THE TROPICAL 
3rd case, "your informant omits to mention how 
much triage had to be pioked out of his parch- 
ment before it was shipped." To this question your 
informant cannot answer, as it has not yet been 
cuied : but, being an old curer and planter too, he 
is certain there is not 5 per cent of triage (the 
allowed percentage in contract of sale) in it and 
is equally certain there is less. This is not given 
as a reason for rejection. Finally ," Merchant " 
thinks that only No. 1 size of last season fetched 
the highest price in Mincing Lane. For his benefit 
your informant sends you the prices of all sizes 
rejected here, and sold on 7th June last by Messrs. 
Matheson & Co., in Mincing Lane : — 
lat size . . 112s per cwt. 
2nd ,, .. 110s fid „ 
3rd „ .. 103s 
Peaberry .. 112s ,, 
Triage .. 99s 6d 
And if " Merchant " doubts the truth of these sales, 
your informant will be happy to send Messrs, 
Matheson & Co.'s account of sales for his inspec- 
tion through yourselves. PLANTER. 
P.S. — The gentleman who acted as my arbitrator 
ast seasons is a buyer himself and has rejected one 
crop, I know, of this season ! 
OHOOHOS WANTED IN THE COLOMBO 
MARKET. 
Colombo, 14th Feb. 1888. 
Dear Sib, — Can you kindly inform me whether the 
obocho plant which grows very successfully at Matale 
has ever been tried in Colombo. I have never seen 
this vegetable hawked about for sale in the Colombo 
streets, nor even brought to the Town Hall market. A 
friend of mine sent me some of these vegetables from 
Matale and I managed to raise a plant; and after the 
expiry of three or four mouths, the flowers appeared. 
Only one solitary fruit has at last appeared, and I dou't 
see signs of anymore corning. The creeper, besides, is 
gradually getting dried up, evidently owing to the 
present drought. I would be glad to hear of any sug- 
gestions you may be able to give. G. 
[Let " G." buv and consult "Gardening in Ceylon," 
latest edition. — Ed.J 
COFFEE CULTIVATION IN ' PLANTATION 
AND ' NATIVE ' FAfcHION: AN OLD COFFEE 
PLANTER ANSWERS " ti." 
Sib, — The writer of the letter signed " S " in 
your last issue labours under a strange mistake 
as to the causes of the collapse of coffee in Ceylon. 
All the world should know at this time of day, 
that the sole cause of that calamity was Hemileia 
vastatrix, and not extravagant expenditure. In 
the course of forty years, the oombined experience 
of some thousands of intelligent men formed ooffee 
planting into a system, which he calls a stereo- 
typed fashion. To obtain the best results, oertain 
operations were necessary, as proved by hundreds 
of experiments, and the standing of the practical 
planter depended on the efficiency and economy 
with which he performed those operations. The 
financial affairs of the estates were in the hands 
of commercial men, a class sufficiently alive to 
their own and their constituents' interests, who 
were not in the habit of paying more than 
the market price for the service of superintend- 
ents. The class of estate superintendents know 
to their cost, that the old rate of expenditure 
was not maintained, when bad times oame 
hundreds were dismissed, and those who remained 
had either to do bo on greatly reduced salaries or 
increased responsibilities. 
There are hundreds of men in Ceylon, who oould 
answer the question propounded by " S " in all 
the branches into whioh he divides it had he 
wished for information, but it is very evident that 
it was only asked as an introduction to the 
exposition of his own already settled opinions. It 
is, therefore, quite unnecessary to respond to it in 
any way. It is not probable that any of those, 
whose emoluments he grudges, and whose civilized 
surroundings he would remove, will entertain any 
worse wish towards him than that he may on hi* 
own places invest a lakh of hia own rupees, and 
appoint Mr. Ramasamy Chetty his manager, on a 
salary of RIO a month. L. 
A TALK ON TEA WITH A MINCING 
LANE AUTHORITY. 
Galboda, 17th Feb. 1*88. 
Coming up to Kandy in train yesterday, I had the 
company of Mr. Win. Thompson, jnr., of Mincing Lane, 
who has been away from home for about five months 
spending most time in India visiting Assam tea estates. 
He was a passenger by " Rohilla," so I introduced 
conversation by remarking that they must have had a 
weary time on board during the quarantine. "Not at 
all," he replied, " we had a very jolly time. Dancing, 
games, amateur theatricals and concerts made time 
passvery pleasantly." Then I put a question about pros- 
pects of tea and planters on Indian estates. 'Both 
are very good," he said, "the acreage under cultiva- 
tion and yield are rapidly increasing and will continue 
to increase. For every thousand acres planted there 
ire generally several thousand acres of forest belong- 
ing to the same estate, which, in course of time, will be 
cleared." " What do you think about the prospects of 
eylon planters ?" I asked. " Ob, they are very good, 
only they must push their teas." " That is what 
they are doing, and they have got a pretty large 
fund now for the purpose. But do the Indian planters 
push their teas very much ?" " Ves, they have been 
doing that, but push them as much as they like, they 
dou't seem to take. Take Russia for instance. I 
know one of the biggest firms in London have a 
special traveller for Indian teas in Russia, but the 
Muscovites still prefer the China teas, to which they 
have beeu accustomed." " Perhaps their taste wants 
educating. At the last general meeting of the P. A. at 
Kandy, one gentleman actually suggested the adultera- 
tion ef Ceylun teas to make them more acceptable 
to the existing palate." " Adulteration ! What did 
he mean by that. Adulteration means mixing with 
some other substance. Tea is tea, all the world over, 
and whatever kinds you may blend that is only, mixing." 
" Well, this gentleman prominently used the word 
adulterating, but his suggestion did not find much favour. 
But do you think Ceylon teas will really become more 
popular ? " " They are popular already, and they are 
sure to become more so when they are better known. 
Your upcountry teas have got a splendid flavour." 
" Well, the quantity exported, as you kaow, is rapidly 
increasing. The estimate for this year is 22,000,000 lb." 
" Yes, but if they have not the purchasers, what will be 
done with it all ? The motto must be ' push.' " 
At Peradeniya Station Mr. Thompson was met by 
Mr. Webb, whose guest he will be. He has not yet 
decided whether to go back by the next P. & O. mail 
steamer or not. 
" HOME-GROWN " TOBACCO. 
A good deal has been heard of late of the pos- 
sibility of developing tobacco culture in this country, 
and of thereby securing a new field for the oper- 
ations of agriculturists in view of the prevailing 
depression. The Government even have done something 
to encourage this new industry ; and only the other 
night it was announced in Parliament that the 
Inland Revenue authorities were willing to forego 
the exaction from mending tobacco-growers of sureties 
to the extent of £100 per acre for the protection 
of the revenue. In place thereof, they are to be 
content with a declaration made before a magistrate 
that the intending tobacco cultivator will at alt 
times afford to the Inland Revenue Officials free 
aocess to their grounds, and that all the tobaco 
