468 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST; 
[Jan; 1, 1904. 
producer is not being sacrificed in the interests of 
the green tea buyer, and on this point we are left 
some what in the dark. Now what I should like 
to ask the black tea producer is this. Is the penny 
a lb rise in black tea chiefly owing to the removal 
from the London market of 5J million pounds of 
tea made into greens ? If this is so, have you 
not by taxing yourself '30 cents per lb bene- 
fitted to the extent' of 4'70 cents par lb which 
amounts are the difference between 1902 and 
1903 prices. If you have benefitted to this 
extent, it appears to me, it woali not hurt you 
to continue paying this tax indefinitely and in 
increasing ratio until blacks and greens prices are 
on the same level when it might even then pay 
you to go on if by not doing so there was a chance 
of 10 millions of greens reverting to blacks. I do 
not say you have benefited or that it v/ould pay 
you ; I merely ask the question. If, on the other 
hand, the rise in the price of blacks has not been 
caused by the quantity of green tea made, the 
bonus should be stopped immediately 5 millions 
of greens have been made. Perhaps, indeed, it 
should not have been voted at all. 
I ask these questions not because as a producer 
of green tea I want to enlist the further sympathy 
of the growers of blacks, but because I know there 
is a strong rninority who would like to see :the 
green tea bonus swept away, and who feel, I may 
say bitterly feel, that they are charitably assisting 
the green tea grower lo make huge profits. Now 
the Ceylon tea planter whether he grows blacks or 
greens is reluctant if not unwilling to accept 
charity at the hands of anyone, especially of the 
latter producer. Moreover, I believe, that the es- 
tates which are now making greens will still be able 
to live, even if they have to revert to blacks, which 
they will certainly do when the bonus ceases unless 
backs and greens are fetching prices identical. Is 
it to the interest of the growers of 140 million 
pounds of black tea to allow the green tea pro- 
ducer to return to blacks ? I do not say it is, I 
merely ask the question. I show a fevv low- 
country averages last week, green and blacks and a 
few of up-country blacks viz ; — 
LOW GROWN. 
Blacks. Greens. 
Avissawella 
.. 38 
Chesterford ... 
37 faced 
Ganapalla 
.. 38 
Ellakande 
34 
Glendon 
... 39 
Farnham 
-32 
Kelham 
... 38 
Vincit 
33 
Ninfiekl 
.. 36 
Contract estates 
Polatgama 
.. 37 
say 
|34i 
HIGH 
GROWN. 
Agraonvah 
... 45 
Gampaha 
44 
Ballagalla 
... 41 
Middleton 
51 
^Brownlow 
.. 47 
Preston 
46 
Coreen 
... 43 
Scarborough . . 
48 
Tounnagory ... 59 
I show these latter because we are always being 
told — lots of low grown teas, good up-country 
prices; shortage of low growns, bad up-country 
prices. 
I raise this questions now so that we may have 
plenty of time to consider the matter during the 
next six months. — Yours, &c. 
November 23rd, 1903. W. FORSYTHE. 
THE FUTURE OP RUBBER IN THE 
MALAY STATES. 
Klang, Selangor, Nov. 24. 
Dear Sir, — I write with reference to an 
interview which appeared in the Ceylon Observer 
of October 28th with Mr M S Parry of 
the PMS United Planters' Association, and 
Mr Tunniclift'e. I do not wish to question the 
great future of Rubber in the Malay Peninsula 
nor to. enter into a discussion as to whether the 
alluvial fiats of the Klang, Perak and other rivers 
are better for Rubber cultivation than the Hill 
lands ; for Planters cannot have had their eyes 
shut as to how such well-drained flats have proved 
their capabilities in coffee, tea and cacao; (I 
do not allude to some undrainable swamps or to 
such so close to the sea and so low that they are 
affected by high tides) ; but I agree with the old 
saying about comparisons, and I cannot under- 
stand how the Ceylon Observer's, informants had 
the courage to dictate the following -paragraph: — 
"Klang and Upcountry Land."— "The 
varieties cultivated are Para and Eambong. This 
latter kind, the Ficus Elastica, does well at the 
Negri Sembilan, and in the Klang land is far 
preferable to Para. Th# Klang is the heavy, 
undrained deep soil Dy the coast, and is excellent 
for coffee, but not as suitable for rubber as the 
upcountry districts, as the roots cannot get 
sufficient grip in the sofD soil and the 
sea-winds frequently blow down the trees ; 
also white an£s are very troublesome there. 
In connection with this Mr Parry thinks the 
Ceylon Planters and others who invested in Mr. 
Wickwar's upcountry Estates are to be congra- 
tulated, this land being preferable to the Klang. 
Certain upcountry planters, Mr Tunhicliflfe in- 
formed us, having been asked to float their estates 
as Companies gave the rejoinder that when they 
got a good thing, why should they give it away 
by floating. The Planters there evidently have 
faith in the future of the Malay States Rubber 
industry." 
If they wished to do Mr Wickwar's Company 
a good turn, they have had their wish gratified, 
for I know of no better Upcountry Estate than 
the (now) Seremban Company's, and I have not 
got a word to say against it. It may prove 
itself to be even as good as what is considered by 
many men to be the best Rubber Estate in the 
Peninsula namely the Sungei Rongam Estate (The 
Salangor Rubber Co.) with 1150 acres opened in 
Rubber, and 3600 acres of reserve jungle lying 
between river and Railway for over 5 miles, and 
with 3 Railway stations on it) which is in the 
Klang district, and of which Professor Troub 
(of Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, Java) said last 
month "It was a magnificent sight, and I did 
not expect to see such a grand sheet of Rubber 
in the Malay Peninsula." All the Klang district 
is not good ; but there are plenty of splendid 
Estates in Klang which I do not intend to 
mention, for I feel suie that other Planters 
will feel hurt on your informants' remarks whether 
they happen to have good or bad estates. 
I shall say nothing about my own estates in the 
Klang district more than that' I have heard the 
opinion of such as Messrs. E S Grigson, Thomas 
North Christie and Norman Grieve on it, and I 
am prepared to take their opinions, as against your 
informants' ; though none of these men ever ran 
down the Upcountry estates for, like me, very likely 
they are interested in both and consider compari- 
sons as I do. I would not answer this letter had 
it only appeared in a local paper, for the opinions 
expressed in it would do no^harm here ; but as I 
represent owners of estates in both Klang and 
Ku\vala Lumpur I feel it my duty to take some 
notice of it, and if possible to prevent such wrong 
expression of opinions ; and hope that both up- 
