280 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRiCULTUlilST. (Oct. 1, 1898. 
manure or manuring. I send specimen copy of 
tlie NafM Adoerlincr enclosed witli the other 
papers s-howing qiiotatioDS from tie T.A, and 
with many useful liints on hugar in the cultiva- 
tion of wliich 1 am now largely interested having 
ahiiost completed tiie planting up of 400 acres 
since I took charge about eighteen m<)nth8 
ago with 700 acres of te;i. Uuughly the 
estates are 2,400 acres : culiivatHd sngar 500 ; 
tea 300 ; fruit 180 acres equal to 900 acres 
under cultivation or will be by end of Dec. 1898. 
TUIC COST OF LABOUR 
in Natal is very heavy and handicaps all indu-stries 
very much— including everything. Our coolies 
cost over Is a day on the average— a day's work 
liere is m\ich the same as in Ceylon. our4d "pro- 
tection duty" keeps us on about a level with Ceylon 
as regards the cost per lb. made tea. We will 
have a wider lield for our produce, when the new 
Customs Convention between the Cape Colony 
an(l Natal goes through, wliich it is likely to do 
eventually although at present there is a strong 
opposition by the " working man" especially in 
Durban. 
CEYLON'S " GO " WANTED. 
If Natal had only half thej/o of Ceylon, it would 
be a grand Colony. As it is we have no poor, 
bub with equal truth I may say we have few 
rich. Money seems to come lightly and go as 
lightly. 
With regard to the "Show" that dur cor- 
respondent refers to we quote the following:— 
" The Birrow Green Estates, Limited, received 
gold medal for best teas in the ordinary grades- 
three firsts, and first prize for navel oranaes, as 
as highly commended for 50 small Spanish lemons 
in the fruit section. " I think (writes Mr. John 
Fraser) the judge of the teas will bear me out 
when I say the whole of the teas on sliow this 
year (first and second as well as special prize teas) 
have never been equalled before on any show in 
South Africa, in either appearance or quality."" 
With regaid to the teas the " Witness" says : — 
" The exhibits of tea were exceedingly disappoint- 
ing, numerically; but the quality was really magni- 
ficent. The Barrow Green Estates' display was 
beyond comparison for Colonial tea, and inspired 
judges of good tea with ecstatic eulogistic comments. 
In the higher grades, a wonderful improvement 
over last year's exhibits was noticeable, and the 
fancy teas were the finest ever shown in Durban 
The Barrow Green's Pekoe tips were a very valu- 
able collection, one sample tin, containing about a 
pound of tips, being estimated to be worth £5. It 
was essentially exhibition tea, of course. Mr. Mc- 
Millan secured all the prizes in the second grade. 
Mr. McMillan deserves a word of praise for assist- 
ing in the tea disply. It is a pity the same cannot 
be said of other large growers." 
We congratulate our correspondent, Mr. John 
Fraser, (the well-known planter formerly of La- 
galla and Lower Dikoya) on the good work he has 
already done, and for the "T.A." specially liis 
experience as a Sugar and Fruit Planter will be 
very welcome. 
There is also a very appreciative notice of Sir 
Walter in The Natal Advertiser. In the same 
paper we notice allusion to the article in the 
Tropical Agriculturalist pointing out the gieat 
diti'erence between the most approved prepara- 
tion of artificial manure and that recom- 
mended by well-known analytical chemists. 
It is added : — " That such difFercnce should 
exist is another proof, if one were wanted, that 
experiment is the only thing upon which we 
can rely in our selection of a formula for 
• artificials." ' 
TEA AND COFFEE AND CEYLON PLAN- 
TElUs IN COIMB.\TOBE. 
Ml. E. J. Martir., of Avisawella, w ho Las pur- 
chased 1,.500 acres of land at AnnaniaJais.Coiinbatore 
— North of Travaueore ai d uiidei the Brili>li flxg— 
started from Colombo on Monday for his new pobbes- 
si.>!i. He travels via Tuticoriu — although Calicut 
will eventuallj' be his point of ex[»ort— ami I. ikes 
with him about thirty Sinhalese, and thirty to forty 
Tamil estate laboureis. He ci>uld not obtain 
any unopened land in Ceylon, and says lie is 
obliged to go out of the island to get Govein- 
nient laud. We think the local authorities 
are light in r<?strieting the opening of wiy fre*h 
land, in the low country at iiiy rate ; but in tlie 
meantime we lose Mr. Martin, who says there will 
always be a market for high grown l«s««, a-Dd his 
land is from 3,5(X) feet to 6,000 feet in elevation. 
Mr. A. O. Bannatyne has also purchased 2,600 
acres adioiningMr. Martin's block ; and the latter, 
while clearing 100 arcres annually of his own 
land, has to open up 2<K) acres of liis friend's pro 
nerty. Mr Maitin'sestate, when made, he will i^all 
Monica, and he will cultivate both tea and c<dlee. 
In explanation of why he is taking away cr^tate 
labourers from this island, the new pioneer said 
that Ceylon could spare tliem very well jurst now ; 
and the reason why lie was taking a g-ii^;; "I Sinha- 
lese was that they were to be employed in felling 
the jniigle. The natives ol the locality, Mr Martin 
says, cut down one tree at a time, and work terri- 
bly slowly, cutting all round the trunk, and wnie- 
times felling only one tree a day. Sinhalese will, 
of course, work all right, reniove<l far away from 
their villages and paddy fields. Mr. Martin's 
nearest neighbours will be reprefeentatives of 
Messrs Finlay, Muir & Co , one of whom is 
supposed to be a former Ceylon plantar. 
INDIAN TEA COMPANIES IN 1696 and 1897. 
Last year must be considered to have been a 
thoroughly bad one for Indian tea-growint', and 
with all allowance for the sanguine tempera- 
meiits of those connected with the business, it may 
be presumed that the industry is not likely to 
meet such an experience again for some time to 
come. Not only was the season poor in regard 
to the quality, but the earthquake in Assam 
seriously upset the working of many gardens, and 
•;he famine led to high prices for lice, which the 
Indian Government compels the planter to supply 
to his coolies at a Kxed price of 3 rupees per 
maund, or, roughly, 4s per 80 lb. In times of pood 
harvests the natives can obtain their grain on 
cheaper terms than this, and so do not trouble the 
planter, but in a famine they all take advantage 
of the law and, consequently, the companies were 
last year at tinier supplying the grain at 3 rupees 
per maund when it cost them six. They almost 
all, therefore, sustained a considerable loss on 
this account. Furthermore, even at this fixed 
tariff, food was dear, and the coolies suffered in 
health. The amount of work done by each la- 
bourer was below the averace, while sickuess was 
more prevalent. To these bad conditions, of an 
exceptional nature, the standing troubles ol the 
higher exchange and overproduction must be added, 
and result in a combination of untoward condi- 
tions which has filled the cup of the poor Indian 
planter with bitterness to the brim. 
The rise in the exchange is, as we have 
explained in previoiia articles, a serious 
