Feb.  i,  1893-] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
537 
THE  FIRST  AND  BIGGEST  TEA  PLANTATION 
COMPANY  IN  CEYLON. 
This  honour  belongs  to  the  Ceylon  Tea  Planta- 
tions Company,  of  which  the  late  Mr.  David 
Beid  may  have  been  said  to  be  the  founder, 
while  Mr.  H.  K.  Rutherford  is  now  Managing 
Director  in  London  and  Mr.  G.  A.  Talbot,  Manager 
in  Ceylon.  The  last-named  gentleman  is  good 
enough  to  inform  us  that  “ the  total  outturn  of 
tea  for  the  Company  in 
1892  was  4,666,699  lb. 
In  1891  it  was  4,291,684  lb. 
In  1890  „ 2,939,766  lb. 
Of  course,  there  were  several  plantations  purchased 
between  1890  and  1891.  We  suppose  there  is  no 
Indian  Tea  Company  giving  an  outturn  in  exoees  of 
the  Ceylon  Tea  Plantations  Company,  although  the 
outturn  of  the  North  and  South  Sylhet  concerns 
is  probably  rather  above  than  below  4 million  lb. 
It  is  something  for  Ceylon  to  have  the  Premier 
Tea  Company,  and  we  feel  sure  that  none  in 
India  can  be  better  managed  than  is  the  Company 
under  the  care  of  Messrs.  Rutherford  and  Talbot, 
in  whom  the  shareholders  have  emphatically  the 
right  men  in  the  right  places. 

THE  CEYLON  TEA  CROP  IN  1893. 
The  Official  Estimates. 
A “ keenly  observant  planter  ” writes : — 
11  Have  the  * official  estimaters  ’ taken  into  account 
the  very  severe  drought  now  afflicting  high  and  low 
tea  ? It  may  he  said  to  have  commenced  on  20th 
November,— December  only  giviDg  a fall  of  3 to  6 in. 
When  will  it  break  np  ? We  are  entering  the  long 
dry  season  with  dry  tanks.  Have  responsible  parties 
made  it  known  in  Mincing  Lane?” 
Mr.  Wm.  Smith  of  Dimbula  expresses  the 
opinion  : — 
**  Had  we  had  rain  in  December  80,000,000  would 
have  been  nearly  touched.  We  are  now  in  want  of 
rain  np  here,  and  tea  would  flush  to  our  hearts’  con- 
tent. We  got  from  200  acres  21,000  lb.  made  tea  in 
Decsmber.” 
CACAO  ABOUT  KANDY— A WONDER! 
A planter  writing  from  a Kandy  Distriot,  re- 
^°We  are  much  in  need  of  rain,  although  the  flash  is 
far  from  stopping.  Cacao  is  a wonder.  Our  crop 
should  be  about  over  now,  but  instead  of  that  the 
trees  are  still  full  of  pods  in  all  stages,  and  blossom 
as  well  This,  too.  in  spite  of  a bigger  crop  in  1892 
than  we  had  in  1891.  I am  not  sure,  however,  that 
th  s is  the  general  experience,  for  the  cacao  autumn 
Crop  is  late  and  only  those  who  stood  Weil  in  the 
sprirg  months  have  found  1892  a season  to  pipe 
about. 
SAPPHIRES  AND  RUBIES  OF  SIAM. 
The  report  of  the  directors  states  : — Being  anx- 
ious to  avoid  incurring  any  outlay  for  machinery 
until  the  value  of  the  ooropany’s  property  had  been 
ascertained,  they  approved  of  a temporary  system 
of  working  the  mines  suggested  by  Mr.  Gibbon, 
the  company’s  chief  agent  in  Siam,  by  granting 
lioensea  to  seleoted  diggers.  The  results  obtained 
under  this  system  have  been  sufficient,  to  prove 
that  the  company  possesses  mine3  containing  a large 
quantity  of  ruby^bearing  earth,  whiob,  with  suitable 
gem-washing  machinery,  there  is  6very  hope  it  will 
afford  satisfactory  returns.  This  trial  system  of 
Working  by  moanB  of  certificated  diggers  haB  been 
6? 
continued  during  the  past  year,  but  it  has  not  been 
allowed  to  develop  largely,  owing  to  the  growing 
suspicion  with  regard  to  the  illicit  detention  of 
stones  by  the  diggers,  and  particularly  in  view  of 
the  proposed,  adoption  of  machinery.  Within  the 
past  few  months  a system  of  digging  by  labour 
paid  for  at  daily  wages  has  been  tried  with  very 
promising  resulte.  Having  regard  to  the  Btate  of 
Mr.  Gibbon’s  health,  which  had  been  seriously 
impaired  by  severe  fever,  and  to  the  desire  of  the 
Board  to  discuss  with  him  personally  the  future 
policy  of  the  company,  the  directors  telegraphed 
to  him  to  come  home. 
Wh.le  the  aggregate  yield  of  stoneB  under  the 
system  temporarily  adopted  has  been  considerable, 
it  is  clear  that  many  first-class  stones  have  been 
purloined,  and,  consequently,  the  necessity  for  adopt- 
ing some  theft-preventing  maohinery  for  washing 
and  separating  the  gems  has  become  imperative. 
The  attention  of  the  directors  has  reoently  been 
drawn  to  a gem-separator  invented  by  Mr.  W.  S. 
Lockhart,  Mem.  Inst.  C.E.,  who  has  had  special 
experience  in  gemming.  The  advantages  claimed 
for  this  machine  are  not  only  that  it  gfieotually 
separates  the  gems  from  the  worthless  gravel,  but 
that  it  absolutely  prevents  theft. 
During  the  past  twelve  months  very  considerable 
progress  has  been  made  in  surveying  and  exploring 
the  country  within  the  company’  concession.  Those 
acquainted  with  the  conditions  under  which  surveys 
and  works  of  this  kind  have  to  be  conducted  in 
the  jungle  districts  of  Siam  will  fully  appreciate 
the  value  of  the  work  done  by  Mr.  Gibbon  and 
his  stall,  often,  unfortunately,  at  a great  sacrifice 
of  their  health. 
The  directors  have  to  announce  the  retirement 
from  the  board  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Verney,  owing  to 
his  time  being  fully  engaged  with  other  occupations. 
— L.  and  C.  Express*,  Deo,  23,1892. 
PUNCH  ON  CEYLON  TEA. 
Under  the  heading  of  “ Lays  of  Modern  Home  : 
the  Muffin  Man,”  Punch  of  the  24th  Dec.  1892, 
after  extolling  the  dainty  “ ocisp  my  native-bred, 
my  British  muffin”  thus  oonoludes: — 
“ Then;  brew  my  cup— the  best  Ceylon— ■ 
And,  bidding  oare  and  chill  begone, 
Concentre  heart  and  mouth  upon 
Thy  warm  perfections.” 
Rubber  in  Bengal. — A native  of  Para  proposes  to 
start  the  production  of  mangabeira  rubber  in  the 
district  of  S.  Simfio,  S.  Paulo.  He  claims  to  have 
discovered  that  there  are  forests  of  the  trees  in  the 
state,  and  that  the  result  of  the  extraction  of  rubber 
will  be  very  profitable.  The  botanical  name  of  the 
mangabeira  is  Ilancornia  pvbescens,  which  may  lead  to 
its  identification  in  foreign  parts. — Rio  News. 
A Cetlon  Planter  in  West  Africa. — The  last  mail 
brought  us  letters,  from  Mr.  W.  B,  Hope,  late  of 
Yattiantota,  who  is  now  carrying  on  business  in 
Liverpool  with  a Mr.  Fletcher,  under  the  style  and 
title  of  Messrs.  Fletcher  and  Hope.  Mr.  Hope  had 
just  returned  from  a trip  to  the  English  settlements 
on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  and  is  struck  with  the 
lethargy  displayed  by  the  British  in  that  part  of  the 
world,  and  particularly  with  the  absence  of  good 
roads.  “Oh”  I he  says,  “for  a few  years  of  Sir 
Arthur  Gordon.”  Climatic  influences,  however,  are 
said  to  be  very  adverse  to  energy  and  progress  in 
that  part  of  the  world,  whilst  its  unhealthiness  to 
human  life  is  proverbial.  Mr.  Hope's  visit,  however, 
is  likely  to  be  productive  of  much  good  to  his  firm 
now  that  he  has  established  personal  relations  with 
the  agents  on  the  Coast.— Local  “ Times,”  Jan,  12, 
