6U 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1. 1899. 
of a deep red colour, so fliffevent from the well-dressed 
veal onu te^a au ho. no. Ii lo boiQ ut 3Uc per lb. 
Mution — 
Leg ... . . 35c per lb. 
Loiu, cut with four rib bones .. 36c 
SadfUe .. ..30c 
Brisket, otherv/iBe brtastB . . blc ,. 
Liver, iuciuciing htivil .. .. 28c each. 
Heu.d, intiudiug four feet .< 60c ,, 
Kidusy .. .. 7c 
Lamb ie quoted - .. .. 36c per lb. 
Pork, of wiiicb very little is used in first-class 
hotels, except for ftiice, ia usually sold at 25c per lb. 
Poultry, like beef :iud mutton, is very poor in 
quality, and the piiocs at time of writing, to large 
consumers, are as follows : — 
Fovt'ls, weighing, when iirussed about 
1 to 1^ lb. . . . . 70c each 
Medium size chickens, weighing when 
tiussed, about i tp i lb. .. 40c „ 
Ducks .... .. .. 87c ,, 
Pigeons .. .. .. 37ic „ 
Cock turkeys, weighijg, when trassed, 
about 8 10 10 lb. .. ..118 „ 
Hen turkeys .. .. ..R3'60 ,, 
Geese (very difficult to obtain fit 
to eat) . . . . . .R3'75 ,i 
Guinea fowls, which would give a con- 
siderable fcturt to their European 
confreres in toughness, and then win 
hands down .. ..R2 00 „ 
Game birds, such as partridges a,nd quails, are also 
imporccii alive from liidi , aiid reseiuble those athurae 
in shrill uoiuh nua plum ^uo only. The partridge is 
most iusipid, and itquireh cookiug in a rich well 
flavouied B;i.uce lo lu.'ke it pastuble eating, and it 
would be airetching ima^iuaiion to its utmost limits 
to give to the quail its nonym of '' lumps of celestial 
fatueos," as wc do to those found in the poulterers' 
■hops at home. The prices of these birds fluctuate 
according lo the m.rk.t, p>trtriflges fetching from 
Sic to 35c eacn aud ihe quail 16c to^Oc per bird. 
The ptinu- joints of elk and deer and wild boar in 
their Beasouti c.u be obtained from 50c to 75c per lb., 
and haiestnd riibui s are sold at HI 50 and 50c each 
respectively. Ihe snipe, which is iu season from 
November uistil M.ircii, has, however, all the charac- 
teristics of its 1 uropean brother, and ia the one bright 
oasis in a desert of sparsenass. This delectable 
morsel can be obtaiaed usually for the gjitrf /);'o ^ko of 
30o. to 35c, sometimes when very abundant even less. 
Ihe Colombo ice and Cold Storage Company 
import Austral an frozen lamb and mutton, and 
self at prices elighily above those at home. 
They aUo import from the old coiintry at times 
pheasants, partridges, groiise, Bordeaux pigeons. <Srj., 
which enables Uo bo give vaiiety to our menus, 
although the prices aru bomewhat proiiibiiive. Still 
"nature teiis us every v^he^e we «aut a little change," 
and in uo oije spiicje is that more necessary than on 
the hotel menu, uiore <?speoially owing to the system 
of boardiut! whicu prevails in the East. This firm 
also impoit salmon, haddocks (iresh and smoked), 
herrings, kippais, bloaters, soles, and the New 
Zealand bius tish (smoked). This latter, although a 
little BtrdDg iu £ib,voiu-, makes a welcome addition to 
our list of bt eakfasi fi.sh. 
Of fish caught locally the following, with their sale 
prices, are the most promient : — 
Ke r, owii g to its fii m flesh, lends 
itbeii lO a v,'riet3 oi ways in 
serving it ; usual pi ice .. 50c per lb. 
Poniplufct ■ ... ..44c to 48c „ 
Mallet, similar in appearance, 
flesh, aud taste to the sea 
bass of the southern coasts of 
Engli.iid .. .. 37c to 44c , 
ButiCi fith, a email sweet fish, 
reseniuliiig a J hu Dory in 
shape .•■ •• 81o 1-0 37c „ 
We get whitebait, fiom Ceylon ^vaters at 25c per lb,, 
but, ah, Mr. Eaitor, nothing like that dear little fish 
tot which y reeuwich used tp Ije 89 faimpus. th? same 
price we can also buy sweeting. This little fisb, about 
the size of a sprat, is usually etruuc on coconut 
ickles, Hnd thei. dipped in egeiiaeh, Lread-ci umbs, 
and fried, and is then considered v«ry dalicate b> the 
upcouutry ^'entlemen specially. IckJes, I might 
mention, are the wood-like subBtance of the coconut 
leaf. Prawns, of which large quantities are caught 
and which sometimes reach an immense size, f«ich 
from 20c to 25c per lb. Crawfish, called lobsters oat 
here, are Bold according to size at prioee which range 
from 12c to 25c each. 
As to fruit, we have the green orange, a little soar 
but not at all unpleasant. Price 6c each. 
Banana, the staple food of the native, email, bat nice 
flavour. Price : 37c the 100. 
Paupoya, a kind of melon, a splendid frnit, snp* 
posed to be especially wholesome, aud to yield vege- 
table pepsin. Price about 16c each,wei«hing 4 lb. to 6 lb. 
Pineapple is in seasonal! the yearroand, but at its 
best in May, June and July ; of fine fliivoar, but rather 
too acid for daily coubuinpiiou. Price: about 16c to 
30c, according to size. 
Mango, a splendid fruit of oval form, not unknown 
in the London market, is in seaeon here in May, Jane 
and July, and sells at K3 or R4 
Mangosteen, a most delicious moathfni. acknow* 
ledged to be tacile princeps among Ceylon fruits, ia 
in season in May, June and July Price : S4 to 118 
per 100. 
Speaking generally, however, frnit altfaoogh pleuti- 
fnl and net over dear, in quality and flavour cannot 
vie with the produce of English orchards and gariiens. 
Vegetableti, such as carrots, turnips ibettroots* 
marrows, leeks, celery, cauliflowers, we obtain fr»m 
np country districts, whose altitudes exceed from 
3,0'0 feet to 6,0u0f. et above sea-level. The market 
value is as follows : — 
Carrots Rl-25 per 100 I Leeks BO 40 per doe. 
Turnips Rl-25 „ | Celery R2-25 „ 
Beetroots R0 75perdoz. | Cauli- 
MarrowB R2 o0 „ | flowei-s R2 50 „ 
Parsley and herbs generally about 16c per lb. 
The native vegetables obtainable from the lower 
lying districts, are pumpkins, ash pumpkins 
water pumpkins, murruugas, snake gourds 
spinach, beans, yams, sweet potatoes. Tamatoes are 
bought for a very few cents each or d zen 
as required. Ordinary potatoes import fr^ m 
India or Aui-tralia fetch as much as 4 rs. 6 to rs. per 
cwt. 
Eggs, as a rule very small, 3 rs. to 5 rs. per 100. 
Fresh butler, 1-50 rs. to 2 00 rs. per lb. 
A little arithmetical computation will enable yonr 
readers to compare prices out here with those at home 
reckoning the cent as the hundredth part of a rupee 
and the rupee at the nominal rate of Is 4d, 
It may be interestia g to give specimens of table 
d'hote bills of fare, which will afford some idea of the 
catering at the Grand Oriental Hotel: — [Then follow 
copies of menus.] 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
Tea and the Duty Question.— The revenue derived 
by the Customs from tea during 1898 was £3,923,566 
iu lieu of £3,856,663 aad £3,796,425 in the two former 
years. Those tea proprietors who think that the 
reduction or total abolition of these duties would be 
prejudicial to their inteiesta need not lear that the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer will be in a hurry to 
abandon such an easy source of revenue. Co, .eider- 
able political pressure would be necessary before 
the of&cial mind would be induced to forego "this con- 
tribution to the national exchequer. The desire to 
please the consumer, therefore, will have became more 
intense than it is at present ere auy important chaage 
ismide. ° 
The Duty on Coffee and Cocoa.— As compared 
with tea, coffee aud cocoa play quite unimportant 
parts as their coa(ri)jnti(?n t^ the Government till 
