i)EC.  I,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
409 
ME.  JOHN  BROWN  ON  THE  PRESENT 
CONDITION  OF  CEYLON  COFFEE. 
We  presume  it  will  be  admitted  that  few  men  oou’d 
be  better  qualified  to  judge  of  the  present  condition  of 
the  few  coffee  trees  yet  remaining  in  Ceylon  than  is 
Mr.  John  Brown  of  the  Colombo  Commercial  and 
Uva  and  Spring  Valley  Companies.  This  gentle- 
man has  but  reoently  returned  to  England  after 
a stay  in  this  island  of  a good  many  months  ; 
and  as  the  representative  of  the  three  Companies 
mentioned  he  must  have  had  every  opportunity 
of  forming  a judgment  of  the  state  of  things 
upon  the  several  estates  owned  by  them  upon 
which  some  fields  of  coffee  yet  remain.  It  is 
understood  that  by  a process  of  gradual  elimina- 
tion every  “shuck”  tree  has  been  got  rid  of,  each 
of  thoso  remaining  being  apparently  in  full  health 
and  vigour.  Mr.  Brown,  it  appears,  has  stated 
since  his  arrival  at  home  that  he  never  saw 
fields  of  coffee  looking  more  promising  than  did 
those  under  his  observation  while  recently  in  Ceylon. 
Even  in  the  palmiest  days  when  coffee  *as  king 
in  the  island,  there  could  not  bo  seen,  according  to 
Mr.  Brown,  trees  looking  in  better  heart  or 
promising  more  fairly.  Alas  that  suoh  appear- 
ance should  be  delusive  ! Fine  and  healthy  as 
these  yet  remaining  fields  appear,  and  promising 
as  is  the  appearance  of  blossom  and  of  the 
subsequent  fruiting,  but  few  of  th9  berries  pro- 
duced will  ripen  upon  the  trees.  They  fall  off 
immaturely,  and  the  crop  returns  are  moBt  heart- 
breaking. We  may  recognise  in  this  faot,  perhaps, 
the  justness  of  the  assertion  frequently  made  by 
experts  that  the  soil  and  olimate  of  Ceylon  are 
both  of  them  better  adapted  to  the  production 
of  a leaf  than  to  that  of  a fruit  crop.  In  the 
oase  of  the  Uva  estates  visited  by  Mr,  Brown 
he  found  the  coffee  trees  covered  with  verdure  ; 
and  had  the  putting  forth  of  this  been  the 
ultimate  purpose  of  their  planting  we  should 
hear  nothing  of  the  oontinuanoe  of  the  distress- 
ing effect  of  Remileia  vastatrix  upon  the  coffee 
cultivation  of  the  island.  And,  yet  what  has 
always  been  termed  the  “ leaf  disease”  appears 
to  have  had  little  or  no  effect  upon  the  produc- 
tion of  foliage  at  the  present  time.  Indeed  this 
is  Btated  to  be  luxuriant.  Failure  now  only 
occurs  when  the  time  for  fruiting  arrives  ; accl  it 
would  be  interesting  to  consider  whether,  since  so 
far  as  any  affection  of  the  leaf  is  conoerned,  the 
effeots  of  the  disease  appear  to  have  passed  away, 
a little  longer  period  of  patience  and  wating 
may  not  witness  a similar  beneficial  ehaDge 
as  regards  the  fruit-bearing  of  the  trees. 
It  used  to  be  common  in  the  days  when 
Hemileia  vastatrix  was  at  the  height  of  its  viru- 
lence to  see  whole  fields  left  utterly  leafless. 
No  such  sight,  according  to  Mr.  Brown,  is  now 
to  be  seen.  He  has  stated  that  nothing  could 
be  finer  than  the  condition  of  the  trees  when 
he  saw  them  from  a leaf-producing  point  of  view. 
Here  we  have  a distinct  amelioration  upon 
former  common  conditions.  Is  it  hopeless  to 
expeot  that  the  trees,  having  so  far  recovered 
from  the  weakening  effect  of  the  disease  from 
whioh  they  so  long  suffered  as  to  produce  full 
crops  of  leaf,  may  in  time  become  so  far  further 
recuperated  as  to  be  able  to  bear  their  crops  of 
berries  until  maturity  be  reached?  We  do  not 
pretend  to  prediot  whether  suoh  a hope,  if  en- 
tertained, will  ever  be  justified  ; but  it  would 
seem  to  be  certain  that  to  some  extent  the 
92 
trees  have  slowly  recovered  from  the  effeots  of 
the  disease.  If  we  could  pass  through  one  or 
more  seasons  without  experiencing  a recurrence 
of  further  outbreaks  of  this,  we  can  see  no 
assignable  reason  why  in  time  strength  may  not 
be  so  further  obtained  as  to  enable  the  full 
function  of  tho  trees  to  be  performed  ? At  all 
events  it  would  be  unwise,  in  the  face  of  all 
present  evidence,  to  decide  that  the  day  may  not 
ultimately  return  when  an  acre  of  coffee  may 
yield  crop  rivalling  that  of  our  former  experiences, 
.£► 
NOTES  FROM  OFR  LONDON  LETTER. 
London,  Nov.  4. 
THE  CEYLON  TEA  FUND  COMMITTEE’S  GRANT  TO  TEE 
AMERICAN  CEYLON  TEA  CO. 
We  understand  that  a telegram  has  been  received 
by  Mr.  Farr,  of  Messrs.  Wattson  & Farr  of  New  York, 
to  whose  presence  in  London  my  latest  letter  made 
reference,  intimating  that  ycur  Tea  Fund  Committee 
had  resolved  upon  voting  to  the  American  Ceylon 
Tea  Company  a grant  of  ninety  chests  of  tea.  Mr. 
Farr,  it  appears,  is  greatly  pleased  at  the  receipt  of 
this  intelligence,  because  it  gives  him  what  he  and 
those  connected  with  him  in  the  States  have  so 
greatly  desired,  an  official  recognition  of  their  status 
by  the  leading  planting  body  of  Ceylon.  Mr.  May 
and  Messrs.  Wattson  & Farr  had,  we  believe,  asked 
that 
A CONCESSION  OF  £1,000 
should  be  made  to  them  for  two  succeeding  years  by 
your  Planters’  Association,  but  it  was  replied  to 
them  that  the  resolution  before  referred  to  was  taken 
before  their  letter  of  detailed  application  was  re- 
ceived. Mr.  Farr,  who  is  a man  of  between  30  and 
35  years  of  age  we  ehouid  say,  thinks  that  he  may 
well  be  pleased  with  the  aid  now  voted  by  your 
planting  community,  and  he  believes  it  will  enable 
him  to  obtain  all  the  further  aid  he  requires  here  and 
in  America.  It  may  be  concluded  from  the  faot 
that  Mr.  Farr  leaves  today  upon  his  return  journey 
I to  New  York  that  ho  has  been  able  to  make  all  ar- 
rangements with  respect  to  aid  obtainable  on  this 
side  before  the  receipt  of  the  telegram  from  Ceylon, 
and  it  is  possible  that  he  had  secured  promises  in 
advanoe  the  peformanoe  of  which  was  contingent 
upon  his  obtaining  the  help  now  guaranteed  to  him 
from  Ceylon. 
MR.  MAY  AND  PUSHING  CEYLCN  TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
Yv^hen  speaking  relative  to  what  Mr.  Elwood  May 
has  already  accomplished  in  America  with  regard  to 
the  introduction  of  Ceylon  tea,  Mr.  Farr  remarked 
; tbat  perhaps  no  man  had  ever  succeeded  as  Mr. 
May  had  done  in  getting  services  rendered  for 
■'nothing.  “Nothing  for  nothing  ” is  a customary 
saying  ; but  Mr.  May,  according  to  Mr.  Farr,  has 
succeeded  in  proving  an  exception  to  the  rule  of  it. 
Probably  Mr.  May,  as  a man  of  considerable  inde- 
pendent means  made  by  some  lucky  ventures  and 
added  to  by  marriage  to  a lady  of  considerable 
means,  was  in  a more  likely  position  to  effect  this 
than  the  generality  of  businessmen  could  be.  He 
occupies  a good  Eocial  position  in  New  York,  and 
is  liberal  in  the  exeroise  of  hospitality,  so  that 
ho  can  place  matters  before  businessmen  from  a 
platform  whioh  a more  needy  man  could  not  possibly 
ocoupy. 
VALUATIONS  OF  CEYLON  TEA  IN  NEW  YORK. 
I was  mentioning  the  faot  of  recent  valuations  of 
your  teas  in  New  Yoik  to  several  Ceylon  men  this 
week.  These  held  that  the  facts  narrated  in  my 
last  letter  fully  justify  Mr.  May  in  hiB  assertion 
that  it  would  be  no  use  attempting  to  effeqt  thq 
