( 3 ) 
3 1 think so at present. Oil engines appear to 
comiDg more into favour. 
4 Private hands. 
6 Not much I think at present, although a good 
deal has been planted in the past. 
6 I do. Firewood will be wanted in future, but 
trees for timber purposes and fuel should be combined. 
7 Trees suitable for fuel as well as building pur- 
poses, such as Satin, Jalj as well as Grevilleas. 
8 Certainly. Timher for building purposes is very 
scarce indeed. For tea chests I hardly know what 
to suggest. Lunumidella grows very well in this 
district, and is a useful timber. Would it do for tea 
chests ? Iiuhul are used by some. 
We are inclined to think that there is uo 
need to plant trees for tea boxes, consider- 
ing not simply the large foreign supply, 
but the several substitutes in Acmes, Colin- 
das, Venestas, <&c., &c., which are pushing 
their way and which are bound to be im- 
proved and cheapened as time rolls on. 
One of the oldest residents tells us : — 
1 I only use wood, and have no experience of coal 
or coke. 
2 I pay 25 cents per ,cubic yard, when cut and 
piled on estate. 
3 In Rangala., Bledamahanuwara and the Nitre 
Cave districts, the supply is plentiful : only a few 
estates buy firewood. Mr, Spence of Duckwari is the 
only one who uses coal or coke. 
4 All in private hands. No Government wood sold 
here. Not required. 
5 Any number of grevilleas all over the estates, 
more for shelter and shade than fuel ; but they will 
come in handy for fuel if required. 
6 Not about here: the supply is plentiful. If 
necessary grow grevilleas. 
7 Nothing grows so well as grevilleas. ladigenous 
kinds take too long to grew. 
8 No, life is not long enough. Would anything 
be worth using for timber under 20 years ? Some 
of the softer woods might make tea boxes in that 
time. As a speculation or for one's children all 
waste laud (poor) might be planted with grevilleas, 
albizzias, jak, &o., &c. 
The Scottish Laird's advice to his son should 
not be forgotten :— " Aye be stickin' in a tree 
Jock; it will be growing when you are 
sleeping." _ Besides the intrinsic value of pro- 
perty is increased by judicious plantftig 
of useful trees. A well-known Manager 
comes next, and here again it will be seen 
that "grevilleas" are the favourite tree to 
plant, as both fast growing and suiting the 
tea : — 
1 Wood — being the cheapest, English coal costing 
about R60 per ton on estate. 
2 From 1 to IJ cent per lb. cured tea. Yes, it 
may be considerably reduced when the timber trees 
now planted on many estates come to maturity. 
3 Yes, to most places in this distiict. 
4 In private hands for the most part. 
5 Yes, on large places snch as this. 
6 iGreat economy would be effected by early 
planting np of fuel trees. 
7 Grevilleas for this district. They are fast grow- 
ing and can be planted with advantage throughout 
the tea. 
S Yes, timber is always in requisition on tea 
gardens for buildings and factory requirements. 
Very interesting information respecting gre- 
villeas do we get from our next Rangala 
correspondent, and his experience is sure to 
be of use to planters in other districts who 
have not thought of grevillea shingles :— 
1 I have only had experience with wood irhich 
is good if you have enough of it. 
2 As time goes on the last will increase. At 
present we are under half cent per lb. of tea made.. 
3 Quite equal to tho demand. Grevillea trees 
have been planted regularly every moiisoon for years, 
4 I would not like to have to depend ou Govern- 
ment for fuel, and I hope I never shall. 
5 Yes, and I do not think I shall ever have to 
apply to Government for fuel or other timber, 
6 Certainly, rather grow your own timber than 
buy it. ' 
7 Grevillea and Sapu for buildings. 
8 Yes, for both purposes. It might intei est some 
of your readers to know that grevillea makes good 
shingles. I send you by this post a piece of a 
shingle that has been on a set of lines for six years, 
and you will see that the wood, although rather 
weather-beaten on the surface, is quite good and fresh 
inside. This shingle was from a tree not over eight 
inches in diameter. I put on a patch of grevillea 
shingles when building a new set of lines, and the 
result was so good (as you will see fmrn the piece 
I send you) tliat 1 have roofed a building with the 
sama wood, but sawn in place of being split. Gre- 
rillea is not good as posts put into the ground, but is 
good for rafters, wall plates or reepers 
The shingle sample sent us is all that our 
correspondent describes: from no other dis- 
trict do we learn of the tree being turned 
to thi.s use. 
Then we have from the Gampola-side of the 
district : — 
1 I only use wood and charcoal here and have 
no experience in coal or coke. 
3 In some case? it is not ; and wood fuel has to 
be bought at high rates. 
4 In this district it is in private hands. 
5 Yea, most o£ the estates have planted grevilleas 
for fuel purposes. 
6 Planting timl^er trees for fuel -purposes is abso- 
lutely necessary on a good many plantations until a, 
new and cheaper fnel is found out. 
7 Grevilleas. They thrive well and grow rapidly. 
8 To do so is advisable. 
Next we cross over to the West, inchiding 
Kelani Yalley, and we have an old planter 
writing : — 
1 As the heat is drawn through iron, the tea is 
not affected by the fuel material. Wood is best 
because cheapest. 
2 Wood only is used in these parts (West of 
Kegalla and West Dolosbage) and is not likely to be 
reduced. 
3 Yes, and will be for some time, but not for long 
unless trees are planted. 
4 In private hands mostly. 
.5 Not suiiicie.ntly so, especially since most of the 
estates were transferred to Companies. 
6 Certainly, every nook and corner should be 
planted with all kinds of suitable timber. 
7 All the indigenous hard timber, also grevilleas. 
8 Yes, darabu, keena, del, lunumiaella, sapu, suriya, 
teak, gums, &ic. 
Next we have a Visiting Agent as well as 
Manager who gives his opinion in a very 
straightforward, practical way : - 
1 Have only used wood, 
2 No experience. 
3 On most estates where an engine is the motors 
supply of wood is inadequate and cost serious. Where 
water is obtainable, oil engines will be the future 
motor. 
4 In the higher districts supply is generally de- 
pendent on Government; in the medium and lower 
districts it is more in private hands. 
5 Yes, wherever fuel trees will grow they are 
being planted. 
6 Too costly for private individuals to be success- 
ful : the woik has to be done just as carefully and 
is as costly as the planting of tea. 
7 Lunumidella, grevillea, gums. 
