( : 5 ; ) 
The Manager of a large Tea Factory writes : — 
1 Wood fuel is the best, cleanest and safest. 
2 Quarter to one cent per lb. of tea. 
3 Quite equal. 
4 Some estates are dependent on Government. 
5 Yes, any estate can supply its owe fuel by 
opening fuel clearing?. 
6 Yes, one estate I visit is entirely dependent upon 
its fuel plantations which we have planted up. 
7 Gum, grevilleas and acacias. 
8 No; iion buildings will suit: what little timber 
is required could be imported. 
A resident Manager tells us : — 
1 Have no experience of any, except wood which 
iB very efficient, 
2 The cost varies on every estate in Ceylon from 
-25 cents to E2 per cubic yard. All depends upon 
situation and forest available. 
3 The supply is barely equal to the demand at 
present, especially in Dikoya and Dimbula. 
4 Almost entirely in private hands. 
5 Yes, very extensive areas of tea are now being 
shaded with fuel trees. 
6 Probably it is more profitable to grow fuel as 
shade on land already under other products. 
7 Grevillea appears to be the best tree for tea ; its 
leaves also make good cattle bedding, 
8 Not in Ambagamuwa, where the railway renders 
it unnecessary. 
Next we have a Dikoya Manager with varied 
xperience : — 
1 Forest wood preferable to quick-grown, planted 
timber. No experience in the use or cost of coal 
•or coke. 
2 Beliable figures will be highly interesting. 
3 Supply available is being reckoned in months 
on some estates. It would be difficult to ascertain 
the proportionate acreage of such estates. Growing, 
planted, timber is being reserved as long as wood 
can be purchased from neighbouring estates. Supply 
in private hands is being limited. 
4 A large supply of dead icood only is available 
from Government, by out-lying estates next Crown 
jungle. Transport cost on wood, either privateor Gov- 
ernment, to long distances would be prohibitive. 
5 Most certainly. The amount of timber planted 
ou many estates is very considerable. With carefol 
coppicing it may be ample for such estates' future 
requirements. 
6 The relative cost per lb. made tea, of even ex- 
pensive fuel, is comparatively small and should be 
-easily covered by the profit obtained from good tea 
land. It would not be economy to convert such 
land into plantations for fuel orfor timber for build- 
ings. Given waste land, unsuitable for tea, but suit- 
able to timber, the economy of fuel for timber 
plantations is apparent. 
7 Iron bark gum and various species of eucalyp- 
tus; acacia, various; red toona; grevillea; albizzia, 
Tarious; sau, ficus, various; casuarinas and others 
according to soil and elevation. 
8 No. 6 answers this as to " buildings." For tea 
chests, certainly not. 
We now cross over to Maskeliya, and first 
we have a Visiting Agent as well as Manager 
reporting : — • 
1 Old dun timber of which there is still a large 
supply in this neighbourhood. 
2 For the above l-8th to 1 5th (-12 to -20) of a cent 
lb. made tea 
3 In this ueiphbourhood it is and always will be. 
In the centre of the district, on estates where all 
forest has been cleared, fuel is scarce ; but require- 
ments are being met in most cases by the fuel trees 
planted in the last ten and 12 years. 
4 None supplied by Government that I know of. 
5 Yes, very largely ; grevilleas chiefly. 
6 No, unless on individual estates. 
8 Yes, but for building purposes only. 
A resident Manager : — 
1 Wood ; have no experience of others. 
2 Y/ood costs from 1-lOth to one cent per lb. 
made tea according to driving power and machinery 
used. Cost will increase. 
3 Yes, at present ; but in a year or two there 
will be a scarcity until fuel trees grow up a bit. 
4 Government. 
5 Yes. 
6 Yes. for those with steam power. Most people 
have planted up poor patches which, with the trees 
throughout the tea, ought to be sufficient for the 
others. 
7 Gums and grevilleas as being quickest growers. 
8 No. 
And finally we have a proprietary Manager 
reporting :— 
1 Have only used wood, but coal or coke should 
be equally as good. 
2 Have unlimited quantities on my estates. 
3 I believe it is getting scarce and the price rising. 
4 Government, so far in Maskeliya, have sold very 
little, but they have large reserves o£ forest avail- 
able near cart road, not yet touched. 
5 Yes, 
6 As the jungle is cleared by Government it 
should be re-p'anted. 
7 Blue gum and grevilleas. 
8 Yea, grevilleas. 
A well-known Manager of prolonged ex- 
perience in this division — almost enough to 
make him the senior of the district— re- 
ports : — 
1 Having abundance of wood myself, I have no 
experience of coal or coke. 
2 The cost of wood fuel varies very considerably 
owing to facilites of transport or otherwise. 
3 Yes, in Bogawantalawa. 
4 In private hands. 
5 Yes, considerable attention. 
6 No, belts can be made and ravines planted, 
besides Government forests are all round us, and it 
would pay better to plant tea and buy fuel of Gov^ 
ernment. 
7 Eucalyptus of all kinds and grevilleas, also red 
toona. 
8 No, for reasons given above (No. 6) I would 
not. 
Next, two proprietary planters give rather 
contradictory advice, — thus one : 
1 Wood is tha best at present in this district. 
2 By far, the cheapest is wood, as most estates have 
a good supply. 
3 Yes, and we are close to Government forests. 
4 Most estates have some jungle and timber trees in 
belts and ravines. 
5 To some extent, yes. 
6 Not in this district. 
8 No, it is bitter to purchase from Government 
forest. 
And the other : — 
1 Timber fuel alone is used in Bilangoda district 
and I have no experience of any other. 
3 Yes, on most estates. 
4 On lau'l in private hands entirely. 
6 None that I have heard of, 
6 I should hardly think so in this district at 
present. 
7 Grevilleas appear to grow best. 
8 Timber for tea chests might be grown to advan- 
tage in the lower portion of the district. 
But from another )>roprietary Manager, we 
have, a very interesting experience re- 
corded : — 
1 No experience except wood. 
2 Do, 
