878 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June l, 1899, 
think better adapted for fuel trees. These clearings 
will next year add considtrabiy to the crop of the 
estates. The grevillias are too thick on parts of 
G.alaba, and with advantage to the tea, und without 
any risk of letting in wind, some of the beliB miglit 
be thinned, and many of the roadside trees cut down. 
By so doing, perhaps a thousand yards of timber will be 
obtained for factory use. Labour is more than suflici- 
ent, and buildings are in good order. The 38 acres of 
cardamoms are looking well, and this season 0,0001b. dry 
are estimated. It has been arranged to plant up 16-1 
acres of timber land with this product. This is certainly 
a wise move, for the land in now being weeded, and 
after the bulbs are once put into the ground there will 
be no further expenditure, except a nominal sum for 
supplying the vacancies. Mr. H Carey tells me that 
on a neighbouring estate, about two miles away on 
the same range of hills, the cardamoms so planted 
under shade of the fuel trees are growing most satis- 
factorily. Since water was spouted to Galaha from 
Kitoola-Moola, and from the top of AnibUmaua there 
has been a marked improvement in the health of the 
labour force, and the head kangany tells me the 
Estate is now much more popular with the coolies. 
Maousa Kelle -Maddeoama. — These estates have 
2fiO acres under tea of which Waddegama has 60 acres. 
This tea gives a poor yield, as the land is very steep 
and rocky. All the fields on Maousa Kelle, on the 
Ulawatte side, are looking very well, and it is from 
them that the bulk of the crop is obtained. Labour 
is plentiful, and advances stand at EG19 only. 
GoOROoKELLB AND KiRniwANE. — This fine block o^ 
property has 878 acres under tea, of which 090 are in 
full bearing, 31 three years old, 38 two years, and 
113 acres one year. All the recently-planted tea, 
that is, tea planted in new soil, has grown very well, 
and forms a line cover, and tea on old coffee land 
is also giving good crops. With ordinary seasons, the 
estate will give 6001b. all over, including the old 
coffee land, or sey a crop of 52.5,0001b. Weeding is 
done for 90 cents an acre. All the buildings are 
permanent, except one set of lines, and will only 
require ordinaty repairs in the future. No capital 
Outlay will be required th'jrefore, except for upkeep 
of the young land till it comes into bearing. 
Crops is put on board at 250, cents, including 6 cents 
for manufacture, and 1 cent for transport of leaf 
over the tramway. Advances stand at Rl.5,187 fir 
842 coolies, and will be reduced later on wlien 
full time is being worked. The rainfall last year waa 
only 80'26 inches on 130 days, which accounts for 
the crop being so short of the estimate, 
Mr. White lightly forked the pruned branches into 
the ground over a considerable area, and the system 
baa answered so well that I think it should in future 
be made a rule. In this somewhat dry climate the 
soil thus treated retains its moisture for a longer period, 
and the bushes have responded to the cultivation. 
There is some good land still available for tea, and 
when and if desired, another GO — 80 acres could be 
opened. 
FACTORY. — This is in excellent order throughout, 
and machinery is working well. At no great cost 
the weir and watercourse could be raised about 20 
feet, and this would give 15 H.P. additional power. 
The tramway continues to run smootlily, and Mr. 
Hall is now able to repair the wheels in the factory. 
The whole graup of estates is generally in the highest 
state of cultivation, and in thoroughly good order. 
A considerable acreage has been manured yearly, and 
each season this while he continued. A complete system 
of wire shoots is now established to transport the leaf 
to the factory, and I think the estates are being 
•worked in a thoroughly economical way. So long as 
the properties are kept up in their present condition it 
is diiJicult to see where a saving can be made. The 
crop estimates for the present season have been 
Ii-amed on a moderate baus, and, given the usual 
rains at the ordinary times, they will be secured. In 
the coming and succeeding seasons, as the 672 acres of 
xoung te^ come iutg Jjearing, we shall get larger 
CEYLON TEA IN AUSTRALIA AND 
NEW ZEALAND. 
VIEWS OF A NEW ZKALAND BL'YEK. 
la the course of au interview with a representative 
of the local "Times" Mr. Giahain Cripps of 
Messrs. Secular and Company, Duaedio, who waa 
ou a visit to Ceylon, wan a^ked if he could give 
any reason for the f.%lling off in the exports of tea 
direct from Colombo to New Zealan j, the figure* for 
1807 being 2,228,137 lb. as a«aiust 2.133.5B4 lb. ia 
1898. 
'•A large amount of tea," said Mr. Cripps, " i« at 
present purchased in the Melbourne Rud Sydney 
markets, and shipped direct to New Zealand ; the ad- 
vautafie to the buyer being that he can see before 
hand what he is going to buy and avoids running the 
risk of receiving badly matched tea from the Colombo 
dealer, who is sometimes more anxious to carry 
out an order than to properly match the tea." 
" But are not the prices in Melbourne and Sydney 
a little dearer? " 
'' That depends on the market. Of coarse, when the 
market is weak, we take advantage of it." 
" With regard to China teas, they are clean out of 
our markets, or next door to it. Whilst formerly we 
used to bring down full shipmenU of Chinas, now 50 
half chests last us two years," 
Mr. Cripps pointed out that it waa extremely on- 
fortunate that Ceylon teas keep so badly ae comDared 
with Indian. 
'' \Ye are anxious to push Ceylon teas; he remarked 
but our experience is that ludian teas keep so very 
much better. We might have stuflf in our stores for 
some time, ajid then we send it out to the coastry 
storekeeper, who keeps it in his stores for another two 
or three months, with the result that the tea is flat 
before it reaches the consumer. We have to correct 
this by using much more Indian teas than we should 
otherwise. It is generally found, however, that the 
consumer prefers Ceylon to Indian teas. So yoa will 
see that the dealer runs a considerable amount of risk 
m stocking Ceylon teas very largely, owing to the fact 
that they go off, whereas Indians do not, and thus the 
business is far more hand to mouth in character than 
It would be. 
" How do the retail prices of Australia and New 
/iealaud compare ?" 
" The retail prices in New Zealand are mnch better 
than those in Australia. In the latter it is Is la 
3d, and occasionally la 6d, but with us the prices 
are Is 9d, 2s and 23 4d, though the balk is sold at 
2s, the duty being 4d." 
"Do you think the consumption of Ceylon tea ia 
likely to increase ?" 
" Yes, I believe the consumption of Ceylon tea 
will increase. There is not a big population to 
work upon but the consumption is something over 
5 lb. per head." 
" Are New Zealanders as big tea drinkers as the 
Australians ?' 
" Not quite. You see Auatrdlia has a hotter cli- 
mate, and they driak much more tea there." 
''What do you think, roughly, is the' relative 
ditterence m consumption between Ceylon and Indian 
teas ? ' 
T proportion, I think, is Ceylon 3 lb. and 
Indian 2 lb 
"What kind of tea is in most demand?" 
"I think the people prefer a full-flavoured and heavy 
tea, especially in the South." 
In concluding the interview, Mr. Cripps expressed 
the opinion that Colombo tea firms were a bit behind 
in regard to the attractiveness of the labels placed 
upon the tea packages sent down to AustraUa and 
New Zealand. Very often, he said, smartly packed 
tea with attraotive labels, something indicative of 
the place from whence it comes, induces the public 
to purchase. i'""""- 
Mr. Cripps had tj,ken a trip to Kandy and Nawara 
hiif *C9unt^^^ lovely scenery of th« 
