March r, 1889.] THE. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
617 
in its effects to deserve attention, as the bushes affected 
lose all their leaves, and are a longtimo in recovering. 
I have sent specimens to Dr. Trimen for his opinion. 
PRO BONO PUBLICO. 
[We slmll be clad to learn what Dr. Trimen has 
to say to our correspondent ; we are unable to report 
on the leaves here, though probably the attack is 
a mere passing one. — Ed.] 
COTTON CULTIVATION IN DOLOSBAGE 
DISTRICT. 
Deak >Sm, — Returning from a trip to Dolosbage 
I havo visited "Jack Tree Hill" estate, the property 
of Mr. Blackett, on which may be seen successfully 
grown several varieties of the cotton bush of 
commerce (separately planted in fioldn), parts of 
which are now bearing ripe pods. 
Cotton planting here is beyond the experimen- 
tal stage and presents a pleasing sight : some 
bushes are between seven and eight ■ feet in 
height, and the cotton lint gathered therefrom 
silky and long in staple as well as strong and 
good in quality for upcountry-grown cotton. I 
wili not send you a sample, just now, as Mr. 
Blackett informed mo it is his intention to forward 
about a hundredweight to Colombo, and he is 
testing the bushes by counting the number of 
pods or bolls, with a view to estimating whether 
cotton will pay to cultivate on a larger scale than at 
present. The conductor told me ho had picked 130 
tune hundred and thirty) pods or bolls oft' one bush. 
Mr. Blackett will probably write you further, on 
this interesting subject of cotton growing in Ceylon. 
H. COTTAM. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
February !)th. 
Sir,— Under date of 7th January 1889, Mr. May 
writes: — "I could hardly bo expected to do any- 
thing more in regard to references than I did when 
you were in Now York, and as the Association 
would not take your word I concluded to drop 
the whole matter of tea for the present." 
In a circular that came with his letter I find 
a notice as follows :— "Owing to the large and 
rapid growth of our businesB we were obligod to 
removo our factory to a raoro commodious build- 
ing containing forty rooms which wo happened 
to own in Nyack, and as wo shall occupy the 
entire building we feel confident wo can give your 
orders prompt attention." 
I vonturo to remark that a man who can afford 
to pay ront of oflicos at 68, (10 and 02 Broadway, 
who has also a warehouso at 58 Cedar Street and 
a huge factory in Nyack, might be a good one 
to push Coylon tea in America. — I am, Ac., 
B. E. I'INEO. 
I'Kl'l'EU CUTTINGS I'. SEED. 
Pkah Km, — In re pepper cuttings r. pepper seed- 
lings, I cannot be content with Mr. Martin's 
opinion, which is evidently founded on theory rather 
than practice. I don't want to know what " must 
In-." bat what in. However, Coylon has loarned 
too littlo from India and taught il too much to 
greatly uppruciuto what " friends on the ( 'oast " say. 
Bo iar us my limited experience gO( I have found 
that when "tho climate in not of tho best for 
planting, that seedlings ngo for Bge nru mom 
Btrlain than cuttings, while I have read that though 
the needling takes longer to come into bearing, 
yet when it duos begin, it continues to boar maoh 
lesgei lluui will a rutting. 1 have also r"ail that 
loodlingn are extenniveiji planted in BoVneo and 
othor lands thereabouts. 
IS 
Surely Dr. Trimen at Peradoniya could settle the 
point. — Yours truly, B. 
[Dr. Trimen ought certainly to be able to 
give valuable information from the experience 
gained at Henaratgoda and elsewhere. Meantime 
we believe that the practice in the Straits, Java 
and Sumatra as well as on the Malabar Coast is 
to grow the pepper vine from cuttings. — Ed. 
TEA GROWING IN CEYLON ON OLD COFFEE 
ESTATES. 
North of Kandy, 12th Feb. 1889. 
Sir, — "Mercator's" letter in yours of 9th instant 
only desoribes what is constantly in the thought 
of every proprietor in and out of the island. Every- 
one is asking his neighbour (1) " Is tea going to 
pay to cultivate?" (2) "Are we again to pass 
through hard times, which we vainly thought were 
gone for ever?" (3) "Are all our hopes and 
labours to be brought to nought?" 
These questions it will be found difficult to 
answer favourably to ourselves, for no one really 
knows what a day may bring forth. 
In spite of favourable statistics the market 
persistently declines, and decline it will still further, 
while our margin of prolit grows smaller every day, and 
everyone continues to madly open up more land and 
plant, plant, plant, as il' there were no great hereafter. 
An Assam Co.'s diree'.or told me the other day 
that his company alone had sold enough seed within 
the last 25 years to reduce the average price of tea to 
fid per lb. How muoh more emphasized his remarks 
will now be when the. sale of the Assam Co.'s seed 
crop must be covered hundreds of times over by 
the sale from other gardens in India and Ceylon. 
I believe myself that long before Ceylon reaches 
her maximum output, say in 1894-95, the price 
of tea will be reduced to 5d. or Gd. per lb. all- 
round average in London. 
Then will follow a rigorous selection of the 
fittest, the weakest going 10 the wall, i. e. the 
Bankruptcy Court, and the survivors remaining to 
find that they can eventually make some money 
owing to the cheapnets of tea having brought it 
within reach of the teeming millions of poor in 
all countries, a tremendous increase in consump- 
tion being the consequence. 
(1) What is your yield per acre and acreage? 
(2) What is your average price ? 
(3) What does your tea cost you to make ? 
Tho above 3 simple questions if answered will 
tell at once what an estate is doing, and no 
other need bo asked. 
In re factory expenditure from time leaf enters the 
door to f.o.b., "Mercator" wants to know "how many 
factories can do it under 8 cents per lb., and is not 
the average nearer 10 cents ? It must be a poor and 
far distant factory that can't put its tea f. o. b. 
for less than 10 conts. I put last yenr's crop of 
nearly 200,000 lb. tea f. o. b. from faotory door 
for less than five cents, and can do it again, and as 
long us my firewood lasts. 
Lot us tako whatever comfort we can get and 
rest assured that, on a well-managed estate with a 
good factory and yield of 300 lb. por acre, teas 
need not cost more than thirty cents per lb. f. o. b., 
aud at this figuro Ceylon will take a lot of beating. 
India will have to look well to her expenditure 
if she desire to make ends meet satisfactorily. 
Her old days of palatial bungalows, huge es- 
tablishments of horse9 and elephants, overpaid 
m.inagrrs and assistants mutt be curtailed, or else 
hor poorer aud despised opponent, Ceylon, will 
give her tho lead, not certainly in quantity, but 
mott probably as to profit. Coylon has pasted 
thrnimh tho fire of adversity anil has learned to 
OUt hul GMl to 9Uit bar cloth beforv thin. Shu can Jo 
