August i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
Mr. Roberts' views on tha several points above 
dealt with have baen given by me at considerable 
length, but previous experience of the value of his 
opinions has inclined me so to give them. — London 
Cor: 
♦ 
PLANTING REPORT FROM THE UVA 
DISTRICTS CEYLON. 
Badulla, July .5th. 
For the past tea days the Weather has been, 
very extraordinary. Dull, cloudy, heavy showers. 
On the 23rd there was a heavy storm and a very 
sharp fall of hail. I never remember such weather 
in June— in Ouv ih, before. We are now once more 
having bright sun, wiih a little wind. 
It has again been a favourable month for Tea, and 
Factories have been busy ; but pruning has now 
commenced generally and there will be comparatively 
little tea sent away from the district for the next 
few months. Prices of our tea, in common with those 
of other districts have been disappointing. 
0 msiderable acreages of Coffee are now being cut 
out for tea and there will be a large acreage put under 
that product in tbe coming year. The wet weather 
has been aga nst poor old coffee, and unless July- 
August are dry months very little coilee will leave 
I he district next year. Autumn crops are everywhere 
short, but high coffee is looking fairly well and only 
requires a lit' le dry weather to blossom. 1 think bug 
has received a check. It does not strike me as having 
spread at all during the last month. 
Ttie Indian Government action with regard to Ex- 
change is ttie subject— naturally — of conversation ; 
while no doubt it will give investors confidence, it is 
without doubt a heavy blow t j producers for the time, 
already crippled by the present wretched prices for 
tea. We can only hope they will rise with the value 
of the rupee. It would have been a satisfaction 
had the Indian Government given the public some 
assurance that they did not propose raising the rate 
to 1/6 at an early date. 
F LAN TING AND PRODUCE IN NETHERLANDS 
INDIA. 
Consul S. R. Lankester writes to the Earl of Rise- 
bery from Batavia, Jlarch 9th, enolosing hia report 
on the trade, oommeroe and general matters relating 
to tha Iblaud of Java lor the year 1893. Mr. Lan- 
kester stales : — 
Ganer illy speaking the year 1892 has been a fairly 
p osperoua one from an agricultural point of view, 
orops of moat export products hiving bjen normal 
ones, aod in the case of some articles, such as tea and 
tobasco, ooneiderably a'love the average, whilst prices, 
except tor tea, langed on about the same level as dur- 
iug the preceding year. 
Importers have also reason to be satisfied with the 
results of the yiar's bueinesa, demand having been 
good and money pitntifal, while the general advance in 
prices of manufactures in Europe prevented excessive 
shipments duriU); the closing months of the year, 
thereby imp.tttiog a healthy tone to the market. 
BXPOBTS 
Sugar. — As mentioned in my last report, the weather 
duriug tae planting season, ftliy to September 1891,' 
was a iythm^ but favourable, and although the oane 
ill tnosl parts of Che isltnd reo iverad in great measure 
from tha effcicta of t*ie iirou.;h6, tli-tnks to the rains 
ituriug the early mouths of 1892, tae qnality of the juice 
especially in E ist J iva, seems to have suffered, thereb y 
inoroasiug the cost of extracting th i sugar. Very little 
was heard in West an 1 iliddla Java of the once for- 
midsbie so eA disease, and even in the eautcirn districts 
where it still continues m>re or less prevalent, it has 
not spread to any alarming extent nor is it expected 
to intlueQQe muoti the prospects of the coming crop. 
The more enterprining among the p'anters have 
cobtiuued their e£for:s to keep abreast of the times 
by the introduction of the newest appliances for 
simplifying and perfecting the manufacture of sugar 
and Bundry minor improvements are being made year 
by year in the method of treating the cane. 
Prices opened on about the same level as in the 
previous campaign, but were even better maiotained 
BO that the average rates obtained by planters were 
higher than in the preceding year. The total pro- 
duc;ion exceeded that of 1891 bj abont 16,000 tons, 
about 6,000 tons of which ii.creaee is due to the 
out-tnr,i of several new estates m Eastand Middle Java. 
Up to Dec. 3l8t the exports of the 1892 crop wi re:— 
Country. ] 892 1 89 1 
Tons Tons 
To Europe .. 117,648 149,9i O 
Australia .. 40,800 42.694 
China .. 52,213 64,227 
America .. 89,792 51,039 
foundries .. 17,162 10,317 
Total 317,51.5 318,077 
The prospects for the coming sugar crop are sitis- 
factory, and by the end of 1892 more than half the 
estimated production had already found buyer,=, at 
rates showing a considerable advance on those ruling 
for the crop jnst harvested. For a considerable propor- 
tion of the sugars fold, the buyers hsvn stipuiatad 
the option of taking delivery in an assortment suit, 
able for the United States, which fict p in^s to 
the probability of a good demand from that Quarter 
during 1893. 
No final decision has yet been con-e to by Govern, 
ment as to the form the tax shall take, which is in- 
tended ubima-ely to supersede the export duty on 
sugar. As a provisional meagure, however, a tax has 
b°en imposed, to be levied first, during 1893, on all 
sugar estates not i>rcdnciDg sugar exclusively for con- 
Btiraption in the country. 
Each estate will be tax«d in proportion to the 
Rve-age income which has been derived therefrom 
during the three preceding years, and the total sum' 
ani^ually levied will be equivalent to the amount 
which tie Treasury would have received on an 
average for expert duty during the three preceding 
years had the lat'er form of taxation not been 
suspended. 
Coffee.— The crop of the past year on priva'e 
estates did not quite come up to expectation", as 
many of the low-lying lands suffered from dro-g'it, 
but on the wh' le was a satisfactcry one, and with the 
high prices rtiling at borne mns- have given good 
results to planters. Prospects for next year, owing 
to heavy rains in Aaguit-November, which prevented 
the blossom from setting, are unfavourable, the crop 
will be one of the smallest on record, but the plan- 
tations in general 1 >ok very well, the rains having 
brought the trees forward, and after the pretent rest 
they should bear well in 1893-94. 
The estimates published of the Government crop in 
the early part of the year were largely exceeded, the 
out-turn having bsen about 42,000 tons, of which 
qoanti-y it i.3 understood that about 12,000 tons will 
be retained for shipment in 1893. 
For the coming year the yield of Government ooffee 
estimated at not more than 9,000 tons. 
Tea — Statistion show an increase of from about 
6,000,000 lb. in 1891 to 9,000,COO lb. in 1892. but prices 
in Europe riil^d on such a comparatively low level 
thut planters will hardlv h.ive been compensated 
even by the extremely heavy crops o -tained. 
Tobacco.— The pro iucli >n was exceedingly Urge, 
especially of scrubs as utuilly pro luced by the nativss, 
with the exception of tte Bezoekie Residency, where 
the crop, beinpr a late one, was almost ruinisd by 
heavy rain. The qualiiy was fairly good, and prices 
ruled much the same as the preceding year. 
RiOE.— In cimsequence of the drought in 1891, the 
crop although it eventually turned out a large one 
in East Java, wag mnch retarded, and imports took 
p'ace on a Urue scale during the early months of 
the year, especially iu Mid Java The harvest ws», 
however, abundant la the eaat of the Island, acd the 
