S42 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June i, 1889. 
Schedule op the Company's Estates. — Arapolo- 
kande, Asgeria and Maddawella, Bulatwatte and 
Maddawella, Belgodde, Colouna (let on lease), Oonde- 
galla, Dandnkelawa, Doombagastalawa, Dromolaud, 
Gigran Ella, Hope, Ingurugalla and Berrewella, Rir- 
rimittia, Koladenia, Kntnaradola, Labookellie, Medde- 
coombra, Mennickwatte (one-half;, Montefiore, Nor- 
wood, Rothschild, Sinnegodde and Belle Vue (let on 
lease), Sogainma, Vellai Oya, Vevekellie, and Woodslee. 
TOTAL ACREAGE, 17,302 ACRES. 
Under Tea ... ... ... 6,919' 
Do Tea (with some remaining Coffee)... 1,716 
Do Coffee ... ... ... 647 
Do Cocoa ... ... ... 656 
Do Cinchona, Cardamoms and Sundries 523 
Do Forest Grass and uncultivated Land 6,841 
,302 
Balance Sheet, at 31st December 1888. 
Liabilities. 
Br. £ s. d. 
To Capital Stock— 
Nominal Capital. 60,600 Ordi- 
nary Shares, £5 each ... £303,000 
4,000 Preferred Shares, £ 5 
each ... ... - 20,000 
Ordinary Shares allotted, 59,169 
at £5 ... ... ■■■ £295,845 
Ordinary Shares unclaimed, 658 
at £5 ... ... 3,290 
Preferred Shares, 753 issued, £1 
per share called up ... 753 
299,888 0 0 
To 6 per cent Debentures £195,200 0 0 
To Debenture Interest ... 5,645 2 3 
200,845 2 3 
To Estates Reserve Account, Realizations and 
Recoveries ... ... ... 4,904 14 2 
To Fire Insurance Account ... ... 186 8 10 
To Sundry Creditors ... ... ... 7,738 9 8 
To Bills payable ... ... ... 19.512 10 0 
To Balance of Profit and Loss Account ... 465 13 5 
£533,540 18 4 
Or. Assets. £ 
By amount respecting Lauded and other 
property acquired at 1st January, 
1888, under agreement dated 10th 
October, 1S87 .-. — — 436,117 
By Outlay on Tea extension ... ... 11,615 
By Outlay on Machinery and 
Buldings ... ... £3,834 13 0 
By Less amount written off 
for depreciation ... 1,051 17 6 
2,78 2 
By Produce on hand ... ... ... 16,981 
eroduce and supplies 
9,156 
111 
21,788 
967 
s. d. 
4 0 
6 10 
By Advances againt produce and supplies 
for Estates 
Bv Furniture 
By Sundry Debtors 
By Bills receivable 
By Cash on Deposit and at Bankers 
34,019 
2 0 
19 6 
9 7 
12 8 
15 8 
£533,540 18 4 
Profit and Loss Account for Year ended 
31st December 1888. 
Dr. £ s. d. 
To Expenditure — 
Uukeep of estates including cost of pur- 
chased tea leaf and allowance for de- 
preciation on machinery and buildings 46,223 11 0 
Salaries, Office expenses, and General 
charges in London and Ceylon, including 
Directors and Managing Directors' re- 
muneration ... ... ... 6,060 17 6 
To Interest on Debentures .. ... 11,712 0 0 
To Balance ... ... ... ... 465 13 5 
£64,462 1 11 
Or. £ s> d - 
By Income — 
Proceeds of Produce sold and brought to 
account at 31st December 1888, and 
profits from Agency business. In- 
terest, &c. ... ... ... 47,480 9 4 
Estimated value of Produce on hand at 
31st December 1888 ... ... 16,981 12 7 
£64,462 1 1 
COCONUT PALM DISEASE. 
Colonial Secretary's Office, Colombo, 9th May 1889. 
To the Editor. 
Sir, — I am directed to send for your information 
a copy of a report by the Superintendent of 
the School of Agriculture on the coconut palm 
disease. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, 
A. M. ASHMORE, for Colonial Secretary. 
Kandy, 20th April 1889. 
I beg to report that I visited Veyangoda on the 27th 
March, spending part of the 27th and 28th in enquiring 
into the subject of the " disease" affecting the coconut 
palm. In certain areas in Veyangoda I observed that 
the trees were in a very backward condition, looking 
sickly and parched. I brought away with me leaves 
from affected fronds, and examined the discoloured por- 
tions of these leaves under the microscope at the School 
of Agriculture. (This instrument was neither com- 
plete in its fittings, nor powerful enough for the ex- 
amination of minute fungi.) I was, however, able to 
discover a parasitic fungus in the specimens I brought 
away with me. I had hoped to be allowed sufficient 
time to carry on my enquiry into the subject more 
thoroughly than I have done, rising what intervals of 
time I had to spare, and availing myself of extraneous 
aid offered me in the matter of getting at better mi- 
croscopic appliances. I have, however, been able to 
visit districts where coconuts are cultivated both far 
from and near to, the coast, and to note the different 
modes of cultivation and treatment of the soil adopted 
in the various plantations ; and I have no hesitation in 
saying that thorough cultivation is the surest way of 
combating the evil. Where the trees have been helped 
to maintain their vigour the affection was at a minimum, 
and in places where I would have expected to see the 
trees badly affected, but where as thorough cultiva- 
tion as one would have expected to find in the best 
agricultural districts in England was adopted there 
was hardly any indication of the " disease " to be 
noticed. In areas where the attack was at its 
worst the soil was generally not in a condition favour- 
able to luxuriant growth. A favourable chemical 
condition of soil is correlative to a good mechanical 
condition produced by working, liming, draining, &c. 
Thorough, deep cultivation must be adopted in soils 
inclined at all to be heavy even at the risk of 
temporary loss, followed by liming, and, if necessary, 
manuring. Deep draining is especially necessary for 
heavy soils. No one who has seen these operations 
carried out under necessary conditions, and seen their 
results, can doubt their efficacy in preventing those 
conditions in the crops grown which favour attack from 
fungoid and insect pests. 
Now, in enquiring into the cause of a weakly 
growth, I would enquire first, whether good " seed," 
from a healthy and well-developed stock was 
used, whether the planting was properly done, 
and whether the crop has been well-treated. It 
is difficult in the case of a perennial like the 
coconut to get at the remote antecedents of the 
plant, but to anyone coming from a country where 
the art of agricultnre is practised to perfection, the 
niggardly treatment of the soil, and especially coco- 
nut soils, in the generality is most striking. Where 
the advantages of a fallow or a rotation are shut 
out, it behoves cultivators of coconuts to use every 
artificial means of maintaining the fertility of the 
soil. As exceptions, I have seen coconut estates 
under a very perfect system of cultivation, and as I 
mentioned before they showed no indication of suffer- 
ing from " disease ;" the plantations were moreover, 
on a comparatively stiff soil, and at a distance from 
the sea, I cannot agree that salt, and salt only, is 
necessary to raise the affected coconut tree to a 
healthy state, but I do not mean to under-rate the 
value of salt in coconut cultivation, and I may here 
state that a supply of salt under easier conditions, 
but with what precautions may be thought proper 
to preclude it from being used for culinary purposes, 
is a great desideratum. But it must be remembered 
that the use of manures must follow cultivation of 
