3i6 
THE TROPICAI; AGRICULTURIST. [Nov, 1, 1902. 
We mount our gay tat and give milliona of orders, 
To ooolieg, and beaters, then merrily steer 
Through the misc to the swamp which we hope will 
afford us 
The first snipe of the year. 
Then we eagerly pull out onr gun from its cover 
And round U3 our cartridge-belt carefully strap. 
We scorn the seductions o£ plaintive voiced plover. 
For the jungle-cock's crowiug we care not a rap. 
Down we crush past the screw pines, and through 
the thick sedges 
And hope that the mist wreaths wi'l presently clear, 
Send Ninga and Oarla to beat up round the edges 
The first snipe of the year. 
" 'To heel,' all you puppies, no foolish skylarking, 
Too serious this for mere skirmish and play." 
Then our eager eyes strain where the coolies are 
marking — 
Ah ! ha ! something rises, it's coming this way 1 
Bang, bang, go both barrels, at once almost tiring, 
The dogs, spite of shouting, rush forth from the 
rear, 
Look sharp ere those juveniles spoil, past admiring, 
The first snipe of the year. 
We pick it up gently, was ere such a beauty ? 
Just look at its plumage, and length of its bill ! 
Then off tramp we once more, for we feel it our duty. 
Ere we breakfast, at le;\,st one good game bag to fill. 
What is that ? — Oh good gracious, another gun 
popping ! 
., Within us arises a terrible fear 
Some one else with more luck than ourselves has 
been dropping 
The First Snipe of the Year. 
With rage in our heart through the swamp we go 
ploddiug 
■ And wishing our rival were in it fast stuck, 
Till we come on old Brown who is frantically nodding 
And in stentorian tones is abusing his luck. 
'I Not a bird can 1 hit, though persistently blazing, 
' Away in the brown" — Then we give a wild cheer. 
Add draw from our bag, to his view hii^h upraising 
The First Snipe of the Year ! 
Ah ! well, it is sport, and who'd think of ill-feeling 
We stump on togetner, and share all our fun, 
Till we feel rather limp, and our noses are peeling, 
For above us is shiniufj; a powerful sun. 
So we think about breakfast, and soon we are eating 
Like warriors Homeric : ere long we clear, 
Every dish, then praise thy life beauteous but fleeting 
First snipe of the year 1 
We uncork in thine honour a fresh foaming 
bumper, 
(For shooting produces a wonderful thirst) 
Ah ! our bags may contain others, sleeker, 
plumper, 
Or larger, what matter when thou wer' 
the First. , 
To the puppies, who watch us with tremulous tails 
We endeavour to make this great difference clear. 
And with whinnies of joy each expressively hails 
The first snipe of the year. 
Then as we ride home, we think, how can we hinder. 
Our cook, who is safe our best feelings to shock, 
By reducing that snipe to a pitiful cinder 
And serving him up upon toast like a rock ! 
Oh ! dear little bird, what a brilliant example. 
To our Mill human nature, thine own doth appear. 
In death as in life a most excellent sample — 
gjjj. First snipe of the yearl 
LIQUID FUEL FOR OIL ENGINES. 
Colombo, Sept. 20. 
Dear Sir,— Messrs. Brown & Co., Ltd., 
Nawalapitiya, write us under date 19th inst., 
as follows : — 
" Our engine is still running perfectly with 
the Liquid Fuel and we have not cleaned it 
yet. It is exactly two weeks yesterday 
since we started running it continuously," — 
Yours faithfully, 
DKLMEGB, FORSYTH & Co. 
PROPOSED INCREASED IN TEA CESS. 
Rookwood, Hewaheta, 24th Sept. 
Dear Sir,— I enclose for publication copy of 
letter sent to the Secretary, Ceylon Association 
in London, with reference to the proposed increase 
in the Tea Cess. — Yours faithfully, 
A. C. KINGSFORD. 
Eookwoodj Hewaheta, 22nd Sept., 1902. 
W. Martin Leake, Esq., Secretary, Ceylon Associa- 
tion in London, 61 and 62, Gracechurch Street, Lon- 
don, E C. 
Dear Sir, — At a meeting of the "Thirty Committee" 
held on the 13th inst, next year's votes were fully 
discussed and the following resolution nnanimonsly 
adopted. Kesolved : — ''That with the present Cess 
Fund at the disposal of the Committee the following 
estimate for 1903, marked A, be approved, but the 
Committee strongly recommend that the Tea Cess be 
increased to half-a-cent per pound, and on that basis 
submits the appended alternative estimate, marked B, 
for the support and approval first of the Ceylon Asso- 
ciation in London. 
Estimate fob 1903 (A).. 
Green teas (7,000,000 lb at 4 cents) .. E280,000 
America ., .. 105,000 
Continent of Europe .. 75,000 
Administration, Contingencies, etc. 10,000 
Total ... R470,000 
Estimate pok 1903 (B). 
Green teas (12,000,000 lb. at 5 cents) R6CO,000 
America - ' ... 105,000 
Continent of Europe ... 75,000 
Administration, Contingencies and 
unvoted balances , . 20.000 
Total ... E800,0no 
The meeting that passed the above resolution waa 
thoroughly representative, twenty-eight, including all 
the Colombo members being present. I invite fuller 
consideration of the votes as explained under the 
separate headings below: — 
Green Tea.— The manufacture of this eontinnea to 
show a steady increase. The bonus has been paid on 
the following quantities : — 
1898 ... 13,302 1b. 1901 .. ,590,000 1b, 
1899 ,. 86,327 ,, 1902 ... 2,316,921 „ (to date) 
1900 ,, 472,294 „ • — 
Total 4,478,844 lb. 
This fisfure does not quite represent all the green 
tea made, as the bonus is only paid on a certain 
proportion of dust and tannings and on tea up to ft 
standard. The supply of Ceylon green tea at pre- 
sent is not equal to the demand, the price has 
consequently risen lately three to four cents a pound, 
but many factories are now commencing to manu- 
tnre and it is hoped the output for the year will reach 
4 millions for which a bonus at 5 cents, per lb. is 
available. This amount could, no doubt, be continued 
next year with little or no assistance in the form of a 
bonus, but to double or treble this total, many other 
estates must be induced to parqhase the oeoessarjr 
