814 
THE TRDP1CHL ATSRTCULTUmST. [Tune i, 1889 
about the working of Ceylon estates ; but sureh 
thi6 is asking them to go a htUe too far. N< 
doubt a column for • acreage opened ' (this woulrl 
do better than ' quantity per acre ') would be ver\ 
handy and save a little trouble for th se scanning 
the information ; but I venture to say that most 
planters have one of your Handbooks and Directories 
and if they wish to make such a comparison them- 
Bulves, it would be very easy to do so. And again, 
those estates which make so much tea, are for 
the most part large buyers of green leaf ; so any 
attempt at basing the yield per acre on the figures 
published would be very misleading and inaccurate. * 
And is all this trouble to be taken by brokers, 
for men who ridicule their remarks ? " Quality 
or Quantity" apparently considers that all those 
estates " giving 400 lb. per acre or over, and 
fetching prices from an average lljd to Id or l|d 
above it," will ever and always continue to realize 
th -se prices. But when " almost every estate in 
Ceylon " is giving the " 100,000 lb. or over," does 
he imagine that ihe home market will swallow all 
that, without a further reduction ef prices ? 
May I point out, sir, that whilst in the year 1887 
only 21 per cent of estates appearing in W., S & Co. : s 
annual report realized averages below the shilling ; 
in the year 1888 as many as 55 per cent realized 
below that figure. 
No, sir, despite what men may say, it is im- 
perative that what may be termed ' more careful 
pluckiDg', not necessarily fine plucking, must be 
resorted to, to secure anything like paying prices, 
for good teas are selling now all out of proportion 
to medium ones. 
But lac not this be all ; let every opportunity 
be taken to push Ceylon teas in new markets. No 
doubt "Quality or Quantity" has already taken several 
shares in the ' Ceylon Planters' American Tea Co." 
And now for W., S. & Co.'s remarks, such as have 
not yet been criticized. Their hints about 'over sorting' 
are no doubt very \ aluable, but directly against 
their own appeal for fine teas. A few packages 
of good bioken pekoe, selling well, will just put 
the result of the whole invoice in a good position; 
while if the lot is all sent home as 'unassorted,' 
the individuality and fine flavour of that broken 
pekoe is lost, and a miserable price is given for 
the whole. The same with regard to two grades 
only ; the inferior mixed with the higher grade, 
reduces the whole lot to the catalogue of 'inferior,' 
or 'medium,' for which such disproportionately low 
pr,ces are bid. 
Again, what onesidedness is displayed by all 
the brokers in their remarks on ' loss in weight' ! 
All the care and all the trouble and vexation is 
to fall upon the shoulders of the poor planner, 
and none whatever upon those who reap the most 
profits. Now, why cannot they relinquish, or 
cause others to relinquish, the allowance of 1 lb. per 
package, which falls to the share, I believe, of the bro- 
kers themselves, or if not of some equally undeserving 
individuals. In half-chests of an average say of 55 lb, 
each, this means at once a lo.-s of nearly 2 per cent ; 
and then ounies the farther loss of the very astute 
mode of ' taring,' which they want us to correct. O 
tares and lamentations, look at this! We must get our 
gross just a little over the full pound, and the 
tare just under, to suit their convenience. What 
a nice oaloulatiin lo lo"k to ! Lead, nails and hoop- 
iron, all to be i iuely weighed, and boxes planed 
down till they weigh to the proper fraction of an 
ounce. O In .kless planter I 
* Wi- would have adderl acreage plnntedpay in 1895 
were it not for the number ol f-otories in Ceylon 
bow buying leaf.— Ed, 
Why don't those who weigh, take into considera- 
ion the quarters of a pound? For instance, like 
this it is very easily done. 
lb. qr. lb. qr. 
Chest A 72 1 gross 12 1 tare 
B 72 2 12 2 „ 
,, C 71 3 „ 11 3 „ 
„ D 71 2 „ 11 2 „ 
Total 288 0 gross 48 0 tare 
Average 72 0 gross 12 0 tare, which 
makes GO lb. nett, i. e., what it should be. 
We should not grudge the fraction of a quarter of 
a pound at all, and the loss would be reduced to a 
minimum. 
Failing this let the brokers (who are so ready 
with their advice) invent and supply us with 
chests of even tare, say all of 12| lb. for half- 
chests (this would allow of £ lb. of tea being 
' thrown in ' to make the gross all right), and 
which will make up quite airtight (which the 
metal chests fail to do, and planters will be 
content. — I am, sir, yours faithfully, G. D. 
CHEMICAL CUBE FOR COFFEE FUNGUS: 
IMPORTANT CORRECTION. 
Coonoor, Madras, April 23rd, 1889. 
Dear Sie, — Thanks for copy of Observer of April 
6th 1889, containing letter from " J. G. C. H." 
re cure for fungus on coffee. I write to say that 
by a typographical error the Sprayers are said to 
cost 371 francs each : this should be 37 francs 
only, on the Continent. As soon as information 
on the subject of this treatment is in my posses- 
sion you shall have it. To date, however, the 
Sprayers have not reached me. 
ESTATE MAN GER. 
[We are obliged to our correspondent : the 
price of Sprayers being 37 in place of 371 francs, 
makes all the difference in the world. We shall 
hope in due course to hear of the result of the 
Coonoor experiment. — Ed.] 
SPLENDID GROWTH OF TOBACCO IN 
BADULLA DISTRICT. 
Badulla, April 27th. 
Dear Sir, — I enclose a letter written at my re- 
quest concerning tobacco leaves grown up here. 
1 was really amazed at it when passing through 
the estate, common hillock soil too. Just try the 
measurement 32 tx 18: it's simply enormous. — Yours, 
RESIDENT. 
Badulla, April 25th, 1889. 
" I have cut down tobacco leaves some time ago, and 
those were much larger than the ones growing now. 
I give the measurement of some of the latter : — 
No. 1 32 in.loDglS in. broad. 
No. 2 30 in. do 19 in. do. 
No. 3 27 in. do 18 in, do. " 
THE COLOMBO CLIMATE AND COTTON 
SPINNING AND WEAVING. 
Dear Sir,— With reference to the remarks in 
your " Special Correspondent's" letter of 10th April 
respecting the dampmss of the Colombo climate 
and the question of its suitability for spinning 
and weaving operations, there must have been 
somo misapprehension on the part of his fellow- 
passenger, lor everyone acquainted with the great 
cotton industry is aware tnat a moist atmosphere 
grraily facilitates spinning and weaving, and you 
artf quit" c rrect in slating in your footnote that 
this is one of the many conditions that give us a 
distinct advantage over the mills in India. 
