May 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AdlUCXJLTURIST;! 
many of those tliousands now on tliat particular 
tree actually attained maturity, 
Let us hope a change may not come over the 
spirit of his dream — if the enormous weight of the 
bunches in the Kurumba stage were to snap the 
peduncles at the base, which would, indeed, be 
a base proceeding after so high a promise of a ton 
of copra I We all know tliat the biggest bunches 
often come down with a rush in spite of props to 
prevent thein and it is a heartbreaking sight to 
see a splendid cluster of 15 to 20 coconuts so 
suddenly bionght low and scattered in every direc- 
tion ere half matured; If these Fiji trees hear 
sueh extraordinary, poiuiorons bnnchea and if all 
the lilittle fruit develop into big onos, tlieti'ee, in 
soot , would !)0 in imminent danger of snap- 
ping short, oil, imr.iodiKt.oly lieiow the fi'onfls, 
especifiily when swayed to and fro violently 
by those tenifiR winds so prevalent over 
the Fiji isles — almost enough to bend the teeth 
of a curpentei's saw. We know what fine trees 
come down with an ordinary weight of top 
hamper when a blustering gale bursts through 
our coconut topes ; what must it be over 
among the low-lying islands, surrounded by an in-, 
fiuity of sea with che storm, when it does come, 
howling like a thousand fiends and devastating 
everything high and low. I think it unwise to 
be dazzled by the fair pictures drawn by the 
over sanguine respecting prospective fortunes in 
foreign lands, of fortunes too rapidly made, in 
black and white, but like the ignis fatuus, in 
point of fact ever nigh but never grasped. 
Seeing is believing, and if the good friend who 
sent me the cutting anent this subject could be 
liberal enough to send me on a reconnoitring 
expedition, on the extreme quiet, as the spies 
were sent to the promised land, I might come 
back from Fiji not with a cluster ot grapes, but 
a bunch of cocoiuita, a faithful report and a new 
lease of life. In the meantime, on the principle 
that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, 
I prefer to cultivate coconuts in good old Ceylon 
where— it I make not a splendid fortune — I need 
fear no magnificent bankruptcy. As Pat says : 
" Betther dale wid a divvle yer know than a 
divvle yer don't know." 
If an anonymous writer had written the account 
of the now famous Fiji tree we might have been 
inclined to take it with a grain of salt, but 
coming as it does we are bound to receive this 
Tart [E] without a dollop of sugar or a wry 
face. — I am, dear sir, yours very truly, 
EDWD. McCarthy. 
CEYLON PARA. KUBBER. 
London, E.C , 27th March, 1903. 
Drab Sir,— The following particulars of 
Ceylon grown Para Rubber sold in Public 
Sale here today may interest your readers :— 
Mark. (Juality. Description. Price lb. 
Yatipanwa 5 cases Fine thin biscuits -Is ^d 
Do 1 do Good scrap 3s .3.^1 
Arapolakando G do Fine thin pale biscuits4s 2d 
Do 1 do Good scrap 3s 3d 
Do 1 do Fair scrappy biscuits 3s 2d 
Igalkande 1 do Fine thin biscuits 4^1;Vd 
Deviturai 1 do do 4s Od 
Do 1 bag Scrap fair 3s Id 
Tudugnlla ?, cases (not ready) 
The market is good.— We are, dear Sir, 
ours faithfully. LEWIS & PEAT. 
A WARNINCi TO PLANTERS' SELLING 
TEA FLUFF. 
April 2. 
Dear Sib,— We would like to warn 
planters against selling any tea fluff, 
sweeping^! or other refuse tea to native 
buyers unless the same have been denatura- 
lised before leaving the estate, for we 
know for a certainty that suchfluff, etc. 
is carefully picked and the tea obtained in 
this way either sold in Colombo or shipped. 
The denaturalising is best done by mixing ; 
iluff, sweepings, I'ed leaf, etc;, with per 
oerlt of .flaked lime, which will render theni 
unfit for iiumun eon suinplion, .vnd will not 
interfere with I ho extractinn of caffeine. ; 
We are quite vviillng to prv7vide p!f.nlers'' 
with the lime free of charge to mix with 
refuse teas and sweepings they intend 
sending to us, and if they insist on native 
buyers doing the saiiie a go(Kl turn will 
be done Co the tea trade. We think the 
matter well worth the attention of the 
Planters' Association and others interested 
in the Ceylon Tea Enterprise as the quantity 
of fluff and refuse teas sent to Colombo is 
we think, far greater than people have any 
idea of. - 
CHS. A. BOHRTNGEH. 
DROUGHT IN AMBSGAMUWA: AND THE 
GREEN TEA GRANT. ' ; 
Ambegamuwa, March 23. 
SiK,— What an awful drought, almost every- 
thing and everybody scorched out; not sulficient 
water in our streams to even dilute the " auld 
cratlmr." It puts one in mind of 1887 or 18SS —I 
am not very sure which year it was— when the 
drought lasted from end of November to the I4th 
of February. With the exception of just -28 in. of 
rain we have not had a shower for over a mouth. 
Patana fires galore! 
What abouc that green. ;tea grant ? Surely the 
"Thirty Committee" do not expect men to be 
philanthropists when most of them are face to 
face with ruin. The men around here are aver- 
aging 35 cts. and moie for their blacks. Can you 
expect them to go in for green teas which aver- 
age about the same and which cost nearly 4 cts. 
more to produce as you can neve^ get the same 
outturn from green teas as you can from black ? 
No, Sir, the only remedy is for the " Thirty Com- 
mittee " to go on with the grant, If they have 
no money — stop the American campaign at once. 
It has done precious little good and will do no 
moie if continued to the millennium. Keep lUJ 
encouraging green teas for another 2 years and 
then it can look after itself. We are slill in ti.e 
piimiiive state, and every encouragement is ab- 
solutely necessary ac this juncture to save a rising 
industry from a lamentable collapse. 
G. T. 
GREEN TEAS AND BLACK: 
GOMPARISONvS OF OUT-TUiiX. 
■ Calcutta, April 11. 
Dkar Sib,— .Tiulging from the enclosed cut- 
ting which appeare 1 over the signature "G.T."' 
in the last Obwrvcr of 25th March, (see above) 
some at le.ist of your Green Tea ujakers do not 
