8l2 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June i, 1895. 
DAHJEELIN<; TEA COMPANY. 
This Company lias been rather unfortunate of late 
years. In lbf)2, heavy Hoods took place in the dis- 
trict, causing much damage to the plantations and 
buildings, which led to considerable expenditure over 
the construction of revetmen'.s in places to guard 
against a similar experience. A fire in the same year 
in an important tea-house caused some inconvenience. 
Then in 18955 the crop in Darjeeling, which is a dis- 
trict of Bengal, was poor generally, both in quality 
and quantity. Consequently profits declined consi- 
derably, as will be shown by the subjoined figures : — 
Year. 
8 
a 
bf 
of 
ctioi 
rofit 
b. 
u 
Br* 
•S ft 
& G '— 
' C '_ 
*i . 
'}.% 
t g 
x as 
Q 5,2, 
>> r. 
(1. 
E 
(1 
lb. 
1883 
• 18-59 
13-17 
5-42 
B0> 
1881 
17-41 
12-18 
5 23 
298 
1835 
17-72 
11 91 
5-81 
307 
18S6 
15-18 
10-18 
5 00 
297 
1887 
13-98 
9-79 
4-19 
308 
18S8 
12-54 
915 
339 
312 
1889 
14-10 
io-u 
3 99 
293 
1890 
12-66 
111 14 
2-52 
318 
1891 
11-72 
930 
236 
313 
1892 
1290 
8-40 
4-50 
309 
1893 
11-02 
8-50 
2-52 
235 
-3 
a 
d 
B 
Year. 
!« 
0 
~ g 
r. 3 
6 a 
~- = 
Co 
s 
Acres. 
Acres. 
lb. 
1883 
1502 
473.S10 
1884 
1586 
♦ 
473,2' '0 
7 
1885 
1601 
it 
511,037 
8 
1886 
1877 
1735 
517,310 
7i 
1887 
190G 
1787 
651>,d07 
7 
1888 
1933 
1839 
574,794 
6 
1889 
2003 
1877 
549,778 
0 
1890 
2i i94 
1900 
gQli;950 
6 
1891 
2091 
1906 
697,398 
S 
1892 
2094 
1900 
589,738 
6 
1893 
2114 
2003 
571,955 
* Not stated in these years. 
The outturn of tea appears to have been reduced 
considerably of late, which, added to the fall in price, 
has led to the decline in dividend. Rather too much 
reliance, however, seems to have been placed upon 
the high prices obtained in past years, for the recent 
naw planting appears to have been very slight. No 
doubt, however, profits will improve, for the Company 
has evidently devoted a good deal of its revenue in 
the past to the improvement of the property. For one 
thing, in 1884, it converted its estates into freehold 
tenure, an important matter now when rents are being 
raised by the Government. A good deal of machinery 
has been purchased and buildings and factories improved 
in the past ten years, in addition to increasing the area 
under cultivation by 500 acres. During this time- the 
value of the properties has been maintained at £133.721, 
while the reserve has been increased from £2586 to 
£5581. The Company, however, is capitalised at £-35 
per acre, which is high, so that it never can be 
expected to do so well as the Joreh iut Company. 
Still it may very well do better than in repent years. 
The share capital is £135,420, in shares of £20 each, 
fully paid. There are no Preference Shares nor any 
mortgage or debenture debt. — The Investors' Review, 
for April. 
-a. . - 
DRUG REPORT. 
(From Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, April 4th. 
ANNATTO— Quiet. Six cases fair bright Madras seed were 
bought in at 3.1d per lb. For 6 bags middling quality 
from Colombo 2;Jd per lb was accepted. 
Caffeine— None is to be had for immediate delivery, 
but one or. two small parcels are being offered "for delivery 
in about a month " at 20s per lb, and we understand 
that tnat figure lias been paid for April-May. In Ame- 
rica, according to reports just to hand, " the available 
supply continues very light, but the tone of the market 
is slightly easier, owing to competition between second 
hands who have received deliveries on contracts, and 
small sales are reported at $7 00, with one . sale of 10 lb 
in Philadelphia at #800." We understand ih.it a small 
quantity has already changed hands at the rate of 80s 
per llj for April-May delivery. 
CakhaMOMS— The Hiipply is somewhat outrunning the 
requirements, and prices have consequently ajcaln dropped 
from Id to 2d per lb. At today's auctions 2o2 packages 
were offered; 10s of these sold as follows: — Ceylon- 
Mysore: Medium to bold good pale plump, 2s Kid to 3k 
2<1 ; medium 2k 5<1 to 2s 9a ; small to medium, fair palish 
to greyish 2h to 2s 4d ; Mil ill to medium, partly yellow 
Is Hd to Is lOd ; sin ill jsrey mid brownish Is <kt : doll, 
partly split is 4d to Is 5.1. Ceylon-Malabar: Small to 
medium partly Bpecky, brownish ami shelly Is 5d to li 
7d per lb. Soeds sold well at Is lid to 2« Id. 
CISCHONA Only a few lots were ottered at today" 
aiiifioiis. Fourteen I'M.-- ^, u t]i American Call say a of rather 
dull appearance, flat, or in broken quill, were bought in 
at from lOd to Is per ll>. Seventeen twgs of Red bark, 
partly of dirert import, were ;ilso txiuuht in at from Is 
2d down to 5d per lb for every ordinary rust) thin quill 
aud chip*. The shipments of ciuvhuiia from Ceylon from 
January 1st to March 11th were 119,194 lb iu 1895, aud 
543,0$ lb in l'J»4. 
Cocv-I.KAVKS- In small supply. For a lot of six bales 
line green, but broken, Truxiilo leaves of good odour 
In Id per lb is required. A single bag of very bromi 
: badly-damaged leaves from Ceylon sold without reserve at 
I Id per lb today. 
Kola-nuts— More firmly held, although In rather larger 
supply than has lately been the rase, 01 hag* being 
offered today, of which only 1 sold at Is per lb for or- 
dinary wormy West Indian ; fair quality is quoted at Is 
4d to is sal per lb. 1 
tn iMNi:— The onlv business reported this week is a sale 
of 5,000 oi. second-hand Cermau bulk (UB) at lljd per 
oz. The market is iirin. 
Vanilla— A moderate supply offered today sold at 
firmer prices for good qualities :— 8 to 9 inches, 24h ; 
7 to 7} inches, 20s Od to 21s ; 6* to 7 inch**, 16s 
Od to 18s ; ordinary kinds, from 15s down to lOs 6d 
per lb. 
THE AMSTERDAM DRUU-MARKBT. 
Our correspondent iu Amsterdam writes that there has 
' been no business of any importance in Cajuput oil. A 
consignment of about 5O0 bottles which arrived recently 
may still be had at 115c, It is reported that several 
parcels of Java Cinchona-bark have been sold privately 
since the last auctions at 3c per unit, which is an ad- 
vance of about Jc. It is, therefore, expected that Thurs- 
J day's cinchona-auctions will show a slight advance over 
! the March sales. 
VARIOUS PLANTING NOTES. 
The Darjeeling Tea Coy— is the subject of an 
interesting review which will be found above : 
it is very striking how - the cost of production 
lias fallen in keeping very much with the fall 
in selilng price. '1 he highest yield per acre was 
318 lb. in 1890, and the highest profit 5 81d. in 
1885 against only 2-52d. in 1893 when the dividend 
was but 5 per cent." 
The Standard Tea Company of Ceylon. 
— We have pleasure in directing attention to the 
annual Rep >rt of this Company given in another 
column and congratulating the shareholders upon 
receiving a dividend of 12.V per cent as the re- 
sult of the year's operations; and Mr. C. H. 
Bagot on the hi^ii reputation he has achieved 
for St. Leonards' tea. 
Coffee &c. in British Central Africa.— 
! In the latest British Central Africa Gazette, 
(March 11th) we find the fol-lowing: — 
A firm of London brokers, writing of the past 
years coffee crop from B. C, A., says " We sold No. 1. 
Bold coloury at 103/6 ; the highest price we have 
ever got ; indeed it is 4/6 above any price previously 
obtained. There is considerable improvement in the 
quality of Shire coffee this year." The opinion 
almost universally given by the home brokers is 
that greater care should be taken in the curi ig of 
B. C. A ; coffee. Tt is to be hoped that before long 
j a curing establishment may be started at Chiromo. 
There is, without doubt, a good opening for the in- 
' vestment of capital in such an undertaking. 
Mr. Moir writing from Lauderdale on March 8th 
says : — " The coffee crop promises very well here. 
Mr. Henry Brown has gone home for a change, the 
first for many years." 
