Feb. 1, 1901.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
537 
throughout the Commonwealth in general and in 
Western Australia in particular, since the levelling 
of the Customs schetlules, and of the high and 
uneven labour rates that have hitherto prevailed, 
cannot but exert a aost beneficial intiuence on 
all the indigenous industries. I may, finally, 
mention that much lias been done already in 
Western Australia towards providing attraction to 
the sporting and leisured classes in connection with 
the irt^h water fisheries. The Colony possesses 
but few indigenous fresh water fish of any value 
within its southern and more thickly populated 
districts. Certain of the rivers, however, such as 
the Preston, Collie, Blackwood, and o'hers, were 
recognised by me as possessing conditions that 
were apparently favourable for the introduction of 
English trout and other desirable varieties. Here, 
again, Sir Jolin Forrest took the initi- 
ative by providing a suitable location for a trout 
hatchery on his estate at Bunbury, and i he fry 
hatched from ova imported from Tasmania have 
now been distributed throughout a very consider- 
able area, with the prospects of yielding very urati- 
fying returns in future years. Murray cod, percli, 
silver eels, and otherspecies have likewise been in 
a similar manner imported to, and distributed 
among other rivers of the Colony. These were 
mostly transported by myself from the Murray 
Eiver in South Australia as small immature fish, 
special accommodation being provided for them foi 
their thousand miles voyage from Adelaide to 
Albany on the Orient and Peninsular and Oriental 
mail-boats; and, according to the latest intelligence 
to hand, these fish have already established them- 
selves and commenfed to propagate. These few re- 
marks will, I trust, conduce towards endorsing and 
further emphasising the conspicuous merits and 
advantages that are so amply possessed by Western 
Australia, and that have been so ably championed 
by Colonel Sir Cerard Smith in the lecture we have 
listened to with so much interest." 
CHINA TEAS IN LONDON. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
I enclose a cutting from the Army and 
Navy Stores' list. Note what they say re 
Chrna tea. Their sales are very lara;e, and 
you might pass this on to 'Thirty Com- 
mittee : - 
"In calling attention to the following. Mem- 
bers are reminded that the use of of China Tea 
is Strongly Recommended by the Medical Pro- 
fession, in preference to the Strong and Pun- 
gent teas now so much advertised. 
» 
Planting in Peru. — A couple of Scots are 
busily engaged as planters in the valley beyond 
the Andes in Peru, which was reported oji by 
Messrs. Arthur Sinclair, the late Alex. Ross 
and Mr. D. Clark, of Balangoda ; and 
one of them sends us a brief letter given 
elsewhere, showing that great progress has 
been made and that coffee crops are satis- 
factory. There is plenty of good land ready 
to be opened up, and we are told labour is 
cheap ; but our correspondent should tell us 
the cost per day in the equivalent of English 
money? Is the "centrado" a hundred reis 
and how stands exchange ? Then what is 
charged for land and how are the taxes ? 
Are there any forests of rubber-yielding trees 
near ? 
MARIAWATTE ESTATE. CEYLON. 
THE HEAVIEST YIELDING TEA- 
GARDEN IN THE WORLD ! 
1900 A FAVOURABLE YEAR, 
A YIELD OP 1,357 LB.— OR OVER 16 MAUND8— 
MADE TEA PER ACRE ! 
We are much indebted to Mr. Salmond, 
Superintendent of Mariawatte, for a state- 
ment showing the yield of the estate to the 
end of 1900. As Mr. Salmond says, last year has 
been an rumsually favourable one, the yield 
being (with the exception of 1890's) the 
maximum one in the record. We embody 
Mr. Salmond's figures with those given in 
our " Handbook and Directory," so as to 
make the return complete : — 
MiRiAwATTE Estate. 
YIELD FOB THE WHOLE ESTATE, 
Actual area in bearing : 
458a. Ir. 17p. 
Year. 
Rainfall, 
lb. 
*1892 
9574 
643 
1893 
8()-22 
617 
1894 
7200 
750 
1895 
100 28 
886 
1896 
115-41 
896 
1897 
111-25 
926 
1898 
79-90 
738 
1899 
106-81 
749 
1900 
114-G3 
996 
Average for above nine years 822 lb. per'^acre. 
(Oldest and Special field :— Yield of 101 1 acres of tea: 
JS. B.— Plucking began inOctober, 1880,) 
r.ar. 
Y iold per acre, 
lb. 
Maile tea. 
lb. 
911 .. 8 
10,451 .. 100 
. 3 ,207 .. 300 
. 55,031 529 
Statement of Yield of Mariawatte old tea from 1884 
to 1900 showing average per acre ; — 
1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
... 10:1230 
... 1,078 
1885 
... 117 842 
... 1,163 
1.-86 
... 105 925 
... 1,046 
1887 
... 115,996 
... 1,145 
1888 
... 106,410 
... 1,050 
18^9 
... 113,834 
... 1,124 
1890 
... 140,144 
... 1,384 
18 il 
... 120,H66 
... 1.188 
1892 
... 1)9,909 
... 3,184 
1893 
... 115,440 
... 1,140 
1894 
... 110,448 
... 1090 
189.-) 
... 118,560 
,.. 1,170 
1896 
... 113,360 
... 1,119 
1897 
... 105,729 
.. 1,044 
1898 
... 108,4-23 
... 1,073 
1899 
... 11>,987 
... 1,108 
1900 
... 137,066 
... 1,357 
D. M. SALMOND, Superini 
Mariawatte E 
state, 
GampoLi, 
3rd Jan. 1901. 
[Avera-e for 17 years from 1884= 1,144 lb.] 
It will be observed that over the whole estnie of 
less than 458^ acres, the crop last year is the laigest 
per acri; — 996 lb. made tea— ever gathered ! It is in 
fact not only a "record" for Ceylon, but also 
* Atgalla crops having been included ; prior to 1892 
figures are not available. 
