198 
t;be tropical 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 1, 1903. 
country tea still available for opening; in Ceylon, 
but there is no high laud available. In the low- 
country labour, unhealthiness, and poor quality 
of tea, especially if made into black, stop in- 
creased production even there. I fancy India is 
in the same boat as regards labour and un- 
healthiness even in regions where there is plenty 
of good land situated so as to give strong and 
well-flavoured tea. 
Manuring can only keep up the production on 
land opened, so tliat our present exports may not 
be less. Burying prunings with basic slag takes 
up such a lot of labour as to double the cost of 
what is entered" .as pruning over the area so 
treated. The regular routine of pruning is thus 
hindered and so the entire yield of the *' buried 
pruning" area is counterbalanced by the diminished 
yield on fields of the estate that ought to be pruned 
and are not from want of labour. 
Cacao is a product that Oeylon men can never 
depend on getting the same price two years running. 
Tea can only be grown now in Ceylon and India. I 
mean tea to please the taste of the man in the 
street. Cacao may be grown in any tropical 
country even where labour is scarce, and there 
are few tropical countries that have such poor 
soil to grow cacao as Ceylon. 
Stocks of cacao suddenly increase and poor 
Ceylon is not accountable but for a very small 
part of this increase. Wilson, Smithett ^5 Co. in 
their circular of 24th July, give : — Tons. 
' Stocks of cacao in Port of London 1903... 79,299 
Do do do 1902... 70,324 . 
— 9, 000 tons increase in one year. What a small 
portion of this increase can be credited to Ceylon 
as shown in the same circular : — 
London stock of Ceylon and 
JavaCocoa, 1903 .., ... 11,108 bags 
Do 1902 ... ... 12,104 do 
Indeed there is a diminution, instead of an 
increase, and yet the total increase of cocoa stock 
is 9,000 tons, not packages. The price of cocoa 
is dominated by the exports of other countries 
than Ceylon, and so the Ceylon cacao planter 
must work in the dark. * 
Caidamonis? Alas and alack ! Over-production 
of a character that one sees no finality to at 
present is what the Ceylon and India cardamom 
planter has now to face. I wish him a happy 
issue out of all his troubles, but hae my doots. 
Cinchona is something like the religious in 
the British army other than Roman Catholic, 
Anglican, Presbyterian and Wesleyan— ic's a 
"fancy article," as the Sergeant-Major shouted 
out when announcing time for the soldiers of the 
garrison to march off to their respective places of 
worship. Java is the ruling factori butldon't think 
Ceylon will ever do much, for neither our climate 
nor soil are fitted for its successful cultivation. 
Other minor products, like the mioor prophets, 
are very excellent, but essays on them or sermons 
from the texts they contain are seldom attempted. 
—Yours, &c., PRODUCER. 
Japanese Exports of Camphor.— The value 
of the camphor exported from Japan in 1902, 
amounted to £347,577, while in 1901 it reached 
the sum of £398,632, leaving a balance in favour, 
of the latter year of £51,055. The United States, 
United Kingdom, Germany, British India and 
Hongkong°are the chief consumers. — Bril/tsh and 
Colonial Druggist, July 31. 
THE MOCHA TEA COilPANY OF CEYLON, LTD. 
THE ANNUAL EEPOBT. 
The Directors have the pleasure to submit their 
Report and Accounts for the season ending 30th 
Jane, 1903. 
The total quantity of tea made on the Company's 
estates was 439,965 lb. costing 28 97 cents per pound 
in Colombo — of which 3'88 cents per pound was for 
manuring— while the net price realized was 45-60 
cents per pound compared with 41*56 cents last 
season. 
The net profit for the year, after providing for 
a bonus of R2,000 to the Mauagers, is R81,263-80 
equal to 20 per cent on the Capital of the 
Company. 
Daring the year an Interim Dividend of 4 per 
cent has been paid, and after passing a sum of 
Rl,875'78 to Depreciation Fund there remains at 
credit of the Profit and Loss account a balance of 
R64,667'93, which the Directors recommend should 
be dealt with as follows : — 
That a final Dividend of 13 per cent, 
(making 17 per cent for the season) 
be paid, absorbicg ... ... E52 520 00 
That there be placed to Reserve 
Account .. ... ... 10,000 00 
And that the balance be carried forward 
to the new season . . ... 2,147'93 
R64,667-93 
The Depreciation Fund now stands at R89,764 24 
which if deducted from the total cost of buildings 
and machinery (104,764-24) will reduce those items 
to the round sum of R15,000, and the Directors 
therefore do not consider it necessary to place any 
farther amoant to Depreciation. 
Your Directors regret that owing to nnfavoarable 
weatker the crop on all the estates was short of 
the estimate, but it is gratifying to see that the 
better prices realised more than made up for the 
deficiency in yield. 
The Company's properties consist of : — 
1,067 Acres Tea o years old and upwards 
12 do Tea 4 years old 
92 do Forest, &e., and Fuel Trees 
52 do Grass. 
■43 do Roads, Buildings, etc. 
1,266 Acres, 
The estimated crops for season 1903-04 amount 
to 467,600 lb. to cost R126,360-50 in Colombo from 
which sum the rents of the Glentilt Bazaars have 
to be deducted. 
In accordance with the Articles of Association 
Mr E' W Bois retires from the Board but being 
eligible offers himself for re-eleotion. 
It will be necessary to appoint an Auditor for 
season 1903-04. — By order of the Board, 
J. M. Robertson & Co , Agents and Sesretaries. 
Colombo, 27th July, 1903. 
THE PINE HILL ESTATES CO., LTD. 
ANNUAL GENEBAL MEETING. 
DiEBOTOBs: — Messrs H St C Bowie Evans, F M 
Mackwood, F Hunter ; Agents and Secretaries : 
Mackwood & Co. 
bepokt of the directors. 
Acreage : 
Acres. 
Tea in bearing . . 279J 
Young tea 1898 ... 31 
do 1899 .. 65 
Cardamoms ... 
Jungle and Patana ■ ... 9 
Fuel and Grass .. 11 
Waste Land ... li 
Scrub (disputed) . . 18 
416| - 
