460 
TiiE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. I, 1894. 
London, and no doubt will meet with » deservedly I 
beatty and cordial welcome from nil clafses of the 
community he h»8 eervtd io well ; for our great 
sacceas here it mast hIwbjs be rem<mb<red is very 
greatly due to him, «nd fail pleaaant end agreeable 
manner invariably enabled him to get what he re- 
qnited for Ceylon. 
Mr. Bierach foes fo New York or Toronto to 
Manage some Exlitbitions there, or at both of theeo 
place), aud probably have the valuable sBalstance of 
Mr. Wallace who has bf-en a most energe'.io salesman 
at the Main Court having bitnself, I believe half 
of all that has been sold there. I believe Captain 
Uansard, our kindly good-natnred friend returns Io 
Canada, and thus wr, who have worked together, 
and worked hard for Oeylon, are to be »c\ttfred once 
more all over the world. May we meet again ! Ol 
Mr. George Marr'a plans 1 cannot speak ju't at 
present, but he has also worked very hard for some 
lime now on behalf of Ceylon and the Commissioner.- 
MANY PECULIAB QUESTIONS 
were asked me latt>'rly by the country people, bat 
most of them I have forgotten. One party aaked me 
"if 1 could tell them when the Lagoons were going 
to be fed." I told thun the y were not fed till mid- 
night, and I believe these people waite I nntil then, 
or till they were put out. Another party sake I me 
"when the wooded Inland wss to te burned, " while 
another learned piofeeeor !rom the country i- quired "if 
there were any Lagoons in tho Wometi's Building." 
I'BAISE FOIt THE OOMMISBIONEn, 
Now I must a»y goodbye Mr. Eiii'or, and let my 
last words be thote of tliauks, heartfelt thanks to the 
Hon. J. J. Griolinton for many kind words of appre- 
ciation and thoughtful acts tbat made life worth 
livirg during the turmoil of the Fair. Sic Transit 
Gloria Mundi's Fair, T. A. C 
F.S,—1 notice 
AN EXTBEMELY CHILDISH LETTEll 
in your latest Overland signed "A Tea Planter"; bat 
I think he is snfiSoiently answered by " Another 
Tea Planter": the letter in question is beneath con- 
tempt.— T, A. 0. 
« 
NEWS FROM THE CENTRAL PROVINCE; 
PLANTING AND OTHERWISE: 
{Notes by Watiderer.) 
Deo. 8tb. 
Conditions Fon Good Tea Prices and Good Crops. 
—Given tea bushes of good j&t, fair soil, no coarse 
plucking, plenty of factory room, so that no pro- 
cess in the manufacture has to wait for the other, 
and there you are! I feel sure the excellent 
Chairman of the Ceylon Tea Plantations Co. and 
new Director of the Oriental Bank Estates Co 
will admit that the foregoing will ensure a steady 
mairket for the producer. 
Ceylon Tea in America.— Mr. J. L- Shand's 
experienpe of would-be American dealers in Ceylon 
tea is very amusing, Mr. Shand does not much 
believe in the Americans taking anything but cheap 
tea from us. Mr. Forbes Laurie wites sensibly, 
except when he writes of a Company he evidently 
knows nothing about, the Ceylon Tea Co., Limited, 
which, he writes, is " a concern without sufficient 
individual responsibility or control, or without satis- 
factory results." "What do Messrs. Whittall *: Co. 
say to Mr. Laurie's further remarks? "It only 
benefits, so far as I learn those who obtain commis- 
sions on the operations translated," which I presume 
means " transacted." 
The North British Daily 3Iail issues of the 7th and 
10th November treat their readers to a " little washing 
of dirty linen" on the part of Baronets Sir John 
MuiR and Sir Archibald Orr Ewino. It arose in 
the first place from a desire that they should see 
•'eye V) eye" ju the matter of'gootl wmmiBBwns" 
and " extra dividends " A letter from Messrs. James 
Finlay & Co. to the latter Baronet contains the 
following tit bit :— " We have referred to riekB run 
in connection with the management of the Sylhet 
Tea Companies' business in India. They are of 
course pecuniary risks, but we had. aud have especiallv 
before us the great risks to health attendant on the 
supervising and inspecting estates, when the jangle 
is being cleared, and the land being turned up after 
lying dormant for hundreds of years, poiaonoos 
gaeea are thus let loose and permeate the whole 
atmosphere." The above reason is given why the 
Calcutta Agents should get 3J p. c. commissions. 
However, the other Baronet knock* that argument 
on the head by curtly remarking " I have never 
suggested that the salaries of the managers of the 
tea gardens should be reduced. I would treat them 
nioet liberally. It is they who run the risk of fever, 
not Messrs. Finlay, Mnir & Co. and Messrs. James 
Unlay <t' Co." 
J5xpoitTs OF Tea.— November 1893 shows a total 
export of 9,300,000 lb. in the eleven months of 189;i 
over that of 1892. The total Ceylon Exports will 
run to about H3,000,000 this season. W'e shall be 
anxious to see how this abundant snpply will be 
taken off. Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton are pretty 
chirpy in their Circuler of the J 7th, November. 
They say " with continuance of steady buying from 
the country, dealers have found constant replenish- 
ing ot stock a necessity. ' yso they add: " It is too 
early yet to estimate the probable result of the Com- 
piissioners' labourt, but the market of North America 
ceitajnly appears to be taking a gradual liking 
for Indian and Ceylon leas. It seems probable 
that the development of the trade may soon be 
rapid and encouraging." 
Cocoa. — It is pleasant to note in Messrs. Wilson. 
Smithett & Co's circular, bv last isail, that the stock 
of Oocca has been somewnat reduced. The copious 
rains we are now having checks setting of blossom 
for Spring, but there is still plenty of time, and 
the weathet' uiuat soon harden. 
Yot,a Scotch P«dre in Colombo spoke splendidly 
at tbe Prizegiving at the Agricultnral School. 
His remarks were eminently sensible, and worth 
listening to. When the Presbyt'Tian Cnurches of 
Scotland commence Missionary work in Ceylon, 
which they ought to have initiated long ago, they 
could not do better than start Agricultural Schools 
in the villages, and appoint as president of the Mia- 
BioD, Mr, Paton, 
INDIAN TEA SALES. 
(From Watson, Sibthorp db Co.'i Tea Report.) 
Calcutta, Noy. 29 ih, 1893. 
There was a good general demand for all grades 
in the sales held on the 23rd inst. Teas under 
eight annas were rather dearer, the finer sorts sold 
very irregularly but without quotable change in 
the general value, 16,185 packages changed hands. 
The average price of the 16,185 packages sold is 
As. 6-11 or about 8Jd per lb. as compared with 
15,873 packages sold on the 24th November 1892 
at As. 8-5 or about lOd per lb. and 14,188 packages 
sold on the 26th November 1891 at As, 6-9 or about 
9d per lb. 
The Exports from 1st May to 27th November 
from here to Great Britain are 88,783,589 lb. as 
compared with 81,764,277 lb. at the corresponding 
period last season and 82,265,748 lb. in 1891. 
Note. — Last sale's average was As 6-10 or about 8id 
per lb. 
Renter telegraphs from London on the 21st inst, 
— " Type 6 7-16d, ' on the 22nd—" Pekoes |d told 
lower. Broken pekoes. Id lower. Pekoe souchongs. 
id lower " and on the 23rd—" Offered 39,000, sold 
32,000 packages. Common qualities firm. Good to 
fine unchanged." 
Exchange. — Document Bills, 6 months' sight, 
3 9-16d. 
Freisht.—Steamer «2-0-0 per oi W c. ft. 
