October i, 1888.] THF. TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
PROGRESS IN TRAVANCORE. 
CAHDAIW.OMS — COFFEE — COPRA — l-'ORI'STS — RAINFALL — 
REVENUE. 
From tho Report on this Native State for 1887- 
88, we take a tew extracts : — 
CUSTOMS. — There was a falling olf in tho year in the 
export trade of all the chief dutiable articles, viz., copra., 
coir, aroca-uuts, fetf, Tho duty ou popper, on the other 
hand, yielded a higher revenue. 
Gaiidamom and OTHER Goods. — The outturn of the 
cardamom crop in the year proved very disappointing, 
having been much loss than was anticipated. Thisis a 
very fluctuating and precarious source of revenue. 
The available revenue for the year amounted to 
R12, 175,872, which, however, included a balance 
from the previous year to tho outrageous amount 
of K.i, 81',), 115. On such a rcservo the Madras 
Government commented advorsoly. From the 
estimates for the following year we quote an 
follows: — 
Oaudamum and OTHER Goods. — From accounts of 
tho condition of tho cardamom crops received, the pros- 
pect tliis year appears to he; promising and justifies an 
estimate at over a lakh in advance of tho actuals of tho 
previous year. 
From the report of the Resident we quote thus : — 
Land REVENUE. — The table of rainfall in tho State 
given by the Diwau is interesting, showing the gradual 
increaso of rainfall from 8'8 inches in the south (at 
Gape Oomorin) to 11S9 inches in the extreme north of 
the State (at l'oravoor). Owing to deficient rainfall 
during the year, there was a slight, failure of the later 
crops in the south ; increased imports, however, pre- 
tBnted any rise of prices. TKe total revenue demand 
amounted to K18,(>2,883, of which R17,35,6"46 was 
collected. Of old arrears no less than R5,43,291 are 
still outstanding, and special arrangements have been 
made to collect the. amount. Such an amount of 
arrears shows a bad system of accounts. The manage- 
ment of the Puniatb Chief's estate has been continued 
by the Birkar with the favorable result of a balance of 
R18,942 to the Ghiet's credit. A change was intro- 
duced in regard to the assessment of hill cultivation of 
a temporary character. Instead of taxing the produce, 
the tax is now levied in money on the area cultivated. 
This is ii more equitable method. The system of deal- 
ing with applications for waste lands was dealt with 
during the year ; and power was given to the Division 
Pi i-fikurn to deal with such applications, with the 
result that tho quantity of land taken up has increased 
and the revenue proportionately benefited. The 
Administration has boon actively working for the 
benefit of the people — 
; 1 ) Iu placing more power in tho bands of the Peish- 
kais to enable thera to deal more promptly with ap- 
plications for waste lands; 
(2) lu endeavouring to introduce better systems of 
agriculture in tho country; 
(3) In assisting in the construction and repair of em- 
bankment-, ami channel kinks ; 
(Ii Iu encouraging improved agriculture and stock- 
breeding by the introduction of exhibitions. 
Poribts. — The net revenue derived from forests was 
Bl. 97)208. A Forest Act is being introduced, which 
will tend to the better conservation of foresis. The 
prici n realised for cardamoms was coi siderably below 
the tvorago, and the crop was a very poor one. Tho 
Uoylon cardttuiom production affects the Travaucoro 
monopoly selling prices. 
The financial condition of the State is prosperous 
and ilu geuera] administration appears to mo to bo 
sound mid progressive. 
The Gou-rrimcnt Order states: — 
Trass. — Exclusive of Government transactions and 
intermit trade, thcro wan u slight decrease (1J per 
cent.) observable in tho trade of tho State. * Tho 
amount carried by the backwater for importation was 
less than that in the year before by 25 percent. The 
depression in the rolfco industry, which has bei u 
felt for a long series of years, allowed no signs of 
departure. Tho value of the total exports, K 2, 2 1,000 
IU 1M1, who yuly a Ukh of rupees this year. Of 
the exports, copra (25 -1), coir (207) and miscellaneous 
goods (14 3) again bore the best proportion to tho 
total value, and pepper rose to 9'2 per cent. Under 
imporis the best results wore shown by tobacco (29-5 
raicellabbouB goods (19-7), rice (107), thread (12-1 
and piece-goods (110). Nearly f)o per cent of the 
trade was in the direction of British India; that to 
wards the United Kingdom fell from almost 3 to 
below 1 per cent ; and that towards Ceylon roee 
from 9 to 10. 
♦ 
A SUMATRA TOBACCO PLANTER. 
"Wo have to welcome back Mr. Melville Bell of the 
KolauiValloy looking all the better for his short trip 
to tho old country, where, however, he found even 
' summer " woather far too cold — bitterly cold — 
to suit a Ceylon wallab. The Red Sea on the return 
trip made, however, ample amends: 98° in the saloon 
must have been a contrast to the "bitterly cold" 
of Edinburgh a fortnight earlier ! 
A fellow paseeuger of Mr. Bell interested in 
Ceylon was Mr. llarrisou of I)eli, Sumatra, who 
is engaged in a large way lilio so many resi- 
dents there in tobacco. Mr. Harrison, beginning 
life as a surveyor somo twenty years ago, 
must have been one of the earliest among tobacco 
planters, aud he is evidently well up in all the " mys- 
teries " connected with tobacco curing. Some years 
ago he tried as a diversion some 50 acres of cacao, 
but dropped it ou learning that Oeylon had begun 
to plant that product, because, as an adviser said, 
"whatever Ceylou touches is overdone"! Mr. Har- 
rison was enlightened on learning that both in 
cacao and tobacco Ceylou can never lead the 
way as she did with coffee, cinchona, cardamoms and 
may do with tea and now does with cinnamon and coco- 
not oil- On our remarking that cacao wants not 
only good deep soil but shelter, Mr. Harrison made 
tlie characteristic remark that they should never have 
grown tobacco in Sumatra if exposed in any way 
to wiud, or to drought such as Colombo is Buffering 
from, he added, to judge by the burnt-up GalleFace! 
Moisture and shelter (or absence of wind) are there- 
fore wanted for tobacco, and yet how about dry 
Kuruncgala and Dnmbara? Mr. Harrison, we are 
glad to say, is likely to give us further information 
about tobacco, aud he may be back hero on a visit 
to our hillcountry a few months hence. 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
(//. cO V. Mail, Aug. 21th.) 
This is the season when, as poor Hurry Leie.h 
said : — 
"My Brown has gono away to Oreece, 
My Kobiusou to Rome ; 
My Jones was off today for Nice, 
And 1 am still at home. 
Ono friend is on tho Tiber, 
Another on the Rhone, 
The third a /focA-imbibt-r — 
And 1 am all alone." 
Tea, like time aud tide, wait for no man, and 
the chests continue to arrive, irrespective of Tom- 
kins, who is in Venice, and Smith who is at Margate. 
Tho question of tho quality of Ceylou tea and 
the remarks thereon that have appeared iu some 
brokers' circulars, are the subject of comment iu 
tho Laue. In a circular issued in June by Messrs. 
J. A. Kucker and Beucraft the following rcniurks 
occur' — "Every halfpenny lower brings Ceylou tea 
into competition with cheap China tea, aud if tho 
element of quality is to be eliminated, and more aud 
more low class tea sent forward, it will not bo long 
before planters find themselves at a level were 
tho greater the output tho greater the loss — not profit. 
Wo constantly read satisfies to show how Ceylou tea 
is ousting China ton from consumption, but if Ceylou 
tea is going to mturluro with 3Jd. Cbiun Ouugous, ti.i re 
will bu a littlu profit to the plnulcr, aud previous little 
pleasure to the eousuinor." 
