June  r,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
781 
for  interest  on  debentures,  there  remains  a sum  of 
£11,090  6s  2d,  - which  it  is  proposed  to  appropriate 
as  follows,  viz:— 
Dividend  on  Preferred  Shares  . . £37  13  0 
Payment  of  Debentures  .•  3,000  0 0 
Dividend  at  the  rate  of  2|  per  cent 
per  annum,  free  from  Income  Tax, 
for  the  year  1892,  on  the  Ordinary 
Share  Capital  . . • • 6,730  10  9 
Balance  to  be  applied  in  further  re- 
demption of  Debentures  . . 1,322  2 5 
£11,090  6 2 
The  debenture  debt,  as  per  annexed  accounts,  has 
been  reduced  since  the  date  of  issue  by  £20,010.  As 
shown  in  the  accompanying  schedule,  the  extent  of  the 
Company’s  property  now  under  ti  a amounts  to  9,532 
acres,  of  which  about  8,000  acres  are  over  four  years 
old.  The  yield  of  tea  in  1892  was  2,020,780  lb.  being 
short  of  the  estimate,  in  consequence  of  the  unfavour- 
able weather  that  prevailed  generally  in  Ceylon  during 
part  of  the  year.  The  average  gross  price  obtained  was 
approximately  9£d.  per  lb.  The  crop  for  1893  is  esti- 
mated at  2,338,000  lb.  During  the  past  year  the  directors 
have  sold  Woodslee  estate,  and  have  bought  429  acres 
of  land,  which  can  be  worked  in  advantageously  with 
some  of  the  Company’s  other  properties. 
In  accordance  with  the  Company’s  Articles  of  Associa- 
tion, two  of  the  directors,  Mr.  O J.  Lindsay  Nicholson 
and  Mr.  Ralph  A.  Cameron  retire  by  rotation,  and 
being  eligible,  offer  themselves  for  re-election.  The 
retiring  Auditors,  Messrs.  Welton,  Jones  & Co.  offer 
themselves  for  re-election — C.  J.  Lindsay  Nicholson, 
Chairman,  41,  Eastcheap,  E.  C.  I7th  April,  1892. 
Schedule  of  the  Company’s  Estates  at  31st 
December,  1893, 
Arapolakande  Hope 
Asgeria  & Bulatwattte  Ingurugalla  & 
Berrewella 
Colona  Kirrimittia 
Oondegalla  Kolcdenia 
Dandukelawa  Kolapatna  & 
Gongalla 
Doombagastalawa  Kumaradola 
Dromoland  Labookellie 
Under  Tea  (with  some  remaining  Coffee  acres, 
over  about  400  acree)  ...  9,532 
„ Coffee  ...  ...  76 
„ Cocoa  ...  ...  370 
„ Cardamoms,  and  sundries  ...  394 
,,  Forest  Grass  and  uncultivated  Land  6,384 
Total...  16,756 
BADULLA  PLANTING  REPORT. 
Badulla,  May  8th. 
During  April,  Weather  has  been  most  seasonable. 
Hot  mornings  with  heavy  showers  in  the  afternoons. 
13'54  in.  rain  fell  on  nineteen  days.  Everything 
growing  and  it  has  been  a capital  season  for  supply- 
ing and  planting.  It  is  now  very  hot  and  in  the 
town  it  is  most  trying  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
Coffee  is  making  wood  and  looking  better  again 
with  a good  blossoming  season  ; most  high  coffee  will 
blossom  fairly  for  spring.  There  will  be  no  large 
crops  however  in  coming  year ; and  autumn  crops  are 
short.  Spring  crop  is  now  ripening  up,  but  the  sample 
is  ;-mall  and  as  a rule  is  turning  out  short  of  estimate. 
Tea  is  looking  wonderfully  well  and  is  flushing 
splendidly  ; some  fields  are  giving  very  heavy  yields 
and  all  estates  are  doing  well;  everyone  has  as  much 
as  he  can  do  to  keep  up  with  his  flush  ; fortunately 
coolies  are  plentiful.  Factories  are  of  course  busy 
and  prices  continue  good. 
Cinchona  has  almost  entirely  disappeared  from 
the  district,  a few  of  the  higher  estates  only  having 
any  quantity  left. 
Earth  Works  on  new  road  are  progressing  apace 
but  the  completion  is  being  delayed  by  the  want  of 
blasters  and  masons.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  all  will 
be  ‘completed  before  the  north-east  rains  to 
permit  of  the  metal  being  laid  and  consolidated 
during  the  wet  months. 
A Resthouse  is  very  much  wanted  at  Coombawatta 
on  the  Badulla-Haputala  road.  The  traffic  will  be 
heavy  as  soon  as  the  railway  is  opened,  and  the 
eighteen  miles  between  Badulla  and  Bandarawella  is 
too  far  for  one  stage.  Passengers  between  Passara 
and  Bandarawella  will  require  some  resthouse  accom- 
modation about  the  end  of  the  new  road  at  Namina- 
cooly  Gap,  and  the  Provincial  Road  Committee 
should  at  once  take  steps  to  provide  these  resthouses, 
A Very  Successful  Meeting  of  the  Passara 
Planters’  Association  was  held  last  Saturday,  there 
was  a large  attendance  of  planters  from  all  parts  of 
the  district  Particulars  of  the  meeting  will  no  doubt 
be  sent  to  you  in  due  course — there  are  now  54 
votes  registered  and  the  new  Association  must  be  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  country  next  to  Dimbula  and 
Dikoya,  if  not  the  largest. 
INDAN  PATENTS. 
Calcutta,  April  20th. 
The  fee  prescribed  in  Schedule  4 of  Act  V of  1888 
have  been  paid  for  the  continuance  of  exclusive  pri- 
vilege in  respect  to  the  under-mentioDed  inventions 
for  the  periods  shown  against  each  : — 
No.  7-  of  1889.— Edmund  Burke  of  Dublin,  Ireland, 
Tea  Merchant,  for  an  improved  appara'us  for  mixing 
or  bulking  tea  or  other  similar  substances.  (From 
11th  April  1693  to  10th  April  1894.) 
No.  37  of  1889. — Samuel  Cltland  Davidson  of  Sirocco 
Works,  Beltast,  Ireland,  Merchant,  for  improvements 
in  rotary  fans.  (From  25th  April  1894.  3 to  26th 
April  1894  ) 
No.  50  of  1889.— Charles  Dixod  Aria  of  175,  Picca- 
dilly, London,  England,  Lamp  Manufacturer,  for 
improvement  in  oil-lamps,  (From  16th  May  1893 
to  15th  May  1894.) — Indian  Engineer. 
TEA  PROPERTIES  AND  GOOD 
SECURITY. 
We  call  attention  to  the  interesting  information 
afforded  under  this  head  in  another  column, 
Hspugahaianda  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  brilliantly 
successful  tea  gardens  of  Ceylon — and  the  list  of  such, 
we  are  glad  to  think  is  not  a limited  one  ; while 
that  of  places  which  might  be  catalogued  as  more 
than  moderately  successful,  would  be  a pretty 
long  one. 
Our  esteemed  correspondent  “ Another  Planter" 
should  now  give  us  liis  opinion  of  the  analysis  of  profits 
offered  the  other  day  by  “ Planter,’’  as  also  of,.  the 
comparison  between  high  and  low  estates,  ft  is 
well  to  have  both  sides  of  the  shield  presented  ; 
and  of  course  of  the  great  value  of  many  Ceylon 
tea  p perties  there  can  be  no  doubt;  but  if  we 
have  250,000 — or  to  he  safe,  say  240,000  aores  of 
tea  in  hearing  this  year  and  if  we  are  to  ship 
80,000,0(  0 ih.  on  sn  average  of  333  lb.  an  acre 
what  about  the  properties  which  must  necessarily 
be  yielding  less  than  250  lb.  an  acre  with  the 
average  price  at  9|d  ? Are  they  to  be  considered 
good  security  or  as  tending  to  the  stability  of  the 
enterprise  ? 
Cocoa-planting  in  Ceylon. — We  call  atten- 
tion to  a letter  taken  fmm  The  Field  in  which 
•*  Investment”  (apparently  a Coylcn  Planter) 
speaks  of  cocoa  bearing  in  some  plaoes  as  early  as 
the  third  year.  Wa  should  like  to  know  where  ? 
We  never  heard  of  ooooa  bearing  in  Ceylon 
under  five  years. 
Meddeooombra 
Norwood 
Rothschild 
Sogamma 
Vellai  Oya 
Wevekellie 
