June 1, 1899.] THE TEOPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
871 
The Company's acreage remains unaltered at 1,963 
acres, incluaing 1,720 acres planted in tea. The 
periodical reports from Cevlou cominua to be oi a 
satisfactory nature, and, given favourable weather, 
it is hoped that the re:^ults of tiie current season's 
working "will shew :in improvemect on those for the 
past yeir. 
The Directors have again to express their apprecia- 
tion of the services of the Company's s.'aff, both in 
Ceylon and London. 
KANGALLA TEA COMPANY OF CEYLON 
LIMITED. 
Report of the Directors for the year ending 3Ist 
December submitted at the annual general meeting 
of sliareholders held at the offices of the Company 
on Monday, 8ch May, at 11-30 a.m. 
The Directors beg to submit the balance sheet 
and profit and loss account to 31st December 1898, 
duly aadited, 
The balance brought forward from last 
year, after payment of final dividend 
for 1897, amounted to .. £106 0 1 
To which has to be added the profit for 
1898 .. 112 1 2 
£518 1 3 
Which it is proposed to deal with as follows: — 
By writing off from cost of properties, 
as depreciation of machinery, &c. .. £.300 0 0 
And carrying forward the balance of . . 218 1 3 
£518 1 3 
The unfavourable result is dne to a falliug-ofi in 
the yield of both tea and cardamoms, caused by 
unseasonable weather, and to the lower level of 
prices ruling on the tea market during 1898. 
The tea crop amounted to 206,620 lb. and the 
cardamoms to 4,026 lb , as against the original esti- 
mates of 210,000 lb. and 5,000 lb. respectively. 
The sales of tea show a net averap;e price per 
lb. of 6"31 pence, being equal to, say, 39 cents per 
lb. Exchange for the Company's drafts during the 
year has averaged Is 1 7-16d, as against the exchange 
for 1897 of Is 3 35-61d. 
The following table gives the acreage of the estates 
for the last five years: — 
1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 
Tea in bearing .. 558 5910, 591i 59ii- 591i 
,, ,, partial bearing . . — — 63 63" 90' 
„ not in bearing .. 135 112^ 61-^ 61^ 34^ 
Cardamoms . . 63 65i 56 56' 56' 
,, not in bearing — — — — 10 
Grass and Fuel Timber 15 25 25 25 25 
Forest and Waste Land 470 416.', 414 444 434 
1,241 1,241 1,241 1,241 1,241 
The following is a statement of the tea and c<ir- 
daraom crops, with the yield of tea per acre for the 
same period : — 
TEA AND CAHBAMOJI CROPS. 
Tea. Cardamoms. Yield of Tea per 
Acre. 
1894 .. 160,963 lb. 3,786 lb. 300 ib. 
1895 .. 201,631 „ 2,172 „ 310 „ 
1896 .. 228,360 „ 4,842 „ 380 „ 
1897 .. 212,555 „ 8,291 „ 360 „ 
1898 .. 206,620 „ 4,026 „ 319 ,. 
During the year an additional expenditure of £1,081 
has been incurred on capital account, but from this 
must be deducted £66 8s 9d realized by the sale 
of tea plants. 
The prospects for the cnrrent year are more en- 
couraging, the estimated yield being 210,000 lb. of 
made tea, and 5,000 lb. dry cardamoms, and accord- 
ing to recent advices reciivod from Ctylou the yield 
for the fir.-it three months of the present year was 
10,000 lb. made tea in excess of the corresponding 
period l.xst season. The pricos being realized at 
present lor the Company's teas are also much above 
* (be average of last year, owing to the improvement 
iu the market. 
RAGALLA TEA ESTATES, LIMITED. 
Kegistehkd Offices — 30, Mincing Lane London 
Diur.cTous.— Charles Elward Sttachan. Colombo 
and 6, Balfour Place, Mayfair, W. ( h.iirman) ; Charles 
Hannen, 25, Maida Hill West, Vv'.; and Matthsw Penne- 
father Evans, 30. Mincing Lane, E C. 
SEcitETAiiiEs.— M. P. Evans & Co. 
Riport qf the Director.? to be subudited to the Share- 
holc'.ers at the Ordinary General Meeting, to be held 
at 30, Mincing Lane, E.'J., on Friday, 5th May,lH99, at 
12 o'clock noon. 
The Directors beg to submit their Report, and a!so 
Statement of Accounts duly audited, for the year end- 
ing 30th June last :— 
Showing a net Profit for the £, s. i. 
Season of , . . . 2 153 19 8 
Add the balance of last Account .. 10 15 1 
The Total is . . 2,161 14 
Out of which the following Dividends 
have been paid : — 
189S, 1st January— Preference 
Shares .. £1,0.50 0 0 
1898, 1st July— Preference 
Shares .. l,050 0 0 
2,100 0 0 
Leaving a Balance to carry forward of 64 14 g 
The issue of this R;port has been delayed by the 
desire of the Directors to place before 'the Share- 
holders ihe enclosed Report on the Compauv'a proper- 
ties, recently received from Mr. W.Lumsden Strachan— 
a largeOrdinary Shareholder in the Comnany— who has 
just returned from Ceylon, and who, at'thu request of 
the Board, made an exhaustive inspection of the Com- 
pany's properties. [Will be given tomorrow \ 
The .Report shows that the Estates have been 
mamtamed m the highest state of cultivation and 
that the tuture prospects of the Company are'most 
favourable. 
During the year the crops realized in London 
were : — 
Tea, 367,715 lb., at a gross average of 9 931 per lb 
Coffee, 95 cwt. 2 qrs. 23 lb , at a gross average of' 
91s 8d per cwt. 
Estat^es^°-°^'°^ are the acreages of tha Company's 
Forest 
Tea. Coffee. Timber. Patna Total. 
etc. 
,, Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres.. Acres 
Ragalla ... 712 — 157 120 939 
Halgran Oya.. 1«5 — 23 183 401 
Kelburne .. 772 10 135 61 981 
1,679 10 315 367 2^ 
In common with many others, these Estates suffered 
severely from the excessive drought, and the Directors 
muchregiet that, owing to the short crops and the 
highercost of cultivation, brought about bv the advance 
m exchange, the average for the season being Is 3-9d 
per rupee, the profits of the Company have seriously 
fallen below the estimates, and that no Dividend has 
been earned on the Ordinary Shares^. 
PLAXTiNfi i>f British Centr.vl Akrica.— We 
direct atten'.ion to a chatty and instructive letter 
from an ex- Ceylon planter now busy over coU'ee 
and tea in Nya.-^salau<l, He is very camiid in 
his report as rei/ards our old .-staple; and we 
should .su|ipose liiere wa.s more in tea if a local 
market otild bo found, includin;,' that of Masiioua- 
land and intleed all tlie way lo the Cape. Of 
couise, if proper factories are built and prepara- 
tion caieiully attended lu, there will no doubt 
be sliimnents to Europe ; but it will take some 
years befoie these can be appreciable. 
