102 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Alv^UST 1, 189K 
MR. THOS. CHRTSTy, COFFEE, CURRENCY 
AND T.A. 
I fonnd Mr. Thos. Christy, the now products 
expert, and stopped a tew ininnles ques- 
tioning liiin on dill'erent products. His bluff un- 
conventional niiiniier was not exactly an aid to 
conversation, ijut T oained severalbits of inform- 
ation. Amongst these the most startling was 
this, tliat the .owners of larger 
COFFKK ESTATES IN MKA/AL 
have been ordering coHee seed from Ceylon that 
they may sell it to their smaller rivals. They 
hope by this means that the disease may be in- 
troduced into tlie little estates of the country 
and that these will thereby be crushed out of 
existence. I suggested that the coffee-disease 
(due to the fungus) had pretty well died out Ity 
this time in Ceylon. Mr. Cliristy was of a dif- 
ferent opinion, hut admitted it was very possible 
the disease might not flourish along with the 
iilants grown from diseased seed in the new soil. 
He believes very much in the cofl'ee of Central 
America, Nicaragua, the beverage m.adefrom this 
tran.satlantic bean being of a rich deep colour, 
a line flavour, and with a powerful .-iroma. 
He invited me to visit his iiot.housesat Wallington 
where specimens of this most im]jortant rubber- 
plant Landolphia, in which he does a good deal 
of trade with Germany, may be seen in various 
sta"e9 of growth. The Tropical Aqricultin Ut was, 
in "his opinion, the paper for trojiioal products, 
and the value of its information for all engaged 
in their cultivation loth recently and in the 
further past, hardly calculable. Its circulation, 
he said, ought to be vastly increased. Tropical 
planters would be more alive to the advantage 
of taking it, he thought, if the first numbers 
were gradually reprinted up to within the last 
few years. Recent sul)scribers would be more 
than ready than to make up their sets, and new 
or possible subscribers seeing reprints of the 
early numbers, it sent at first as specimens, 
would be tempted to get the invaluable inform- 
ation abounding in every number up to date. 
These may sound strong words, but the import- 
ance of the project w.is emphatically and repeat- 
edly impressed on me during my talk with Mr. 
Christy. 
From there I went to 
THE COEONI.'VL OFFICE 
and after a shoit time was shown in to a 
well-known official. He was somewhat busy, but 
gave me a few minutes' conversation. With 
regard to the 
CUREENCy 
all I could get from him was that he 
fully realised how strongly the Ceylon Planters 
individually and collectively in their Association 
felt in tlie matter of special representation on 
the Committee. The Committee, however, had 
been called together to attend to the wants of 
India whose financial outlook was undeniably 
far more serious than that of Ceylon, from the 
very magnitude of its affairs, combined with wide 
acrriculcural misfortune and a costly Frontier war. 
Seeing nevertheless, that Ceylon and neiglibour- 
in»' Colonial Settlements are affected by any re- 
form of the Currency in India, the India Office 
agreed to hear special evidence on the subject 
ill connection with the island. Moreover two 
members of the Committee, besides Sir Alfred 
Uent, were, said Mr. , interested in Ceylon. 
The 'colonial Office was expected to attend to 
everyone's interest and act accordingly, but 
Ceylon planters forgot tiiat its power in regard 
to a matter which really concerned the Secre- 
tary for India was somewhat limited. 
To linisli with the Currency C^•ue^lion for tlje 
present I will here mention tlie opinion Mr. J^aw- 
rance holds He .said that Ceylon ought to have 
a Mint of its own, and coin its own silver. 
Ceylon was a comparatively prosperous Colony 
compared with India, and to keep tlie island 
perpetually involved in any linancial depression 
on the mainland was like keeping a ole\er boy 
at school Lack and trying to pui-li a dunce for- 
ward, or more accurately f should say, keeping 
an advanced student handica[i]»ed by a wlioleiorai 
of backward ones. 
BRAZII.I.\M 
importation of 
CKYLON COFFKK SEKU 
Mr, Hughes, from his analytical knowledge of 
the disease, thought it less than probable tliatit 
would flourish under new conditions as the im- 
porters would wish — From Fenclmrcli Street I 
walked across to Rilliter Square buildings and 
saw Mr. Stretch of ^^es.sr8. Darley and Rulier. 
In the course of a brief chat witli him he ex- 
pre-sed the opinion that Ceylon planters weie 
needlessly alarming tliemsehes concerning tlio 
work of 
THE CURUENCy COMMITTEE ; 
it was, he thought, most unlikely that the result 
of their decision would be to raise and fix the 
value of tl.'e rupee. — R. H. F. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Ceylon Planters in South Wynaad — Tea-opening 
here is going on apace Over 1,000 acres will be 
planted this monsoon ; and of this, over 600 acres 
will be put down by Ceylon planters on their own 
estates, whilst 80 per cent, of the balance will be planted 
by Ceylon men who are in charge of Companies' 
estates. Messrs Robinson, Daj' and Wright are plant- 
ing from 100 to 200 acres each. In tpite of exchange 
and the fall in prices, the estimates for next year's 
clearings amoant to between 1,500 and 2,000 acres. 
The latter figure will probably be passed, as I hear 
that one big Ceylon Company and two or three 
private individuals are coming over to buy estates 
in time to plant up next years, clearings. Three 
large pucca factories are being erected, and all the 
best machinery is being put in. Labour is very 
plentiful just now, and, being 30 per cent, cheaper 
than Ceylon labour, we still have a nice margin of 
profit. — Cor. 
A Sign of the Times : the Opening of 
China. — The following appears in the Investors' 
Guardian of May 28 : — 
British and Chinese Corporation, Limited (57,491). 
—Registered May 24th, with capital £250,000, in £100 
share to adopt agreements with the Hong Kong and 
Shanghai Banking Corporation and Jaroine, Mathe- 
son & Co., and to carry on in China or elsewhere 
the business of contractors for public works, railway, 
tramway, dock, and harbour proprietors, miners, me- 
tallurgists, builders, shipowners, carriers, etc. The 
subscriptions are : — Shares. 
F D Barnes, 122, Leadenhall S^ E C, shipowner 1 
J W Barry, 23, Delahay St, Westminster, G E 
E Cameron, 31, Lombard St. E C, banker 
E F Diincanson. 5. Whit ington Av, E C mcht. . 
C C Macrae, 4, Bank Bldgs, E C, barrister 
W Keswick, 3, Lombard St. E C, mcht 
J Walter, 31, Lombard St, E C, banker 
The nnmljers of directors is not to be less ihan 3 
nor more than 5; the first are F D Barnes, E Cameron, 
Sir A Colvin, W Keswick and C C Macrae ; qualn, 
±'1,000 ; remuneration as the Co. may decide.. Regis- 
tered by Harwood & Stephensou, 31, Lombard St. E C. 
