86 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUKIST. [July 1, 1903. 
The crops have amonuted to 200,000 lb Tea, and 
5.316 lb Cardamoma (or 4,757 lb netl, as against the 
original estimafces of 235,000 lb and 3,000 lb res- 
pectively. The boaght leaf raised the total quantity 
of Tea for the year to 253,165 lb. The Tea realised 
a net average price per lb of 6*03 pence, as against 
the cost of ojd, or 32'36 cents per lb f.o.b. Colombo. 
The Exchange for the year on the Company's drafts 
averaged Is 417-32d, or the same as for 1901. 
The following Table gives the acreage of the 
Estates for the last five years: — 
1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 
591i 591J 673 673 696 
90 90 22 43 20 
34i 3ii 21 — — 
56 56 46 36 50 
10 U 38 38 24 
25 25 25 10 10 
434 430 416 441 441 
Tea in fnll bearing 
Do partial bearing 
Do not in bearing 
Cardamoms 
Do not in bearing 
Grass and Fuel Timber 
Forest and Waste Laud 
1,241 1,241 1,241 1,241 1,241 
The following is a Statement of the Tea and 
Tea. 
Cardamoms 
Yield of Tea 
lb. 
lb. 
per Acre lb. 
1898 
.. 206,620 
4,026 
349 
1899 
.. 211,361 
4,211 
357 
1900 
... 218,.572 
1,828 
325 
1901 
. . 230,002 
3,119 
342 
1902 
... 200,000 
5.316 
287 
year was 35,000 lb of Tea below expectations, and 
results have also been affected by a slight falling off 
in quality, and the lower prices ruling during the 
greater part of the year for the Company's class of 
Tea, Including purchased leaf the crop estimates for 
the present season amount to 280,000 lb of Tea and 
4,500 lb of Cardamoms. It is also expected that the 
Company will manufacture about 30,000 lb of Tea for 
another estate. The Superintendent reports favour- 
ably on the Properties, and advices that they are in 
their usual good condition. Up to the latest advices 
the yield of Tea and Cardamoms is in excess of the 
estimates. Mr William Keswick, M.P., retires from 
the Board in accordance with the Articles of Asso- 
ciation, and, being eligible, offers himself for re- 
election. The Auditors, Messrs W B Peat & Co., also 
offer themselves for re-appointineot, — By Order of 
the Board, W. H. Baktlett, Secretary. 
London. 4th May, 1903. 
SPKING VALLEY COFFEE COMPANY, LTD. 
REPORT 
to be presented to the Thirty-ninth Ordinary 
General Meeting of the Company to be held at No. 
5, Dowgate Hill, London, Tiiuisaay, May 14th 1903. 
The following Annua,! Aooounlaare now presented 
to Shareholdeis, viz :— Balance Sheet made up to 
31st December, 1902. Profit and Loss Account for the 
year ended 31st Dec. 1902. The crop of Tea for the past 
season. amounted to 699,806 lb, and this, together with 
9 315 lb. bought from neighbouring estates and manu- 
factured at Spring Valley, sold for £20,009 7s Id. The 
ci^p from the few remaiiiing Coffee trees amounted 
to 62 cvHs, 2 qrs. 4 lb, end realised £156 13s lOd, 
bein'i; at the rate of SOs. Id per cwt, against 773 7d 
obtained for the 1901 crop. Coffee was sold in Cey- 
lon to the v.i.tue of £57 lOs 3d. The total proceeds from 
the sales of produce amounted to £20,223 173 2d, 
and expenditure in Ceylon aud London to £17,200 78 
7d, leaving a profit on the year's working of £3,023 93 
7d, to which has to be added the b ilanoe of £270 3s 
7(3, brought forward from the previono year, making 
H total of j£3,2y3 133 2d. From the above sum the 
Din ctnrs have transferred £.iO0 to Factory Exten^iioD, 
aud after debiting £82 17a 2d for Income Tax and 
£'.)00 for Dividend on the Preference Share Capital for 
the 12 months ended 3l8t December, 1902, there re- 
mains ft balance of £1,810 ISs to be now dealt with. 
The Directors recommend the payment of a Divi- 
dend of 2 per cent on the Ordinary Capital, which will 
absorb £1,690 of the above sum, and that the balance 
of £210 163 be carried forward to next year. Results 
during the pist year compare with those obtained in 
the previous year as follows : — 
1902 1901. 
yield of tea per acre 4(i0 lb. 408 lb. 
Cost f, o. b. Ooloinbo, perlb. 4'47 pence 4'78 pence. 
Price realized per lb. 6'77 pence 7"19 pence. 
Owing to unfavourable weather during the latter 
mouths of the yeir, the estimated crop of tea was 
not secured, though the yield showed an improvement 
on that of 1901. The tea planted in resent years has 
not matured so rnpidly as w.is expected, and until 
the 400 acres of tea not yet being plucked comes into 
bearing, profits from the property must continue to 
be small. Prospects, however, both as regards the 
yielding capacity of the tea on Spring Valley when 
matured and well nourished, and also with regard to 
the market for our produce, are guod. The area of the 
estate as on 31st December, 1902, was as follows: — 
TKA. 
lu fnll bearing 1,521 acres. 
Planted November/December 3897 194 ,, 
,, .. 1898 1% ,. 
1901 10 ., 
Total under Tea ., ., 1,921 ., 
Total under Fuel .. .. 163 „ 
Forest, &c. .. ... 257 „ 
Oolanakande Estate abandoned 365 ,, 
Total Area ., 2,706 acres. 
Mr. L Pamin, a member of the Board, retires on 
this occasion, and, being eligible, offers himself for 
re-election. Messrs. Deloitte, Dever, Griffiths & Co., 
the Auditors, also offer Ithemseves for re-election. 
By Order, J. Alec Edberts, Secretary. 
London, 5th May 1903. 
M0SQUIT0-C¥R1NG PLA.NTS, 
Considerable ]>roniinence has been given to the 
value of the different species of Ocimum by Mr, 
Shipley's article in Nature (January, 1902) which 
treats more especially of O. vhide as a cure 
for mosquitoes. This particular variety does 
not occur in Ceylon, but the reputation of 
the plant as a mosquitofuge (to coin a new term) 
at once suggests the close connection between 
the plant in question and O, sanctum, known 
among the natives as madurutala or " the mos- 
quito plant." 
The testimony of Capt. Larymore, c M G, Kesi- 
dent, Kabba Province (Nigeria ?) is certainly very 
strong, when he avers that by placing 3 or 4 of 
the plants round his bed at night he was able to 
sleep unmolested without using a mosquito cur- 
tain ; and if we may assume that the experience 
was not a solitary one, aud also that there were 
no other circumstances prevailing to which the 
absence of mosquitoes could have been attributed, 
then we must admit that a valuable discovery has 
been made for British East Africa. For oarselves 
we are inclined to think that O. sanctum would 
serve us quite as well as O.viride, and we would 
advise all mosquito-ridden ones to take tlie hint 
from the native, as Cape. Larymore has done in 
East Africa, and make use of madurutala, the 
mosquito plant of Ceylon, in the manner suggested. 
Regarding 0. sanctum, Trimen says, " Tlie 
sceuD of the bruised leaves is faintly sourly (sic) 
aromatic ; they are used in medicine in cases of 
cough and catarrh," but he does not add, " also for 
keeping away mosquitoes— hence the native name," 
