May  i,  X893.I  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
7o5 
■ — ■»-■ — - 
To  the  Editor. 
THE  CEYLON  PLANTERS’  TEA  COMPANY 
AND  MR.  ELWOOD  MAY’S  WORK  IN 
AMERICA. 
New  York  City,  Feb.  21. 
Dear  Sir,— At  the  request  of  the  President  of 
the  Company,  Mr.  S.  Elwood  May,  I send  four 
“ menus,”  as  used  on  “ The  Wagner  Palace  Car 
Company’s”  system,  which  system  is  owned  by  the 
Vanderbilt  (oonsidered  the  riohest  in  the  world, 
as  well  as  the  largest  owners  of  railways)  family. 
Competent  judges  here  oonsidered  this  stroke  of 
President  May’s  as  likely  to  accomplish  far  more 
for  Ceylon  than  will  the  Chioago  Exposition, 
although  you  may  spend  the  very  large  sum  that 
Mr.  Grinlinton  has  at  his  disposal  and  which 
he  sayB  he  will  expend. 
Notwithstanding  every  voice  to  the  contrary, 
I olaim  and  maintain  that  Mr.  May  has 
done,  is  doing,  and  will  do  more  for  the 
Tea  Industry  of  Ceylon  in  America  than  has 
ever  been  aooomplished  for  any  product  where 
it  was  wanted.  In  this  oountry  Ceylon  Tea 
is  not,  to  put  it  mildly,  at  first  liked  by  the 
oonsumer,  and  it  is  positively  not  wanted  by  the 
Trade  Houses.  Mr.  May  is  entitled  to  greater  credit 
for  finding  and  permanently  looating  in  the  United 
States  a house  for  Ceylon  tea;  The  shareholders 
and  those  here  who  know  the  zeal  and  skill  with 
whioh  he  has  grappled  with  and  surmounted  what, 
to  others,  would  appear  insuperable  difficulties  are 
amazed  at  the  ingratitude  of  some  of  those  diteotly 
interested  in  the  Tea  Planting  Industry  of  Ceylon. 
Apparently  they  have  worked  against  him  and  this 
Company."  Mr.  May  and  I feel  that  suoh  is  not 
so ; but  that  they  have  been  misled,  and  did  not 
nor  do  not  understand  the  silu.iion.  I happen  to 
know  that  if  the  planters  would  at  onoe  acknow- 
ledge his  great  work  through  some  trivial  mark  of 
their  appreciation  of  it,  he  could  enlist  the  proper 
oapital.  Mr.  May,  as  you  know,  is  a well-bred 
and  an  exceptionally  mentally  strongman,  and  he 
would  not,  nor  will  not  open  his  mouth  to  ask  for 
anything  like  an  endorsement.  Hence,  I throw  out 
a hint  for  the  planters  to  embrace  and  act  upon 
forthwith.  It  is  my  first  as  it  will  prove  to  be  my 
last  hint  to  a misguided,  deluded  body  of  intelli- 
gent (?)  men.— Believe  me,  yours  sincerely, 
R.  E.  PINEO. 
[The  menus  can  only  be  described  as  “prodigious”; 
and  17,000  people  are  every  week  fed  on  the  oars 
working  on  the  “ Wagner"  system.  We  extraot  the 
items  whioh  oonoern  the  Ceylon  tea  planters 
most ; — 
Breakfast. 
(A  long  Menu  and  theu)  L inki  Coffee.  Bhud  Tea. 
(From  The  Ceylon  Planters’  Tea  Co.) 
Luncheon. 
(Long  Menu  and)  Lanka  Coffee.  Bbud  Tea 
(From  The  Ceylon  Planters’  Tea  Co.) 
Dinner. 
(Long  Menu  and)  Lanka  Coffee.  Bhud  Tea. 
(From  The  Ceylon  Planters’  Tea  Co.) 
Wagner  Palace  Car  Co.  Buffet  Car  Service. 
(Long  Menu  and)  Lanka  Coffee,  lOo.  Bhud  Tea 
lOo.  Iaed  Tea,  15o. 
(From  The  Ceylon  Planners’  Tea  Co.) 
— Edi  T.A.] 
89 
CEYLON  AND  CHINA  TEAS: 
A WARNING  TO  CEYLON  TEA 
PLANTERS. 
London,  E.C.,  Maroh  3. 
Sir, — I am  glad  to  see  by  your  Overland  to  hand 
this  week  that  the  rumoured  resort  to  coarser 
plucking  in  Ceylon  is  without  foundation.  I agree 
with  the  opinion  of  a Ceylon  friend  I met  the 
other  day  that  if  our  planters  generally  resorted 
to  coarse  pluoking  the  efl’eot  would  be  an  extremely 
low  average  in  June  or  July.  It  is,  perhaps, 
tempting  to  see  these  comparatively  high  prices 
paid  for  the  lower  grades,  but  it  is  the  average 
price  that  produoers  are  interested  in,  and  ooarse 
plucking  would  reduce  it  more  than  the  increased 
quantity  would  make  up  for. 
Not  only  would  the  average  price — the  principal 
point  for  producers — decline  considerably  but  the 
result  would  be  most  prejudicial  to  Ceylon  interests. 
Ceylon  has  beaten  China  by  sending  a good  sound 
tea  at  a price  which  she  oan't— at  any  rate 
hasn’t— and  she  has  tried  at  the  expense  of  many 
pockets.  China’s  efforts  are  now  principally  oon. 
fined  to  supplying  the  very  lowest  qualities  at 
about  4d  per  lb.  Ceylon  should  leave  her  this 
dirty  work,  for  in  the  end  it  will  oomplete  the 
ruin  of  her  tea  trade,  Already  some  of  the  blenders 
are  finding  that  it  does  not  pay  to  have  any  poor 
China  teas  in  their  blends,  and  the  number  will 
increase.  No : let  Ceylon  keep  up  the  fire  whioh 
has  proved  so  fatal  by  continuing  to  send  a good 
sound  tea,  of  distinct  Ceylon  oharaoter— the  results 
of  good  medium  plucking — and  continued  success 
is  certain.  If  she  condescend  to  follow  her  beaten 
antagonist  in  supplying  poor  “ fusionless  ” teas, 
her  enemies  alone  would  rejoioe  ; but  I believe  our 
planters  are  too  shrewd  to  play  this  poor  game. — I 
am,  sir,  yours  respectfully,  W.  SOMERVILLE. 
COCONUT  CULTIVATION  IN  CEYLON  : 
ANSWERS  TO  PRACTICAL  QUESTIONS— 
COCONUTS  AND  CACAO. 
Pamban,  Maroh  15: 
Dear  Sir, — In  reply  to  queries  of  your  corres- 
pondent “ Cooonut  ” in  the  issue  of  the  Observer 
of  the  8th  instant : 
1. — Yes  ; it  is  a faot  that  Kurunegala  coconuts 
are  smaller  than  thoBe  of  the  Negombo  and 
Chilaw  districts.  Taken  the  whole  year  round 
I do  not  think  that  they  are  smaller  than  the 
Mahaoya  Valley  nuts,  as  the  latter  fall  away  greatly 
in  size  during  the  dry  months.  The  reason  of 
the  Negombo  and  Chilaw  nuts  being  larger  is  I 
fancy  that  soil  is  lighter  and  the  roots  of  the 
trees  can  forage  more  easily  for  nourishment ; 
and  also  that  water  is  nearer  the  surfaoe.  Kuru- 
negala and  Mahaoya  Valley  soils  are  rather  stiff, 
and  would  benefit  greatly  by  ploughing. 
2.  — Good  seed  nuts  can  be  got  from  Veyan- 
goda  where  the  trees  are  not  grown  on  hilly 
land,  and  if  a dependable  person  oan  be  got 
to  select  them.  Selected  nuts  from  Goluwa 
Pokuna  are  as  fine  as  any  that  oan  be  prooured 
in  Ceylon,  and  may  be  relied  upon,  as  being  what 
they  profess  to  be. 
3.  If  your  correspondent  had  ever  seen  a 
cooonut  estate  ploughed  or  dug  up  with  mamoties, 
and  observed  that  every  inoh  was  oeoupied  with 
root3,  he  would  hardly  have  asked  the  question 
“Does  it  harm  oooonutB  to  plant  coffee  and 
eaaoo  among  them?’’  The  oooonut  being  the  hardier 
plant  would  suffer  least,  but  neither  would  be  as 
