5:04 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [Apbil 2, 1900. 
The expenditure estimated on Capital Account is 
El2,853 for upkeep of acreage not in bearing and 
additions to machinery and buildings. 
During the past year Mr. W H Figg resigned his 
seat on the Board and Mr. PGA Lane w.vs elected 
to the vacancy, ^ r. 
In terms of the Articles of Association Mr. G H 
Alston now retires from the office otDirtctor, but is 
eligible for re-elec'ion. 
The appointment of an Auditor for th3 current 
year will rest with the meeting. 
e 
UVAKELLIB TEA CO. OF CEYLON, LD. 
AN.NUAL GUNKRAI. MRETiNG. 
THE I! E POUT. 
The Dii;e:;tor3 have now ti submit their Report 
and Accounts foi- the year eiidiii',' 31st D^'ccmbec, 18'.)9 
The crop <\niounted to 1.52,600 lb. I e i, costing 26 82 
ct9. perlb. against 138,09.5 lb, r, -.sling ,30 82 cts. in 
1898; the profit on the Woikiug Account bein:,' equal 
to 9"30 per ceutoa the Capital of the Company. 
After estimating the unsold tea at a safe figure, the 
crop has realized 41'67 cts. per lb. against 45-10 cts. 
in 1898. 
After paying an interim Dividend of 3 per cent 
and writing off 7^ per cent for Depreciation on Build- 
ings and Machinery, the profit amounts to R12,287-30, 
and the Directors recommend that this amount be dis- 
posed of as follows 
That a final dividend bo paid of 4 
per cent (making 7 per cent 
for the year) absorbit g .. R9,600-00 
That a sum be carried to Re- 
serve, of 2,00000 
That a Bonus be paid to the 
Superintendent, of 50000 
and that the balance of 187'30 
be carried forward. 
R12,287-30 
The Estimate for the current 
year is 155,0U0 lb. tea to cost R47,01o'16. 
In terms of the Articles of Association Mr. W D 
Gibbon retires from the Board, but being eligible, 
offers himself for re-election. It will also be ne- 
cessary to appoint an Auditor for 1900. 
BRAZIL COFFEE NOTES. 
The continued rains throughout the coffee dis- 
tricts have greatly benefited the growing crop. The 
ripening of the fruit from the abnormally early 
flowering is being delayed, and the general condi- 
tion of the crop is said to be much improved. 
Telegrams from Paris on the 23rd and 24th state 
that the French government will impose double duties 
on IJrazilian coffee, should this country impose 
special duties on French products. A tariff as 
destructive to the interests of both countries, would 
therefore appear to be imminent. — Rio News, Jan. 15. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
The "Agricultural Ledger."— 1899— No. II. 
Xylia Doiabriformis. (Iron-wood of Pegu). A 
Revision of the article on that subject as given 
in the Dictionary of Economic Products, with 
special reference to the timber, and the employ- 
ment of the refuse wood as a tanning material. 
— received. 
Java Tea. — An Amsterdam circular, by 
this mail gives the total sales of Java tea 
there during 1899 at 5,293,770 half.kilograms 
(1 1-10 Ih.) at an average of 37r| cents (of a 
florin) per half -kilogram. This is equivalent 
to 5,823,147 lb. and the average to about 
34J cents, or say a little over 8d, per lb. — 
The imports in 1899 seem to have been 
rather less than in 1898. A certain quantity 
is still taken of "China tea": a merely 
trifling quantity of " British-Indian " tea. 
Tea Planted and Exports. —Our figures 
in article on page 697, require a little supple- 
menting, in order to make the comparison 
more instructive. In 188S, of 183,000 .acres 
planted, about 81,000 would not be in bearing 
or under three years ; in 1893, of a total of 
273,01)0, about 53,000 not in bearing ; in 1899, 
of estimated area of 375,000 acres, say 45,000 
acres not in bearing. 
Cacao Prospects — In his report on the 
Loudon market (see page 676) Mr. Hamel 
Smith speaks of " increasing cultivation in 
Africa' which will give crop thisyear sufficient 
to cover an increasing demand. Now, we 
should like to know more exactly where 
cacao cultivation is being systematically 
and extendiugly carried on in Africa ? 
There may be a very little in Nyassaland, 
Ugiinda and German Eas Africa ; but we 
take it the West Coast is meant ; and yet 
we cannot suppose Congo land, or any 
British dependency is seeing much cacao 
planted ? 
Para RunBEU.— Exports of rubber from Para 
were valued at £7,600,000 for 1897 and £7,7000,000 
in 1898. For 1899 tliey are likely to have reached 
£8,000,000 or about £14 per head, a rate equalled 
but by very few other countries and probably 
excelled by none— not even the Australian colonies 
or Uruguay. The Brazilian Review remarks :— 
In a country that produces so much with so, com- 
parative, little labour there must be plenty of 
money to spend and even to waste. So if there 
are any young and enterprising men in search of 
a Golconda so long as they don't mind the heat or 
a little feverishness they can't do better than try 
Para and if they don't make their pile it must be 
because they " have not the method of making a 
fortune." 
Tea Crops and the Increased Tea 
Duty. — Says "Indian Gardening " •.—"Any 
fear of the future could only arise from an 
increase in production, which we see no 
reasoa to apprehend. In the year just past 
the exceptionally faf'ourable season in Cachar, 
Sylhet and the Dooars accounted for the un- 
expected increase in production, those dis- 
tricts being re.sponsible for nearly the whole 
of the eleven million pounds of surplus. But 
the fact that the last season was an excep- 
tionally favourable one relieves us from the 
anxiety that the districts named will again 
improve on these figures. They will do well 
if they equal them. Assam has been practi- 
cally stationary for the last two seasons at 
62 to 64 million pounds. Her estimates have 
been accurate and we may accept them. The 
other districts may be disregarded ; they 
cannot do very much towards upsetting the 
figures. Therefore we think there is every 
reason to conclude that the Indian tea crop 
has reached its limit for the present, and 
the increase of the duty will no doubt make 
planters chary of extending cultivation or en- 
tering upon any operations which will in- 
crease the load on the British market. At 
present figures we may consider ourselves 
safe. Ceylon, we notice, has estimated for 
an increase of 8,000,0001b., which they trust 
to work off. It is possible that the increased 
duty may interfere with their anticipation, 
and we trust that their foreign markets pro- 
paganda will be unusually successful to relieve 
the British market of their surplus." 
