Sept. 1, 1898.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
17.3 
shows best, the reduction in this case being only 
£a. The Cachar and Dooars gave £505 less, the 
Imperial Estates £310 less and the Ouvah £785 less; 
all the others have decreased more than £1,000. 
The falling-oH in the profit of the Jokai is shown 
above as £1,161, bnt this figure is arrived at by 
debitting a loss of £5,340 on rice to reserve, instead 
of to revenue, as in the other companies. In only 
one case (the Eastern Produce and Estites) 
has the dividend on the ordinary shares been 
increased (from 6* per cent, to 7 per cent.) ; the 
rate of 1896 is maintained in six of the companies; 
the reduction in the remaining thirteen ranges 
from 1 per cent. (Darjeeling) to 5 per cent. 
(Majuli.) The additional 4 per cent, in the case 
of the Eastern Produce and Estates, despite a falling- 
off in the net profit, was owing to only £7,500 of 
debentuies being redeemed out of revenue, as against 
±'12,500 in the previous year. The teas of three of the 
companies, two Indian and one Ceylon, realised a 
higher price per lb. in 1897 than in 189G ; Jhauzie "17 
per lb., Lungla '12 per lb., and Sunnygaraa '31 per lb. 
Taken collectively the figures tabled above give the 
following comparisons : — In the case of the twelve 
Indian companies the profits of 1897 were 23'81 per 
cent, less than those of 1896. The acgregate net 
profits of 1896 represented an average of lO'lS per cent, 
on the share capital employed; those of 1697 give just 
under 7^ per cent. Ceylon co.upanies have had fewer 
difficulties to contend with than Indian, and, conse- 
quently, they show considerably better. The net 
profits of 1897 were 16 48 per cent, less than those of 
1896. The aggregate profits of 1896 gave an average of 
12"42 per cent, on the share capital concerned ; those 
for 1897, 10-09 per cent. — /nve-itois' Guardian, Jnne 26, 
■ — ■ 
NUTMEG TREES COMING INTO 
BEAPvING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY 
OF CEYLON IN FIVE YEARS. 
Nutmegs form another niiiior prodnct with 
which a great deal more, we are convinced, might 
be done in Ceylon and we dare say the news we 
are going to report of trees coming into l:earing 
in a lowcountry district in !'7?ce years will cause 
a rush after this handsome and prolitable tree. 
Hitiierto, 10 to 15 years have been given as the 
term required to come into bearing. In the West 
Indies— Grenada especially, now called "the 
sland of spices " of the West — nutmegs are freely 
cultivated with cacao and Liberian coffee. 
There used to be very line trees in Nilambe, 25 
acres of nutmegs having being planted by Sir John 
Wilson, K.C.B., General Commanding 18.31 1833 ; 
and there are very line trees in front of Ratna- 
pura restliouse from seed put in by Charles 
Shand in the "forties"; also we believe tiiere is 
a nice grove of nutmegs on Roseneatli and Mr. 
Dewar should tell us about the crops and how- 
utilised ? Clearly if nutmegs can be got to bear 
in Kurunegala and perhaps Kegalia (Ke!ani 
Valley) and oMier lowcountry districts in five 
years, there ougiit to be a great deal more 
planted. The late Dr. Trimen was a firm 
believer in nutmegs and cloves paying well ; 
but Zanzibar too often swamps the European 
market with cloves. So far, Ceylon exports from 
4,000 to 7,000 lb. of nutmegs a year. 
^ _ 
GAME PROTECTION. 
The last issue of the Ceylon Forester has a 
paper dealing with this subject and criti- 
cising certain views i)ut forward by Mr. 
Wace, in which the belief is e.xpressed that as 
" The forests in Ceylon are reserved, it is the 
policy of Government to hand them all over to the 
control of the Conservator of Forests, if such is the 
case as we have reason to believe, the appointment 
of Forest Guards by the Government Agents, over 
whom the Couservatjr would have no control ia 
certainly to be depreciated ; in fact, we shonldsimply 
be reverting to that system of dual control which has 
caused endless trouble in the past." 
Our proposal would be to put the money avail- 
able in the hands of the Conservator of "Forests 
(both Mr. Broun and Mr. Fisher who is acting for 
him ara well-known as keen sportsmen), and let tliem 
spend the money available in consultation with the 
President and Secretary of the Game Protection 
Society. In this w.y the Society would know 
in whit way their money was being spent, and it 
would lead to homogeneous work throughout the island. 
If the money ^yas placed at the disposal of the different 
Goveriiment Agents, our opinion is that there would 
not be a similarity of policy, and this is very desirable 
if game protection is to be thoroughly carried out. 
Another important point we would desire to impress 
on the Secretary of the Game Protection Society is 
the necessity of framing rules under the Forest Ordi- 
nance, giving Forest Officers power to seize any one 
found shooting game. In the close season both forest 
oflicers and surveyors are more constantly employed 
in the jungles than any other Government officers, 
and they would most certainly be able to do mora 
to protect game than any others. At present they 
have no power to arrest, even when they catch an 
oilender redhanded in the act of killing a deer in 
the close season. We are also inclined to join issue 
with Mr. Wace on his instructions to Mr. Hopkins 
to only allow two stags and one hind to be killed 
on each license, as Mr. Davidson said at the meeting 
the limit is a small one, sportsmen going all the way 
from upcountry to places like Hambantota, have to 
go to very considerable expense, and would expect 
to be allowed to shoot more than three deer ; it is, 
besides, very hard on forest and other officers, who 
spend their lives in the lowcountry, to be only allowed 
three deer in the year." 
The article then refers to tiie question of close 
season and proceeds : — 
" At present what is the use of the close season. 
We maintain that the only result of it, is to prevent 
a few Europeans from shooting deer, while the native 
still shoots indiscriminately, and that such is the 
case will be admitted we are convinced by the vast 
majority of Europeans who live in the dry low- 
country, and who being mostly officials are compelled 
to travel about on duty all over their provinces and 
districts as the case may be. 
"Let the Game Protection Societv move for the 
abolition of the close season for deer, and ask for 
the proclamation of sanctuaries. In these sanctuaries 
no one should be allowed to go with a gun or rifie' 
unless he has a special license, for which a large 
fee should be demanded, a clause being put in es- 
pecially prohibiting the shooting of does or their 
young, and a penalty clause being inserted entailing 
the confiscation of the license and gun if the con- 
ditions of the license are infringed, and the possi- 
bility of a criminal action as well. Should this be 
done, we have little doubt that does in young would 
soon learn that these sanctuaries were safe places to 
breed m, and would resort to them in lar^e numbers 
with every prospect of bringing up their young in 
It is contended that if the villa"-ers had 
at one time the right of hunting in Crown forests, 
that right has termin.ated, and the editor of the 
Forester fails to see why the Government Agent 
of any province cannot act under the Forest Ordi- 
nance and proclaim any forest not a reserved 
or village sanctuary. 
Another important step in the better protection 
of game "ill undoubtediv be aciiieved it is said 
if Government can be induced to compel traders 
in deer to take out a license for removal. 
Finally our contemporary says :— A sni.rll annual 
ta.Y on guns would yield a fair revenue, Tliere 
