6.92 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Apbil 1. 1899. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING, 
Cheering.— The Calcutta correspondent of the 
Tillies mbles Mes-ird. Thomas's anuual tea rep ji t, ia 
proof of the revival of trade since Chiistruaa. Tnii 
report shows that the expirlj from Oalcu.ta exceed 
last seiisoii's by over 4,UU0,0001b. Tiiore is an in- 
crease uf 75 per cent, to Awciica, lOl per co'>t. to 
Bombay, and 60 pei csnt. to Continental, liuck 
Ssa, and sundry parts. The only decrease 
shown ill the export to Australia, but the lo per 
cent, detect from India is supplied by Ceylon. 
The future outlook is considered most hopeful, many 
orders remaining unfilh d at the clo.se of the season. 
I'oreign con.<)UHiption is stei-diiy expanding. The 
present slate of 1 lie currency conditions has checked 
extensions which might have ciiuscd over-iirodiiciion. 
The stcrliii}{ price of t«a fell lo the lowest re- 
corded lovtil ill September, but prices since rose 
one anna per lb. The trade' with Arrerica has 
been greatly facilitated owinf,' to the establishment 
of a direct maiitlily steamer service to Nnw York. 
Whole leaf kinds up to about 8J per lb. were 
m 're particula' ly in reiiiiest, and there shewed an 
advance of ^d to Jd per lb. on previ ms quomtioiiF, 
while ver . little was sold nnder 6Jd, and it is ijoi 
improbable that values of these desci ipiious will 
still fui'tlier iinpiovo, tho quantity advertised lo 
come forward next week boiu{{ again very limited. 
Medium broken pekoes, although iu good reqa^nt, 
remain unoh nfji^d, but the lineat sorts were in 
active demand at somewhat higher rates." 
Cheesy Tea. -Th.^re is a letter in the 
Orocer from Messrs. Brooke, Bond and Co., 
Limited, callin;; atleution to the incrca- 
sinpt propirti m of "cheesy tea ' from India and 
Ceylon. Thev say " lli ■! most disagreeable, maloJorous 
taint, scronol; reminiscetit, of rancid cheese, is due 
to sappy, iinmatme timber of nnsiiit:ible type being 
used in the uiannfacture of tsa-chests on the In'dian 
and Ceylon pi mfcati ins." As showing tha prev ilence 
of the evil Messrs. Brooke Bond append a detailed 
lisl of 418 packages which have been rejected for 
"oheesiness ' by their own warehouse insp-'ctora 
durins; a period of only three weeks Asthi list of 
gaidens and other particulars are given we reproJu e 
these details in order thi'thoie iuterTSted in i.y ac- 
quaint themselves with the indictment mide against 
their tea. The following are the details given by 
Messrs. Brooke, Bond, ami Co: — 
January, 1899. 
CEYLON. 
2nd D-bxtgania .. ;m8/49 .. Yerv cheasy 
Bed Deb^tgiima .. 3950/6 .. All cheesy " 
3fd Katooloya .. 211/15 .. All cheesy 
lUh KAW .. 181/9 .. All cheesy 
llhh E nlgaina .. 922/30 .. All cheesy 
ll'.b KAW .. 19 "201 ... Mostly cheesy 
19th Btulgama .. 941/6 .. .AH chc-esy " 
19th K..tooloya . . | f/^^^r^ [ All cheesy 
20 h Etulgama .. 931/40 .. All cheeky 
"To us," says Messrs. Brouke, Bond, and Co., 
" who have experts ever on the watch for any' 
defictive package, and who most carefully ex- 
amine every one of all the thousands of 
cheats which come into our warehouses every week, 
th^re IS no possibility of a bad tea being pissed into 
a blead ; but in the case of the grocer buyer, who 
Btill follows the old fashioned plan of bnyin'g un- 
hlended teas, there is grave danger of a more or less 
tainted package, or pan of a pacnage, being unsus- 
peoi ngl included in a ">ome-made mixture. Such an 
accidci t w >ald prob ..biy outamua e a whole 
blend, and, by af.erwards disgu-ting and driving 
away consuming customer-, might ouse a 
grocer grievous loss without, peihaps, his 
ever rea ising the reason. There are two 
principal practicable reme-iies. Thj pi mt^-rs must 
more carefully select and dry all timbers from which 
thiy make chests ; and ati teas, whether previously 
v' bulked ' abroad or not, must be ' bulked ' in London 
all the containing chests as well as all the contained 
teas being systematicaJJy AQd CArefullT eximlned br 
experts. ' 
COFJ'EE PB0FPECT8. 
SlashTS Drossni ia and Bro.. of New York eati- 
ma-e the probt.ble yield of Brnzil coffee in' 1899 
1900 at not less thtu 10.000 (JOO bugs. Other esti- 
mates are much lower, and therefore there is not 
much rehance to be placed on the forecast. Siocki 
of coffre, h iwever, continue to accumulate, ao'l 
libnral supplies may be expected from Iudi», fauiiio*. 
C'lsta Jtica and elsewhere. Tber« i« not much chance 
for a rise in prices unless snmethin? quite anfore- 
Eeen occurs.—//, nnd C. Mail Feb 4. 
CEYLON ]>ROYINCIAL ESTATES CO.. LTD. 
The Directors beg to present their Report for th« 
year ended 3l8t December, 1898. together with the 
anunal statement of the CjmpanV« accooata. 
The tea crop amounted lo 430,951 lb. against an 
es'.imate of 425,00J lb, for the ye .r. which may be 
regarded a satisfact iry result, seeing that the se.tson 
w ts not altogether a favourable one for the growth 
of leaf. 
T ie total profit for the yearwvs H7G,.'J7110 The 
cost of producing the tea and bri i«i g ii to m«rket 
works out at 26 10 cents per lb »g» ui 29 2.''. cent luat 
year, and the eipon iiture incl.i >es a cuuj equal to 
1^, cent a lb. for rntnuring operations. 
The average nett Belling prir^n of the teas, on the 
other hand, shews a falling cff fr >m 18'K, the ratea 
ben.g lid cents and 4.^),' cente per, lb. rcsnectivelT. 
Tne cleir profit resulting from the season'* work- 
ing, altsr pr-oviding for interest on Mort-'ipes, At-, 
amounts to I{60,661.19, out of which au'in erim 
dividend of 3 per cent has beo paid to the 
share hcldern, and the D rectors now re:om-oend the 
piyment of a final divid nd of A\ per cent on the 
piid-up capital, making 7.1, per ce"nt for the yeir 
Ihe interim and closing dividends together account 
for a sum of R49,9.tO and after providing for Director* 
fees, n is proposed to apply the surpins in pirt 
piyment of the expenditure which has been i 
curred during the year on permanent works no: 
chargeable to revenue. This eip nditore am. nuts to 
K2o.l6g-7(), and inclu iss the cost of coiuple ing ihe 
factory on B;ownlow and nearly all the necessary 
outlay in connection with the new works on Aidneven 
together with the upkeep of land not yet in bearing 
on the two estates. 
Both properties are now well provided with all 
necessary appliances and accomodation for the 
present crops, and not much farther outlay will be 
required to deal with the increased output of tea 
which nny be expected when the yoang fields have 
reached maturity. 
The estimates of expenditur-; for 1899 are ao'ain 
bistd on a crop of 42r>,u00 !b. of made tea, there 
being hardly any young land coming i;i, and the 
f.o.b. rate works out at 27 3i cents alb., incluaiuir 
the cost of manuiing ISO acres of tea. 
The following is a definition of the Company's nro- 
perties as at the end of 1898 — r j i 
Glassangh. Brownlow. AfaL 
m • i „ . - acres. acres. acres, 
lea in full bearing .. 426 400 826 
Ti a in partial bearing ..34 34 
„ planted in 1895 ..14 J4 
„ planted in 1S96 .. I4 50' 64 
,, planted in 1897 .. 4 ^ 3^ 
,, planted this season.. 4 ^ 
Total tei 496 
Forest ... j;- 
W-ste and S. ream .. 19 
Grass . . 0 
480 
32 
64 
970 
47 
83 
10 
Total 532 584 I 116 
Mr. F. L. Clements retires from the Board on this 
occasion m terms of the Articles of Association, and 
being eligible offers himself for re-election. 
The appointment of an Auditor for 1899 will rest 
with the meeting. ' 
