Aug. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
9; 
< ; OVER-PRODUCTION " OF TEA— AND 
NEW PRODUCTS. 
COCONUTS, LIBERIAN COFFEE, CACAO, 
RUBBER, Ac. 
We oall attention to a letSer ia another column as 
illustrating the way in which thoughtful planters are 
considering how to insare themselves against the 
risks involved in " Overproduction " and stjll lower 
prices for tea. Ona exceedingly practical suggestion 
— already acted on to our knowledge in a number 
of cases— is for lowcountry estate owners to add 
coconut palms to their tea fields. It is stated 
that the palms, even when grown up, do no harm 
to the tea, and the Peradeniya estate is offered 
as evidenoe. But our correspondent forgets that 
Peradeniya has an exceptionally rioh soil — so 
rich that in olden times it was spsoially selected 
as the site of a sugar estate, We scarcely think 
that in the generality of the lowoountry, coconuts 
and tei would continue for any long period to 
prosper well together : we should expect the bushes 
immediately round the palms after a oertain 
number of years rather to suffer. Nevertheless, 
we are quite clear as to the wiedom of the experi- 
ment in very many instances and it is a matter 
of very great importance indeed that the low- 
oountry tea planter shonld know he has other 
and profitable •" strings to his bow " besides an 
overproduced staple. Indeed, there are several more 
produots besides the palms to be considered : in the 
Polgahawela district there are fieids where oaoao, 
Liberian coffee and tea seem to grow and crop 
fairly well together. In the Kalutara district. 
Borne of the richer rubber-yielding plants have 
been added freely to the tea fields. 
If therefore lowoountry tea plantations do not 
occupy so strong a position — in coustquence of the 
quality of their teas — as those in the higher re- 
gions, the disadvantage may be balanced by the 
greater choice of other products which may, in 
certain eventualities, he cultivated along with tea. 
Some of these — rubber, Liberian coffee, cacao 
and even the palms— may flourish up to 2,000 feet 
above sea Jevd : under favourable circumstances 
even higher. But there is a limit and then we 
may ask what can be added to tea in the higher 
regions, especially from 4,000 feet upwards ? Our 
correspondent mentions the planting of cinchona. 
There is not much hope in that dktction with 
Java holding sway through her very rich barks. 
For the improvement of the tea fields themselves, 
to diversify their appearanoe and to secure a stock 
of fuel if not timber, there is nothing belter, we 
suppose, than to plant the fields all over— at proper 
distanoes, say 3D to 40 feet apart ?— with " gre- 
villeas." Practical men are very strong that these 
trees absolutely benefit the tea, — that their shedding 
of leaves alone is as good as a " surface manur- 
ing." There arc a great number of plantations 
throughout the hillcountry, already well covered 
with grevilleas and from none have we heard 
any complaint ; while two cases especially, have 
been held up to us as special illustrations of the 
great advantage of the prooess. Those are Mount 
Vernon estate, Dimbula, and Dauibulagal:a and 
Pitakanda estates, Matale East. No doubt there are 
others, equally well planted up; but we name the 
first place3 we think o\ for the ten-fit ot i.ny 
soeptical estate owners; tor, we feel sure, that Messrs. 
Cantlay and Fiajtr will not objici if euoh choose 
to go and see for themselvos. Wo hava not referred 
here to experiments with minor or newer produotB 
otmore or lees interest, aud which individual planters 
— studying tho Tropical Agriculturist from time to 
12 
time — will no doubt carry on as leisure or op- 
portunity effers. There may any day, through 
some discovery or change of habit in Europe, set 
in a phenomenal demand for Ceo, Kola or some 
other product more or less tried in Ceylon, but 
for which at present the market msy seem very 
limited. Tea in its cultivation and preparation 
requires a great deal of attention, and in neither 
department hr.s perfection by any mean3 bean 
attained ; but among our enterprising and in- 
telligent Ceylon plantei-3 there are sure to be 
many who will never be ccrtent to run along old 
grooves merely, or to cease from further experi- 
ments both with the old and with new products. 
"OVERPRODUCTION " OF TEA AND NEW 
PRODUCTS, AND GOOD ADVICE FOR LOW- 
COUNTRY TEA PLANTERS. 
22nd June. 
Dear Sir, — Your leading article (see above; 
on " Overproduction," wa3 to the point and 
very ably demonstrated what must appear 
the inevitable result of the present anxiety to add 
more acres to the already large tea area. Yours 
seemed the voice of a prophet, and methinks 
your own words alarmed you, and you tried to 
oomfort yourself and others by quoting the testimony 
from a Church Missionary, and then hug yourself 
in the belief that it is quite safe to go on until 
India and Ceylon produce 160 additional million 
lb. of tea ! Glad you think so, but you cannot 
too Btrongly press on all owners of lowoountry tea 
estates tho necessity and advisability of planting all 
their tea lands with cooonuts. They have only 
to go and look at that fine field of tea and coconuts 
near the Peradeniya Railway station, to convinoe 
them how well both cultivations thrive together. 
The problem is a more difficult one so far as the 
higher estates are ooncerned. Cinchona at present 
prices does not offer much enoouragement here; 
yet I have seen young tea fields regularly planted 
throughout with this now (so far as Ceylon is 
conoerned) almost defunct product, 
If thero is nothing else we can turn to, we 
must uso e^ery endeavour to push our teas in 
other markets, and the question is, are we con- 
tributing enough money by the continuation of 
this 10 cts. per 100 lb. ? Would it not pay us 
better to double this amount and give our repre- 
sentative a free hand to advertise and push our 
teas in the way he thought b:st amongst the 
wholesale dealers, and render to the thirty a 
monthly statement of the result of his labours ? 
Would this be interfering with private enterprise ? 
Would he cot be helping merchants here, by in- 
troducing new buyers to them ? Are our interests 
and those of the Colombo merchants, not on a 
par with the Indian tea growers and the Calcutta 
merchants? Why then oannot we work on similar 
lines ?— Yours truly, OLD PLANTER. 
A CEYLON CINCHONA COMPANY. 
The twelfth annual report of the Patiagama 
Cinohoaa Company (Limited), of Ceylon, has just 
been presented to the shareholders. The direotors 
rsgrot that the report is not so favourable a3 hid 
been hoped at the commencement of ths season. 
A:tua! working of the year shjwa a small margin 
of l,263*28r. The directors rejommsnd that the 
total balance no.v at credit of profit-and loss 
account, say 9,123 15r., should be appropriated in 
reduction of suspense account, which represents 
the loss incurred in working the estato provioiu to 
lS'JO, whilBt tho tea (whioh 13 now tbe staple 
product cf the company) was oomiujj into bearing. 
— Chemist and Druyyist. 
