m THE TROPICAL AGRIGULTURIST. [Jan. 1, 190a. 
Eevenons & no,t wo wfons— Cardamoms 
rattier. Tliis cuitivat-ion bid^ fair to regain soiue 
measure of former prosperity, and tlie piospecb is 
cheering. Tin past year has been very favourable 
owing to an abundant rainfall, and the owners 
of cardamom fields are rej')icin>; ; alihough the 
ever- present shadow of declining markets and 
lowered prices, like the spectre at the feasb, 
taiccs the gilt off the oinger-bread. The culti- 
vation of cardamoms has some attractions and, 
perhaps, fewer drawbacks than are incidental to the 
majority of tropical products, They are generally 
grown under the shade of the larger jungle trees 
from underneath which the smaller under-growth 
has been cleared, leaving all vegetable matter to 
form humus on the surface which is constantly 
renewed by the falling leaves; and this style of 
cultivation is pai' excellence the desideratum for 
a country like Ceylon, when the denudation of 
the soil results in wash and impoverishment from 
the action of torrential rains on steep hill-sides 
The upkeep of the fields is comparatively simple 
cost of weeding and pruning almost nominal, 
and the buildings required for curing tlie produce 
do not need to be of an elaborate or expensive 
construction, as hardly any machinery is neces- 
sary. The fruit is me'ely dried, bleacher! and 
Boned, when it is ready tor packino- into boxes of 
the same kind as tea-chests, but without the lead- 
lining. Like all fruit growers 
THE CARDAMOM PLANTER 
— is not without his enemies in the shape of 
squirrels, monkeys, as well as bipeds of a 
hii^her degree of intelligence, who are here 
aff'orded an opportunity of supplying the missing 
link between the ' spicy breezes ' and that peculiar 
trait of the human race which the poet has 
characterised as ' vile.' Verily a Garden of Eden, 
but alas! the trail of the serpent is here too ; 
although it is satisfactory to find that the mis- 
sionary has penetrated into these wilds and planted 
his schools here and there wherever an opening can 
be got. More power to his elbow ! Here, as felse- 
where, he is in the fsjic-fvont of enterprise, seeking 
to reclaim a lost race from out of the wilderness 
of Bin and ignorance, and planting the flag of peace 
and gond will. It is an end w^arthy of attainment 
and it needs courH^e, perseverance and — cash ! 
Had lime peimi tpri a visit to some of these 
villag s would h ive flfforded us areat pleasure and 
civeu inat<-rial for a fuller description of the work 
being done, but; we had to pjiss on. The spell of 
fine v^eather which hp.d so far favoured us now 
eaiiie to an end and the curtain literally dropped 
upon the scene. Passing through the Nugatenna 
Gap we kept along the Eastern face of the range 
and climbed up through Kobonella in drenching 
rain and mist and were not sorry to find ourselves 
once more under shelter of the hospitable bunga- 
low we were making for. The next morning was 
wet again and, our time being up, we made good 
our retreat, reluctantly postponing any further 
description of the country until another time. 
PERIPATEIIO. 
BEE-KREPING TN OKYLON : 
SBy cEAL EXPEUTMENTS. 
• «i ; .. Colombo, .Tan, 5. 
Dear 'Sir,— With reference to your re- 
marks on page 508, may I point out 
that Inhere are a number of expeiments in 
improved bee-keeping, with frame hives, now 
in propfress. The most notably successful 
of these is that of Mr. Charles Andree, of 
Kurunegala, who has regularly exhibited 
working hives at our Colombo Agri-Horti- 
cultural Shows, and fully explained the whole 
process of honey-making by practical de- 
monstration. Similar hives are being kept 
at the stock garden (in the late School of 
Agriculture), by Messrs. F Beven, Veyangoda, 
D C Jayawardene, Nanuoya, and others.-^ 
yours truly, ■ . 
'■ BEEKEEPER. 
[We are very pleased, indeed, to have the 
above information : we missed the last 
Agri Horticultural Show through being ;Up- 
country.— Ed. T.A.'] i. 
Green Teas im Ceylon in 1902.— The 
bonus table for December 16th-31st 1902 is 
somewhat late in appearing, owing, perhaps, 
to its large size and the intervention of 
the holidays. The sum of fll9,4i0'30 paid 
during the fortnight is larger than for any 
similar period, we believe, since the green 
tea bonns began and indicates the activity 
with which manufacture of this safety-valve 
of the black tea industry is proceeding in 
Ceylon. A number of new estate names also 
appear in the list on page 38. It will be 
interesting to give a table of the twenty -four 
half-monthly totals of the past year, as 
follows :— 
Date, 1902. 
lb. 
Us. 
January 
1,5 th 
.. 65,020 
4 086.16 
31st 
... 87,853 
5,27118 
February 
15fch 
... 63,474 
• .3.600-89 
28th 
... 75,65b 
■ 4,160-72 
March 
1.5th 
... 65,811 
■•' 3,464-36 
Slat 
... 104,239 ■ 
^aii 95 
April 
. 15feh 
... 155,427 ' 
;:'7.7713.5 
30th 
... 128;7l'0 ■ 
■6,435'50 
May 
15th- 
... 61,771 
.3,088 55 
31st 
... 237,900 
, ■,11,895-00 
Jane 
17th 
.. 18?.f^72; . 
' ,9,193 60 
30h 
. . 184,664 
9 2.^3 20 
July 
15th 
.. 222,046 
Il.l'i2-a0 
31st 
... 18H216 
9,460-^0 
August 
le^h 
.. 114,282 
5,71410 
Slat 
... 153,353 
•' 7)667-65 
September 15 h 
. . 139,000 
6,950-00 
SO.h 
... 231;785 
11,589-25 
October 
15th 
... 189,4rf7 
9,471-85 
3l8t 
.. 217,714 
10,885-70 
November 17th 
.. 200,193 ' 
10,009-65 
30th 
.. 193,097 
9,654-85 
December 
15th 
.. 260,742 
13,0.^7-10 
Slst 
.. 388,806 
19,440-30 
Total 
.3,914,082 
198,396-Oi 
Though' thfe' figurfes tor site not yeit. (jinttf' 
conii lete, we scj that there is at lisasi, hii, increitsie 
of 2,324,072 lb. over the total for 19(il. Tlie 
special rn(mtMy table for 1902 we have i)repai-ed 
elsewhere, together with that for 1901, provide 
some interesting points of comparison. 
