June r, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 837 
LIBEKIAN COFFEE IN SUMATRA— No. V. 
We arc allowed l>y our correspondent in Sumatra, 
In make the following extracts from a letter of 
bis to a friend in Singapore : — 
Sehdang, Sumatra. — The coffee Keie is splendid : 
at 20 months old I have counted ou different 
bushes 2, i(J0 fruit and upwards. Experiments 
proved that 2,200 cherries = 1 cattie clean coffee : 
ergo at 435 trees per acre, this coffee will return 
more than 4 piculs per acre before it is 36 months 
old! Of course, all are not the same: but the old 
plantation will give, all round, considerably over a 
picul an acre before it is 3 years old. And you can 
hardly find leaf disease. is an awfully good 
fellow: and I was working with him until the Deli 
Races. On the first day went to the races: 
and on his return advised me to go the next day 
to make acquaintance with Mr. . and 
I went together; the result being that took 
me down to Lower Langkat where we spent three 
days in the jungle, on the borders of the Acheen 
country, and within sound of the steam whistle of 
the Royal Dutch Oil Co., whose works were " stuck 
up" by the Achinese a few months ago. Returning 
to Tanjong Pocra— cam — Klambir, I took two days 
to write my report, being handsomely entertained 
by — , who, indeed, defrayed all the expenses of 
the expedition : and I returned here with a cheque 
in my pocket ! Would that every week were equally 
productive ! 
Arriving here I found a letter from 
written by oider of the Sultan of Serdang, 
requesting me to go at once to Perbasengan : 
about half a day's journey from here. I went 
H. H. was rather staggered at my terms viz: 
.£400 per contract and all expenses. A " contract " 
here means from 2,000 to 4,000 bouws and is given 
on lease, with a small ground-rent, for 75 years. I 
have to inspect this as to its suitability for coffee. 
But H. H. is not yet decided. However I made up 
an estimate for Lower Langkat, and at the enormous 
estimate of $250 per acre for bringing coffee into 
bearing : and, putting returns of coffee in full bearing 
at 5 piculs per acre (and this I am well assured it 
can do) the results work out at 40 per cent on the 
capital after the 7th year, all expenditure having 
been wiped off — and taking the price of coffee at $30 
per picul ; whereas the last Singapore paper to hand 
quotes it at $U - 50 per picul. 
At the moment 1 have in view a piece of land 2JI00 
acres in extent which could be purchased (the lease 
for 75 years) for $8 per acre, and contingencies would 
cost further perhaps $2,000 for survey fees <frc. For 
my part I should like to have 20o ai res of coffee 
here, and 200 acres in Langkat. 
(Extract from Sini/apoiC Free I'rc.-s. April 2.) 
Skxuako, Si matua. On this side of the water many 
men are still groaning from the effect of Mckinley and 
bad seasons. True it is that most of them put a stout 
heart to a stey brae. Still the wound is there. 
Many ai'e the searchings of heart as to what is the 
In thole in which to deposit the rem. lining dints. Xono 
of your talents buried in a napkin. No, no. Here 
they are looking some for thirty-fold, some for sixty- 
fold and some for even more. Ambitious, greedy 
fellows, are not they ? They have transferred their 
airections from leaf to fruit : from tobacco to coffee. 
• • • • 
The general lie is somewhat like Johore ; hut every 
thing is '•rather more so." The rivers are bigger; 
the lalang 16 bigger— a doubtful boon ; but it shows 
that the soil is richer ; as doe , also the jungle which 
is magnificent ; and a two-year old secondary growth 
on abandoned land is already a small forest. 
I have seen coffee of all ages and throughout it 
is as healthy as can ho wished. Leaf disease is 
present, but you have to seek for it! The other day 
I saw a curious Itixits mil a r«r. It was a small coffee 
bush 20 months old, stunted in appearance, laden 
with crop, healthy in colour, with sufficient foliage, 
and no sign of disease. It measured 58 inches in 
height, maximum spread of diameter 25 inches, and 
contained 612 fruits Close by was another of HOI - 
inal appearance, It did nut 'show its crop to the 
1QQ 
same extent because it had more foliage: but its 
measurements were height 60 inches, spread 54 inches. 
Fruit 2,130: and not a sign of leaf-disease. Leaves 
of Lincoln green ; and making new wood. How's that 
for high ? Both bushes the same age, and the 
smal 1 one a freak of nature ; a dwarf in fact ! 
INDIAN TEA COMPANIES. 
The remaining' portion of Mr. Wilson's paper 
in the Investors 'Review that is of special interest 
is the following : — 
Turning now to the companies themselves, it is 
satisfactory to find that well-managed concerns, 
especially in Assam, have met this fall in price in 
the way that business men should. Instead of lament 
ing the prices of the old times, they have proceeded" 
to avail themselves freely of the resources of civilisa- 
tion in order to reduce the initial expenses of pro- 
duction. Railways have been built, private, semi- 
private, and a little by Government aid ; tramroads 
have been formed which join the various gardens 
together, and connect the plantations with the rail- 
ways and with the ghats. A regular service of 
steamers has been long established on the Brahma- 
pootra river, which, receiving the tea at the various 
ghats and wharves, carry it down to Goalundo, 
whence it goes by rail to Calcutta. The whole system 
of picking, withering, rolling, and firing has been 
revolutionised, so that beyond the plucking, which 
must be done by hand, there is little hand labour 
on a well-managed tea plantation nowadays. The rest 
of the operations are now done by machinery, and to 
such a pitch has this been brought, that not a 
particle of iron is allowed to touch the leaves in their 
manufacture. To compare the present Indian system 
with that of the Chinese, who still keep to 
the primitive and unclean methods of centuries 
ago, enables one to grasp at once the chief cause 
of the defeat of China tea in our markets. To 
carry out these reforms, concentration has been 
needed, and there has been a gradual absorption by 
stronger gardens of their weaker neighbours. In the 
Brahmapootra Valley of Assam, for instance, during 
the years 181(1 to 1893, the number of gardens 
has declined from 525 to 491, although the quantity 
of tea produced increased from 50,000,000 lb. to 
57,000,000 lb. in the same time. Amalgamations 
chiefly accounted for this difference, and by this 
course the heavy outlays rendered necessary by the 
change in methods have been rendered possible. 
To give an idea of the economies which have 
followed this line of action, we give the following 
examples of the course of profits of three important 
companies during the last ten years : — 
Joi;i:it.U"T. 
Average 
Cost of 
Year. 
Sale Price 
Production 
Profit 
per lb. 
per lb. 
par lb. 
d. 
d. 
d. 
1883 
15.53 
12.68 
2.85 
1884 
14.89 
11-58 
3.31 
1885 
16.01 
12.00 
1.01 
1886 
15.71 
10.20 
5.51 
1887 
13.23 
9.46 
3.77 
1888 
10.41 
9.04 
1.37 
1889 
11.57 
9.83 
1.74 
1890 
11.03 
9.18 
1.85 
1H91 
10.73 
8.44 
2.29 
1892 
11.38 
7.97 
3.41 
1893 
10.88 
JOKAI. 
7.26 
3.62 
1883 
18.02 
11.95 
1.07 
1884 
12.76 
10.53 
2.23 
1885 
12.91 
10.56 
2.35 
1886 
11.89 
9.23 
2.66 
1887 
11.55 
8.52 
3.03 
1888 
9.59 
7.5-1 
2.05 
1889 
10.73 
8.58 
2.15 
1890 
18.60 
9.46 
9.14 
1S91 
10.77 
8:66 
2.19 
1892 . 
13.19 
10.65 
2.5 J 
1893 
10-3U 
1.71 
