158 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. fSEPT. i, 1893. 
interested.'' Into the merits of this tbreateoed 
resistance we cannot, for want of euflioient informa- 
tion, enter. It is a matter which muBt be deter- 
mined by ihe good faith of those against whom the 
claim is made, Apparently it is proposed to 
consult the present Btockholders individually, as to 
the be.st course to be pursued for the future. We 
cannot observe that any distinct proposition for 
future working, or for the continuance of the 
Company, has as yet been formulated ; but we think 
we see in the activity of the parties chiefly 
icterested — and these we have pointed out are 
mainly the newspaper proprietors who have 
Rratuitously advertized the Company — a promieo 
that means will be found for continuing its 
operations. It so there seems little doubt that Mr. 
May will yet remain at the helm, for he has 
received a strong expression of the confidence felt by 
all concerned in his management. 
GOVERNMENT AND PLANTING IN EAST 
AFRICA: 
By AN Ex-' EYLON Plantkh. 
THE MOMBASA MISBION, PLANTING &0. 
In a letter accompanying the appeal which 
appears in our aivertising columns, Air. J. K. W. 
Pigott writes: — 
As I know you are interested in good works I send 
you the enclosed and may be you would sec your 
way to help us either direcily or through jour 
valuable paper the Observer, which I hope still flour- 
ishes aa it did in the days when I h'ld the pleasure 
of digestins! its contents with my dinner on AUoo- 
wiharie. I need say nothing of the wants of Mombasa 
as they are fully set forth in the notice. 
" Things here are not very bright. No one knows 
what is to become of the country whether Govern- 
ment will take over or whether it will be annexed 
to the Zanzibar Protectorate. 
''We are expectiui^ Sir Gerald Portal back from 
Uganda early in August. 
" There is nothing to be done here in the way of 
planting at present except perhaps in coconuts, cotton 
and tobacco as the rainfall on the coast is so very 
uncertain ; but when the railway is an accomplished 
fact, things will, I think, change ; there is some very 
fine C'juntry inland, but the difficulties of transport 
make anything beyond experimental cultivation 
impracticable. 
"I see the T.A. every month, but have not yet 
the time to read it so carefully as I could wish ; being 
Acting Administrator my time is fully taken up. 
" I am always looking forward to seeing Ceylon 
again. I have had a somewhat varied and rough 
life since I saw you last in April 1S85. Thanking 
you and our other friends in Ceylon for the generous 
way in which your are going to help us." 
PATENT TEA PLUCKERS 
There is no escape from the fact that we 
are on the eve of a revolution in the mode of 
harvesting t B leaf,- and one that may have a 
oonsiilerable economical and especially 'labour' 
influence. " Thcimpson's Patent Pluoker " has so 
far alone been before the planting public ; but there 
are rumours of enother " Richmond " coming into 
the field very shortly. In the meantime we have 
bean f .voured with copy of a Report made to the 
patentee, of the o)'»rations extending over twelve 
months of the one available Tea plueker and we 
have not the slightest doubt that the Ceylon 
planting onmmunity as a whole will receive Mr. 
Dubree's letter and figures with the careful at- 
tention they merit. "Thompson's Patent 
Pluckers " we ourselves can vouch for as 
very handy and attractive in appearanca ; 
the instraotionB for their use are eimplioily 
itself; and better Etill there oan be no doubt of 
the meed of approval which they have seoured 
from men of a thoroughly rtliabli pr«otical 
oharpctfr. For instance, apart from Mr. Djbree, 
we had testimony today from one of the beet 
authorities we should say, in the island, that for 
use during the four months' plucking following 
on a lea bush coming round again after pruning, be 
considers '• Tbompson'B Plueker" perfect For con- 
tinuous use onwards, our authority is not prepared to 
sp^ak in the same term?, simply because he has 
not as yet had sufficient experience. In the 
meaniime, he speaks of what he does know and 
for the rnet here is the testimony of a planter 
Bo careful bnd experienced ae Mr. Dobree: — 
J. AsHiNGTON Thompson, Esq , 
Dikoya, July 12th, 1893. 
Dbaii Sib,— I have now aged your Patent Pluckers 
on two fields on Dikoyft estate of 15 acres eacb for 12 
month", und I send jou the returos of leaf pluckvd 
cr ratbcr tea made from each field, aod ttie total 
cost of plucking of all the tea made from leaf plaoked 
by 3 oar pluoker since I began using them, i' < ., 5,'),«00 lb. 
made tea at 4'3S cents per lb. 
If this tea had been haod-plucked it would have 
cost me at least 10 cts, per Ij, so I consider I have 
paved ,5 65 cents per lb. in the plucking. 
Tbe leaf on the whole has been ratber bett<>ir thso 
if liand-placked, as I have been able to go round 
regularly from 10 to 12 daye, ficejit for 2 ronntU 
at t^e hnrst of the S.-W. when the coolies did net 
turn out well, and tUe leaf ran to 13 days ou two 
or three dnye. 
I never had a ronaway of leaf during tbe forcing 
months of April aod May, wbi h I consi<ler most 
important as during those months we get in mot.t 
leif. WhcQ tipping for tbe first two or three rouiids 
after pruoipg, I get rather more stalks thun with 
hand-plncking, but these are easily picked out and tbe 
Blight disadvantage is muoh more ttian made np in 
other wages. 
There oan be no qaestion of tbe great improve- 
meat of the bash under your clippers. My bushes 
have spread out and covered the ground in a way I 
never expected and as all the tea on which I bave been 
using ihem (with the exception of one field cf 1.') ucres) 
wag cut down to 15 inches, the spread is the mor« 
remirkable, and next year when prnned higher 
tbe boehes will quite cover the prourd, as th y are 
not high yet and planned m land opened for 43 
years. I think the result most eaiisfaetory. I have 
used your clippers on all tea thut I hHve pron -d 
f..rihelast year, i.e. 12 months, a' d intetid going on 
usin^ them for 12 months after tipping. A tcr ihat 
R9 t':6 shoots get smiller, it may ba advi-able to 
hand pluck, but it will depend very much wlien the 
12 moLths are up. If the 12 mouths ended ou Ist 
April, then I think you could easily go on using the 
chppcrs till the end of May or till the S W. had 
checked the flush. 
I think it adviealle to hand pluck every field under 
the clippers 3 or 4 times daring the 12 months, say 
once a quarter to take ofif baogy thoroughly and give 
the smaller shoots a chance. 
This year there has been plenty of labour and the 
want of coolies in April ani Ma? has not been fflr, 
but when coolies ere short, as they prob»' ly wi.l be 
next year, those who are using your clippers will 
bave an immense advantage. Daring April and May 
I could keep my flush in hand with about lOOoooUei, 
less than I use i in 1891-92. 
To the objection, that you oan't use email children 
to clippers, I would point out that after you have 
them in full s«in(?, there will always be a portion of 
the estate over 12 months from tipping on which tbe 
children oan be put to hand-p'uclr. 
The higher the jat ttie more suitable it ia for the 
clippers. I do thiuk they can be used economically 
on very poor jats. They want a lot of personal super- 
vision at first to teach the coolies how to use them, 
but when once the coolies get to know them, they 
