June i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
805 
CEYLON UPCOUNTRY PLANTING REPORT 
HOLIDAY-MAKING AND THE PRESERVATION OF PEACE AT 
NUWARA ELIYA — ADULTERATION OP CITRONELLA OIL 
AND THE INGENUITY OF THE PRODUCERS — FAVOUR- 
ABLE WEATHER — BIG FLUSHES ANOTHER NAME FOR 
LOW PRICES OF TEA — EXTENSIVE MANUFACTURING OF 
TEA — MESSRS. VENN AND CO 'S AUSTRALIAN FRUIT 
TRADE AND PUSHING CEYLON TEA — PROSPECTS OF 
COCOA CROPS AND PLANTING OF CACAO AT STAKE — 
THE CHOLERA SCARE AND COAST ADVANCES. 
23rd April 1889. 
Judging by your Kandy correspondent's remarks 
in the Observer of the 15th inst., the holiday-seekers 
who resort at this time to Nuwara Eliya for rest 
and enjoyment, are rather a turbulent lot. He 
says: — "Considering the Sanatorium is full at this 
season, and so many more expected during the 
coming week, and rows and assaults are likely to 
take place, we ate surprised an Inspeotor of tolioe 
hah not yet been sent up." To the less fortunate 
who are unable to afford the time and the money for 
an outing at Nuwara Eliya, and who may be in- 
clined to regard the lucky ones with the "graen 
eye "', the state of things revealed by your corre- 
spondent should calm their perturbed spirits. 
Clearly they have been mercifully preserved. It is 
rather rough, however, on the padrees who as- 
semble in such numbers at this time on the 
Nuwara Eliya Plain, to find that the place has a 
worse character when they are there than it has at 
any other time ! This surely is worth looking into. 
The adulteration of citronella oil, which is 
now going on from bad to worse, and has reached 
the point, that it is next to impossible to get 
a pure sample, is surely a style of things which 
will cease to pay in the long run. The ingenuity 
of the producer has long ago passed the rude 
stage when so much of foreign oil was simply 
mixed with the citronella. Now they distill the 
two together — kerosine being the principal adul- 
terant — and the result of this is that unless the 
oil be subjected to a chemical test the detection 
is more difficult than formerly, I understand that 
kerosine which has been treated in this way, becomes 
very unlike kerosine, and fails to answer to some 
of the tests which the analyst usually applies. 
But at the same time its detection is easy enough. 
If the present style of things continues buyers of 
oitronella oil will have to insist on a chemical 
analysis, and that the oil be sold as we sell 
cinchooa bark. " It's an ill wind that blows nobody 
good," and it would seem as if our analytical 
chemists were to benefit by the roguery in the 
citronella oil trade. 
The weather still keeps as favourable for the 
planter as ever, and its praise is in all our 
mouths. As to what tea is doing, you hear very 
little : we are getting rather ashamed of big 
flushes as being but another name for low prices ; 
and these spicy little paragraphs in the newspapers 
relating to the rush of flush wherever the planter 
gives tongue, and puts the exuberance of his heart 
into words, are not nearly so common as they 
used to be. It has come to this that some of us 
hear of big returns with a sigh. In coffee days 
we came to grief from a failure of crop, and now 
it would seem as if we had a chance to be " choked 
off " with a plethora. However we may look at 
it, the tea goes on growing here as well as else- 
where ; and when one hears that fourteen "Rapid" 
rollers have just been shipped from England — not 
to speak of the manufacture of local machines — 
to meet the present demand, an idea of the extent 
of the manufacturing of tea which is going on, can 
be realised in a rough way. 
Of all the ingenious ways which have yet been 
devised to forward the interest of tea growers here 
101 
and check|the glut of the tea market at home, the 
palm must be given to Messrs. Venn & Co. I can't 
sayj that at first the plan commended itself to me 
but when the "note for the editor " was read, and 
I saw it was proposed that each member of the 
Association was to be presented with a case of apples 
by the Chairman or Secretary, it at once won 
for itself my unqualified approval. I am bold 
enough to think that even the most cantankerous 
member of the P, A. would agree with me and accept 
the gift with thanks and when there is such unani- 
mity of feeling abroad, for the officials in question 
to put themselves in antagonism would be a sorry 
spectacle indeed. It's a grand opening for the 
Chairman, Secretary, and, I fancy, the most unique 
in the annals of the Association. If they don't 
rise to the suggestion, what but I spurn the 
base thought and live in hope that my R9 case 
of Ribstone pippins " all repicked," is now on 
the way, and that the coin paid for them has 
been invested in tea. 
Cacao is looking wonderfully well, and ripe pods 
can be gathered every week or so. There is a 
splendid blossom bursting on those trees which 
bore heavily at the end of last year, and the 
prospects of the autumn crop are so far very fair 
indeed. The acreage of cacao is being increased 
in a small way here and there when suitable land 
can be found. 
I have heard of a new dodge of planting cacao 
at stake, that of germinating the seed so as to be 
sure that the right end is put down. Just when 
the shoot is bursting is the proper time to plant, 
and the loss which is so common when the seed 
is turned upside down, is reduced to almost nothing. 
Those who have planted cacao at stake know how 
difficult it is at times to decide which is the upper or 
the lower end, and the cooly planting, however con- 
fident he may be, is sure to be out time after time. 
The cholera scare is being taken advantage of 
by kanganies who have sent, cr are thought to 
have sent advances to the Coast, and who are not 
very sure how many coolies may come in. There 
will be delays they are sure, owing to the quaran- 
tine on the North Road, and worse still the recruits 
may desert. They tell you harrowing tales of the 
death-rate, the highest that I have heard was one 
hundred victims a day, and when you offor for 
their exaggerations a true statement of how things 
really are, they receive the information with be- 
coming respeot, but don't believe a word you say. 
Who would put the statement of a Government 
against bazaar rumour ? This cholera dodge is a 
rough sort of touchstone ; the kangani who has 
acted on "the square," is troubled, the other 
fellow is not, and by its means a side-light is 
thrown which often reveals things which you would 
be happier not to know. 
Peppercorn. 
♦ 
KANGRA VALLEY TEA. 
The apparent lethargy of Indian tea planters in 
matters affecting their own interests has more than 
once been commented upon, and the earlier arrange- 
ments in connection with the Paris Exhibition em- 
phasised again the superior enterprise of the tea-growers 
of Ceylon. Strong remonstrances from commercial 
authorities at home, who are interested in the tea in 
dustry of India, were, however, lately published in the 
Anglo-Indian papers : and this gave rise to active cor- 
respondence and discussion, which are already produc- 
ing excellent results. In this revival we are glad to 
see that the tea-planters of the Punjab participate, 
and active measures are in progress for bringing Kaugia 
Valley tea directly to the front, as its quality un- 
doubtedly deserves ; and we may hope that all the 
planters concerned in this desirable consummation will 
come heartily forward to lend unity, which is etrength 
