Aug 1, 1902.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
119 
current year was about 4,000,000 lb.* and the 
directors hoped that prices would certainly not go 
down. At piesent, however, all these estimates 
were uncertain, and tlie shareholders must take 
them for what they were worth. All the indica- 
tious pointed to a more favourable state of things 
than had lately prevailed. Mr. Albert B Fisher 
(deputy chairtnan) seconded the motion. Mr. 
Fer^usson congratulated the directors on the 
improved results shown in the past year. Mr. 
Bead stated that, judging from the returns, some 
of the company's gardens must have been work- 
ing at a d29.d loss, although it \\a» gratifying to 
see tlie satisfactory working of the Towkok 
garden, In view of (he condition of the old gardens 
he strongly advised the necessity of extensions. 
Mr. McMichen thought that the cost of working 
each garden might be given ; and he drew atten- 
tion to certain expenses v/hich he thought might 
be re.lnced. iMr. Seton also thought there was 
room f')i- further economies. He advocated the 
abandonment of unremunerative areas of cultiva- 
tion or reducing the expenditure on them to the 
lowest possible limit, Mr. Bullock stated there 
was a proposal on foot to meet the great over- 
production by stepping plucking from the end of 
July for three weeks, and he desired to know if 
the company intended to join in this movement. 
The chairman, in reply, stated that they were 
not willing to agree to the measure referred to by 
Mr. Bullock ; it would not suit the company to 
do so at present. The position \vould be different 
if the factors in all cases were the same, but the 
directors' view was that all these combinations 
fell through. With reference to the amount of 
the medical charges, there were about 14,000 
coolie.=,* besides cliildren, to look after Nearly 
all the vacancies in the different gardens had 
been filled up. The company had about 20 gardens, 
only two 01 which did not pay their expenses last 
year, although the deficiency in both cases was 
very small — £350 and £29. Several portions of 
gardens which were not remunerative had been 
abandoned ; and for the last 15 or 20 years, 
indeed, the course had been followed of shutting 
old gardens and opening new ones. The motion 
was adopted. 
PARA AND RAMBONG RUBBER IN 
THE STRAITS. 
TISITED BY CEYLON PLANTERS. 
In commenting on the annual report of the 
Negri Seiubilau Planters' Associarion for 1901, 
just issued, the Straits Times says : — " Para- 
Kubber appears likely to be the salvation of the 
coffee planter. On most estates it will be found 
placted through the coffee to which it appears 
to do very little damage. Recently two well- 
known Ceylon planters, who are largely iut'-i osted 
in Para cultivation in that island, visited the 
State. They seemed to be very pleased with the 
prospects of Para there and fancied that the 
trees there, wlien compared with those of a like 
age in Ceylon, shosved freer growth. At present, 
so far as is known, the rubber is of a superior 
quality, but ta;)pin54 apiiears difficult in the case 
of . young trees. Tlie report urges that tjrovern- 
ment should, with advantage to itself, advertise 
* The Company must have about 11,000 acres 
in bearing, thus giving about 360 lb average per 
acre and about l^rd cooly per acre.— Ed. T.A, 
at home, say, the grant of free blocks of land for 
this cultivation with a view to attracting new 
blood and capital into the State." 
' » 
PROPOSAL TO PROHIBIT THE SALE OF 
TEA DUST. 
The tea iQdu3try \s iu a very critical position. It 
th» season favourable fur growth it probably means 
bad)' times for several concerns ; if the season turns 
out to ba & bad one for yield, we shall no doubt 
exist another year, but we have the same " bugbear," 
over-ptoduction, staring ng in the face at the end of it. 
The idea of not plncking from 1st August to 2l3t 
August will not coinmeud itself to any planter. More- 
over, I hardly think it would be carried out. No 
doubt if it were loyally done, it would be an excellent 
thing. 
I beg to make a suggestion. The scheme is to 
prohibit the sale of tea dust, say, for three years. 
Assuming four per cent of dust is made it would reduce 
the total crop quite eight per cent, because 1 lb. of 
dust makes about 120 cups of tea. whereas 1 lb. of 
pekoe souchong makes about 60 cup3. 
A great deal of dust is brought by natives in ths 
bazaars, and if they could not get it they would buy 
twice the weight of pekoe souchong or other cheap teas. 
The dust need not be thrown away ; it could ba sold 
at nearly an anna per lb. for making Caffeine, etc., and 
packed in bi»g3 or other old boxes without lead. 
It costs quite one rupee and four annus per maund 
to pack dust in leaded chests. This would be saved 
so that the loss to producers would roughly be, say : — 
Bs.As.P. 
1 maund of dust worth ... ... 12 8 0 
Ra.As.P. 
LfS3 packing charges saved ... 1 4 0 
Ijess received for dust sold as tea 
waste ... ... ... 4 0 0 5 4 0 
Nett loss Rs. 7 4 0 
per maund of crop or a little less than li anna per lb. 
In any scheme for abandoning acreage, not pruning 
or not plucking certain areas, or throwing away a 
percentage of crop, a garden would lo»« income on 
so much crop, at the average price realised for the 
remainder of the crop. 
Say for instance it was determined to temporarily 
abandon eight per cent of the area of yielding tea. 
Take the case of a 1,000-acre garden making seven 
maunds; per acre and getting a five-annas average. 
Rs. As. P. 
A garden making seven maunds per acre 
and an average of five annas per lb. 
would abandon 80 acres at seven 
maunds equals 560 maunds tea at five 
annaa per lb. and lose an income of ... 14,000 0 0 
By the scheme I suggest eight per cent 
of the reduction would equal 280 maunds 
dust, I.e., four per cent on a crop of 7,000 
maunds at a loss of IJ anna per lb. ... 2,100 0 0 
Amount of income saved Rs. 11,900 0 0 
Although the quantity of the crop is practically 
fodutSeJ by the same amount of tea. 
In America if teas contain duat the customs won't 
pass them I believe. Perliaps our customs might do 
the same for us ; that is, if the Agents and Tea Brokers 
coald not prevent dust being mixed in and sold.— 
Engliihrnan (Cor.), June 30. 
^ 
THE NEW "PARA RUBBER" FROII THE 
EAST: CEYLON'S HIGH PRICES. 
At a recent auction sale in London six cases of 
fine rubber from Ceylon, the product of cultivated 
trees from Para seed, brought 3s 4^d, or about 81 i 
cents, whereas the highest price for real Para rubber 
reported during the week was only 3s OJd per 
