624 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1893. 
inclusive  of  R8,350  for  tea  seed,  nurseries,  and  ex- 
tensions. The  area  in  fnll  bearing  is  753  acres,  of 
which  50  acres  are  seed  reserve;  plant,  th-retore, 
yielded  over  9 maunds  of  tea  an  acre. 
Chalouni  Tea  Company. — This  is  another  bighclass 
garden.  The  total  at  credit  of  profit  and  loss  is 
R89,623.  A 20  per  cent  ad-interim  was  previously- 
paid,  and  a final  of  15  will  make  35  for  the  year- 
on  the  capital  of  two  lakhs.  To  reserve  for  working 
expenses,  R16,000  is  appropiiated,  leaving  R4,623  to 
carry  forward.  The  outturn  was  4,997  maunds  and 
average  obtained  annas  9-3  per  lb.  A sale  of  44 
maunds  ot  tea  seed  was  also  made.  An  extension 
of  59  acres  is  in  progress  which  will  make  675  acres 
of  plant,  and  it  is  autioipated  that  5,370  maunds 
will  be  manufactured  this  seasoD. 
Soom  Tea  Company. — Outturn  was  1,487  maunds, 
and  average  on  sales  made  in  London  up  to  date  is 
the  equivalent  of  12j  annas.  Revenue  shows  R33.714 
to  the  good.  In  addition  to  the  ad-interim  of  5,  a 
final  of  6 is  recommended,  making  in  ail  a dividend 
of  11  per  cent,  which  leaves  a balanoe  in  profit  and 
loss  aoconnl  of  R2,460  to  be  oarried  forward.  Taken 
altogether  the  Company  has  had  a most  sncoessful 
season,  having  also  been  able  to  pay  off  out  of  profit 
the  balanoe  of  R5,000  at  debit  of  machinery  aocount. 
The  estimate  for  this  year  is  1,450  maunds,  but  this 
should  be  exceeded;  with  favourable  weather.  An 
additional  15  acres  is  to  be  laid  out;  the  present 
measurement  of  plant  is  425  acres. 
Dehra  Doon  Tea  Company. — The  net  probable 
profit  on  tea,  zemindari  and  forest,  is  shown  in  the 
acoounts  as  R40,241.  A hailstorm  in  May  damaged 
the  bushes,  and  the  outturn  was  4,020  maunds,  which 
is  somewhat  short  of  estimate.  From  zemindari  and 
forest  work  prospects  are  stated  to  be  more  promising, 
but  tea  markets  in  the  distnot  are  described  in  the  re- 
port as  verging  on  stagnation.  A dividend  of  4J  per 
cent,  is  recommended. 
ATal  Tea  Company  manufactured  1,418  maunds 
and  realised  an  average  of  8 aunas  a lb.  Revenue  re- 
sults in  R14,702  to  the  good.  Profit  and  lots  account 
in  adjustment  shows  a credit  balance  of  Rll,879, 
which  is  transferred  to  block  account,  in  reduction  of 
the  debt  carried  forward  from  last  year.  The  concern 
has  leased  from  the  Sath  Bhia  Company  for  five  years 
the  property  of  the  latter  on  favourable  terms.  Some 
additions  to  maohinery  are  being  made.  The  estimate 
is  for  2,300  maunds,  whioh  if  aooomplished  should  prove 
satisfactory. 
Okayti  Tea  Company  made  332  maunds  and  ob- 
tained an  average  of  10'81  annas,  Expenditure  ex- 
ceeded revenue  by  R3,506.  In  adjustment  in  profit 
and  loss  this  is  increased  to  R5,80O,  which  amount  is 
transferred  to  block,  the  last  named  account  being 
thereby  increased  to  Rl,34,405.  The  plant  is  now 
coming  into  full  bearing,  but  the  first  profits  will  be 
placed  to  credit  of  reserve  as  a set-off  against  the  ex- 
cess of  block  over  capital ; by  this  method  of  treating 
the  accounts,  block  will  always  show  the  actual 
original  oost  of  the  garden.  The  estimate  for  this  year 
is  500  maunds  tea  and  20  maunds  of  seed: 
Kalacheuba  Tea  Company. — In  revenue  account  a 
profit  in  the  season  of  R26.197  is  showD,  but  as  season 
1891  closed  with  a balanoe  of  R47.587  at  debit  of 
profit  and  loss,  the  gain  appearing  is  absorbed,  and 
in  adjustment  it  is  seen  that  the  conoern  is  now 
R26,640  to  the  bad.  The  outturn  was  2,215  maunds 
and  the  sales  averaged  annas  7-3  per  lb.  The  total 
area  of  plant  is  525  acres,  from  whioh  it  is  estimated 
next  season  to  obtain  2,650  maunds.— Pioneer. 
♦ 
CEYLON  PLANTING  REPORT. 
(Notes  by  “ Wanderer.” ) 
Feb.  23rd. 
Estimate  of  Crop,  1893* — The  appended  letter 
to  the  Englishman  shows  that  Indian  planters 
oavil  at  the  Indian  Tea  Association’s  estimates. 
By  pitching  their  minimum  estimate  at  74,000,0001b., 
I think  the  Ceylon  Assooiation  gives  itself  away 
to  the  heathen  Chinee.  Why,  that  is  only  two 
and  a bait  millions  more  than  last  year, 
According  to  Forbes  & Walker’s  oiroular  we  are  to 
the  16th  of  February  a million  lb.  ahead  of  last 
year  at  same  date.  GoiDg  on  at  that  rate  we 
should  be  8 millions  of  tea  in  1893  ahead  of  1892. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  “ Englishman.” 
Sir, — In  the  lately  published  Tea  Crop  Estimates  of 
1892,  I note  that  the  differences  between  “ Original 
Estimate”  and  “Aotual  Crops,”  as  given  by  the 
General  Committee  of  Indian  Tea  Association  amounts 
to  no  less  than  16  million  pounds. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  greater  discretion  will  be 
nsed  in  framing  estimate  for  1893  if  the  publication  of 
such  an  estimate  be  of  actual  necessity.  It  is  doubtful 
if  such  estimates  be  of  advantage  to  any  one. 
Certainly  they  cannot  be  of  advantage  to  the  seller  ; 
they  may  be  to  that  of  the  buyer  and  speculator. 
I submit  that,  in  the  interest  of  the  Tea  industry, 
no  such  “original,”  or  preliminary  Estimates  should 
be  published,  as  they  must  be  simply  guess  work,  A 
half-yearly,  or  quarterly,  crop  return  should  suffice  for 
all  pnrposes,  if  such  a publication  be  deemed  essential. 
Propeietob. 
Weather. — Dikoya  and  Maskeliya  have  been  fortu- 
nate to  get  good  rains.  Elsewhere  every  one  is  crying 
out.  One  hears  of  a terrible  drought  in  South 
India;  so  we  may  look  out  for  lots  of  ooolies  and  high 
priced  rioe.  Some  of  our  enterprising  Colombo 
merchants  may  see  their  way  to  get  rioe  from 
Burma  and  thus  save  us  from  the  Ohetty. 
“ Mosquito  Blight  ” seems  to  be  touching  up  our 
Indian  brethren.  Has  it  done  any  harm  here  as  yet  ? 
The  following  letter  to  an  Indian  paper  may  be 
interesting  : — 
To  the  Editor  of  the  “ Englishman.” 
Sir, — Very  erroneous  ideas  prevail  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  so-called  mosquito  blight,  named 
from  its  fancied  resemblance  to  that  much  abused 
insect.  However,  the  one  that  attacks  the  tea-bush 
is  not  a bloodsucker,  and  the  principal  cause  of 
its  disastrous  effects  is  not  the  amount  it  eats, 
although  nearly  every  leaf  bitten  by  it  turns  black 
and  shrivels  up,  but  the  female  is  provided  with  a 
boring  apparatus  with  which  she  bores  a hole  into 
the  centre  of  the  young  succulent  shoot  just 
below  the  first  leaf  and  deposits  an  egg ; the  shoot 
then  turns  black  at  this  spot  and  soon  dies  off. 
This  is  not  confined  to  the  tea- bush  alone.  Last 
October  I saw  a vegetable  garden  at  least  two 
miles  from  any  affected  tea,  in  which  the  whole  of 
the  seedlings  irrespective  of  kind  were  killed  off 
by  this  devastating  pest.  Burning  the  prunings, 
which  has  been  resorted  to  on  many  gardens,  is 
useless  to  effect  a remedy,  as  the  egg  and  grub 
only  exists  in  the  young  succulent  shoots.  Given 
suitable  damp  weather  for  their  propagation,  vigo- 
rous bushes  are  powerless  to  resist  its  effects. 
They  only  give  a greater  number  of  shoots  for 
the  female  to  deposit  its  eggs  in,  and  instead  of 
three  or  four  in  a shoot  you  will  find,  if  there  is  a 
sufficient  amount  of  young  wood,  (only  one  in  each), 
the  result  is  the  same,  the  egg  penetrates  quite 
to  the  centre,  and  whether  one  egg  or  more  the 
shoot  always  dies.  The  vigorous  bush,  of  course, 
has  the  advantage  if  dry  hot  weather  prevails,  but 
when  a garden  is  over  badly  attacked,  it  is  very 
rarely  the  case  that  there  is  a sufficient  long  spell 
of  it  to  do  much  good. 
That  the  mosquito  blight  comes  out  of  the 
jungle  there  can,  I think,  be  no  doubt,  also  that 
the  immunity  of  the  gardens  on  the  Southern  Tarai 
to  this  scourge  is  to  be  traced  to  the  absence  of 
that  dense  growth  of  jungle  on  the  windward  side 
of  them  which  prevails  closer  under  the  hills. 
Shareholder. 
China  Tea.-tI  am  glad  to  note  that  the  Aus- 
tralians are  putting  their  foot  down  on  the  im- 
portation of  bad  tea.  A stoppage  of  300,000  lb. 
of  bad  and  spurious  tea  at  the  customs  seems  to 
be  a very  praotioal  measure.  I wonder  if  the 
home  authorities  are  equally  firm. 
Low  Prices  for  Tea  at  home  are  accounted 
for  by  an  absence  of  country  orders  owing 
to  the  general  badness  ot  trade  and  agriculture. 
