June i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
849 
in a Lancashire mill. In fact with the salaries 
of European managers, engineers &c, it almost 
comes to more. Taking it altogether labour is 
dearer in India than in Lancashire. I know that 
the people at home think differently, but it is quite 
a fallacy. If the hours were shortened, the cost 
of producing would be considerably higher than in 
Lancashire, for of course you could not shorten the 
people's pay at the same rate. Then the principal 
market for Indian manufactured cotton is India it- 
self, and not only that, they have the raw cotton 
on the spot, which is another great advantage. 
Altogether the Indian mills have Id per lb. of a 
local advantage — it costs §d per lb. to press and 
send cotton to England, and another Jd per lb. to 
bring it back to India. That is an advantage the 
Indian mills have, and of course we shall have the 
same advantage here in Oeylon if cotton is grown 
in the island, as it undoubtedly will be. Neither 
the Manchester Chamber of Commerce nor any Act 
of Parliament can affect that Id. And then ex- 
change is another thing in favour of the Indian 
manufacturer. Supposing exchange were to go 
down it would be all the better for the Indian mills. 
The rupee in India itself, and as far as Indian goods 
go, buys as much now as it ever did." 
"But nearly the whole of the cotton manufactured 
in Lancashire is obtained from America, is it not, 
and supposing the Americans are able to send it 
over Id cheaper, would not that affect the prosperity 
of the Indian trade ? " 
"India sends about a million bales a year to 
Lancashire," replied Mr. Atherton, " and America 
sends three or four times that quantity, but the 
exchange is against the home trade in both cases. 
Poor England suffers tremendously in that way. 
China, Japan, and India are the great markets 
for cotton goods, and in all these the home 
manufacturer has to run the risk of exchange. 
Although the Indian mills do not make such 
profits now as they did a few years ago, it is more 
on account of their own opposition, I do not 
think there is any limit to millsjin the East except 
the supply of cotton. Indian mills may go on 
extending and extending until they use up the 
whole of their cotton. Nearly all the existing mills 
are extending very rapidly, and there is now a tre- 
mendous number in Bombay. Already the Indian 
mills not only supply the local demand, but they 
send out large quantities to China, Japan, Aden, 
and the Bed Sea ports, and a lot also goes to 
Zanzibar. In India they work from daylight to 
dark, and seven days a week. 
Mr. Atherton has not the least doubt about the 
success of the cotton industry in Ceylon, and ex- 
presses his confidence in a practical way, for he is 
willing to risk every cent he is possessed of, and 
— as he puts it — every cent that he can "borrow or 
steal honestly." 
COTTON GROWING BY EUHOPKANS. 
It is assuring to learn that there is every likeli- 
hood of European planters in the island taking 
to the cultivation of cotton. Many old firms such 
as Messrs. Geo. Steuart & Co., and Messrs. J. Murray 
Bobertson & Co., have been making enquires about 
seed from the agents— Messrs. Darley, Butler & Co. 
A number of experiments are being tried, and a lot 
of cotton will be planted from July to September. 
The only thing the agents fear is that they will 
not have enough seed to supply all the applicants. 
We understand that several books on the culti- 
vation of cotton are in course of preparation. The 
Hon. W. W. Mitchell, who is an authority, informs 
us that he is greatly in favour of planting the 
native hapu or kidney kind of cotton, for, 
as it is a perennial, it will give the minimum of 
trouble, and bear all the year round, the 
staple besides being just what is wanted. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMEBICA. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
Keep pegging away about the Ceylon Planters' 
American Te» Company. We must not let it fall to 
the ground ; our very existence will depend upon it, 
I believe. And rather than let it fall, Mr. — 
and I intend doubling our shares. When thoroughly 
understood I believe everyone in the country in- 
terested in tea, will join. 
THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY AND BIG 
TOBACCO LEAVES. 
We have received from the Badulla correspond- 
ent (Mr. E. Heanly) who wrote the other day 
about big tobacco leaves some specimens of the 
same in their green state. They certainly are 
"prodigious" measuring up to 2 ft. 4 in. in length 
by 1| foot wide. The owner of the garden in which 
tbey grew, sayB : " these are not so large as the 
ones already harvested." Can any other district 
beat them for size ? As regards the quality a 
Colombo authority to whom they have been shown, 
writes : — 
" They are of a very good size, but with few ex- 
ceptions coarse in proportion. I am sorry they are 
not cured in order to submit them to an expert." 
Could Mr. Heanly induce the owner to send a few 
of his best-cured leaves to refer to an expert ? — 
We see that a Kandy correspondent of a contem- 
porary reports as follows : — 
The land known as Velate estate, midway between 
Kandy and Peradeniya, has been bought by Mr. Har- 
rison, for the cultivation of tobacco. There are other 
lands for sale in the neighbourhood of Kandy, one 
being the property of the late Shroff of the Chartered 
Mercantile Bank, on the Halloluwa road near the 
ferry. This land, too, is said to be suitable for to- 
bacco. 
* ■ 
WITHEEING TEA, 
(From a Proprietor.) 
Withering on tats accounts no doubts for a lot of 
bad tea, arid, as the acreage and yield of tea increase, 
this evil of bad tea and consequent losses may also 
be expected to increase I 
Leaf is often left in the tats for days together before 
a wither can be got. At • it has been on the tats 
for Jive days. 
Bad withering weather is generally the best weather 
for flushing ! so it does seem strange if no one can be 
found to cope with this peculiar state of things. 
Even in tolerably fine weather, I believe, to avail of 
the direct rays of the sun is not at all good for the 
future flavor of the tea. So some think a safe artificial 
method of withering quicldyby heated air will have to be 
discovered. 
AN OLD CEYLON PLANTER IN 
CALIFORNIA. 
There may be some still in Ceylon who remember 
Mr. Edward Llewellyn who was superintendent of 
Gilston estate, Ambagamuwa, somewhere in the 
" fifties." We believe too that Mr. Llewellyn had to 
do with importing tea seed from Assam which 
was put out on Penylan, some big trees grown 
therefrom being still to the fore. Last mail brought a 
long letter from him from California addressed to the 
Editor, Observer, from which we quote as follows : — 
I am an old Ceylon coffee planter, a brother-in- 
law of Mr. Hy. Ritchie of WiIsod, Ritchie & Co., 
a firm which existed in your oity. I have often 
heard indirectly of the little country where I spent 
many of the happiest years of my life. I have been 
pretty well all over the world, and I have finally 
