488 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jam. i, 1894. 
generally inorease the strength of your tea boxes all 
round. How this may best be done it ie impoBsible 
for me to suggest. There would be objections, we 
presume, to increase the thickness of the boards used 
BB this must add somewhat to the freight chartjes. 
Still it must be most important, at a time when every 
efiort is being made to open to your teas the 
Continental and other foreign markets, that all 
oause for probable complaint should as far as 
possible be removed. No doubt, iadepeudently of 
the loss in quantity complained of, the tjualiiy of 
the contents of weak boxes must be deteriorated, 
and this may result in giving Ceylon teas a bad 
name among Oontinental users. Messrs. Malcolm. 
Kearton & Co. are the purchasers and exporters 
here of the teas required by Mr. Kogivuc for his 
BuBsian trade, and it is more than probable 
that that gentleman has been one of the foremost 
Eufferera from the defects they complain of. It 
18 to be hoped your planters will find some means 
to add strength to their boxes. First and foremost 
they should try in the direction formerly pointed 
out to obviate the necessity for rebulking here. 
That as I have written seems to be the most pro- 
minent matter to take precaution against. Then, 
if the extra thickness of boards suggested should 
entail some increase in the cost of freight, it may 
be the better economy in the end to incur it rather 
than to run the risk of your teas getting a bad name 
among Continental buyers. I feel convinced that 
Bufifioient attention is not given in Oeylon to this 
matter of packing tea. You attempt to cut the cost 
of this too fine, and my visit to tea brokers and 
others rarely pass without my having to listen to 
grumbling of some Eort or another with respect to 
this special point. The evil is general and striking 
and no effort should be Epared for its future 
avoidance. — London Cor. 
THE ACME TEA CHEST. 
We learn that Mr. Andrew Poison, who was 
recently in Ceylon, has now arranged with the 
Acme Tea Cbeet Syndicate Ltd. to come to 
Colombo and establish a depot for the sale of their 
patent chests. Mr. Poison hopes to arrive in 
Colombo by the s.s. " Austral " cn or about 7lh 
January 1894, and before this date a large stock 
ol the boxes will arrive. The following letter 
speaks for itself and is of so much interest to 
planters that we do not hesitate to give it a 
place : — 
Copy. 
16, Philpot Lane, London, 7tli Oct. 
To the Acme Tea Ohest Syndicate, Limited, GIks- 
gow. De»r Sirs, — In reply to your enquiry tegardicg 
the last parcel of tea consigned to as in Acme pack- 
ages, we beg to inform you that the tei arrived 
in good condition, and on comparing this parcel 
with a similar shipment in wooden packages, tbe 
foUowiog results were shown. 
Acme Packages. | Wooden Packages. 
Freight per 100 lb. 26a 4d Freight per 100 lb. 30s 3d 
Dock & L»nd- | Dock & Land- 
ing charges do 43s 7d j ing do Sis 4d 
70a Id 81g 7d 
-Lobs in weight i per cent. | Loss in weight 1 per cent. 
—We are dear sirs, yours faithfally, 
(Signed) Anderson Bros. 
KOTQ.— Showing IB favour of Acme II) on freight 
and landing dues and JlD. of tea at lOd, in all Is 
4id per 100 lb. of tea. 
l^What is said m our London Letter about de- 
fective tea chests, ought to be carefully weighed by 
planterB.— Ed. T,A.] 
THE CEYLON LANB AND PRODUCE 
COMPANY, LIMITED. 
Report of tbe Directors, to be eubcnitted to meet- 
ing of Sharebolderf, lltb day of December ISU'd. 
The amount at credituf Profit and Loss Aooouut, 
after redaoiug tbe mortgai^e over IS'ortti Matale estale 
by £1,600, is £n,m 9s 4d which, with tbe aom of 
£1,341 lis 7d brought forward from Last year, leaves 
i:l2,.')33 (ii Ild to be dealt witb. 
Oa tbe let Jaly last on Interim Dividend of 7^ 
per cent on tbe Ordiuary Sbar^s, and 3 per cent on 
tbe Preference Shares wa« paid, aod joor Directors 
now propcs^ to pay, on tbe 23rd day of L»eoember. 
1893, tbe balance of tbe fixed cumulative Dividend on 
the Preference Shares (3 per ceat), makiug 6perceDt 
for the year, 7i per cent on tbe Ordinary Shares, 
making 15 per cent for tbe year, auJ io addiiiou a 
bonus of 5 per cent on tbe Ordiuary Shares, — all free 
of Income Tax. It is also proposed to take from tbe 
Profit and Loss Acconnt a sum of £4,U00 for tbe far- 
ther reduction of the North Matale morlgage. Tbia 
will leave a balaooe of £2,S46 Ot lid lo be carried 
ftrward subject to tbe Directors' remuneration for 
the year nnder revitw, to be fixed at tbe General 
Met ting and to tbe payment of Income Tai, &c. 
The result of the operations during tbe past season 
has been satisfactory, and is owmg, id a great 
measure, to the large crop of cocoa, and to the high 
prices secured therefor. 
Tea.— The year 1893 opened fairly well, so far as 
prices were concerned, but after January the Market 
fell away until June, when the lowest point waa 
reached, and rates began to rise grado&lly. These 
tlnctuations, caused to some extent by tbe state of 
trade, were however chiefly due to tbe quality of 
arrivals, which in the spring and early summer wag 
disappointing. When, however, more favourable 
weather for manufacture was experienced in the 
island, and better teas came forward, tbe weekly 
average again tended upwards. On the whole, this 
year's crop is considered by the trade to be inferior 
te that of 1892, but no doubt prices have been 
adversely influenced by the larger supply of Indian 
tea, which although not of fine quality, was of useful 
character and very moderate in price. Daring tbe 
ton months from January to October, 725,100 packages 
were disposed of at public auction, the average price 
being 9d. per lb., against 705,640 packages during 
the rame period in 1892, with an average of 9^d per lb. 
Coffee. — This article has sold at a bigh range of 
values throughout the year, and it is gratifying to 
your Directors to report that the output from the 
Company's estates has again realised very satisfactory 
prices, 95s. per cwt., the highest price paid during 
the year being obtained for Liberian from North 
Matale Estate. 
Cocoa. — Your Directors have again a satisfactory 
report of this article to put btfore joa. Tbe demand 
during the early part of tbe year was good, bat sub- 
sequently subaided, partly ia sympathy with that for 
other kinds. It is enoonragiDg to have to report that 
tbe prices obiaioed for the Company's produce sgain 
compare very favourably with the figures of other 
estate;, and tbe highest price ever obtaiaed for this 
growth nas for a parcel of North Matale, wbioh 
realised sn average price of 130s 9d. per cwt. 
At the', request of the Board and some of the largest 
Shareholders, your Chairman visited Ceylon in tbe 
early months of the current year. He made himself 
thoroughly acquainted with the work being carried 
on at each Estate by freqaeot inspections, and on I he 
whole found the operations thereou being conducted 
satisfaotorily. He reports that the Oompany's Oocoa 
Estates were looking romarkably well, and gave io- 
structions to plant up all ava lable and suitable land 
belonging to the Company with this product, to be 
interspersed with CoSee where thought desirable, 
Instructions were also given by him to fell the greater 
portion of the jungle on Fettereeso, and plant it up 
with the best kiod of Tea. About 35 acres — mostly 
in grass which had nearly all died out — on Dickeria 
is also being planted with Tea. This ares adjoins tbe 
fine fields of Tea oq Nikakotus, and it is hoped that 
the Dickeria clearing will be equally eaccessful, 
