THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  r,  1893. 
650 
the  honor,  sir,  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 
Customs,  Colombo,  10th  Feb.  1893. 
Sir, — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  8th  instant,  I I 
have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  as  the  cinchona  : 
had  been  duly  manifested  to  Colombo  with  Bill  of 
Lading  as  local  cargo  intended  as  you  state  for  i 
sale  at  this  port,  I cannot  by  any  interpretation  of 
the  Ordinance  and  Proclamations  now  in  force  re- 
cognise it  or  treat  it  in  any  way  as  re-sliipment  cargo. 
I conclude  you  wish  to  avoid  the  usual  charges  on 
imported  cargo  such  as  rent  and  harbour  dues. 
These  concessions  are  allowed  by  law  to  reship- 
ment cargo  if  shipped  within  five  days  free  of  harbour 
dues  also  Local  cargo  can  only  be  disposed  of  by 
payment  of  duty  and  allowing  it  to  pass  into  the  local  | 
market  or  by  bonding  for  exportation  under  clause 
76  of  Ordinance  17  of  1869.  When  in  bond  I can  allow 
samples  to  be  taken  under  section  71,  but  the  usual  ex- 
port duties  must  in  any  case  be  paid  by  the  exporter. 
The  importation  into  Colombo  for  sale  of  course 
renders  it  impossible  to  treat  it  as  reshipment  cargo, 
and  this  department  can  take  no  notice  of  a change  of 
owners,  it  merely  detains  the  goods  pending  pay- 
ment of  all  legal  duty  and  dues. 
I may  add  that  I cannot  allow  samples  to  be  taken 
from  reshipment  cargo  landed  in  the  reshipment  ware- 
house provided  by  Government. —I  am,  sir,  your 
obedient  servant,  R.  Reid,  Principal  Collector. 
A NEW  MARKET  FOR  CEYLON  TEA  : 
MASHONALAND. 
London,  Feb.  17. 
Sir, — It  will  perhaps  interest  some  of  your 
subscribers  to  know  that  Ceylon  tea  has  already 
found  its  way  into  that  new  country  about  whioh 
so  muoh  is  being  written  at  the  present  time,  we 
mean  Mashonaland.  Believing  thoroughly  that  in 
oourse  of  time  this  country  will  become  an  im- 
portant British  Colony  we  were  anxious  to  get  the 
name  of  Ceylon  tea  known  there  amongst  the  first 
pioneers,  so  had  some  fioe  Rickarton  Orange  Pekoe 
compressed  into  oakes  thus  reduoing  its  bulk  by 
two-thirds,  and  gave  a good  supply  to  some  of  the 
leaders  of  the  principal  expeditions  to  that  oountry. 
This  happened  nearly  two  years  ago,  and  we  have 
lately  seen  one  of  these  gentlemen  who  has  returned 
home  for  a holiday,  and  he  tells  us  that  the  tea 
was  very  highly  appreciated  both  for  its  quality 
and  for  the  convenient  form  in  which  it  was  sent. 
Having  proved  the  utility  of  tea  in  this  form  when 
really  good  quality  is  used  (to  compress),  we  are 
now  endeavouring  to  make  arrangements  for  some 
friends  to  send  out  a regular  supply,  that  this 
market  may  be  secured  in  its  infanoy,  and  we 
hope  that  in  time  Mashonaland  will  become  a 
not  unimportant  oonsumer  ef  Ceylon  tea. — We  are, 
yours  faithfully,  GOW,  WILSON  & STANTON. 
[A  sample  of  the  “ compressed  tea  ” may  be 
seen  at  our  office. — Ed.  T.A.] 
PLANTING  OF  TREES  ON  PLANTA- 
TIONS, FOR  FUEL  SUPPLY,  &c. 
A PRACTICAL  LETTER. 
Dear  Sir, — The  question  of  fuel  supply  upoountry 
is  not  so  serious  as  it  at  first  appears,  as  any 
estate  oan  in  5 years  have  an  ample  supply  of 
fuel  grown  along  its  roads  and  drains. 
Grevillia  and  iron  bark  trees  7 years  from  seed  give 
about  ‘i  of  a yard  of  fuel  on  an  average,  or  say  2001b. 
of  well-dried  fuel,  but  for  the  purposos  of  cultivation 
put  it  at  150  lb.  a tree  and  take  the  quantity  of 
fuel  required  to  cure  a lb.  of  tea  where  there  is  water 
power  at  3 lb.  and  where  engines  are  used  at  6 
lb.  On  an  estate  giving  500  lb.  per  acre,  we  would 
thus  require  10  trees  to  the  aore  per  annum  (in 
conjunction  with  water  power)  in  Beven  years 
iqualto  70  trees  per  aore  for  a continuous  supply 
of  fuel  or  with  an  engine  16|  by  7 = 117  trees 
per  acre. 
The  quantities  estimated  are  much  larger  than 
any  seller  of  machinery  admits  is  necessary,  but 
it  is  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  Supply  baskets 
should  always  be  used  for  this  purpose  as  the  trees 
make  at  least  an  extra  year’s  growth  oompared 
with  ordinary  planting  and  no  failures  occur. 
Take  a 200  acre  estate  and  estimating  100  plants 
an  acre  = 20,000  trees  required  R 
20,000  baskets  at  R7  on  the  spot—..  140 
200  ooolies  cutting  holes  ..  80 
150  coolies  planting  and  oarrying 
baskets  ..  ..  ..60 
Cost  of  seed..  ..  ..60 
Nursery  work. . ..  ..  100 
Contingencies..  ..  ..20 
R450 
What  a trifling  sum  to  expend  with  the  certainty 
of  having  a constant  fuel  supply  in  a few  years, 
and  still  many  people  negleot  it. 
Properly  ohosen  trees  do  not  do  the  tea  a bit 
of  harm  and  jab  at  lower  elevations  under  which 
tea  flourishes,  grows  even  more  quickly  than  the 
trees  named. — Yours  faithfully,  FUEL. 
COCONUT  CULTIVATION  IN  CEYLON : 
THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  MANURING — AND  OF  IRRIGATION — 
THE  LIMIT  TO  NUT-BEARING— REMINISCENCES  OF  OLD 
PLANTERS. 
Pamban,  Feb.  27. 
Dear  Sir, — I was  much  interested  in  your  editorial 
remarks  and  reminiscences  on  “ Coconut  Cultiva- 
tion, &o.”  in  your  issue  of  the  16th  instant,  in 
connection  with  the  sale  of  coconut  properties 
belonging  to  the  estate  of  the  late  Mr.  J.  B.  Daniel. 
The  heirs  may  be  congratulated  on  the  fine  prices 
realized ; and  so  far  as  my  recollection  serves  me 
the  figure  given  for  11  Mahaoya  ” — R867  p9r  acre — 
is  the  highest  ever  paid  for  any  extent  of  cultivated 
cooonut  property  in  t eylon.  Fine  as  most  of 
the  estates  in  the  ‘ Mahaoya  Valley”  are,  and  well 
cultivated  as  the  group  of  estates  just  sold  have 
beeD,  it  will  take  the  purchaser  of  “Mahaoya” 
all  he  knows,  and  perhaps  more,  to  enable  him 
to  get  a rfasonable  interest  upon  his  money.  To 
give  him  the  least  ohanoe  of  it  he  must  manure  ; 
to  treat  the  estate  as  too  many  estates  in  native 
hands  are  treated,  or  even  to  plough  and  keep  it 
clean  only  would  not  do  ; suoh  a oourse  would  be 
sure  to  reduoe  the  yield  by  probably  one-half 
and  his  bargain  prove  a loss.  A yield  of  70 
nuts  per  tree  was  not  got  without  general  good 
treatment  and  manure.  I do  not  think  I have 
the  pleasure  of  the  acquaintance  of  the  purchaser 
of  “ Mahaoya,”  yet  I give  him  these  hints  free, 
and  he  is  at  liberty  to  profit  by  them  if  he  thinks 
them  sound  ! With  manuring,  the  bearing  capa- 
bilities of  the  coconut  tree  are  enormous.  In  a 
chekku  yard,  on  an  estate  in  the  dry  olimate  of 
Jaffna,  where  the  working  cattle  used  to  be  tied 
to  the  trees  throughout  the  year,  I have  picked 
from  260  to  over  300  nuts  per  tree  in  one  year. 
In  this  instance  the  trees  had  more  manure  than 
was  needed,  and  I doubt  if  there  was  room  on 
the  stalks  for  moje  nuts  to  bold  on  and  mature.  I 
quite  agree  with  your  veteran  and  experienced  cor- 
respondent ” W.  B L.”  that  on  fairly  good  soil, 
with  mechanioal  working  of  the  soil,  aDd  the 
application  of  proper  manures,  it  would  be 
possible  to  make  the  trees  over  a large  acreage 
produce  from  80  to  100  nuts  per  tree  ; and  I 
hold  that  for  every  rupee  judiciously  spent 
on  manuring-  up  to  a certain  limit — two  are  returned 
