720 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 1899. 
Turning to income and expenditure for 
the', same period, we find that a small crop 
does not necessarily mean less expendituie. 
Not only does the cost of turning out coir 
tell, but also when all the crop has to be 
turned into copra, the expenditure naturally 
t-ises. Thus, 1896, the year of largest crop, 
dhows the smallest expenditure because, as 
the Report for that year tells us, the crop 
''was sold as nuts, and not made into copra 
as hitherto." That year further yielded the 
highest income, owing to the satisfactory 
prices obtained for nuts, and enabled the 
Directors to declare the highest dividend of 
the past six years. The List issued by the 
Shareholders' Association shows the Divi- 
dends since 1893 to have been 6, 5, 7, 10, 5 and 
6 per cent ; so that though there have been 
no sensational dividends, the Shareholders 
have had a fair return for their money. 
We are not aware that a higher dividend 
than ten per cent hixs ever been declared ; 
but the regularity of dividends, and the 
figures we have quoted in estimating the value 
of the property, explain the value of shares 
in the market, and point to good manage- 
ment in the office and on the estate. 
RAINFALL IN PLANTING DISTRICTS. 
We continue to get numerous reports from the 
planting districts. The following authentic figures 
of Rainfall for four separate divisions, are of 
Jan.^1899. Jan. av. Feb. 1899 Febav. 
cn to Ob 00 
Uiatrict. .gg,.ap^.g>. ^g. 
S«B r^«B 
Central Fcoviace 
andUva .. 905 13 408 8 027 1 2 43 5 
Kelani Valley . . 5'72 8 3 65 6 2 07 2 6 66 8 
Batnapara and 
Bakwana .. 5-49 12 6'16 9 4-84 6 447 9 
Maskeliya .. 505 6 3 89 7 1-63 4 3 73 6 
There has been generally an excess of rainfall in 
the early part of Jan., and a large deficit in Feb. this 
y«ar, except perhaps in the Eatnapnra District, and 
even there the distribation of rainfall is not so general 
•a in average years. 
THE PROLONGED DROUGHT. 
It is not alone in the lowcountry that 
the cry for rain is being raised. Here is 
what an Inspector of Estates has to say on 
the subject : — 
'•We are having a drought with a ven- 
geance. I don't think I ever remember so 
long a period without any rain, and yet 
there is not much red rust to be seen, nor 
are other pests and blights very prevalent, 
though there is a constant and very sus- 
picious fall of leaf which may not be alto- 
gether due to the dry weather. I understand 
that on all the higher estates in Uva the 
flushes are good, but on the lower places 
there is very little doing." 
The present drought in Colombo may be 
said to extend from 10th February as only 
8 cents of an inch of rain has fallen since 
that date. Practically there has been no 
rain in Colombo for 40 days — an unusual 
but not unprecedented period ; for, from our 
"Handbook we see that in Jan.-Feb, 1894, 
there was a spell of 55 days in Coloinbo 
without rain.— At two thousand feet up we 
hear from a Manager tod.iy, that he hau only 
14 cents in February and none up to dat* in 
March — unpi-ecedeuted ! 
CINCfHONA CULTURli IN CEYLON. 
This is how an experienced planter follows 
up what we have recently written alx)ut the 
advisableness of trj'ing cinchona again in 
the Ceylon hill districts, importing fresh seed 
from India or Java for the purpo.se :— 
"Cinchona seems likely to attract attention 
Again, now that quinine is on the lise and 
letters from home speak coulidently of the 
future. So if cinchona can be gi-own again 
in Cevlon, thei-e is a chance for some of 
us, Tne question is, can it? One seldom 
or ever sees a healthy «elf-t>own seedling 
now-a-days which looks ;is if the parent stock 
were mostly diseased, but peihaps imported 
seed might give good lesults. Some time 
ago I spoke to Mr. Carruthei-s about the 
canker ui cinchona and asked him if it was 
due to a fungus. He said he thought very 
likely it was, and begged me to let him 
have .some bark to examine. I could not 
come across any suitable specimens just at 
the moment; but sent him some after his 
return to England, and am shortly expect- 
ing to hear the result of his investigations." 
TEA IN NORTH AMERICA. 
The figures for the importation of 
tea into the United States from different 
countries in 1898, are given in our 
daily and Tropical AgricxUturist ; and it 
will be observed that the total amounts 
to less than 69 millions, against nearly 100 
millions in 1897. Of course, the latter im- 
ort was inflated in advance of the war 
uty ; just as the incomings last year were 
much less than usual from the same cause. 
Japan and China last year account for 6li 
million lb., leaving only 7,300,000 lb. for all 
other teas. 
In this connection we call attention to 
th» interesting Report furnished by the 
Indian Tea Commissioner on his work for 
last year, and given in our daily 
and Tropical Agriculturist. Notwith- 
standing many drawbacks Mr. Blech- 
ynden is very hopeful as to the future 
of British-grown teas in America. At the 
same time, it will evidently be a severe 
struggle to drive out our competitors; for, 
as is pointed out, the China and Japan teas 
sent across the Pacific or Atlantic as the 
case may be, have no other market to go 
to, and such teas if once landed in America, 
must be sold even at a loss. May it not 
be, however, that the tea-gi-owers will culti- 
vate less and use their crops at home when 
they find that there is no remunerative 
market? On the other hand, Mr. Blechynden 
has come more and more to believe in judi- 
cious advertising in America, and this after 
all is the best way in which to spend the money 
of Indian and Ceylon tea planters. Tea 
rooms and demonstrations and grants are 
at best temporary: nothing lasts like ad- 
vertising. As to green teas, here is what 
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