THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1. im. 
Buch firewood as might be procurable from private 
sources would be largely increased. We find, tro, 
tliat while the cost and iuconveiiience of collecting 
and transporting firewood are great, they are not 
greater than, if so great as, tho cost and iuconvenieoce 
of trantiporfciug coal for a like purpose. 
The only other direction in which the Hallway 
Department is interested in the operations of the For- 
est Department is in connection with the supply of 
sleepers. The Railway Dripartme nt takes annually 
some 20,000 sleepers, which are mostly of imported 
Norwegian creosoted pine or Australian hardwood. 
Just now a consignment of some 2."),0'iO Karri sleepers 
from Western Australia is being landed. Of Ceylon- 
grown wood only some 2,0(0 sleepers are supplied 
annnally, the woods prpferred being mill i and nedun. 
At present nedun sleepers from Sabaragamiiwa forests 
are being delivered at Hatton station at Rl each, a 
price that is said by the Assistant Conservator under 
whose direction the order Is being executed to pay. 
This price compares favourably with the cost of Impor- 
ted sleepers, the creosoted pine sleepers costing Hi. 23 
each and the Karri sleepers ]!o 73 each delivered at the 
Colombo Terminus. The General Manager has inti- 
mated his willingness to take his entire supply from 
the Forest Department, if the Departmen" can give 
him what he wants and at the price now being puid. 
But the supply is limited, and sleepers of the required 
quality can be supplied at this price only wh'.n the 
conditions ns to ff lling, &c., are exceptionally favoar- 
able. A development of this branch of the Department's 
operations cannot therefore be looked for. 
For the Northern Railway Extension it may be 
found practicable to supply a certain proportion of the 
sleepers required of palu, kumbnk, and satlnwood, and 
possibly some even of milla but the question of price 
will have to be a subject for considerali; n. 
INDIAN PATENTS. 
No. 19.-John McDonnell, of the Public Works 
Department of the Government of Ceylon, Jaffna, 
Ceylon. Improvements in tea-rolling machiuea whereby 
tho leaf can bo treated with electricity during the 
process of rolling. 
No. 20.— John McDonnell, cf (lie Public Works 
Department of the Government of Ceylon, Jaffna, 
Ceylon Improvements in tea-rolling njachines whereby 
light is supplied to the leaf during the process of 
rolling to promote its oxidation. — Indian t'lujiiica: 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Vanilla. — We lia»e receiverl from America a 
full and interesting paper by Dr. Kusliy ou the 
species, lUstributioii and habits of Vanilla plan.s 
and the cultivation and cnrint; of Vanilla. This 
will be reproduced in our MarcU issue of the 
Tropical Agricultuviat. 
Tea in I^'rance.— Referring to the interview 
we published yesterday, the editorial remarks of 
the New York Herald of Paris, in the subject 
are worth quoting : — 
Amongthe explanations given it is stated that the 
use of light wines and syrups has diminished, on 
hygierjiu grounds, and that tea has gradually taken 
their place. If this be the correct view then it will 
be interesting to study the rise and fall of tea drink- 
ing in France, for sooner or later one may depend 
on it, French medical authorities will pronounce 
npon the custom, if carried to excess, quite as strongly 
as their English confreres. From another point of 
view, it iscurioui to notice how, alter all, the English 
custom of drinking tea has been brought into vogue. 
In spite of Russian sympathies, French people prefer 
tea with milk rather than tea with lemon or rum, and 
even toast is asked for with it. So that not only in 
tne world of sport, but also in social life, Parisians 
areaot loath to borrow mtich thfvt pleases them from 
(be tight little isle, 
^)ld Flouri.shivg Tka in Ckylo.v.— It i» very 
reassuring to learn from Mr. C. S(.earnj>iii Arm- 
strong, one of the first pirneeis of tea in Ceylon 
and ;i very early adviser in many districts, that 
Ills 23 year old tea fields in M ituralta have con- 
tinued, without manure, to give a« good croj s 
now as tiftcpu years ago, namely an average of 
600 to 700 lb. i»er acre. Mr. Aiinstiong lias 
K^en nothing of blights in liis own liigli dibtrict, 
though ho has heard a good deal of ilieni else- 
where. He Ku.rpff. however, that proljably 
Ceylon is approaching its maxiniu'ii crop of tea, 
— that future crops may run between liu ami 
1.30 million lb. aver.isin'e about l.'S millionn. 
Cevlo.v HILL.S Tk.v Estate Co.— It is brought 
to our notice that the Coni|>any is a good deal 
better oil' than we suppwed from tsking the last 
•sentence of the Kei)orl, without observing what 
immedLitely preceded it, in leference to the finan- 
cial con^lition. It is after allowing for all interest 
on debentures to the end of 1898, for deprecia- 
tion, coast advances and all other liabilities, that 
the loss of Ky,962 99 is shewn. We re;;fet very 
much that we indicated that debenture interest 
was not paid after 30tli Sept. 1«»7 apart from 
this lo-s. The Company, we are glad to i-ce, is 
iiiiudi better off than we indicated, and we tiust 
1899 will shew a balance to the good in every sense. 
TiiK Mazawattek Tea Company ha<l an 
exceeiliiigly good year (ending December 21i»t 
189S) according to the Keport published on 
January 28th. We make two e.v tracts .— 
It ia with great pleasure they have to record the 
most satisfactory year in the iiislory of the bu>iuesa ; 
satisfactory as regards every department, and from 
every point of view. It will be seen from the Profit 
end Loss Account that the profit on trading amounts 
to £60,3,39 los Sd, as against £.iG 695 5^ 6d thepreviong 
year, showinsj an increase of £3,66-1 10s 2d. 
More particularly, the volume of trade has sarpMsed 
the expectations of Directors, and shows a large 
percentage of inirease over that of any previous year. 
Some idea of the magnitude of the business which the 
Shareholders in the Mazvwattee Tea Compinv possess 
can be gathered from the fact that on April 27lh last 
the Company paid to II. M. Custom < for Dutv on 
British grown Tea only, a cheque amouatiag to £63,000 
odd, which is over £12.500 more than any other cheque 
that has tyer been paid for Tea Duty, and which 
establishes a most telling record. 
Here is the handsome ilisi>o?al of profits : — 
Managing Directors' Remuneration £ p. d. 
and Directors' Fees . . 1,600 0 0 
Otiice Expenses and other charges. 
Interest t n Loans, and amoupt Wc itt* n off 
for Deprecia' ion of Leases and Plant . . 5,730 16 5 
P aced 'o Reserve, persua "t to Article 
126 of the Articles of Association ... 15,000 0 0 
Further, an In'erim Dividend has been 
paid on the Prefence Shares at the rate 
of £5 per cent per annum, and on the 
Ordinary Shares at the rate of £8 per 
cent per annum, amounting 'o .. 18,366 10 8 
A Dividend a' thera-e of £5 per cent 
per annum is due on the Preference 
Shares for the halt year ending December 
21st, 1,S9^, and the Directors recommend 
a further Dividend at the ra'e of £8 per 
cent per annum for the half year on the 
Ordinary Shares, which will, together, 
absorb a further sum of .. 18,366 10 8 
Leaving £3,387 to go in Commissions for Lirectors 
if the shareholders .so will. Ten per cent paid to 
preference, and 16 per cent to ordinary, share- 
holders and all from "tea"; while so many 
producers cannot make both ends meet I Surely 
not a few planters sliould try and sell tea for 
themselves ? 
