426 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
I Dec. 1, 1898. 
Batisfactorily cared tor;thevalue would rapidly decrease, 
and the estates might he ruined. A reasonable bid 
in that case OJuld scnrcely be expected. Provisionally 
there is no prospect of a reinforcement of means. 
The 1898 coffee crop hiis not reali'-.ed much, and it has 
now been proved that even the most moderate 
estimates have not by a long way been equalled. 
As regaids the 1899 crop no reliable estimate can be 
given as yet. On September 4th, a wire was received 
that the crop was estimated at 4,500 piculs, but the 
result of the months of Septenr.ber and October 
must be known before anything definite can be said. 
A PLANTEit'a Paradise. — Puerto Bico is clearly a 
pleasant place for tropical agriculturiats. The Times 
correspondent gives an interesting account of its 
possibilities, and the United States GoVerDnient 
will make the most of them. The conditions for 
Bugar-cane cultivation are not unlike those found 
in Jamaica. The present producticn of sugar in 
the island is about 80,000 tons, and of this amount 
60,000 tons are available for export. Under favour- 
able circumstances, such as the admittance of the pro- 
ducts of Puerto Rico duty free into the United States, 
the export of sugar could be easily increased to at 
least 200,000 tons, and the capital necoesiry to bring 
about this development iu " the planting industry 
would be very speedily forthcoming if the conditions to 
coffee cultivation offered a somewhat stronger attrac- 
tion to the possessors of limited capital than sugar- 
cane planting. Fertile forest land suitable for 
the formation of coifee plantations can ba pur- 
chased at rates varying from £2 to £3 
sterling an acre. The expense of cultivation 
may be taken at £7 to £8 sterling for each acre 
planted until the trees begin to yield a return in the 
fourth year. Puertorican coffee has always brought 
very high prices and does so to-day in spite of the 
over-production of the Dean in Brazil and elsewhere. 
At present the total exports of coffee from the island 
amount to some 25,000 tons annually, and this quantity 
might easily bo doubled, 'or even trebled, if capital 
was available for the extension of the industry and 
more attention was paid to tho methods employed in 
th-3 cultivation of the plantations— difficulties that 
should now be easy to overcome. Tobacco cultivation 
also offers very considerable scope for increased 
« production. One of the most serious questions in 
connection with tropical agriculture must always be 
the supply of 1 abourers available for work in the 
fields, If numbers are any criterion to judge from 
• PuertoRioo must be considered exceptionally favoured 
in this respect, the population of 900,000 giving a 
density of more than 240 to the square mile. — II. and 
■ C. Mail, Oct. 28. 
NEW DIMBULA COMPANY, LIMITED. 
chairman's speech. 
The fourteenth ordinary general meeting, was held at 
No. 52j Gracechurch Street, London, on Wednesday, 
19th October, Mr. W. S. Bennett, in the chair. 
The Secretary having read the notice convening the 
Meeting, 
The Chairman said ; I now beg to move that 
the Hepoit and Balance Sheet as presented 
by the Directors be received and adopted. 
The report which the Directors have to lay before 
the Shareholders this' year is as satisfactory as any 
of its predecessors, although several circumstances 
have made against successful results generally. The 
rnpee is higher, rice has not yet returned to its 
normal value, and latterly there has been a drought 
throughout (;eylon, which has affected the yield. The 
result of the working, despite the drawbacks men- 
tioned, gives a proof that we have a first-class pro- 
perty, and that tbe working staff in Ceylon, especially 
the Manager, Mr. Dick Lauder, are thoroughly up 
to their work. Last year the yield was 1,0^,791 
pounds of tea, this year it is 1,160,933, an excess of 
112,162 lb. off the same acreage. The net piice of 
the tea is slightly higher than last year, whilst the 
cost of production ha.= been rather less, making the 
profit per pound about a farthing more. The price 
of the rupee has been eeveD-eigbtbs of a penny higher- 
You will see, if you compare th(- repoit>^ cf the two 
last ytaiE, that whilst the expeuaiture iu th« 
island has been one thousand pounds more, ibc re- 
turns on tea sold are about three thonsaud mere. 
All works undertaken bsTf been paid for out of cur- 
rent revenue, and both " Tta extension" and "Fac- 
tory and Machinery" fLow a clein shepi. Al! other 
matters ha\e bsen carefully and fcouomicall) locked 
after. It will possibly be tbe proper time now to 
mention what will ba t f gre;»t intereet to Sharehold- 
ers — namely, that the Dnx-ctors hare for Boine tin* 
past had under consideration tbe possibility of ar- 
ranging a scheme for assimilating tbe various classes 
of shares, and they hope, in a short time, to submit « 
plan for this purpose to the Shareholders, which will 
also deal with the considerable reserve fond now to 
the credit of the Corapauy. I don't think 1 need say 
any more, but we shall be pleased to answer any 
questions that Shareholders may wish to put. 
CAROLINA. TEA COMPANY OF 
CEYLON, LTD. 
Tiie sixth annniil report of the Directors of this 
Company for wliic-h Jlessrs. 1/Cechnian & Co. are 
the Cey.lon ajjents was to be submitted to the 
ordinary general meeting of this Company to be 
held at the Ollices of tlie Af;entp, MesTB Frith, 
Sands & Co., Winchester House, 50, Old Broad 
Street E.C., on Monday, Slst Oct. Tlie report is a« 
follows ; — 
Your Directors beg to submit the Balance Sheet 
and Profit and Loss Account for tbe year ending 30th 
June 1898, duly audited. 
The surplus of £5,227 136 6d it is proposed to ap- 
Sropriate as follows : — 
lett Profit . . £5,227 13 6 
Amount at Credit of 
Ordinary Shares 110 4 7 
€6.337 i8 1 
Debenture Interest £2,450 0 0 
Dividend on Ordinary Shares 
at 5 per cent per annum. .2,500 0 0 
Proposed to place to Re- 
serve Fund .. 275 0 0 
5,225 0 0 
Balance to be carried for- 
ward to tbe credit of 
the Ordinary Shares .. £ 112 18 1 
The actual Tea crop from the Company's proper- 
ties was 939,491 lb., aa against an outturn for tbe 
previous season of 893,2881b., exclusive of Bellongalla 
Estate (sold in 1896-97, and which produced 30,778 
lb. Tea in that season). 
The cost of the Tea free on board at Colombo was 
5*10d per lb. compared with 4-88d per lb. for the pre- 
vious season, the extra cost being due entirely to tbe 
advance in exchange. 
The average gross sale price in London was 3 02d 
as against 8'2Gd in 1896-97. 
In addition to the Tea crop 441 cwt. of cocoa and 
307 bushels of coffee were obtained, as compared with 
450 cwt. and 413 bushels in the previous season. 
The reduction of profit shewn by the accounts from 
the earnings of last and previous years, was caused 
mainly by the considerable advance in rates, both 
of exchange aud freight during the season, and which 
entailed an extra cost of wcrking equal to nearly 
31 per cent on the capital of the Company, while 
the average selling price of the Tea was ^bout |d 
per lb. below that of the ptevious year's crop. 
Tlie total quantity of land now under cultivation is 
2,577 acres, comprising : — 
Tea in full bearing .. 1,580 (yielding 4801b. per 
Tea iu partial bearing 556 acre) 
Tea not yet in bearing 312 
2,428 acres. 
Cocoa, Coffee, &a. 149 „ 
2,577 
