THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1888. 
Correspondence. 
To the Editor, 
A VEGETABLE CURIOSITY. 
Bandaragama, 10th August. 
Dear Sib, — I beg to forward herewith a ' curiosity' 
which I found inside a pomegranate fruit. If you 
think it worth to publish something concerning it, 
please do so. I have never seen or heard any thing 
about such a fruit as this before. Yours faithfully, 
C. M. ANTHONY, Postmaster. 
[Dr. Trimen, to whom we submitted the ' curiosity, 
kindly writes : — " The specimen sent is clearly one of 
the divisions (carpels), of which the pomegranate like 
other fruits is composed, which has grown indepen- 
dently of the rest and has become abortive. All the 
grains' are seedless. As it has been separated from 
the fruit of which it formed a part, its precise relation- 
ship to the rest (which is the point of interest) cannot 
now be ascertained. The same 'monstrosity ' occasion- 
ally occurs in oranges." — Ed.] 
THE NUMBER OF CINCHONA TREES IN 
DIMBULA. 
Henfold, Lindula, 15th Aug. 1888. 
Dear Sie, — In a late issue of the Observer I 
note it is stated from observation, that it is 
estimated there are 6,000,000 cinchona trees in 
Dimbula. 
I think this is an over-estimate, and a serious 
one, as it may tend to influence the bark market. 
The bulk of the oinchona in Dimbula is succirubra 
or robusta, and 500 of these trees to an acre, 
when they are 6 years old, make a great cover. 
I do not know of any land in Dimbula carrying 
more than 500 of such trees to an acre, and, if 
there are 6,000,000 trees in the district, then, on 
this calculation, there are 12,000 acres out of our 
cultivated acreage of 44,000 acres under cinchona. 
That this is not so, my intimate knowledge of 
Dimbula convinces me, and I do not believe that 
it can show more than 1,000,000 trees of such 
growth that they are entitled to be considered when 
estimating the probable yield of bark. Our average 
death-rate is over 10 per cent yearly, and no plant- 
ing to speak of has been done since 1883. Much land 
has also been cleared of cinchona since tea has been 
planted, not only to help in paying for the cost of 
planting this new product, but because tea^does not 
yield freely when growing under cinchona, 
I may state in conclusion that out of the 140 odd 
estates in Dimbula under 30 have any claim to be 
considered as places on which cinchona takes an 
important position amongst their products,— Yours 
faithfully, GEO. BECK. 
[Mr. John Ferguson, who made the computation 
from returns supplied for the Handbook, and felt 
that personal observation confirmed the accuracy 
of his estimate, will, no doubt, duly consider Mr. 
Beck's criticism, when his short holiday is over. 
See page 201 further on. — Ed] 
MR. PINEO ON A TEA COMPANY AND 
ON MR. ELLWOOD MAY. 
Sir,— In his address the Chairman of the "Dim- 
bula Planters' Association " stated that he could 
" not advocate the alternative proposal of a Company 
as we had the example of a similar Company which 
had been formed in India for the sale of Indian tea 
in America which had proved to bo a failure with a 
loss of somewhere about £30,000." 
Unfortunately, he did not give the reason why 
that Company had met with failure and loss, and 
will, therefore, endeavour to fill up the gap. The 
Indian Company* selected a gentleman to go to Ame- 
rica who was, I believe, in every way competent to 
fulfil the conditions laid down for his guidance, but 
those conditions were based on imperfect data and 
misconception. He visited America and Canada and 
interviewed those who were more or less directly 
interested in the China and Japan tea trade, and 
finally appointed a firm in New York to act as agents. 
Shipments were made to New York irregularly and 
Brokers hawked about samples to the trade, but with- 
out finding buyers. Eventually the tea found its way 
to the auction room, and was there sold for what it 
would fetch. One of the buyers, doing a very large 
business in New York and Brooklyn, thought he 
would make a speciality of it, and so packed it up in 
one pound packets and then tried to get his cus- 
tomers to take it. Some tried it, with the result that 
it was returned to him, and he finally gave up the 
packet trade in disgust. He then had a good deal of 
this Indian tea in his hands, which he could not sell 
in its pure state, so he used it for blending with, and 
improving his China and Japan teas. The Indian tea 
was still being sold at auction, and as there were no 
competitors, this dealer bought nearly all that was 
offered at his own price. This attempt resulted : — 
1st, in a loss to the Indian Company. 
2nd, an improvement in strength and flavor of 
Japan and China teas; and last 
In not making a single consumer acquainted with 
Indian tea except the few who had tried and con- 
demned it. The Canadian market was not opened 
out and the Company retired from the field. The 
foregoing is not gleaned from hearsay evidenoe, but 
was furnished me by the man who brought nearly all 
the tea that came into the New York market. 
I had long and frequent interviews with him, and 
hence it was that I concluded to go direct to the 
consumer with our teas, believing then, as I now do, 
that if we can reach him the battle is won. Any 
Company or individual who may, hereafter, attempt 
to open out a market in America and Canada, in 
either Ceylon or Indian tea, through existing 
channels or on the same lines that the Indian Com- 
pany pursued, will meet with failure and disaster. 
No wholesale business in our tea in America and 
Canada can at present live. 
If the Parent Association decides to make Mr. May 
its accredited agent, and undertakes to guarantee 
that he will offer to the American people always, and 
only, a pure Ceylon tea, then there may seem no 
need of a local Company being started. I have said 
all I can honestly say about Mr. May, and so far as I 
am concerned I can do nothing more. My great 
desire is to place only reliable data before the plant- 
ing interest. My experience in America and Canada 
with tea dealers and consumers (gained by a very 
considerable expenditure of time and money) is at 
the disposal of the tea planters of Ceylon. It has 
been unique because I struck out a path for myself, 
and varied by reason of having been in close com- 
munication with tea-brokers, tea-dealers and con- 
sumers of tea. 
I will not touch upon the subject of a local Com- 
pany until the Planters' Association has come to a 
final deoision.— Yours faithfully, R. E. PINEO. 
[We have nothing to add to what we wrote. Let 
the Planters' Association decide. Whether a Com- 
pany is formed or not, it is evident that muoh 
money and much energy must be spent before a 
taste for Ceylon tea can be created in the United 
States. A Company, if formed, would have to post- 
pone dividends for several years. — Ed.] 
* It was not a company but the same syndicate 
which sent teas to the Melborne Exhibition and em. 
ployed Mr, Sibthorp to push them.— Ed ( 
