550 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 1, 190L 
THE CORPORATION LIMITED. 
(OF CEYLON). 
Directors.— Alfred Bull, Cyril Gurney, E H 
Hancock, T J Lawranoe, R R 0 Norman, V H 
Smith. ■ 
Managing Director in Ceylon, Frederick Tatham. 
London Agents, Antony Gibbs & Sons. 
Report of the Directors, and Accounts for the 
year ending .30th June, 1890, to be submitted to 
the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on 
the 6th December, 1900. 
The Directors beg to submit herewith the Ac- 
counts of the Corporation for the year ending 
.30th June, 1900, which, they aie sorry to say, 
do not show the results reasonably anticipated, 
owing .to the abnormally low prices which have 
prevailed in the tea market for a considerable 
time past. 
The following figures indicate the results during 
the past three years:— 
Crop. Cost of Pro- Average Sale 
lb. duction. Price Nett, 
1897- 98... 1,112,606 31 centa per lb. 5d. 
1898- 99... 1,234,442 26-l0 „ 5 15-16d. 
1899- 00... 1,276,189 25-60 „ 5 3-163. 
From these particulars it will be seen that the 
estimate for the past year, 1,250,000 lb., has been 
more than secured at a reduced cost ; only normal 
prices are required to enable the Company to 
show much more substantial profits. 
In vie w of the present relations of supply and 
demandyit has been decided not to develop the 
propert on the lines roughly sketched in the last 
report. 
Economies have been effected by a reduction in 
the agency charges and in management ; the inclu- 
sive London charges on the tea are now consider- 
ably under Id per lb. 
The total profit for the year is £6,037 6s lOd. 
After deduction of Debenture Interest, London 
expenses, etc., there remains a balance of £1,646 
14s gd. 
Tne Directors have paid a further half-yearly 
dividend on the Preference Shares in addition to 
that mentioned in the last report as having been 
paid on 1st August, 1899, and regret their inability 
to further reduce the overdue Preference dividend 
at present. 
Mr. Tattiam hopes to secure about 1,300,000 lb 
of tjea for the current year at about 26 cents per lb 
and advises the Board that a fair cocoa crop is 
practically assured. 
Forty tons of plumbago have been won during 
the year. The Directors have employed an Engi- 
neer to advise upon and assist in the mining opera- 
tions, and much had been done by the 30th 
June. Since that date there has been a substan- 
tial output, and it is hoped that a further profit 
may be shown this year after writing off a consi- 
derable portion of the amount which at present 
scanda in a suspense account. 
VITICULTURE IN TRANSCAUCASIA. 
Acoording to ofiicial figures supplied by the De- 
partment of Agriculture at St. Petersburg, the 
area of land under cultivation of the vine, and 
the production of wine in Transcaucasia are as fol- 
lows : — The Government of Tiflis Cr),516 acres, and 
6,750,000 gals. ; the district of Zakatal 1,938 
acres, and 22,000 gallons ; the Government of 
Kutais 94,277 acres, and 4,050,000 gallons; the 
Government of Elizaretpol 33,701 acres, and 
2,709,000 gallons; the Government of Baku 27,283 
acres, and 2,160,000 gallons ; the Government of 
Erivan 19 926 acres, and 675,000 gallons ; the 
Government of Daghestan 6,420 acres, and 540,000 
gallons ; the Government ©f Tchernomoria 1,493 
acres, and 135,000 gallons • and the district of 
Kars 121 acres, and 11,000 gallons, making a 
total area under cultivation of 250,675 acres, and 
3 production 17,043,000 gallons, Tlip figures 
given above according to Consul Stevens do noL in- 
clude the grapes grown for sAe in the markets 
of the Caucasus, and the quantities cousunied by 
the distilleries, the total of which amount was as 
near as possible 108,900 tons. Although viti- 
culture in the Transcaucasus is by no means a 
new industry, it has, nevertheless, not yet been 
able to reach that state of prosperity which could 
entitle it to be classed amongst the industries of 
the country that form one of the mainstays of 
the population. This, of course, is due in a 
great measure, to the ignorance of the inhabitants, 
and the lack of the knowledge necessary to carry 
on the cultivation cf the grape in a systematic 
manner, and on principles which would be more 
or less in keeping with the climatic conditions 
and varied soils of the different altitudes ac which 
the vineyards are situated. Grapes grow in a 
wild state almost tlnouyhout the Caucasus, and 
with a little pains there is no doubt that the in- 
dustry might be raised to a state of efficiency 
which would consideral)!y enhance the revenues 
of a large majority of the population of the Cau- 
casus, and tiiereby increase the prosperity of the 
country. Although the production of wine has 
attained figures of fairly large proportions, most 
of the wine is consumed in the country, and only 
a very small quantity finds its way to St. Peters- 
burg and other Northern Russian markets. The 
greater part of the wine made is very inferior in 
quality, and in most cases is "heavy" and "heady." 
With a very few exceptions, owing to the poverty- 
stricken condition of the wine growers who have 
no possibility of keeping their wines for any 
lenpth of time, it is sold and consumed as soon 
as it is made. This, in itself, does not give an 
opportunity of properly testing the wine, which, 
if kept long enough, would doubtless undergo a 
complete, change for the better, as has been proved 
by the wine made on the estates of the Imperial 
Domains and those belonging to the wealthier 
wine-growers of the Caucasus, Other drawbacks 
in the shape of phylloxera, black-root, oidium, 
mildew, and the diseases of a fungoid nature which 
have become chronic, continue to cause havoe 
among the vines, and are a constant source of 
trouble and anxiety to grape-growers. In many 
parts of the Caucasus severe local rain and hail- 
storms have also ruined extensive areas of vine- 
yards, — Journal of the Society of Arts. 
^ 
PARIS EXHIBITION: SECTION 
OF CEYLON. 
museums and national institutions to 
which exhibits have been presented 
in the name of their exhibitors. 
1. — Philadelphia Commercial Museum, U. 
S. A. —Plumbago, Mr J VV C De S-ysa ; Cinna- 
mon, Mr Jacob de Mel ; coconut products, 
Messrs Vavasseur & Co. ; coconut oil, Mr Arnold 
Dias ; tanning products, Mr W D Carolis ; 
coffee and cacao, Lipton Ltd. ; coffee, Mr Gib- 
son ; coffee, Mr G H Barber ; cardamoms, Mr J 
Weatland ; cardamoms, Mr J A Spence ; bixa 
