March r, 1895.] 
THE TROPIC U, AGRICULTURE V 
Tea m tiif. "Low-Cwjxtry"— is getting shrivel - 
le I ii|> for want of rain: a traveller by train today 
says lie saw busies really sud'ering, along the line. 
Tea Shipmext.s axd Prospects.— The official 
February estimate for our tea sliip:nents to the 
United -Kingdom is 6i million lb. ; but grave doubts 
are being entertained if it can be realised. We 
are told of 3 million lb. only being shipped to date 
and the question is if more than the same 
quantity can 1)2 got off by the end of the month. 
The drought is, undoubtedly, beginning to take 
effect in diminishing the flow of tea to Colombo. 
The lower districts want rain badly ; the middle 
elevation divisions have their Hushes a good deal 
diminished ; while even from the higher districts 
— such as Upper Dimbula — comes the cry for 
rain. Under these circumstances there is no im- 
mediate prospect! of any heavy supply of tea 
being available for local sale or shipment ; and 
prices ought to become more favourable in the 
face of this fact. 
The Visit of Mr. G. S. Duff— is a notable 
event among the reappearances, from time to 
time, of old Colonists and large proprietors ; for 
Mr. Daft's connection with Ceylon no; only goes 
back to the early days, but he has for long 
been one of the most extensive, liberal and enter- 
prising of plantation proprietors. It was a treat 
to us in London, to meet Mr. Dull' and to find 
him taking so special an interest in all that 
concerned Ceylon ; while we much regret on 
the present occasion, to have been absent 
fro n our past when he kindly called in 
Colombo, and to have missed him upajuntry. 
We are very pleased to learn how well sat- 
isfied he his been with all he has seen in 
his long round of the districts — on his fine 
propjrties in Haputale, Badulla, Ramboda and 
Pu^sellawa, apart from the lowcountry. Mr. 
Duff does not regret his refusal to sell Wihara- 
galla to the late Mr. de Soyza for a million 
ot rupees, considering all it has done for him 
since in colfje, and its promise now in tea. 
Helbodde under Mr. Gosset's management, is 
fast developing into a splendid tea property ; 
and all the other plantations Mr. Dud' owns, 
so far as we know, are first class and well 
managed, as they ought to be, considering 
In \v the Managers' interests are oared 
for by Mr. Duff. It is extremely interesting to 
And a veteran like the famous Manager 
ot the (). |{. ('. in its palmiest days, speakiug 
of coming ba-k to sje the island two or three 
years hence, considering that even now he is 
ant far oil' four-score years ! — yet h> h is done a 
great deal of his travelling this time, especially 
in Uva, on horseback. That Mr. Duff should be 
ac ompanied by his sou. now a Major in the 8th 
Hussars (whom many of us reaiembar a* a 
bright hoy on Salle raee) aids to the interest 
of his visit : an 1 we heartily hope that the 
intention of another visit, perhaps accom- 
panic 1 by Mrs. Duff, may be fulfilled. To 
all'ord another evidence of how long .age 
and vigour attend the family, we may men- 
tion that Mrs lirown. m other of Mrs. Duff, 
still survives, hale and hearty, and as a daughter 
of the late Mr. Rodney, Secretary to the Go- 
vernment, has drawn a pension from the Ceylon 
t io\ eminent for 54 years! [This was under a 
special arrangement in the days of old. the 
Story bf which we may relate by and bye.] 
Mis-, Rodney married Col. Brown, i;.K. , and the 
marriage of MUs Brown an 1 Mr. (I, s. Dull' 
was one of the events of "the lifties" in 
( lolonibo. 
Tea ix PrssELL.uvA.-We are much pleased 
I to hear of the success of tea in this «ood old 
j district. On an estate in the lower part of the 
| district we learn of an average of nearly 600 lb 
| an acre, and much of the tea planted on old 
i coffee land. 
Tea Sweepixgs ix Hamburg axd Loxdox — 
We call attention to the letter of Mr Th'os 
Christy, who, along with Mr. Whiffen, is show' 
mg himself a true friend of Ceylon and Indian 
Jea planters.— \\ c referred the samples we *ot 
from London by a previous mail, to a Colombo 
merchant and estates proprietor for his opinion 
on the business as revealed by the samples and the 
correspondence, and this opinion he gave tersely in 
one word ^ !" It is time the Colombo 
Chamber and Kandy P. A. took action. 
The " Aguicultural Gazette" of New South 
Wales, published by the Department of Agriculture 
Vol V. Part 12 December, 1394 has f£XS:- 
Useful Australian Plants, J. H. Maiden No H 
Spiny Rolling Grass— i Sandstay (Spinifex hirsutus 
Libill.) List of plants collected by Richard 
Helns in th 3 Australian Alps. February 1W 
Botanical Not 33 -Durability of Coloniaf Tim: 
te; fiam; Ik Clustered mover 
(T/'itohum (jiomei'atiiin, Xj nn). Weeds— C T Mrh*** 
Wagga Wiggi Experimental Orchard— A. H Benson 
C tuning Drying, and Preserving Fruit— A H Benson 
T.ie Avshire BreeJ of Cattle— T. L. Thomoson' Th ° 
ic.il Notes-F B, Guthrie. Analysed Cheese : 
Nightsoil Prepxrations ; Bonedust. PoulW— A Com' 
parat.ve Study of Statistics. Practical'" Vegetable 
Gro.ving-D.reHions for the month of January O 
chu-d Notes for Jan. General Notes— Seed Bffai*i\ 
Shows 1 , 1 ' 1^5 N ° Xi0; " We6jS - Agriculturai e Sofe 
The Wv-xaad Plaxters' Associ vttox - 
On page oo.3 we give the annual report 
of this Association. Commenting upon the re 
port the Madras Mad notices w?th satisfaction 
the interest taken by the Collator t tu ™ 
affecting the planting community and the removal 
of grievances in which this has^esultS.iSS 
remarked that "so far as Government and its 
servants are concerned, the Planter until on e 
recently has had little to be thankful for 'For 
years he has been treated as an interloper, Ids 
industry harassed and his interests b'nored 
\\e congratulate the Planters of Wynaa unon 
the improvement that has taken place amlTl o 
upon the very great diminution th,re'has been 
m the crime of coliee-stealing owing entirely to 
SiiSSSSl r P ° hCe - °' lr -^empokr; 
the coming season promises to hn «„ ;, . 
in the annals of the di^A^^ Jg 
firSt shipments from the newly-plante J estates when 
it will be Sean whether the valuations placed on 
trial samples sent by post will be realise! Tf thl- 
be the case, as we sincerely trust it w he wl a 
miv with confidence loo/ £f* fcSjfc 
perity bsrore the century dies * • P » 
Thfete are numberless acresof land in Wvuaid covered 
a the present time with lantana and second u v j m* 
g.e, and in Ceylon it has been shown how he eir h 
nes fallow and recuperates beneath his ba^ren^owth 
and when brought again into cultivation vield^SEJ 
dmtlv. Travaneore too has declared how a in do nod 
coffee estates ni .ike fruitful fields of te . ft , ,■ 
promise of the samples sent hZ , • U? \ £» 
cmg Line is reahsed by the shipments tl is \ 0 , 
and Wynaad tea commands a h gh aVerWe price , 
European markets a demand fo'r land'wil, aTise 
Tbeie are asres of it su.table in every way for tea 
easy and mexpens.ve to clear, not f ? r "t ,'u 
from voids ; and the climate, the s , rt " 
the wonderful woo Hand scenery of \\\ ^Vd iidd u 
tr.ict.ous not calculable in casli 'but o(h^ \ at 
