October i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
355 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Obsewer. 
LIBERIAN COFFEE CULTURE. 
Dkar Sir. — Have any of your readers tried Liberian 
coffee in land when- the ordinary kind had gone out 
through "grub," but where the soil was still good, 
and climate and elevation suitable? And can they 
tell us how they have succeeded so far? 
I have never heard of grub in connection with the 
Liberian species ; and the flavour of the rootlets may 
possibly be too strong for this delicate feeder ; or may 
be the tree itself is strong enough to disregard what, 
in the case of Arabica, is more fatal for them. 
LEAF DISEASE. 
TEA CULTIVATION IN CEYLON AND INDIA. 
Deyanewatte, Passara, 1st Sept. 1881. 
Dear Sik,— I notice India carried off 34 silver medals 
for her teas, and Ceylon 11 (eleven) silver medals for 
teas. Now, considering that, since the writer (as 
Special Correspondent lor the Ceylon Observer) reported 
progress in Assam in 1876, the exports of Indian 
teas have increased from 17,000,000 to 50,000,000 of 
lb., and the quantity of tea made hitherto in Ceylon 
is nothing iu proportion to that of India (judging 
from the number of medals awarded to our tea 
manufacturer!!), Ceylon has certainly beaten India in 
quality. This circumstance should greatly encourage 
those engnged iu the tea enterprise in Ceylou to 
push forward the industry : considerable credit being 
due to the Ceylon Commissioner.— I remain, dear sir, 
yours faithfully, HENRY COTTAM. 
Sir, 
made i 
or 
INCHONA BARK :-COLOMBO 
CHARGES. 
Haldummulla, 2nd Sept. 1881. 
linence is given to the charge to bo 
vainly nope to reauze un- 
charge on cofloo is 3£ to 4$ 
this many operations are 
What expense cl>es cui 
A drying on the barbacn 
down a bag of 100 lb. cine 
R5(!) lor 25 minutes' 
The Chamber of Com 
rale that will pay its men 
an extortion. Two cents 1 
50 bags of cinchona woul 
Let the sale charge b< 
value realized— pay 24 p 
be so frightful 
ile, and this on 
:ioo. 
cut ou the 
any fancied 
curing. Fancy, all the rubbish from an estate being 
ordered down, realizes for it'a very good price 00 25 
Curing charges ... ... ... ... 00 - 05 
ROO-20 
Cost of barking, &c. 20 cents. Weeding; management ; 
fartereet on ny; items which duly appear at the 
'year's end. Why are there so few agents t 
TWO-AND-I1ALF PElt CENT. 
CINCHONA "STUMPS" FOB INDIA.— RAILWAY 
CHARGES (i.N CINCHONA PLANTS: A HINT 
TO THE THAI 1'1< MAN AO EH. 
2nd. September 1SSI. 
Dbar Sir,— What do you think of cinchona "stumps" 
having l'e>n sent from here to ludiii, and being re- 
ceived in goud order ! 
I sent 2,000 Calisaya "stumps" last month to a 
gentleman in India, and he writes: — "They arrived 
in beautiful order. Nearly all of them were throw- 
ing out fresh shoots." The plants were stumped in 
the nursery and then dipped in cowdung water and 
packed in a rough box with a little moss and earth : 
a few holts were bored in the top and .sides of the box. 
Why do the railway authorities charge so much 
for the carriage of cinchona plants? They make 
people pay in advance for the carriage of the plants, 
and therefore I think they ought to charge ouly the 
rates given under rule No. 34 (I take this from the 
Directory), viz. 35 cents for every 100 lb , instead of 
which they charge them under No. 33, at the ra'e of 
55 cents for every 100 lb. Look at the absurdity of 
the thing ! 1 sent five coolies with plants to be for- 
wardod from Gampola to Nawalapitiya on Monday 
last, and the charge for the five cooly loads was 
RL72 ! I could have sent the plants up as cheaply 
by coolies ; of course I saved time in sending the 
plants by rail. 
I think cinchona plants ought to be charged under 
rule 34: else why make prepayment cornpulson ? — Yours 
faithfully, E. 
YIELD OF TEA IN CEYLON :— 4£ MAUNDS 
PER ACRE OBTAINED IN AMBEOAMUWA. 
Gallebodde, 2nd September 1881. 
Dear Sir, — I have only to-day noticed the article 
in your issue of the 25th ultimo, on the probable 
yield per acre of tea in Ceylon, as having special 
reference to the Kandaloya Tea and Cinchona Com- 
pany about to be started. You allow it dues not 
seem too much in Dolosbage and Y\ikdessa to count 
on each acre giving five maunds of dry tea, but yon 
seem to think ihat an estimate to this amount may 
possibly be too sanguine, and that 300 lb. or 3| 
maunds per acre is a safer figure on which to base 
calculatious. It may, therefore, be of interest to you 
and such of your readers as take any thought of the 
prospects of tea in this island, to know that there 
was made on this estate for last season, i. e., the 12 
months ending 30ch June 1SSI, an average of 3801b. 
or 4| maunds of tea from each acre. This I can 
assure you was clone without iu any way over-pluck- 
ing the bushes, and I may add that in the current 
season I expect to considerably exceed this outturn. 
1 tli ink I have seen it stated that ou a few of the 
tea gardens in India, enjoying no doubt exceptional 
advantages with regard to soil and climate, the yield 
has reached to even 10 maunds per acre. Though 
perhaps we can scarcely look to such an outturn 
in Ceylon, I think it will be found that where tea is 
planted in virgin soil at a medium elevation with a 
sufficient rainfall an annual average yield of 5 maunds 
to the acre is not by any nieiins more than may be 
reasonably looked for. The tea on this estate, of 
which I have given you the statistics above, was 
planted in July 1S7S on forest laud, so that it cannot 
yet be considered in full bearing; and I think that 
oue cause of its successful yield may be attributed to 
the fact that in the commencement no expense was 
spared in importing the best seed procurable from 
In 1 a — Yours faithfully, J. ROYDON HUGHES. 
CURING CINCHONA BARK :— COLOMBO 
CHARGKS 
Colombo, Sept. 7th, 1S8I. 
Di:.\it Sir, — Replying to tho letter of " Two-and- 
Half Bar Ceut" in yesterday's issue of the Observer 
1 would point out that the 5 c uts per lb. does 
not only include "curing," but transport from railway 
t<> mills, fire iusaranoe. picking, b.iliug, cost oi cases, 
shipping, and all other minor expense* iucidont.il to 
the careful preparation and shipment of viuciiuua. 
