336 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Kot, i, 1893. 
The dd/inage ioflioted on the Oompany'e buildiD^s 
and plftuk proved to be about as anticipated by the 
Cbairmm in his speech of last year ; bat as he itated, 
it was impos-dble then to forecast with any acouraoy 
the damage done to the canes, and the loss tben likely 
to accrue from the injury to them and from the 
deterioration in the oaae jaice, aud the difficulty of 
eitraotiuK the ta^ar. That loss proved in the couree 
of the year's vrorking to be extraordinarily heavy 
since not maoh more than half the asual crop of sugar 
(usually sold for over two million rupees) was secured 
from the Estates in which the Company is interested ; 
the ezpenees on the other hand, notwithstanding every 
effort to economize, vrere increused by the necessary 
restoration of buildings and plant, the replacing of 
stock, the clearing and reshaping of wateraourses, 
the rebuilding of bridges and other matters which also 
consumed much time and labour. 
The tea and cocoa crop in Cbylon during the period 
nndor review was also generally f ju id to be below 
the estimatr^s mide and this diminution affected to 
some extent tbe Company's estates in common with 
others, but exchange being favourable and the value 
of the company's tea proving the SHme as in tbe 
previous neason, the profits were slightly increased : 
1,363,714 lb. of made tea, from about 4,000 acres in 
bearing, were produced on tbe Company's Ceylon 
estates, in adddition to wbiob 160,797 lb. of tea were 
manufactured for the ostatos of other persons. Tbe 
cost of cultivation and manufacture to f.o.b. Colombo 
varied with different estates from 5 pence to 7'36 
pence per pound of made tea. The gross average price 
of the company's tea for tbe year was 9id. per pound 
in London. 
The cocoa crop amounted to 1,417 cwt. from about 
500 acres in bearing, and realized gross 110s per cwt. 
Under the above exceptional oiroiimstanoes the 
Directors consider that the small balance which appears 
on the balance sheet after payment of interest on the 
debentures, and after making considerable provision for 
deterioration iu Mauritius should not, however much 
it may be regretted, be a cause for apprehension, for 
they hare good reason to expect that the results of the 
proceedings of tbe present year, as to which excellent 
reports bare been received from tbe Company's 
Mauagers, will prove aa satisfactory as tbe year under 
review was otherwise. 
All damages to the Company's Mauritius Estates 
have been made good and occasion has been taken in 
rebuildiug to improve the arrangement of tbe factories 
and the condition of the Company's Estates in both 
islands is reported excellent. 
Mr. J»meB Charles Shaw having retired from the 
Board, the Directors elected Mr. Henry K. Kutherford, 
Managing Direcfor of the Ceylon Tea Plantations 
Company, Limited, to fill tbe vai;aDt place. 
In accordance with tbe Articles of Association, Mr. 
G. H, Tod-Heatly retires from the Board, and as be 
does not offer himself for re-election, Mr. Norman 
W. Grieve, well-known as a Ceylon Planter, is, iu 
accordance with the Company's Articles, recommended 
by the Directors, and has expressed hia willingness 
to fill tbe vacant seat. 
The Auditors, Messrs. WeUon, Joues & Co., also 
retire from office, and otfer themselves for re- 
election. 
The Directors append the following purtionlars with 
regar<l to tbe estates in acoordtvuce w'th the wish of 
:Shareholdec8 : — 
89tatb8 in ohtlon and mauritius the pbopebtt 
op thb companv. 
Ceylon. 
B^Uwood, Craigie Lea, Dangkande, Darrawella, 
D6lmir, Dane, Dodangalla, Douoaghmore, Forest 
Creek, Glen Devon, Havilland, Haddington, Henega- 
bawelle, Hunngalla, Ealugaliu, Kondes iile, Euda Oya, 
Lindapatina, Lonmay, Loolecon ler*, M il a*'eriateane, 
Mahawatte, Narangbeoa, N«nmiirket, Nilloomally 
3-4tb8, Sinnapitiya, Stellenberg, St. Coombs, Sam- 
merbill, Waloya, Wattewella. 
Total acreage 13,091 acres. 
Under Tea ... ... 6,080 terra 
„ Coffee 
668 „ 
., Cocoa 
WH> „ 
„ Cinchona 
626 ., 
„ Cardamoms ... ... 
113 „ 
„ Fuels R«<ieivea and Norstries 
Oraat, Forest, (&e. ... 
OM „ 
&,33S u 
MAUEITIU8. 
Bbitamkia I Cent Gaulbttes. 
Acreage 3,845 acres. 
The Company is also interested in tie foUowii g 
estates : — 
Beau Sejoar Sugar Bstites Conipaiiy, enmprising:— 
Beau t^ejnnr estate, Mon KouHe ot.t^ and tbe lands 
of Mont Piton, Australia, Mod Choix aad La Pais. 
Bon Air estate. 
Highlands Sugar E'^ates Company oompriaiog :— 
Highlands estate and OomI o estate. 
Acreage 9,572 acres. 
By Octler of the Board, 
HiMBV Obbit, SeoretMy. 
18th September, 1893. 
THE CEYLON TEA PLANTING INDUSTRY : 
ITS PRESENT STATUS WITH ESTIMATES 
OF CROP; 
NATIVE CONSUMPTION AND CULTIVATION. 
More important than tbe analyeeB we have 
already pieeenied to uur readers is that which has 
to do with tbe distribution oi our planted tea area 
according to age. From tbe records made up for 
tbe Directory, at intervale since 1867 when tbe 
return was ten acres planted, we are able to arrive 
at a very close approximation of tbe extent 
throughout the country in full or partial bearing 
and of that still under age. The figures work 
out on tbe present oooasion as tollowe : — 
TEA PLANTED IN CBTLOM. 
Acres. 
6 years old and upwards . . 183,000 
5 to 6 years . . 22,000 
4 to S „ . , 15,000 
»to4 „ .. 30,000 
2 to 3 „ ... 12,000 
Not in bearing ... 11,000 
Total 273,000 
This will aCord a basis for the Committee of 
the Planters' ABBOoiation in framing tbeir 
Estimate of Crop for 1894. For that year we 
may add 7,000 acres to tbe extent " not in hear- 
ing " for tea planted amongst ooffee, of which no 
account bas been taken in tbe abcva figures. 
Our own Estimate for tbe coming year, as ^iveu 
in the Handbook, is based on au average return 
of 371 lb. per acre for tbe old tea; 320 lb. for 
land between 5 and 6 years as an average ; 270 
lb. for tbe next stage; 200 lb. from 3 to4}eaiB 
and 100 lb. from tea 3 to 3 years of age. This 
works oat to a total crop for 1894 of 86,183,000 
lb. and deductitjg 700,000 lb. tor home coneump- 
tioD, we get lor export 85,483,000 lb. It is tuo 
early, however, to put forward such an Estimate 
with any authority. We mast first have a be ter 
idea of how the present year's crop and export 
are to ron, and we umst also oousider how much 
depends on the weather and the kind nf enoonr- 
Bgement offered to " fine," " medium" and "oouse" 
plucking. Taking these elements into oonsider- 
ation, the course adopted by tbe Planters' Committee 
of giving a range of figures in tue estim ite setms 
a wise one, and will no doubt be followed for 
the ooming year. If tbe aggregate ehipments for 
