
nearly as many years more to entirely recover its 
losses. For these many years Mr. Whymper has 
been the good angel of the concern, aud it would 
be difficult to exaggerate either the services he has 
done to the Murree Company, or the share he has 
had in establishing a very important industry in this 
oountrv. 

DISTRIBUTION OF CEYLON EXPORTS. 
(From 1st Oct. 
1887 
to 2nd 
Feb. 
1888.) 
Countries. 
Coffee 
C'ehnna 
Branch 
& Trunk 
lb. 
Tea. 
lb. 
C'coa 
Carda- 
moms. 
lb. 
cwt. 
cwt. 
To United Kingdom ... 
22592 
3031611 
1981791 
3038 
57197 
,, Marseilles 
307 
1723 
285 
, , Genoa 
26 
600 
„ Venice 
916 
95413 
„ Trieste 
11353 
"' 40 
„ Hamburg 
146 
31355 
"'37 
„ Antwerp 
2 
"'760 
2G 
,, Bremen 
2 
87 
,, Havre 
460 
„ Rotterdam 
2 
,, Africa 
"2000 
„ Mauritius 
6310 
„ India & Kastward ... 
5645 
4784 
75585 
,, Australia 
3860 
110097 
187 
,, America 
28 
45314 
13115 
677 
Total Exports from Oct.l, 
1887 to Feb. 2, 188S 
35GG9 
317H098 
5181958 
4513 
1332G9 
Do 1W6 do 1887 
45912 
5351190 
2H32067 
6330 
112136 
Do 1885 do J 886 
94122 
5545789 
13893(17 
3633 
101572 
Do 1884 do 1885 
96434 
3306900 
644167 
1241 
570S3 
