254 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  i,  1892. 
IMPORTS. 
1886-7. 
1887-8. 
1888-9, 
lbs. 
lllR. 
lbs. 
Indian 
78, 2i  9,334 
86,371000 
94,054,287 
Oeylon 
8,060,680 
14,705,000 
26  389,632 
China,  &o. 
142,423,453 
120,174,000 
102.865,304 
Total  forSsasoD 
228,693  467 
221,250,600 
224,200  123 
1889  90. 
1690  91. 
1691-92. 
lb. 
lb. 
ib. 
Indian 
101,000,000 
100,000,000 
111,000,600 
Ceylon 
34,006,0(0 
47,(.'00,  U00 
64,000,000 
China,  &c.... 
93,000,000 
74,000,000 
63,000,600 
Total  for  Season 
228,000  000 
221,000,600 
238  000,000 
Deliveries 
(For 
• Home  Contump'ioo.) 
1886-7. 
1887-8. 
1883-9. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
Indian  ... 
75,424  956 
85,619  000 
91,368,180 
Ceylon 
7,744,130 
12,578,CO0 
23,830,564 
China,  &c.... 
96,957,510 
84,797,000 
70,143,124 
Total  for  Season 
180,126,586 
182,994,000 
185,341,875 
(For  Ke  Expert.) 
41,014,614 
35,206,000 
39,385,300 
Grand  Total 
221,141,200 
218,200,000 
224,727,174 
1889-90. 
1890  91. 
1891-92. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
Indian 
99,000,000 
109,000,000 
104,000.000 
Ceylou' 
30,000  000 
40,000,000 
58,500,000 
China  &c.  ... 
69,000,000 
56,000,06)0 
42,000,000 
Total  for  Season 
188,000,000 
196,000,000 
204,500,000 
(For  Re-Expori). 
36,000,000 
*33,000,000 
*36,500,000 
Grand  Total 
224,000,000 
229,000,000 
241,000,000 
•Analysis  of  Exports  : — 
Percentage 
1890-91. 
1801-92. 
of  Increase 
Indian 
2,300,000 
4,000,000 
74  per  cent. 
Caylon 
1,460,000 
3,000,6)00  114  per  cent. 
China 
29  300,000 
29,500,000  2-3  per  cent. 
33,000,000 
36,500,000 
The  very  large 
substitution  of  Indian 
and  Ceylon 
teas  for  those  of  China  in  ihe  London  export  figures, 
shown  above,  is  the  subject  of  congratulation,  as 
showing  that  a long  continued  low  range  of  prices 
is  not  altogether  without  its  advantage  in  promoting 
an  increased  use  of  our  teas. 
GENEBAI  COMMITTEE. 
The  members  of  the  General  Committee,  as  usual,  of- 
fer themselves  for  re-election.—  H.  and  C.  Mail,  Aug.  12. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  TEA  IN  THE 
WYNAAD,  AND  CINCHONA  PROSPECTS. 
The  twelfth  ordinary  general  meeting  of  the  Went- 
worth Gold  MiniDg  and  Indian  Estates  Company, 
Limited,  was  held  cn  the  21st  July,  at  the  offices,  34, 
Nicholas-lane  Lcmbard-street,  under  the  presideucy  ot 
Mr.  Robert  Ewing. 
The  Secretary  read  the  notice  convening  the  meet- 
ing, and  the  directors’  report  was  taken  as  read. 
The  Chairman  said  : — Gentlemen,  there  is  very  little 
more  to  say  beyond  that  stated  in  the  report.  We 
resolved  to  hold  the  meeting  here  as  only  a small 
number  of  shareholders  attended  on  the  last  occasion, 
and  because  we  wished  to  curtail  expenses  in  every 
possible  way.  This  course,  I think,  will  meet  with 
your  approval.  As  I said,  there  is  little  to  add  beyond 
what  is  stated  in  the  report  and  what  was  said  at  the 
meeting  last  year.  We  have  continued  to  carry  out 
the  same  policy  of  nursing  tho  estates  during  the 
present  time  of  depression  in  the  bark  market. 
Notwithstanding  the  expectations  which  had  been 
formed  very  generally  in  the  trade  that  bark  and 
quinine  would  improve,  the  reverse,  unfortunately, 
had  been  the  case  during  tho  p»Bt  year.  We 
intend  to  pursue  the  same  policy ; but  we 
shall  be  taking  rather  more  bark  than  we 
did  before,  for  the  benefit  of  the  trees.  The  policy 
ot  the  Board,  I think,  is  expressed  iu  the  manager’s 
report,  from  which  I will  read  the  fo  lowing  passage:  — 
“ My  endeavour  since  I have  been  in  charge  of  these 
estates  basbeen  to  keep  tbe  coffee  aud  cinchoi  a in  good 
order,  to  get  what  was  possible  out  of  tbe  former,  and 
to  have  the  latter  readj  for  aDv  improvement  in  price 
that  may  take  place.”  We  shall  probably  take  larger 
supplies  of  bark  from  the  estates,  because  we  wish  to 
shave  some  of  our  trees  so  as  to  get  renewed  bark.  Our 
estates,  according  to  the  Manager’s  report  and  the 
reports  of  the  agents  on  the  coast,  who  visit  the  gardens 
periodically,  are  iu  excellent  order.  We  can  get  large 
and  regular  supplies  of  bark  at  any  time  we  want  them, 
and  in  this  next  year  we  hope  the  result  of  the  work- 
ing will  go  still  further  towards  meeting  the  whole  of 
cur  expenses  than  has  been  the  case  in  tbe  past  year, 
which  showaaD  improvement  over  the  previous  one.  Tea, 
app  arently,  is  a success  in  the  Wynnad,  tbe  soil  appears 
to  be  admirably  6uited  for  it,  and  there  seems  to  be  a 
ge  neral  feeling  amongst  the  planters  there  that  iu  the 
future — perhaps  not  in  the  immediate  future,  but 
before  very  long — at  considerable  aiea  of  land  will  be 
opened  out  for  this  purpose.  We  think  we  are  doing 
right  m preparing  our  estates  to  be  in  a position  to 
take  advantage  of  any  demand  for  tea  plantations 
that  may  take  place,  should  we  wish  to  dispose  of 
the  estates  in  the  future,  by  making  them  in  this 
way  more  valuable,  cr  to  take  advantage  of  tbe  good 
returns  that  we  hope  will  come  from  tea  should  we 
cootinue  to  work  them  ourselves.  We  have  kept  the 
expenses  down  to  as  low  a point  as  possiole.  We 
cannot,  however,  let  our  estates  go  back — we  must 
keep  them  up;  and  I think  this  has  been  done.  The 
London  expenses  I need  not  refer  to  at  all.  I think 
you  will  agree  with  me  that  we  have  kept  them  down 
to  a very  low  figure.  Tbe  debit  balance  on  this  year’s 
working  is  £879,  which  is  caused  entirely  by  our  not 
taking  so  large  an  amount  of  bark  as  we  might  have 
done  to  cover  the  expenditure.  With  regard  to  the 
calls  in  arrear,  you  will  see  from  the  accounts  that 
a considerable  portion  has  been  recovered  since  the 
date  of  the  balance-sheet,  and  our  solicitors  have  been 
instructed  to  take  such  proceedings  as  they  may  deem 
advisable  to  endeavour  to  recover  what  is  still  out- 
standing. 
Mr.  Todhunter:  Gentlemen,  I am  very  much  obliged 
to  you  for  the  confidence  you  have  placed  in  me  in 
re-eleetiDg  me  to  the  directoiate  of  this  Oonqany. 
When  I became  a director,  you  will  recollect,  the 
Company  was  in  a very  bad  position  indeed,  and  I 
think  that,  under  the  circumstance  of  a falling  bark 
market,  which  has  been  the  case  ever  since,  we  have 
done  the  best  that  could  have  been  done  in  tbe  in- 
terests cf  the  shareholde  rs,  I would  like  to  say  now 
that  I think  there  is  a ray  of  hope.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  we  have  got  a fine  cinchona  es'ate,  and  tbe  Ceylou 
statistics  seems  to  show  that  the  production  is  falling 
off  and  that  there  may  be  a time  when  cinchona  will 
again  become  remunerative.  If  that  be  so,  we  shall  cer- 
tainly from  cinchona  alone  be  able  to  derive  a very  fair 
income;  but  I think  that  the  action  which  the  direc- 
tors have  taken  during  the  last  two  years  must  com- 
mend itself  to  the  shareholders— that  is,  in  having 
ascertained  after  a great  deal  of  care  aud  investigation, 
that  a large  arta  of  the  land  we  hold  is  eminently 
adap'edfor  the  cultivation  of  tea,  and  as  we  told  you 
on  the  last  occat-ioD,  we  have  called  up  the  remaimug 
capital  of  tbe  Company  for  the  purpose,  amoDg  others, 
of  extenJiug  the  tea  cultivation.  We  have  commenced 
it,  and  we  have  already,  I think,  planted  something 
like  130  acres — at  all  events,  the  land  is  prepared  for 
a total  cnltivatiou  of  about  130  acres — and  we  think 
that  in  the  course  of  the  text  three  or  four  years  we 
shall  be  able  to  extend  the  cultivation  to  the  extent 
of  about  500  acres.  Of  course,  tea  does  not  come  into 
profit  bearing  for  three  or  four  years,  and  we  must 
wait  for  the  results  of  that  planting  ; but  I do  think 
that,  with  the  experience  of  Ceylon,  where  coffee  is 
going  out  in  the  same  way  as  it  is  going  out  in  the 
Wynaad,  and  where  oinchona  is  being  taken  off  the 
