!48 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1898, 
20 aires; 1896-7—50 acre?; 1S98— ft2 acree; Foreev 
and Waste Land 246 acres ; Total 753 acres. Grand 
Total 1,317 acres. 
The Directors now beg to submit to the Shareholders 
the Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Company, 
duly audited, for the year ending 30th June, 1898. 
After providing for Depreciation of Baildinga and 
Machinery, the result of the year's working shews a 
nett profit of R29,121'50, to which has to be added a 
balance of Ill,852'37 brought forward from last year, 
making the total at credit of Profit and Loss Account 
R30,973'87. 
The crops secured amounted to 395,535 lb. Tea, as 
against 388,812 lb. hist year, being 24,165 lb. fhort of 
the estimate, due to unfavourable weather in the 
early part of this year. The nett average sale price 
was .32 22 contfi per lb., the cost laid down in Colombo 
being 21'60 cents per lb., botii of which figures undei 
the circumstances inay be deemed satisfactory. 
With reference to the Coast Advances and Doubtful 
Debts Reserve Account, the Directors have carried 
to the credit of this account R70O, the premium on 
20 shares issued during the year; R86'98 Profit on 
Rice, and a sum of RlOB 83 out of this year's profits, 
and have written off R275-3G for Coast Advances 
irrecoverable. The balance now remaining at credit 
of this account the Directors consider will provide 
for all bad and doubtful debts duo to the Company. 
During the year another 50 acres of jungle have 
been opened up and planted on Clunes Division, and 
92 acres on Erracht Division. 
The estimate for the 1898-99 season is 400,000 lb. Tea 
against an expenditure on working account of R86,540. 
In accordance with a notice already circalated to 
the shareholders, their sanction will be aeked for 
permission to alter the memorandum and articles of 
Association, to enable the Compauy to borrow on 
mortgage. This has been necessitated by the sub- 
Boribed capital being insufficient to cover the capital 
expenditure incurred on the properties, the cost of 
briuging the 20U acres of young tea into bearing, and 
providing the additions to factory aud machinery 
necessary to cope with increase in crops. The required 
amount is estimated at R.50,0UO. 
The Directors recommend that, should the arrange- 
ments for the mortgage be carried out, a dividend at 
the rate of 8 per cent be paid on the paid np capital. 
In terms of the articles of Association Mr. W. II. 
Figg now retires from the Board, but is eligible for 
re-election. 
The appointment of an auditor for the current year 
tests with the meeting. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Plumbago. — Hitherto the Kurunegala District in 
the North. Western Province has been the chief scene 
of the plumbago mining i!idnstry. But we learn with 
some surprise that for sorne Uine past a larger quantity 
has been obtained from th ; Kalutara District in the 
Pasdun Korale than even from the North-Western 
Province. We believe also that natives are hard at 
work in the surrounding country sinking pits; aud 
many plots, as we know, have recently been pur- 
chased from Government for Plumbago mining. In 
other parts of the Pasdun Korale we are told many 
Plumbago pita are now in full work, and although 
it is, we believe, almost impossible to discover what 
quantity arrives in Colombo from Kalutara, Kurune- 
gala, and other districts of the island, it is well-known 
that a very large ijroportion, if not the largest 
portion, and certainly some of the very best quality, 
comes from the Kalutara District ; which seems to 
have a prosperous future before it, as the scene of 
Plumbago mining. Favourable indications of the 
existence of the valuable mineral have also been found 
on Ancoombra estate, Matale, where Mr. Webster is 
about to collect coolies and sink shafts ; 4nd in many 
parts of the country inquiries are now being made 
as to what may be considered likely indications of the 
ejciatence pf the mineral. 
Plu-Mbago Deposits.— It ie very interesting to 
note how closely allied widely differing forms 
of carbon, are in the yeolojiist's list. First 
comes the Diiiuiond, next Amber, then Fluui- 
Uftgo, next Coal, Feat and Petroleum -all lia\ing 
their coninion ba>-i$ in carbon, 'i'he diamond ix 
pure carlwn in a crystiilli/etl form ; amber has 79 
I>er cent of carljon ; and plumbago lias been 
de-scribed as "fiinply an impure form of native 
carbon" ; wliile we need gcareelv say how much 
carbon enters into the coiiiiio!sitiou of coal, peat 
and petroleum. 
OUK Plu.mk.\(.o Kxi'oin ksu whrre it 
COMK.S H!OM.— Our contemporary reminJs us that 
some of the plumbago carried \>y rail comes from 
the Southern Province and part fiom Miri;;ama 
(W.P.) as well as Ke;ialla (Sabaragaiuuwa).— It 
i^^ a striUinj^ fact tliat there appears to have 
been very little woikin^ or ex[»ort of plunibH;;u 
until about the bcfjinnin;; of the "coffee" era. 
Dr. Davy, ScientiKt thonffli he was, lia.-i only 
the .scantiest reference to ''raphite or Pluniba;,'o and 
<(tran<jelj' enough, the ncigliboiirlioodof Balango<ia is 
the place where he found it. Here i* the pas^ajje : — 
Belonging to the indammable class of minerals, I 
know of two only that occur in Ceylon, viz. graphite aud 
sulphur. Graphite in minute scales is very commonly 
disseminated through gneiss, and it occasionally occur* 
imbedded in this rock in small masses. lathe latter 
form, it is prettT abundant in the neighbourhood of 
Balangodde, in the upper part of Safifragam. it it highly 
probable, it may be found in aufficienl quantity to be 
collected and exported with profit. 
That wuH in 1S2I. In 18.'}7 there was an export 
3,70<^» cwt. ; in 1H47- 9.'_M9 ; in 1 8.-.7 - 33,497 
cwt. ; in 1867 45,836 cwt.; 1877 -96,792 cwt. : 
1887 = 238,60() cwt. ; 1897=379,415 cwt. ; and we 
expect that the year 1898, lx)ih in quantify and 
money value will, far excel ail its predecetwors. 
A Fine Sale ok High Gaow.s Tea. — High Forest 
comes again to the front. A fine invoice of tea 
from High Forest estate was sold in the sale on 
Wednesday, and realised the following prices : — 
SI half-chests Broken Pekoe . . 85 cts. 
25 ,, Orange Pekoe . . 65 „ 
21 chests Pekoe .. 4S „ 
Average 70 cts. 
This tea was, we believe, bought for the Rassian- 
narket. 
The New R.vngoos Rice is gradually finding favour 
with the labourers uo-country, if one is to judge by 
the large and regular parcels which arrive from 
Ringoon by almost every steamer. The Bibby boat 
"Shropshire" expected todaj- is bringing another 
coaeiguraent. Rumour has it that the coolies exchange 
this rice for Indian with the boutique keepers by 
giving them something extra for every measure they 
buy. There is more than one kind of Rangoon rice, 
^nd I am sure if the best quality is imported and 
sent to the Estates, it will have a better reception 
than that affordel to thz stuff sent np now. 
PoLisHtNG Teak to Imitate Rosewood. — The first 
coat of polish should be coloured red with sanderj 
or Bismarck to give a red undercoat and to kill the 
oil with which the frames are treated. The tone 
required may then be gained by the aid of brash 
polish; a small quantity of lampblack or gas black 
may be mixed with the red polish, and perchance a 
little rose pink in order to gain the exact tone 
required. Tbin out with spirits, if necessary, 
and aim" at gaining the x-esult by several application* 
rather than by one. Apply with a camel-hair brush. 
When dry, apply a thin coat of spirit varnish with 
a trace of red in. When the varnish is dry it is 
r.ady for finishing either hr polishing or several 
coats of virnish. Take care not to rub off any 
col ur at the edges. Keep the face of the rubber 
perfectly flat yet pliable when used for levelling 
the varnish or for the flit portiot-s,— From " If'ori!-." 
for August. 
