JUNE 1, 1900.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
835 
KAGALLA TEA ESTATES, LTD. 
RBPOBT FOR 1899, 
Keport of the Directors to be submitted to the 
Bhareholders at the fifth annual ordinary general 
ineetiug, to be held at 30, Mincing Lane, E.O., on 
"Wednesday, Blay 2Dd, 1900, at 12 o'clock noon. 
' The Directors beg to submit their report, and 
also statement of accounts duly audited, for the 
period of 18 months ending 31st December last— 
£ s, d. 
Showing a net profit for that 
period of .. 3173 13 10 
; Add the balance of last account . . 6J 14 9 
£3243 8 7 
Out of which the following dividends have been 
paid :— 
1899, lat January— Preference 
shares ... £1050 0 0 
1899, Ist July— Preference 
shares . . 1050 0 0 
1900, 1st Jan.— Preference 
, shares . . 1050 0 0 
3150 0 0 
Leavii3f< a balance to caiTy for- 
. . ward of 
£93 8 7 
•The Directors much regret that they have to 
present accounts, the results of which do not allow 
of a dividend on the ordinary shares, but owing 
to the shortage of crop on Kelburne, the higher 
exchange and the low prices obtained for the high 
grown Ragalla teas last season, the profits have not 
reached the amount anticipated. 
During the season, which covers 18th months as 
arranged at the last meeting, the crops realized 
were :— 
Tea, 700,398 lb., at a gross average of 8-92d per lb. 
Coffee, 147 cwt. 0 qr. 24 lb., at a gross average of 
788 lid per cwt. 
■ The following are the acreages of the Company's 
estates : — 
Name. 
H O H ^ 
Hagalla and 
Haigran Oya 907 — ISO 
Kelburne 742 10 165 
Total. 
303 
64 
1390 
981 
1649 10 
345 
367 2371 
from 1st 
The estimates for the current season, 
Januai-y to 31st December, are : — 
Ragalla Tea, 425,000 ib. 
Kelcnrne Do 240,000 lb. Coffee, 20 cwt. 
■ , Under Clause 97 of ihe articles of Association Mr, 
M P Evans retires from the Board, and being eligible 
offers himself for re-election. 
The appointment of Auditors rests with the share- 
holders, and Messrs. Fuller, Wise and Fisher offoc 
themselves for re-election. C. E Strachan and M. 
P. Evans, Directors, and M. P, EvAxs & Co., 
Secretaries. 
■■ London, 2ith April, 1900. 
SALE OF MADULKELLY ESTATE. 
Madulkelly estate in the Kelebokka Valley, 
which has ju.st been sold by Mr. M. H. 
Thomas for £7,500 to Mr. J. G. Mutter, cover.s 
no le.ss than 785 acres, of which 258 or there- 
abouts are in tea. It was at one time a very 
line cotfee estate, being one of the earliest 
t)pened in " the Valley," and always a 
favorite. We believe it has also been doins^' 
very well in tea. Mr. M. H. Thomas still 
retains Galheria (427 cultivated acres) and 
Oonoonagalla with 487 acres in cultivation. 
THE LONDON COCOA MARKET. 
(By Harold Hambl Smith.) ' 
FANCY PRICES FOR GRENADA CCCOA. 
April 12, 1900. 
The Grenada cacao planters liave shewn a 
novel but practical way of proving the in- 
terest they take in the South African War 
Fund. Twelve of them sent over 14 bags of 
cocoa for sale with instructions that the net 
proceeds were to go to the credit of the fund. 
In consideration of this, the cocoa was carried 
freight free, and no dock or landing charges 
commission, &c., were charged by those buying 
or selling the cocoa, in order that the fund 
might get the benefit of the full amount 
realised, and to show their appreciation of 
this generosity fancy prices were offered by 
the trade for the 12 lots offered. Seven bags 
sold at 90s, o-i bags at 105s and one half bag 
at 106s or about 25s to 35s above their normal 
value. 
The sales went off this week with good 
competition, and at higher prices all round, 
especially for Grenadas. The market is still 
h.ue of Guayaquil, and there are no signs of 
the large receipts at Guayaquil to rival last 
year, which wei'e prophesied at the begin- 
ning of the crop, the total receipts at that Fort 
to 3ist March being 72,300 quintals, against 
88,500 qts. in 1899, 70,000 in 1898, and 91,500 
in 1897 ; and the present stock in London is 
under 19,OU0 bags, while there are 25,000 at 
Havre. On Monday (9th) 500 bags Summer 
Arriba sold at 78s to 80s. All the Grenadas, 
and nearly all the Trinidads and Ceylons 
ottered sold this week. Next week, owing 
to the holidays there will be no sales, but 
those to take place on 31st April will be 
fairly well supplied with Grenadas and Tri- 
nidad, now being landed or " en roixte " but 
the present rise in price is expected ; to ba 
maintained, if not augmented, as the Govern- 
ment, who have not been buyers for some 
times, are expected to come in, and the way 
the demand, without the Government com- 
peting, is taking up all available supplies as 
they land, gives increasing stx'ength to thia 
idea. 
The reports from Trinidad this mail com- 
plain of the shortness of supplies, and that 
the quantity of cocoa coming to market 
grows sensibly less. The total shipments to 
•29tii March were 7,600 bags behind last year's 
(67,564 bags against 75,117 bags) and large 
orders were in hand for Europe and America 
when the mail left, which owing to the 
short supplies coming forward could not be 
filled. The future prospects depend entirely 
on the weather, but no improvement is looked 
forward to till July or August, and only then, 
provided the weather continues favorable. 
In answer to my enquiries as to the cause 
of "worminess" in Trinidad cocoii, Mr. Eugene 
Smith, a Trinidad planter of great experience 
and who is now looking after a cacao estate 
belonging to a well-known English manu- 
facturer, writes that "it is caused sometimes 
by putting the cocoa into bags whilst still 
M-arm ; or keeping it after being bagged iii 
a damp place, The ' worm ' is in the seed 
itself, that is the cocoa seeds i^roduce it. If 
you examine the insect carefully you will 
see it is very much like a weevil, but of a 
rounder build and with bigger wings. 
AVhether the insect first starts as a worm 
