8 4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1881 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
SIR WILLIAM GREGORY ON CEYLON TEA. 
Coole, Gort, Co. Gal way, April 8th. 
Sir,— An extremely good letter on the subject of 
Ceylon tea written by Mr. Mackenzie has recently 
apprared in the Observer. It ought to attract at- 
tention to induce planters to combine and obtain a 
betier position for this product in the London market. 
I cannot at all understand its being so lightly es- 
teemed bv the dealers at home, as every person of 
find a pound of Ceylon tea to be a most acceptable 
present to all ladies of my acquaintance who have 
received it. We drink no other tea in my house; 
nor shall I do so, as long as I can get a regular 
eupply of the same quality as heretofore. It strikes 
tne that the planters might obtain an agency for the 
sale of their tea in the West End >f London. I uo 
not know whether it would be expedient to com- 
bine it with anv agency for the sale of Indian tea, 
Or whether it might not be introduced into the 
Co-operative Societies. Of course precaution would 
have to be taken that teas of an inferior quality 
should not prejudice the sale of those of a higher 
standard. 
There are always difficulties in the way of newcomers, 
such as your tea. They are regarded as intruders 
and as likely to affect vested interests, but these 
difficulties can be, and ought to be overcome. Your 
uncle, Mr. A. M. Ferguson, has done right gooa 
work in Australia by introducing Ceylon tea there 
and I expect that ere long many a panmkm of it 
will be brewed in the bush, for its excellent flavour 
will make it a favourite without milk. 
I take so much interest in Ceylon, and especially 
in its tea, from personal predilections that I feel ag- 
grieved at a product which ought to be so popular 
meeting with such little favour hitherto, in fact 
being almost unknown. The small amount as yet re- 
ceived in England will account in a measure for 
this, but as the export of it will soon be large, I may 
be excused for recommending that some combined 
action may betaken in respect to it, without loss of time. 
— I remain, sir, yours obediently, 
W. H. GREGORY. 
COFFEE :— THE YIELD OF LAWRENCE 
ESTATE, DIKOYA. 
Lawrence, Dikoya, May 9, 1881. 
Dear Sir — With reference to the yield from this es- 
tate, quoted by you from a correspondent's letter, I beg 
to say that having gone into the figures a couple of 
months back with Mr. Hard ng, they shew au average 
crop of over 23 bushels of parchment (nearly 24) per 
acre, for the nine 3 ears ending 1879-80 from coffee in 
full bearing, nearly 5 cwt. per acre, instead of 3J as, 
vour correspondent says.— Yours truly, 
WALTER S. AGAR. 
TEA AND CINCHONA. 
Sir, — Talking of ' puffing': Irnve you seen the pros- 
pectus of the "Tea and Cinchona Plantations Company, 
Limited"? Companies might he the medium of doing 
much good in devel oping the resources of the country. 
But in Ceylon the best known of the e have done much 
harm. Yet a man who has been deluded into invest- 
inj money on a promise of 19 per cent (even 70 
per cent was promised in one case) is thought a 
>' very 7 ndc person," if he makes any remarks other 
than laudatory of all concerned, or asks awkward 
questions, when iost ad of 19 per cent., he finds con- 
siderably less than nothing ie the result. (But then 
the directors have gained experience, and as your 
daily contemporary says in reference to the recent 
meeting of a Company, experience not paid for is not 
worth having ! Some consolation doubtless in that.) 
To be successful in the end, Companies should not re- 
quire much puffing. The new Company above-men- 
tioned has got together in the shape of extiacts from 
Observer, and other papers market reports, essays on 
tea, Mr. Ballardie and Mr.Downall's reports and letters's 
&c. &c. evidence to prove that this tea will give them 
.39 per cent, profit, and their cinchona £40 per acre 
of annual production "being about half of the lowest 
result which has come o their notice. " True, with re- 
ference to their Tea they appear to think they prove 
too much, and they reduce their profits to £6 10s 
per acre per annum. Now, the directors and pro- 
moters of this Company are doubtless all honorable 
men and have ha.i the best advice from the best 
sources of information ; and we may accordingly all 
look forward to the day when Ceylon will find its 
200,000 acres of cinchona will be reaping an annual 
profit of £8,000,000 (eifiht millions) sterling ! ! A pity 
to break up our ground for gold digging! ! Figures 
can be made to prove anything on paper. Of 
course, the directors make no mention of the low 
dividends of the Indian Tea Compmies ; of the fact 
that cinchonas die out, of the failures recently ex. 
perienced in attempts to replant this product, of the 
total annual consumption being only a fraction of 
£8,000,000 ; nor of the report current in Ceylon that 
the best of the two properties in Morowak Korale, 
which the directors have arranged to purchase, and 
for which we must suppose they are to pay the 
larger half of £14,000 (that being about the sum for 
which the estates are to be bought) was recently 
offered for pale for £3,000, and that the only bid 
was £100! Why don't they publish their prospectus 
in the Observer, that they may cheer the hearts of 
the many disappointed men now amongst us ? If this 
Company's property can be turned to such account, 
why not that of others? W. McK. 
COFFEE-MANURING ON " ALOOWIHARE " AND 
" VENTURE " ESTATES. 
Dear Sir, — With reference to the extract from an 
up-country report, which appeared in your issue of 
4th instant, and insofar as it applies to Mr. Ross, 
his estates, and the manure used by him, I should 
like to make a few remarks, with a view to correct 
the false impression likely to be conveyed by the 
statements therein made. 
Mr. Ross has all along been in the habit of manur- 
ing liberally, and of late has in his system of cultiva- 
tion, been guided by the best scientific advice he could 
get and would seem to be satisfied with what he has 
done, and the re-ult of his expenditure on the manures 
recommended to him, judging by the fact that he is 
about to send out a large consignment of the same 
again this season. 
And now, in the first place with regard to Aloo- 
wihara. Until last season, this estate got none of the 
manure sent out for Venture, wben about 20 acres 
were treated with it as an experiment, and the result 
was most satisfactory. Your correspondent makes 
rather a misleading statement when he rays "Aloo- 
wihara has actually fallen off in crops as much as 
any estate in Mat.ale, certainly more than any estate 
which has received similar case and outlay. This too 
in the last four y-ars while manures have b;en made 
from analysis." Now until last year, the soil of Aloo« 
wihara had not been analysed and the first of the manure 
now in use on Venture was only applied on that 
estate two years ago. 
