700 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April 1, UM. 
results of the annual expeiimeutal tappings pro- 
posed rnay l)C safely cstnnated as follows 
Sale vahio of H,()(Jl)'lb. riil)her in London 
at 2s. 8d. i>i'r 111., at Is. 111. per rupee ... 16,000 
Dednd : R 
Cost of lii])pin;.^ 8,0UJ lb. at 8 
annas per lb. ... •■. 4,000 
Freif^ht to Calcutta at 111 per 
maund, say ... •■• ^ 
FreiKlit, Calcutta to London, and 
other charges at 3 annas per lb. l,.">tX) 
."),.jy8 
Prolit ... 10,402 
which equals about R2 per tree, or on 318 (sic.) 
acres, R32-11-4 per acre, and on cost per acre over 
nearly .50 per cent. 
I have liecn somewhat diftidonl at pultiuK for- 
•ward prcjposals foi' systematic tappiiijis for fear 
of eventual evil results on the capital value of 
the plantation as a ))roperty in which a con- 
siderable atnounr of tiovernment money has been 
expended. I think, however, that, y/ir/i proper 
personal supervision by tlie 1)1 risiuntil Forfnt 
Officer and his siajl', the time has come when at 
least the experiment should be tried on the 
most mature area of :il8 acres out of the 1.700 
acres that have been planted up, and 1 therefore 
advocate, after having visited the plantation 
again, that action should be taken in this direc- 
tion during the present tapping season. 
A. L. HoMK, 
Conservator of Forest.s, Assam. 
Dated Camp Tezpur, the 10th November, 1898. 
—Indian Forestfr. 
GANGAWATTE ESTATES CO. 
Report of the Diuectobs. 
DiRECToiis.— TG Hayes, Esq., S H Hayes, Esq., W 
Anderaoi), Esq. 
■ AcREVoB.— Tea in full bearing o8.5 acres; Tea 
planted iu 1898 10 I'.cie.? ; Grass and Rnvinea 10 ficreil, 
—Total 35.5. 
The Directors bfg to snbmit their second annnal 
report and accounts being those for the year en-ied 
3l8t December last. 
They have to report with regret a short fall on the 
estimated crop of tea, though it is no unusual ciroum- 
Btance this ynir. 
The crop from the Gangiwatta division was sold m 
green leaf and that from Bitterns was m mufactured 
partly at Rickarton factory and partly at G ingawatte, 
which woik commenced ill July last. 
The Bitterne crop analyses were as follows : — 
41,348 lb. made at Ricka-rton and sold in London at 
the equivalent of 36-06c. net. 23,605 !b. made ac Ganga- 
watte and sold in Colombo averaged 38-5.5'c net. 
' Computing the outturn of Gangawatte leaf at the 
same rate as that given by Bitterne, the total crop 
amouated to 140,445 lb. Tea against an estimate of 
150,000 lb which realized R55, 598-55. or an average 
of ots. 39-58 per lb. 
On reference to the accounts it will be seen that 
the profit on the seaaon'a working amounts to 
R19,209-65 subject to miscellaneous expenses, interest 
on mortgage, secretariat and auditor's fees. 
Out of the available balance an interim dividend 
of 5 per cent on the capital has been paid absorbing 
R8,925, and the diiectors now recommend the pay- 
ment of a final dividend of three per cent, leaving 
a balance of Rl, 715-91 which after meeling direc- 
tors' fees, they propose should be carried forward to 
the New Year. 
■ The estimate of crop for 1899 is 150,000 lb. agauist 
an expenditure of R38,992. 
Mr. T G Hayes reports that the properties are in 
good order. 
(^In terms of the articles of associaUon, Mr. T G 
Hayes retires from the office of dires.or, and being 
«]Qgible offers himself for re-election. 
Ao auditor for next year will kave lo be appointed 
by the meeting. 
Bv order of ihe Jirectert. 
Geo. tsTHUAKT I: Co , ▲■,feat« asd Sec-retairiea. 
("Ot'ONLT PLANTING AND CUl'HA 
t L KLNG. 
Mr. B( KKUAiiDTlms bt-eu rrferied to more than ottoe 
in your coluuiub. Ho. &i Mauegiug Direcior uf n larKe 
agrioultuial cjucerii, canio^vei- to ihe I"la id '.-hifflr 
to compare not^K of cocoaut and cacao cultivation witii 
ourii ; 111 coconut eiataiea lie vibiteU I believr, Mr. W . M. 
Wiight's, Mr. Scott'a ui Kunuiex d*. and Horit-kelle 
and Siringip iihy eslntes. It is a pi.y Hrraii;:«in«iitfe 
could not liHve lieeii made for hi« iiji*eting tlic vt^te- 
VIM W. h. Liniont :ii)d W. .Jardiiie. He would have 
gamed many an useful wrinklea from Ihi-se very t%- 
pericnced gentlemen. 
COCONUT PI.AKTINO ASB COPaA CCalKO. 
Owing to UUour dillicnltieb cnltivation is \my iM- 
tricted i nihct va»t plaulntiuns owned by the weailby 
Coniij:iny our visitor reprtsents. Howtver expemueuia 
have been made with jiflcreut nianurca cu small ploie 
and the results in ciopj liave been carefully compiled. 
First place is given to superphosphate aiirl i-al ammo- 
niac as yielding the best rcsulis. Very disappointing 
residth li ive followed the applicaticu of k dull and it 
his been tabooed. 
In Coru.\ Cimiin-g we hare much to learn. It 
is a standing reproach to the Europra'-is and 
intelligent Nativ.38 engaged in Coconut Culiiration 
that they have not riaen above the primitive 
methods pursued by the nativea, may be, since the 
dawn of coconut cnltivatiun. To my knowledge many 
attempts at improved meihodi have bei-n mxde and 
could not have been brought to a suoceklful 
issue owing to funds not having beou placed at the 
command of the experimentors who were merely 
Snperintendeuts. It ii reported that on Si i leapatby 
Mr. Burckhardt would have had an oppuriunuy of 
witnessing copra curing bv means of hot air, for 
which a patent is to b) obtained. Hot air for copra 
caring is wh it is used on the estates our visitor is 
interested. It is the result of a Ion;; aeries of costly 
experiments. Air is heated in a chamber by meani 
of a furnace and pipes coiling vertically. From aper- 
tures iu the wall hot air is directed under a seriee 
of trays on which coconuts cut into bits is placed. Tb« 
moisture expelled from the coconut finds an exit 
through chimneys iu the roof. I myself hit upon what 
1 think is a far simple method, three or fon years ago 
and sabmilted it for-approval. Want of funds has pre- 
vented my carrying out my plan. I borrowed the idea 
from the hot rooms used originally in desiccating coco- 
nuts My idea is simply to place platformi>, or by 
preference trayf, over other hot beds. One advantage 
of drying always by hot air is that the quality of the 
copra will be uniform all the year through. Besidep, 
the work will be cleaner and there will be no loss from 
thefts by human beings, crows, dogs and jackals. 
THE CEYLON TEA AND COCONUT 
ESTATES CO., LTD. 
REPORT OF THE DIRKCTOB.S. 
Acreage: Tea.— In partial bearing, 233 acres 
(planted in 1895, 146 acres; and in 1896, 147 acres) 
not in bearing, 137 acres. Cocenuts, 558 acres 
Rubber, 35 acres; Grass, Forest and Chena, 218 
acres ; Cinnamon, 21 acres. Total 1,257 acres. 
The Directors have pleasure in submitting to the 
shareholders the accounts for the past year. 
Tea Division.— The total crop of tea harvested in 
1898 was 32,371 lb,, which realised a nett swerage price 
of 37.34 cts. per pound. 
Coconut Division.— The total crop of coconuta 
gathered during 1898 was, including 52,640 nnts 
brought forward from 1897, 641,186 nuts, of which 
1,531 nuts were sold «d estate, at an average ef jisO 
