June 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRlCULTURiST. 
GALAHA CEYLON TEA ESTATES AND 
AGENCY COMPANY. 
ANNUAL REPORT AND BALANCE SIIEKT. 
AUhough the baliince at credit of profit and loss 
would have provided for farther dividend of two 
Der cent on the ordinary shares, the Directors de- 
cided to retain that amount, carrying part to reserve, 
and the rest to the next account. 
The tea crops, iuclndinK bought leaf, amotinted 
to 1,422,297 lb., which sold at a net average of6.Ud 
per lb., and the cardamom crops to 35,724 lb., 
which realised 23 5ii per lb., net. The Directors 
had expected better results, but, owing to the failure 
of the south-west monsoon, tne crops obtained were 
slightly under the estimates, and the average price 
of the tea was affected by the unusually low rates 
ruling in the market during pare of the time. The 
rate of exchange for ihe Company's drafts on London 
averaged Is 3'9d per rupee. It v.'ill be noticed 
that the amount at debit for advances to coolies 
has been reduced by £1,500 since the date of the 
last account. 
It- has been necessary during the period covered 
by the report to spend a considerable sum on capi- 
tal outlay for the extension of the Factory, the 
purchase of further machinery, the erection of 
additional cooly lines and other buildings, and the 
upkeep of non-bearing land, but the requirements 
for capital this year will not, it is believed, exceed 
£l,Ot)0, which will be chiefly used for the deve- 
lopment of laud recently brought into cultivation. 
The Directors desire to call attention to the en- 
closed report on the properties by their colleague, 
Mr. W LiU'nsden Strachan, who has just returned 
from Ceylon, and it will be satisfactory to the 
shareholders to learn that the estates are in the 
highest state of cultivation, and capable of yield- 
ing very large outturns in the future. The crops 
for this year are estimated by the Colombo Manager 
as follows : — 
lb. 
Tea .. .. 1,C84,9.50 
Cardamoms .. .. 24,400 
And in a recent letter he writes that generally 
speaking, the Company's estates have not suffered 
from the late drought, cou-seqiiently large yields may 
be expected, and looking to the higher range of 
prices new ruling for Ceylon teas on the London 
market, it is confidently believed that the next re- 
port will show a large increase in the profits, and 
thus enable the Directors to add considerably to the 
lleserve Fund, it being their policy to strengthen 
the Company's position by building up a substan- 
tial lleserve. 
The Directors are pleased to report that up to 
date the sales of this season's teas amounting to 
01,820 lb. have averaged 714d net per lb. against the 
estimate of Gd net per lb. 
MR. W. LUMSDEN STKACHA^^'S EEPORT. 
February, IS'JO. 
North Vkdehette. — The fields both above and 
below the cart road have filled out, and cover the 
ground ranch better than thoy ever did before. 
These fields make up 50 acres, and last year gave a 
crop of 354 lb. an acre. For the six months ending 
30th December last lb. wore secured. A clearing 
of 18 acres has been opened above the c.xrt road, and 
e.3 this land is steep, and much wind blown, I think 
that though the soil is good, the greater part should 
bo thickly planted with fu3l trees, and regarded as 
timber land. The fuel can very easily bo carted to 
the factory door. Another clearing of seven acres 
close by is moro sheltered. 
Wkst Vedi'.iiktte. — This divi-ion now consists of 
68 acres of old tea, and 50 of I'lcirings, or 127 acres 
in all. All the old tea is now being pruned, and the 
crop will therefore come in daring tho latter part 
of the season. The old tea gave 450 lb. an acre last 
year, and 3S0 for the bnU term ending D^'cembor, 
both of which crops wore quite satisfactory. For this 
Buasgu I'jU lb. arc oatim.vtud. The now cloAriug ba^ 
good soil, and the lay of land is very suitable for the 
cultivation of tea, and when in bearing the field will 
give SCO to 6001b, an acre. Owing to a bad planting 
season a large number of the plants died ; these have 
since been thoroughly supplied, and the lines are 
now regular; but for estimating purposes, the clear- 
ing should be regarded as being only one year old. 
There are still some 50 acres of fine land on this 
estate, which can some day, if desired, be planted 
with tea. 
E.isT Vedehetie. — Here also the tea is looking 
well. Last year the property gave 421 lb. an acre, 
and for the present season 405 are expected. I men- 
lion, and will continue to mention, the crops, as this 
will give the best idea of what the places are capable 
of doing in the future. A clearing of 35 acres below 
the estate cart-road was opened three years ago. The 
forest was of good size, but when the land was cleared 
the soil was found to be light and qnartzy, and I 
think that it would be good policy to plant the 
whole field with fuel trees. The timber can easily be 
sent across the valley to the Government cart-road, 
as was done with the forest trees when the land was 
first cleared. The new bungalow is a substantial one, 
and the lines are all in good order. Labour force ia 
sufficent, and the estate is clean. The cardamoms of 
which there is 54 acres, are all looking very well. 
Last year the crop fell short of the estimate owing 
to the dry season. This year 80,000 lb. green, or 
16,000 lb dry, are estimated and as there is already 
a good show of racemes the estimate should be 
secured, if the south-west rains do not again fail, 
which is hardly probable. The caddies yield R60 a 
month, and if more were built a larger revenue 
would be derived from this source. The Government 
thinks of moving the Deltota post oflice to this spot, 
and if this be done it would at once increase its im- 
portance and raise the rents. 
KiTooLA-MooLA. — Owiug to the rocky nature of the 
ground the tea has been longer thau usual in com- 
ing on and forming a good spread. Even at the time 
of my last visit the bushes did not cover the ground 
fully, but now the estate presents an even appear- 
ance, and the yield is satisfactory. I find that from 
the total acreage of 342 acres a crop of 438 lb 
was secured in the twelve months ending 30th .June 
last. The estimate for the current season is 118,750 
lb or 347 lb all over, The smaller crop is due to 
the fact that some 200 acres are this year to be pruned 
down. Roads and drains are all in order. The old bridle- 
path from Uduwella has been enlarged and made 
into a cart road, and this is of great advantage 
to the group of estates, in so far as it makes them 
so much more accessible from Kandy. The cost of 
the work was 1\2,400, of which the District Road 
Committee contributed El, 500 and the estates up 
the valley and private people the rest. The cost 
to our estates was only some KlOO, and I think Mr. 
Carey is to be praised both for the way in which 
he raised the money and for the way the work has 
been done. The cardamoms, though now some six- 
teen yenrs old, still continue to crop well, and this 
year a yield of about 160 lb. an acre is expected. 
Where the shoots have got thin a replanting 
might with advantage be done. The timber clear- 
ing above the Kandy Koad continues to make steady 
progress. 
G.\t..vn.v AND DuxALLY. — There is a marked improve' 
raent in the 175 acres of tea, which for so long a 
time was disappointing. All the young tea — 13, 5, 
47 acres, &c. — still continues to give large crops, but 
the 17 acres is showing a slight falling off. The 
fields on the Kitoola Moola side also coutioae to 
look and yield well, and the 22 acres at the top are 
a picture of luxuriance. This tea yielded last seaion 
739 lb. an acre. Tho 125 acres (three-year-old tea) oa 
Diinally has not grown quite as quickly as I should 
have expected from the nature of tho soil, which is 
rich and deep, but the fields are an even cover, and 
will yield in tho current season 20O lb. an acre. 
.\ltogcther there are 353 acres of clearings on Dun- 
ally and Galaha, all coming on well except abont 
20 acres ou the top o{ the former estate, which ) 
