December i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
487 
of 
conveniently situated with regard to 
therailway, and have since been joined by a friend, 
■who intends taking a nhare with me. I can thoroughly 
recommend the country to young fellows of email capit- 
al (suy £1,000) and steady habits, and who are not 
afraid to rough it a bit at first. 1 have a man to 
help in the farm work, and his wife runs the house. 
Society, as might be expected, is in a very primitive 
state. A dirty plnughboy (knows not the use of a 
fork and commences his attack on the butter by first 
cleaning his knife in his mouth), a shoeless and 
stockimdess individual called a woman (who does not 
possess such an article as a comb), and a species of 
vermin designated a child, make up the number 
around tho festive board. Dinner in this country is 
cooked in len minutes and consumed in three-and- 
a-half minutes. Another-one-and-half minute may be 
allowed lor cleaning up, after you have finished the 
meal that has been thrown at you about 12 o'clock. 
These are, perhaps, disadvantages. On the other hand, 
thero is plenty of sport : duck, geese and prairie chicken 
abounding in this locality, and 11 decent shot may always 
during the season procure his five or six birds of an eve- 
ning after work. Unbroken prairie land may be procured 
from the Railroad Company at $5 (£1) V? acre, and 
improved farm land with buildings, a decent house, barn, 
and granary for about §10 (£2) per acre. We are 
mostly going in for stock-raising, for this line of 
farming is more remunerative than grain, which re- 
quires more liired labour, which is extremely expensive 
a man hired by the month receiving from $20 to §25 
per month, and another dollar aud a quarter for his 
team, in harvest time, these figures rise considerably. 
There are now in this vicinity five Ceylon men, 
besides two previously in the O. B. C. Bank in Cal- 
cutta and Mauritius, and two or three other English- 
men. We are getting along very well, and here one 
always has a home, with good sport and good health, 
and can always make a living at the worst of time?, 
which is more than one can say of Ceylon. We 
hope soon to see many friends from the old island 
and England, and I hone you will let some of those 
400 planters out of billets know that there is such a 
place as Heron Lake, and that with not less than 
£1,000, and a little discomfort perhaps, one can be very 
jolly in this benighted country. 
We will let you hear from time to time, 
future letter I will forward you an estimate of < 
penditure and returns. Meanwhile, with salaams, 
yours truly, Dotala. 
some 
CINCHONA CULTIVATION IN CEYLON : 
GOVERNMENT VS. PRIVATE ANALYTICAL 
CHEMISTS. 
THE MADULSIMA COMPANY TO HAVE THEIR OWN CHEMIST. 
Kandy, 1st October 1881. 
PThe Secretary to the Planters' Association of Ceylon 
sends ns for publication " copy of the correspondence on 
the subject of the proposed appointment of a Govern- 
ment cinchona bark annlyst at Hakgala with a view 
to carry on experimental cultivation."] 
The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Colombo. 
Sir,— I have the honor to invite the attention of 
Government to the annexed copy of a resolution passed 
At a recent meeting of the Pl'iuters' Association, and 
trust that it may receivo the early anil favorable cm- 
tideration of His Excellency the Governor. — I am, &c, 
(Signed) A. 1*1111.1 1', S',;;/nri/. 
Resolution referred to : — "That in view of the large 
area of laud now planted with cinchona, and of the 
fact that tli- climate nod Boil in many parts of 
Ceyl.m are well suited to its successful cultivation, 
Government bo requested to appoint a bark analyst 
at Hakgala, with a view to carry on experimental 
cultivation. ' 
Colonial Secretary's Olfice, Colombo, 13th October 1881. 
Sir, — With reference to your letter of the 1st 
instant, I am directed to transmit to you the enclosed 
copy of an extract from a letter from Mr. Thiselton 
Dyer. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, 
(Signed) Geo, T. M. O'Brien, for Col. Secy. 
A. Philip, Esq., Secretary, Planters' Association. 
(Extract nf erred to.) 
Dr. Trimen is undoubtedly comet in thinking that 
no attempt should be made to combine the duties of 
the assistant director with those of a chemist. There 
can be no doubt that in the present btate of the 
cinchona industry, the services of a chemist on the 
spot would be of great advantage to the plan'ers. Mr. 
Karslake, one of the Directors of the Madulsima 
Company, has communicated with Kew upon the sub- 
ject. But it was obviously impossible to give him 
any encouragement in the idea that this was a mat- 
ter in which the Ceylon Government could be ex- 
pected to bear the expense. The Company have there- 
fore intimated their intention of sending out a chemist 
to receive a salary of £600 a year with a house and 
free passage, and Mr. Karslake has been put into 
communication with one of the leading olliceis of the 
Chemical Society in order to select a suitable person. 
I am more particularly to mention this circumstance 
in order to show the rate at which the market value 
of scientific services is estimated by private employers. 
It is obvious, of course, that only men with large 
capital can offer terms such as these, 'the members 
of the Planters' Association might, however, com- 
bine to employ a chemist for their joint assi-tance ; 
and Sir Joseph Hooker has already suggested that, 
if this were done, the Government might assist by 
affording laboratory accommodation in the Colombo 
Museum. 
SALE OF LEDGERIANA SEED IN COLOMBO. 
This day (12th Oct.) Mr. Symons had another sale 
of Java Ledgeriana seed with the following result : — 
R. R. 
5 boxes, each containing 2 grains at 65 per box 325 
1 .. » „ 55 „ 55 
5 „ „ „ 54 „ 270 
5 „ „ „ 52 „ 260 
3 ,, „ ,, 50 ,, 150 
3 „ ,, 46 „ 138 
5 „ „ „ 45 ,, 225 
3 „ „ 44 „ 132 
11 „ „ 43 „ 473 
4 „ „ „ 42 ,, 168 
3 „ „ „ 41 „ 123 
5 „ „ „ 40 „ 200 
53 boxes. R2.5I9 
There being 480 grains in one oz. troy, and say 
10 grains in a gram, i e. 30 gra.ms to an ounce, 
and at an average of R47'50 per two grams, it would 
bo H712 50 per oz. troy. 
After the sale of Ledgeriana seed, the following 
lots of other cinchona seeds were sold to-day :- 3.} ox. 
officinalis at E6 per oz., li succirubra at R31 per oz, 
from the same Gardens. 
Tin: Indian Tea Crop.— The Kumann correspondent 
of the Delhi Gazette writes : — " The tea crop will, I be- 
lieve, bo within tho average, owing tothe terrible smash- 
ing so many estates got from thu hailstorms in May 
last. Ono in particular, about which I wrote at tho 
time, standing rather high, has never recovered the 
mauling it thou pot. 'I ho expected outturn per acre 
was 2 J mauud ; the actual outturn will not exceed 
lj maund." 
