788 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. (May i, 1889. 
To ascertain the differeuce of grain in the new crop 
and the home grain, I had an equal quantity of both 
kinds converted into rice with the result that in every 
bushel there are 16 measures of rice in the imported 
seed, whilst there are only 14 in the home grain seed. 
LookiDg merely at the difference in figures it may per- 
haps be considered as a matter of no great importance, 
but when it is looked at with the eye of a political 
economist the difference would be startling, being no 
less than a gain of 6-25 per cent. Leaving aside the 
question of a better crop to be obtainod from change 
of seed, the comparative difference in rice alono would 
be a sufficient inducement for agriculturists to cultivate 
imported seed. 
Calculating the probable yield from imported grain to 
be 20 bushels and the average natives yield 8, there is 
a gain of 12 bushels in every bushel of paddy sown, and 
as there is a gain of 2 measures of rice in every bushel 
of imported seed, the whole question resolves itself as 
follows : — 
1 bushel native sown paddy yields 8 bushels paddy, 
which is 112 measures rice at 14 per bushel. 
1 bushel imported grain sown yields 20 bushels paddy, 
which is 320 measures of rice at 16 per bushel. 
.-. on 1 bushel imported grain there is a gain of 
320 - 112 or 208 measures rice. 
.•. on 100 bushels imported grain there is a gain of 
20:800 buehels=650 i.e. a gain of G50 per cent in rice. 
32 
Allowing a large marging for unforseen <ind un- 
avoidable circumstances, say of about 300 per cent, 
there is yet 350 per cent to be obtained from the cul- 
tivation by changing of seed, a matter which commends 
itself to the serious consideration of the people of the 
country, as well as of Government and others interested 
in the welfare of Oeylon. 
I beg that the result of myexperimeut which you were 
the first to recognise and approve may be communicated 
to Government and my application for a supply of seed 
from Calcutta, Negapatam, and other approved cen- 
tres of grain cultivation may be kindly recommended 
by you. I shall be prepared to meet the demand for the 
value of the seed whenever called upon to do so. 
I am convinced that any little capital I may invest 
in promoting the welfare of the people of my country 
would be well laid out. 
Information on the following points should be 
obtained if the Government think my request worthy 
of considertion and encouragement : — 
1. The season in which the seed is sown ? 
2. "When those seasons begin and end ? 
3. The time the crop takes to mature from the 
date it is sown to the time of reaping ? 
4. The nature of soil best adapted for its growth ? 
5. The length of time it may be preserved and 
found fit for seed ? 
6- The length of time which the grain may be 
preserved without deteroiating in quality or quantity. 
7. If the land is manured what is the kind of manure 
used ? 
I have already overcome the prejudice of natives 
for change of seed and have drawn out from them a 
cheerful and a willing testimony as to its beneficial 
results, and my object now in wishing to experiment 
with foreign seed is to find out the seed of which 
country gives the largest yield and is best adapted 
to the climate and soil of Ceylon. 
I enclese herewith for your perusal three letters 
in Sinhalese addressed to me by respectable and 
intelligent" agriculturists of the neighbourhood in which 
my field was cultivated. — I remain, &c. 
(Signed) William Jansz. 
A CEYLON TEA PLANTER DISCRIMINAT- 
INGLY CRITICIZES THE ANNUAL CEYLON 
TEA REPORT OF MESSRS. WILSON, 
SMITHETT & CO. 
8th April 1889. 
Dfar Sir, — I have been looking over Messrs. 
Wilson, Smithett & Co.'s Tea Memoranda for 1888, 
which is for the most part very instructive and in- 
teresting. 
We used to flatter ourselves that the advantage 
we had over India in price waa due to our finer 
quality, but it is very evident it was not so, as 
that advantage is rapidly disappearing, and we can 
only hope that we may keep on a level with India 
in price and quality, and that together they will 
see Chinas out of the market. 
I annex an analysis of quantities aDd prices 
from different estates which sent 100 000 lb. and 
over into the market during last year, and I think 
you will be struck with the uniformity in prices 
obtained. A few estates got exceptional prices, which 
may be for the most part accounted for either by 
their finer plucking (with perhaps a correspond- 
ingly short yield) or by their exceptionally favour- 
able situation, as there is no doubt that some 
localities give a much finer flavoured tea than 
others. In other cases the credit undoubtedly be- 
longs to the superintendent, especially where he is 
ahead of the general average both in quantity 
per acre and price obtained. The analyses would 
be much more interesting if one could add two 
more columns to it — " quantity per acre " and 
" profit per acre. " 
Almost every estate in Ceylon will eventually be 
giving about 100,000 lb. or over, so I consider 
that to take all estates over that figure gives a 
fairer idea of what Ceylon tea is and the position 
it will eventually hold than if all estates with 
smaller quantities and higher prices were included. 
Messrs. Wilson, Smithett & Co. like other home 
authorities on tea always want us to pluck finer, 
and so keep up the quality, and we all agree 
with them that fine plucking would help to do 
so, and we also would, each of us, like to see all 
the rest plucking as fine as possible, though many 
of us would continue to go on as before and be 
quite content with average yield and average prices 
or better still heavy jield and prices slightly over 
the average. 
I believe thfre is little doubt that the bulk of 
the best paying estates will be found amongst 
those giving 400 lb. (four hundred) per acre or 
over and fetching prices from the average ll^d 
to Id or l|d above it. 
The suggestions in the Memoranda as to 
the treatment of bought leaf will not recom- 
mend themselves to many. They are some- 
thing on a level with the suggestions 
and hints given by Artemus Ward when he 
went temporarily to edit the Agricultural Gazette. 
Again as to sorting and size of breaks. 
We can all understand that it is much more conve- 
nient for brokers and buyers to deal with large quanti- 
ties, but we cannot help observing that most of 
the high prices are obtained by small invoices 
and small breaks : in fact in some instances the 
whole crop of some estates for 1888, which fetched 
the highest prices, would barely make one decent 
invoice from a broker's point of view. I think 
then that there is room for doubt whether it is 
for the interest of the grower to send very large 
breaks and that more particularly where the tea 
is of very high quality. If the small break does 
not get the attention of the largest buyers, I take 
it, it has a wider field amongst the smaller 
buyers, who are naturally more numerous and 
who perhaps are prepared to give quite as high 
a price for what they want as the larger dealers. 
In conclusion, we are all much obliged to Messrs. 
Wilson, Smithett & Co. for their yearly statement, 
which must have cost them much time and 
trouble to work out, and if next year they would 
arrange it in some such way as below, I believe it 
would make it more interesting still to most of 
us here, and if wo could only get (he other two 
columns I spoke of above, filled in correctly, we 
