Jan. i, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
447 
thing like as much of this fattening and wholesome 
beverage as does the mother country. Large quanti- 
ties are exported raw to America, and Messrs. Cad- 
bury Bros, by all their requirements in Mincing 
JLj,rie, not being owners of properties of any cocoa 
estates. He was naturally full of the praise of cocoa, 
and gave a most interesting account of the large 
works established by his firm in Worcestershire, 
where over 2,000 men, women, and boys are employed. 
All the fancy boxes which are so admired and are 
used to hold fancy chocolates etc. are made, it appears, 
at their own works ; and this will give our readers 
some idea of their variety as well as their extensive- 
ness. We must refrain today from giving an account 
of the works, but many inic-esting particulars are to 
be gleaned from a book " cocoa and all about it," 
issued by Messrs. Cadbury Bros, and now before us. 
We trust that Mr. Davis's visit to Pallekelle and the 
further visits to Ceylon estates which he intends 
making on his return here next year may do some- 
thing to increase the interest his firm takes in 
Ceylon cocoa, and their belief in its purity and 
excellence. Mr. Davis leaves by the P. & 0. boat for 
Bombay tomorrow, but will be back again in about 
nine months' time. — "' Times of Ceylon." 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
London, November 8th. 
Our Amsterdam correspondent telegraph that at to- 
day's sales of Java cinchona, 2,601 packages were dis- 
posed of, at an average unit price 3£ cents (fl-16ths d. 
per lb). The following prices were realUed : — Manufac- 
turing bark, in whole and broken quills and crushed, 
from 8i to 334 cents (= lfd to 6d per lb) ; ditto, in 
root, from 9j to 24 cents (= to l}d to <ljd per lb); 
druggists' bark in entire and broken quill, from 6|d to 
51 cents (ljd to 9d per lb). The chief buyers were the 
Amsterdam and Mannheim Quinine Works, the New 
York manufacturers, and the Auerbach factory. The tone 
of the market was firm, and the quantity sold realised 
a slight improvement on lait auction's prices. — Chemist 
and Vruggist. 
ORIENTAL COFFEE COMPANY. 
The eighteenth annual general meeting of this 
company was held at 32, Great St. Helens, 
E.C. — Mr. J. Young presided, and in mov- 
ing the adoption of the report and accounts 
congratulated the shareholders upon the im- 
proved position of the company. Last year no 
distribution could be made ; this year the direc- 
tors were able to declare a dividend of 7£ per 
cent. After the payment of expenses at home and 
abroad there remained a surplus of £3,680, which 
would have afforded a dividend of 12^ per cent., 
but the directors thought it more prudent to write off 
£1,000 for depreciation, though he (the Chairman) 
did not know that the estates had really depre- 
ciated in actual income value. The extension of 
the Beatrice estate was going on, and, as the 
Company possesssed a great deal of virgin land 
suitable for coffee, it was proposed to gradually 
provide for the depreciation of the old property 
by the establishment of new fields, in order that 
the average productive value of the estates might 
be kept up. — Mr. H. Tolputt seconded the motion, 
which was adopted, as was also a resolution 
authorizing the directors to take steps to increase 
the capital of the Company by the issue of 1 ,000 
additional shares when the time should bo con- 
sidered favourable for so doing. — 11. <k C. Mail. 
IHE TELEPHONE IN THE PLANTING 
DISTRICTS. 
\ Dim hula correspondent writing on the 30th 
N<>\. says that Vlr. Sinclair completed his telephone 
line the precious day and united Bearwell and 
Mausa Ella estates, lie and Mr. Maclaohlan, the 
Superintendent of the latter estate, along with an 
ordinary factory carpenter, erected the instru- 
ments and wire without the aid of an expert. 
There are three " Cox and Mathews Telephones" 
and 7,580 yards of bronze copper ware all of which 
was supplied by the Colombo Commercial Com- 
pany at a cost of £36. The line is a simple one 
with an earth circuit and it is marvellous how 
distinctly the voice is transmitted for a distance 
of 3J miles. Even hard breathing can be dis- 
tinctly heard through these instruments and one 
can recognise the voice of any friend speaking 
at the farther end. 
The telephone will be of great service to the 
proprietor in helping to economise the labour 
on both estates and for obtaining early infor- 
mation as to the quantity of green leaf on its way 
to his Bearwell Factory, where the Mausa Ella 
leaf is manufactured. The whole cost of this 
telephone, with old steel rail standards is only, 
I hear, R820. 
Rumour has it that a wire tramway is about 
to be put up between the two estates but I don't 
know if this is true. 
Lovely flushing weather. 
LIBER1AN COFFEE IN TRAVANCORE. 
Mr. L. Davidson, who returned from his 
trip to South Travancore, expresses himself in 
glowing terms regarding what he saw of Liberian 
coffee there. He is convinced that a very great 
mistake was made in cutting it out here, and lie is 
determined to extend the cultivation of it in 
Kalutara and Kurunegala. One planter told him 
that he cleared from £10 to £20 an acre. He accom- 
panied Air. Buchanan on his trip to North 
Travancore, but merely as Mr. Buchanan's 
guest and not on business. The climate, he says, 
is superb. There is plenty of sport to be had 
in the district, and by-and-bye he may tell us 
of the tigers he met. 
NEW TEA COMPANIES IN INDIA. 
Messrs. Andrew Yule & Co., have brought out 
the prospectus this week of the Assam United Tea, 
Company Limited. Capital R400.000, divided 
equally into 6 per cent cumulative preference and 
ordinary shares. The dividend on the Preference 
Shares is guaranteed by Andrew Yule & Co., for 
the first 8 years, and the company after this period 
has the option of repaying them at 10 premium by 
annual drawings or otherwise. The property to b« 
acquired consists of 5,800 acres of freehold land, 
of which 752 acres are under cultivation ; it is a going 
concern, made profit of R1S,785 last season and 
expects to make R40.000 this season, the crop beinj 
estimated at 3,400 maunds. The vendors, Messrs. 
A. Yule and Co., take 2 lakhs in cash and the 
ordinary shares, and they undertake to provide the 
necessary funds to work the garden at 6 per cent 
The investment seems a sound one, and the Pre- 
ference Shares really almost resolve themselves into 
a loan at 6 per eent with the interest guaranteed 
for eight years. — Calcutta Cor. Pioneer, Nov. 24. 
How Ceylon Tea is Making its Way into 
Amkhica — is the heading of an extract from the 
American Grocer which cannot fail to lie of in- 
terest to Ceylon tea planters. It shows that 
one of the largest American distributing grocery 
houses Firilay, Ackers & Co. of Philadelphia— 
hav e started a "special Ceylon Blond ica." 
Before long we hope to see, as the result of our 
delegates' operations, ihat this House and other 
Finns win be advertising packet- of "pure Ceylds 
Tea.' 1 
