Feb.  i,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
5°S 
THE  REPORT  OP  THE  LANKA  PLANTATIONS 
COMPANY. 
Had  the  seasons  been  more  favourable  to  the 
cultivation  of  coffee  and  cacao  than  were  those 
of  the  period  covered  by  the  report  of  this  Com- 
pany for  1891-2  up  to  30th  of  June  last,  we 
should  doubtless  have  been  able  more  fully  to 
congratulate  its  shareholders  upon  the  issue  to 
the  working  of  that  period.  The  Lanka  Planta- 
tions Company  is  one  of  those  which  .ve  may 
characterize  as  of  the  old  regime,  for  it  has  had 
to  gradually  change  the  character  of  the  cultivation 
it  started  wifb,  and  the  cost  entailed  by  doing 
this  has  hardly  even  as  yet  been  wholly  surmounted. 
Still  the  report  under  notice  evidences  that  the 
time  approaches  when  the  change  from  coffee  to 
tea  as  the  main  production  of  the  Company  will 
have  baen  fully  effected,  and  the  heavy  annual 
charges  inourred  for  making  this  change  will  have 
beoomo  a thing  of  the  past.  It  is  certain  that 
all  estate  proprietors  will  feel  sympathy  with  the 
directors  when  making  the  statement  contained  in 
the  report  that,  as  regards'  coffee  and  cacao 
the  weather  during  the  blossoming  season  for  both 
produots,  was  “most  unfavourable1'  and  “most 
unpropitiou3.”  Planters  generally  will  bear 
evidenoe  that  this  statement  is  warranted. 
In  the  case  of  the  Lanka  Company  we 
find  that  its  production  of  coffee  fell  off  from 
the  figures  of  2,031  owt.  in  the  year  previous  to 
little  more  than  914  cwt.  in  that  represented  by 
the  report.  Similarly  with  regard  to  cacao  there 
was  a decrease  from  1,106  cwt.  to  707  cwt.  We 
are  sorry  to  observe  that  the  directors  deolare 
that  their  cultivation  of  cardamoms  is  to  be  aban- 
doned as  being  unprofitable,  a like  declaration 
being  made  with  regard  to  einohona,  the  statement 
being  added  that  “as  the  trees  are  very  injurious 
to  the  tea  nearly  all  have  now  been  uprooted.” 
“ Sic  transit  gloria  mundi.”  An  industry  which  at 
one  time  promised  to  go  far  towards  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  prospects  of  our  planters  when  over- 
shadowed by  the  prevalence  of  coffee  leaf-disease 
has  been  declared  to  be  not  alone  “ unremunera- 
tive,”  but  distinctly  injurious  to  the  new 
cultivation  which  has  superseded  that  of  the 
nearly  wholly  abandoned  oeffee.  The  failure  of 
the  ooffee  and  caoao  crops  on  this  Company’s 
estates  would  not  perhaps  have  been  so  trying, 
were  it  not  for  the  faot  that,  as  yet,  tho  aoreaga 
planted  by  it  with  tea  has  not  come  into  full 
bearing.  It  is  this  fact  which  constitutes  the  great 
difference  between  the  Lanka  Company’s  operations 
and  those  on  the  great  mass  of  our  island  estates. 
The  change  from  coffee  to  tea  has  had,  in  this  Com- 
pany’s oase,  to  be  proceeded  with  gradually,  so  that 
while  surrounding  their  properties  there  is  a large 
area  covered  with  tea  that  has  long  attained 
maturity,  a very  considerable  proportion  of  the 
Company’s  connected  acreage  is  as  yet  immature. 
Had  it  not  been  for  this  faot  we  should  certainly 
have  had  to  welcome  a report  whioh,  in  spite  of 
reduction  in  the  yield  both  of  coffee  and  caoao, 
would  have  shown  a most  favorable  result  to  the 
operations  of  the  year.  Even  as  it  is,  and  not- 
withstanding the  adverse  ciroumstanoes  narrated, 
the  directors  are  able  to  announce  a dividend  of 
6 per  oent.  on  its  preference  shares  and  one  of 
three  shillings,  per  share  (free  of  inoome  tax)  on 
the  ordinary  shares.  All  things  considered  this 
is  not  a bad  result  to  have  attained,  and  as  the 
ruturnB  of  Companies  now  working  plantation 
properties  in  Ceylon  are  carefully  and  eritioally 
Witohel  by  our  opponents  in  tea-growing  through- 
out India,  it  is  as  well  that  the  circumstance 
under  whioh  a restricted  dividend  is  declared  in 
the  oase  of  the  present  Company  should  be  fully 
64 
set  forth.  For  if  it  be  not  so,  the  uninstruoted 
might  be  led  to  the  conclusion  that  tea-growing 
could  not  be  profitably  pursued  in  Ceylon,  and 
upon  this  would  be  based  a conclusion  that  might 
injuriously  operate  against  the  investment  of  public 
capital  in  Ceylon  agricultural  enterprise. 
The  tea  production  announced  seems  to  us  to  be 
very  satisfactory.  The  amount  of  it  during  the  twelve 
months  oovered  by  the  report  was  no  less  than 
377,327  lb.  against  248,574  lb.  of  the  year  pre- 
ceding. When  the  cash  return,  however,  oomes  to 
be  looked  at,  we  see  the  effect  of  diminished  prices 
on  the  amount  obtained.  These  averaged  for  the 
year  under  review  only  8jd  p6r  lb.  against  9Jd 
mentioned  in  the  previous  report.  As  matters  have 
gone  the  average  now  announced  is  not  a bad 
one,  considering  how  muoh  the  home  market  was 
disorganized  by  the  mistaken  estimates  formed  of 
the  general  outturn  of  tea  for  the  present  year. 
A table  given  in  the  report  shows  that  the  com- 
pany is  possessed  altogether  of  4,157f  acres  of 
land,  of  which  528  yet  remain  under  coffee,  while 
1,899  are  cultivated  with  tea,  412  with  caoao,  and 
18  with  areca.  The  shareholders  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  securing  the  services  of  one  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  Ceylon  and  its  planting  enterprise  and 
of  such  good  business  attainments  as  Mr.  Henry  Bois. 
The  place  worthily  filled  by  Sir  Herbert  Sandford 
could  not  be  more  fitly  ocoupied  now.  We  sin- 
cerely hope  that  the  directors  in  their  next  report 
will  be  able  to  show  a progress  undiminished  by  the 
comparative  failure  of  either  coffee  or  cacao  crops. 
THE  LANKA  PLANTATIONS  COMPANY,  LTD. 
REPORT. 
To  be  presented  at  the  Twelfth  Ordinary  General 
Meeting  of  the  Lanka  Plantations  Company,  Limited, 
to  be  held  at  the  Offices  of  the  Company,  on  Wednes- 
day, the  7th  December,  1892,  at  12  o'clock  noon. 
1.  TheDirectors  submit  theirReport  for  the  twelve 
months  ending  30th  June  last,  together  with  the 
Balance  Sheet  and  Accounts  of  the  Company  made 
up  to  that  date. 
2.  The  coffee  crop  was  only  914  cwt.  3 qr.  41b. 
(against  2,031  cwt.  last  year),  and  the  amount 
realised  therefrom  was  £4,509  10s  lid.  The  season 
was  most  unfavorable  for  this  product  owing  to  the 
excessive  rainfall  in  Haputale,  which  caused  the 
berries  to  drop  prematurely,  The  best  fields  on 
Thotulagalla  and  the  other  Ouvah  estates  are  being 
kept  in  a good  state  of  cultivation,  in  the  hope 
that  they  will  give  more  satisfactory  returns.  All 
other  fields  were  either  planted,  or  ready  for  planting, 
with  tea  on  the  30th  June  last. 
3.  The  Cinchona  Bark  shipped  has  been  71,897  lb. 
which  realised  £668  7s  11 L This  cultivation  is  no 
longer  remunerative,  and  a*  the  trees  are  very  in- 
iurions  to  the  tea  nearly  al  Lave  now  been  unprooted. 
4.  Cocoa  realised £3,1 20  2s  4d,  the  quantity  gathered 
being  707  owts,  0 qrs.  26  lb.,  against  1,10G  cwte.  last 
year.  The  wrather  during  the  blossoming  season  was 
mo  t unpropitioue,  and  to  this  alone  the  lessened 
yield  may  be  attributed.  Such  weather  as  that  whioh 
prevailed  in  Matale  at  the  critical  time  is,  fortunately, 
quite  exceptional,  and  the  Directors  look  upon  the 
future  of  this  produot  with  ’ oonfidence.  The  trees 
are  reported  to  be  in  excellent  heart,  and  the  ar- 
rangements for  ouring  hava  been  perfected.  Fifty 
acres  of  jangle  have  been  felled  and  are  now  being 
planted.  Tbe  Superintendent  reports  very  favorably 
of  tbe  suitability  of  the  land  for  cocos. 
5.  The  Cardamoms  produced  1,200  lb.,  realising 
£80  5s  Id.  The  cultivation  has  been  abandoned  as 
unprofitable,  and  tho  land  planted  with  cocoa  on  Yatta- 
watte  and  tea  on  Rillamulle. 
6.  The  tea  received  from  the  Company's  estates 
(without  purchase  of  outside  leaf)  amounted  to 
377,327  lb.,  which  sold  at  an  average  of  S;jd  per  lb.,  and 
realised  £13,028  0s  3d,  against  248,574  lb.,  averaging 
