Jan. 2, 1899.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
467 
BRAZIL COFFEE ^OTES. 
The Ger. str. " Belsrano" left fov Hamburg yes- 
terday with a record cargo of coffee, from Santos and 
Rio, of 88,000 bags. This is one of the largest car- 
goes of coffee ever sent out of the country. Other 
large cargoes shipped by the steamers of the Hamburg 
company have been : " S. Paulo" 85,000 bags from 
Santos exclusively, and Asuncion," 84,900 bags fi-om 
Eio and Santos. 
Leslie s Weeldij says that two-thirds of the world's 
supply of coffee comes from Brazil, and nearly half 
of the whole supply goes to the United States, where 
twelve pounds per head of population is consumed 
annually. The Brazilian export duty of 11 per 
cent has always been considered prohibitive, but with 
superior coffee being pioducedin the Antilles and the 
Philippines, it is estimated that American enterprise 
within three years will entirely supply the United 
States from those sources to the detriment of Brazil. 
We are a nation of coffee drinkers, according to the 
treasury bureau of statistics, which has just issued a 
report showing that our imports of coffee for the 
present fiscal year reach 870,.514,215 pounds, and that 
the annual coffee bill for the country for the past 
ten years has averaged §S7,;3UO,O0U. We have usually 
purchased the bulk of our coffee in Brazil, paying 
chiefiy cash instead of goods of our own production, 
and attention is now called to the fact that in the 
acquisition of Cuba, Porto Rico and Manilla we have 
secured sufficient coffee growing territory to supply 
our own wants in this direction. — Weekly Picayune, 
N. Orleans. 
THE INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION. 
TEA AND STERLING PBICES. 
A meeting of the General Cor.iniittee of thiis 
Association was held on the 7tli instant, Mr. G. 
G. Anderson in the chair. There v/ere also ])re- 
.sent .Mr. H. S. Ashton, Mr. A. C. Lawrie, Mr. M. 
R. Quin, Mr. T. Tiaill and Mr. W. Warrington. 
It was reported the London Association had under 
consideration 'he subject of a proposal for the reduc- 
tion of the present duty on tea, as it was thought that 
the increase of consumption, on such a step being 
taken, might have the effect of supporting the prices 
in London. 
The London Committee had before them the resolu- 
tion of the United Planters' Association of Southern 
India in favour of a reduction being made, and a 
Sub-Cornmitteehad been formed, consisting of Messrs. 
W. H. Verner, A. Bryan and C. 0. McLeod, to meet 
the representatives of the Ceylon Association, with 
a view to discuss the measures to be talten in en- 
deavouring to obtain a reduction on the duty. It 
appeared that dealers and brokers in the Lane were 
generally against the total abolition of the duty, but 
considered that the consumption of all classes of 
tea would be increased if a reduction in the duty 
were made. 
The Committee had also considered the question 
of endeavouring to secure the enfoicement of a compul- 
sory cess on tea, but were informed that a consider- 
able section of the Indian tea industry were not in 
favour of this proposal: and until unanimity could 
be secured, it would be impossible to obtain Govern- 
ment co-operation. 
Considered a letter from Mr. W. T. Carter, en- 
closing copy of a letter addressed by him to the 
Enylishmau on the subject of " Tea and present low 
Sterling Prices." Mr. Carter suggested that the mer- 
chants of India and Ceylon should combine to supply 
the retail portion of the trade according to its re- 
quirements by placing otly a ceriain quantity of tea 
on the market every week throughout the twelve 
months, so as to equalise to some extent offerings at 
auction and consumption month by month. 
In support of this opinion Mr. Carter supplied 
figures conipariiig the amounts of tea offered in 
Jjgudou and conaumcd during thy year IS'Jti, The 
Secretary was instructed to send a copy of Mr. 
Carter's letter and figures to the London Secretary 
with the view to an expression of opinion by his 
Committee as to whether any action in the matter 
could be taken. — Madras 3Iail. 
THE DISTRICT OF UDUGAMA, 
ELEPHANTS— TEA— PADDY-FIELDS - FOREST.g AND 
TIMBER. 
The planting district is situated 24 miles north- 
east of Galle and 30 miles inland on the left bank 
of Gindura river. Leaving the railway station, Galle 
at 11-30 a.m. i travelled by waggon. The whole dis- 
tance between the 12th and I4th mile stones showed 
a luxurious district cultivated with paddy. The dis- 
tance between the 14th and 16th mile stones con- 
sists of a vast forest bordering on the wilds of Mali- 
duwa and Morawak Korale from which elephants 
migrate from time to time. A rogue elephant is said 
to be prowling in this forest at present. A she 
elephant and her baby devastated the paddy fields 
of Yatalamatta and damaged the tea and coconut 
plants of Marminadoia estate, six months ago, baffling 
the skill of the European planters of Udagama, 
whom are well-known sportsmen. The she elephant 
was shot down by Mahas^na. the son of Don Elias 
Jayasinha, Mudaliyar of Nagoda. The baby elephant 
which remained by her mothar for three hours 
after her death ran with great vehemence back 
to the forest from which they migrated when he 
was convinced that all hopes of raising the mother 
were gone. 
The distance between the 16th and 25th mile stones 
from a vast track of tea estates irregularly arranged. 
Tea form the principal product in this district. There 
are ten extensive estates of which six belong to indivi- 
dual proprietors and four to the Udugama Tea and Tim- 
ber Company. The latter I understand owns about 
3,000 acres of valuable forest land abounding with good 
timber trees for building purposes as well as par excel- 
lence wood for tea chest boards; but no cabinet 
wood is said to be found except a few uadun trees. 
The floatable trees of the Private Forests (Com- 
pany's) are cut down by contractors into logs of con- 
venient lengths so as to enable easy transport by 
river to the sawing mills at Gintota where they are 
saTU into scantlings and to other sizes for different 
purposes. I inspected some of these valuable forests 
and I think much more could be done by improved 
modes of felling, logging, hauling and rafting the 
timber for transport. The villagers of Udugama carry 
on p, trade in boat making, the trees used being 
tolan, del, and aridda ; but I find that there are other 
kinds suitable for this purpose. The majority of these 
boats are converted at Galle for fishing boats on 
the sea. 
I learn that there is only one tea estate in the distrct 
giving over 500 lb. of tea per acre. Two of the estates 
of about 250-300 acres in extent fire worked ex- 
clusively by Sinhalese labour, the villagers settling 
in the lines on the tea estates. The planters appre- 
ciate Sinhalese labour, being cheap without Coast 
advances and attend to the wants of the labourers care- 
fully. The ruling wages here also are 33 cts, for adults 
and 25 cts. for women and IJcts. perlb. for picking. 
The extensive p,iddy fields iu Udugama are culti- 
vated both for Yala and Maha harvests. The seed 
paddy sown here is qui'e a different kind from the 
paddy used in the Western Province. Great im- 
provement may be made by the interchanges of the 
seed paddy as such introduction leads to increase of 
produce. The mode of cultivation, gathering, reaping 
and threshing also differ from the methods in tho 
Western and Nortli-Western Provinces where thresh- 
ing is always done by cattle except when the crop 
is too scanty, treading the corn while the goiyas 
turn the straw with Hails until all the paddy conio 
out of tho ears, while thrashing paddy iu Udagama 
district is done by coolies trampling on the ears of 
paddy until paddy separates. Tho coolies are paid 
l-lHh Qf the prodace fgr (hiasbiug, Xb« >Yftgea fs)i; 
