March i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
643 
markets but positively swamp them. With this in 
view we find Ceylon being hurried along on the 
tea-wave, with most of the ooffee out out, and the 
remaining fields slowly dying from neglect and dis- 
ease. A most vital question now arises. Cannot 
coffee under new conditions, such as shade, change 
of seed, digging, limited areas under improved 
treatment — I say cannot coffee still remain an 
important product ; or is it entirely to disappear ? 
With my experience in India and Ceylon I can 
confidently affirm that coffee, the most lucrative 
and simple product we know, can be cultivated 
with advantage and profit. Other countries have tried 
new methods and conditions and are reaping the re- 
ward. Coobg left the evergreen Ghaut forests and 
cultivated in deoiduous bamboo country with plan- 
ted shade. Mysore gave up their exhausted 
Munjarabad trees and planted Coorg coffee with 
improved shade. Both those districts are reaping 
their rewards. 
I fear on the steep " Ghaut " estates in Ceylon 
the soil has been destroyed by weeding contractors 
and surface drains. It is common to say in Ceylon 
that surface drains save wash. Yen, but 
they do not save toil, beoause where does the 
soil go to that is taken out of the drains ? It is 
passed down and finds its way to the next drain 
and the next, and so on. The system was all 
right so long as coffee paid its way ; but now 
it is different. What is wanted is land on the 
foot-hills, on the spurs and hollows below the 
mountains, or on flat land. I mention two 
estates as examples — Roseberry in Haputale, 
and Lankabarony in Balangoua. These are but 
samples. I maintain, that if shade such as Ficut 
glomerata, Ficus indica, jak, sau tree (Albizzia 
xtipulata), and other trees, were planted, and digging 
and manuring incorporated with weeding, and small 
acreages thoroughly cultivated, then green-bug and 
leaf-disease could be combated successfully. There 
are many in Ceylon who feel this to ba true ; but who 
among them have first the capital, and second the 
faith ? Fjut the means, second the faith, third 
the knowledge, fourth the perseverance and energy. 
Some day China will snuff out your decreasing 
yields and falling market. Lucky will be the man 
then, who has his eggs in another basket. 
W. A. TYTLER. 
[All this is worthy of consideration, although it 
oan yield but small comfort to possessors of old 
coffee land. We suppose conditions of climate, 
especially long periods of drought, must acoount 
for shade being so great a success in Southern India 
and so dubious a benefit in Ceylon. It became 
almost articles of religion amongst Ceylon planters 
to avoid low positions and shade in ooffee oulture. 
Our correspondent, therefore, is correot in deside- 
rating much faith and spare capital as prerequi- 
sites for the experiments he recommends. At the 
same time there are the undoubted facts that ooffee 
culture is still a suocess in Mysore and Coorg, 
and that in Uva similar conditions ought even now 
to be found. — Ed.] 
THE LOSSES ON CEYLON TEA IN LONDON : 
MR. DEANE'S FIGURES. 
Kintyre, Maskeliya, 20th Feb. 1889. 
Sir, — In your report of what I said at the 
Planters' ABouuiation meetiDg, it should read " that 
he had never averaged a loss of over 2 per oent," 
the amount of tea also should read over half a 
million pounds, and further down it should read 
" He had sometimes had 2S0 and 2 90 when he 
had shipped in half-chests" — and last of all " and 
varied from 2 oz. to 8 oz. according to the qvfss 
tore of his facKdg"s." These small alterations alter 
the sense considerably. My belief is (hat the first 
steps that should be taken to reduce loss in 
weight would be to get the draft allowance altered 
to say 1 lb. per cent, instead of, as at present, at 
1 lb. per package. This latter oharge tells most 
heavily on those estates already handicapped by 
being far from a cart-road, who have en acoount of 
transport to use half-chests, which at once makes 
their loss in weight a trifle over 2 per cent. With 
reference to the remaining loss in weight, whioh we 
will say averages at present from 80 to 90 per oent. 
I notioe that, however large the break, the proportion 
remains the same, whioh should not be the case; as it 
is obvious that if the loss is only caused by fair 
sampling, a large break say of 50 packages would 
only require the same number of samples to be dis- 
tributed as a break of 20 packages. For instanoe, 
the last invoice I sold oonsisted of 186 paokages, 
and the draft allowance was 18(i lb. The bal- 
anoe loss was 109 lb., this being presumably 
necessary for sampling purposes. Another invoioe 
(containing the same number, viz., 4 breaks) consist- 
ing of 81 packages had the usual draft allowance 
of 84 lb, 
and the balance loss 12 lb. 
96 lb. 
so that in the one oase, while 121b. waa only con- 
sidered necessary for samples on the 4 breaks, in 
the other case we have a loss of 109 lb. for the 
1 breaks — ar say 3 lb. per break, against 27 lb. per 
break. The morality of the Lane evidently being 
" the larger the invoice the more scope for 
plunder," provided the average loss in weight is 
nothing out of common. — Yours, <fcc, 
H. D. DBANE. 
[Our reporter failed to catch what Mr. Deane 
said, and asked him for his exact figures and words 
after the meeting was over, but being anxious to 
get away Mr. Deane could not stay to give him the 
required information.— Ed.] 
"BLUE" AND "GREEN " GRAM: A 
DANIEL TO THE RESCUE. 
Colombo, 22nd February 1889. 
Sir, — I hasten to correct an error with regard to 
" ulundu " appearing in the February number of the 
Tropical Agriculturist. 
Your correspondent Mr. Oinna Tamby writes that 
" uluntu " is blue in colour, and you correcting him 
add in a footnote that you have always known " blue 
gram" as "green gram." Allow me to say that the 
pea is neither blue nor green but black, and it oalled 
"black gram." Green gram ii the " mun" of the 
Sinhalese and " payara " of the Tamils. There is a 
thing known as Daltonism or colour blindness, and we 
must not suppose that Editors and their correspondents 
may not be altogether free from this disease. — Yonrs 
faithfully, ABA. 
" Random Thoughts about Tea." — We call 
attention to a clever and amusing contribution 
under this heading on another page, whioh 
ought to be an especially ourious pro- 
duction in the eyes of lady housekeepers inas- 
much as it comes from a rather confirmed baohelor 1 
Probably however, the old home, rather than colonial 
experiences deserve the credit of the sensible re- 
marks offered to housewives and all others interested 
on the proper way of " making" and " keeping " their 
tea. The author does not insist on " copyright," 
to that the Planters' Association and Cha ruber of 
Commerce will be at liberty to reprint the valuable 
advice and oiroulate it with boxes of Ceylon tea 
Ur and wide ! 
