128 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Aue. 1, 1900. 
pared in this way, elm is superior to oak, 
and even red pine is not niucli inferior. 
The second table deals with Ceylon light, 
medium, and heavy timbers under the same 
headings. Sapu, Lunuinidella and Walukina 
as light woods stand at 41 4, 20-1 and 82-4 
respectively in heaviness; .3,190, 3,2U<J, and6,iU0 
in crushing strength ; 7,820, 9,510, 5,720, and 
9,010 in transverse strength ; 84, 157 and 188 t.c. 
W; and 188, 280 and 280 f b. W. In medium 
woods the heaviness of ,Jak is given as 48-4, 
the crushing weight 7,55 transverse strength 
6,840; f.o. W 174; and f.b. W 157; Del 48-1, 
6,500, 9,.S10, 1.35 and 198 ; Halmilla 49-9, 7,ft30, 
I. 5,4.50, 153, and 310; and Suriya 50 8, 6,230, 
II, 600, 124 and 2a3. With regai-d to heavy 
timbers the figures for Satinwood are 64"8, 
5,350, 8,740, 86 and 140, and for Milla 60 9, 6,&30, 
14,760, 109 and 242 respectively. Taking the 
lightwood, it is clear that as regards strength in 
roportion to weight, Lunumidella and Walu- 
ina stand best. Lunumidella, is not abso- 
lutely as strong as red pine ; but in propor- 
tion to its weight it is even a better timber. 
Walukina is weaker than ash, and about the 
same strength as red pine. Of the medium 
woods, Halmilla is strongest in proportion to 
its weight, and Suriyamara stands next. The 
heavy tindiers do not give very high results. 
Satinwood has greater transverse strength 
than oak, but the strength in proportion to 
weight is not so good. Milla and Chomun- 
tiri have a little greater transverse strength, 
but their crushing resistance is low. 
COFFEE IN BRAZIL: THE DUMONT CO. 
To understand tlie position properly it is 
necessary to go back to the siatetnenl" in the 
prospectus is.sued in 1896, and the following table 
shows the yield of coftee for each of the past eight 
years : — 
1892 
1893 
189+ 
1895 
Yield 
in Gwts. 
34,000 
37,000 
45,000 
75,000 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
Yield 
in Cwta. 
74,400 
66,600 
41,500 
93,000 
The prospectus stated that there were 7,000 acres 
in bearing, for which the en.npany paid 
£910,000 ; 6,000 acres of young coffee, for which 
£-240,00J was paid ; and £50,000 was included 
in the purchase price for laud alleged to be 
suitable for coffee planting. A certificate was 
^iven that in June, 1896, there were 4,426,600 
coffee trees on the estate, which, at the usual 
average of 300 trees per acre, would give an area 
of 14,7.'i0 acres planted, and of these 194,000 trees, 
or 650 Hcres, were planted in October and JSIov- 
ember, 1895. At tlie present time, therefore, the 
youngest trees on the estate as acquired nurst 
be five years old, and, as the plants come into 
bearing at four years, the whole of the new ground 
should have yielded berries last season Yet, 
curiously enough, Mr. Talbot, who visited the 
property 1 :st year, gave the following figures as 
to the age of the different fields in September last : — 
4,000 acres, 17 years and over 
6.300 do between 4 and 17 y ears 
3,000 do under 4 ye.irs. 
It would be extremely interesting lo know when 
and wiiere these .3,0 0 acres of young trees were 
planted, but we cannot throw any light on the 
mystery, which is deepened by the repeated asser- 
tions at the meeting that the yield of 93,000 
cwt. represented an average of 8^ cwt. per acre. 
The area in bearing on thias calculation would 
therefore be about 11,000 acres, whereas accord- 
ing to the prospectus there ought to be at least 
13,000 acres in bearing. The only conclusion we 
can arrive at is that 2,000 acres (nearly one- 
third) of the old irround, for which the company 
paid £910,000, have already gone out of cultiva- 
tion ; and if 3,000 acres are under four years 
of age they must have been planted sincethe pro- 
perty was taken over on land which, probably, 
is not suitable for colfee cultivation. All that 
Mr. Talbot could say about the lan<l (for which 
£50,000 was paid) outside the Dumont property 
was that the directors "believed" that it was 
good for cijffee, although it had not as yet been 
proved. But then the directors are apparently 
prepared to believe anytliing. 
Another point to which we would direct atten- 
tion is that according to Mr. Talbot's own figures, 
there are now 4,000 acres over seventeen years 
old. Writing about the company's affairs a year 
ago, we were able to give the directors some 
information about the peculiarities of coffee-grow- 
ing, and the had evidently profited by it, for 
they now tacitly admit the accuracy of our state 
meats on matters which they either ignored or 
suppressed when the prospectus was issued to the 
pulilic. We pointed out that coffee plants 
reached their maximum bearing at the aoe of 
from twelve to sixteen years, and that thereafter 
they yield good and bad crops alternately for a 
few years, the average steadily decreasing till the 
land is completely exhausted and no more use for 
coffee growing. We showed that a good crop was 
due in 1899, and that the directors' estimate of 
75,000 cwt. would probably be exceeded, having 
regard to the new ground coming into bear- 
ing. As a matter of fact the yield was 
93,000 cwt., but, according to the ignorant 
and misleading prospectus estimate, it should 
have been 130,000 cwt. For the current 
year the estimate is only 73,000 cwts.. although 
part of the 3,000 acres of young coffee should 
come into bearing, so that the directors have 
been forced to admit the truth about the alter- 
nate bad crops, although a year ago they 
scoffed at the theory as inapplicable to the 
Dumont property. 
Obviously, therefore, the 4,000 acres over seven- 
teen years of age will soon cease to yield and, 
on the assumption that between 2,000 and 3,000 
acres have already been abandoned, £910, i 00 of 
capital will have been wiped out of existence 
before the shareholders recaive any return on 
their investment. Mr. Talbot made a great point 
of the fact that the fields between six and ten 
years old in 1896 had improved when he saw 
them again in 1899, but that is exactly what 
any coffee-planter would have expected. On the 
other hand, he admitted that the younger fields 
were very disappointing, and that tends to confirm 
our view that planting has been attempted on 
land totally unsuited for the purpose. 
ANGLO-CEYLON AND GENERAL ESTATES 
COMPANY, LTD. 
EXTRACTS FROM ANNUAL EEPOET. 
The net profit, with the balance of profit carried 
forward from the previous year, after debiting the 
Debenture Interest and pl.acing £5,007 123 lid to 
Reserve, as shown in the audited accounts annexed 
hereto, amounts to £17,201 Is 5d, and the Directors 
recommend the payment thereout of a Dividend of 
4 per cent, on the Consolidated Stock of the Com- 
pany, leaving a balance of £7,201 Is 5d to be carried 
