Feb, 1, 1904.] 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
527 
two or three years the quantity arriving would not 
be sufficient for tlie nianufaci urer's needs, and he 
would require to go tlie market for wliatever exira 
he required. As years went on, however, this 
disadvantai^e would become less and less. So 
far as can be ascertained at the present time, it is 
perfectly certain that once these rubber trees come 
into bearing and are tappeil in a rational manner, 
the amount of rubber wliich can be drav/n from 
them for many y?ars to tome is definite in quan- 
tity, and the supply could only be s-topped by 
such unforeseen incidents as an earthquake, tor- 
nado, or so forth. 
ADVANTAGES OF A REGULAR SUPPLY. 
The full advantages of obtaining a regular supply 
of rubber of a consistent quality, free from adul- 
teration of any kind, would ii.ave to be experien- 
ced before they could be completely recugnif-ed. 
So far as the price is concerned, this might be 
arranged iu three ways — namely, either based on 
the market price on tlie day when the rubber was 
received, or by taking the average price throughout 
the year, or yet again by fixing the price at the 
beginning of llie year to be applied to all rubber 
received throughout the ensuing twelve months. 
Of course there are objections to any of these 
methods. For instance, if the price of rubber 
became lower during the year, it might pay the 
planter to tap fewer trees, and reserve his rubber 
until the price rose again. Similarly, if the price 
of rubber was high, he would naturally try to send 
as much as possible during that period. Still, there 
is no doubt that au arrangement could be come to, 
which would be witheut any objection, and which 
in working would give the manufacturer and the 
planter the full advantages of the saving that 
would come from direct trade. The qiieslion, how- 
ever, is, would any manufacturer be inclined to 
depart from the usual custom and give such a sys- 
tem of direct trading a trial ? To us it has all the 
appearance of offering benefits to both parties, 
and we should not be at all surprised to learu 
that there are manufacturers open to at least 
discuss the proposal from the planter's puint of 
view. At the present time such a dibcussion 
would be welcomed, and especially iu the instance 
which we have in our mind, because it would give 
him the chance of learning hoiv to prepare the 
rubber so as to exactly meet the view of the 
manufacturer, not only as to the methods used 
in the so-called coagulation, but also as to the 
form in which the rubber should be sent." 
How do Ceylon planters regard these suggestion ? 
We should like to have some opinions expressed 
as the matter is of considerable interest and im- 
portance. 
LATEST CEYLON PATENTS. 
FIRST APPLICATION FROM A SINHALESE LADY. 
A list of grants of Exclusive Privilege under the 
Inventions Ordinance of 1892 during the half year 
ended 3lst December last appears in yesterday's 
Gazette, They number 24 in all, of which the 
following are of immediate local interest : — 
768. — Edwiu Rice Wiggia of Batnbrakelly estate, 
Lindnla, Oeylcn. — An invention for mannfactuiiDg 
green tea in the factory by means of the nso of the 
air of the atmosphere instead of heated air aa at pre- 
Bent obtaing. — July 21, lil03. 
780. — Walter Lamout of Cairnsmorc, Queen street. 
Helensbarg, Dumbartonshire, Sootlaud, and David 
Kinlocb Micbio of Colombo Iron Works, Colombo, 
Oeyloa.— Improvements iu and relating to tea drying 
inachines, — Angast 20, 1903, 
727. — Horace Drnramond Deane, Tea Planter, of 
Stagbrook tea estate, Peermaad, Travancore, and 
Charles George Landeeer Judge, .Jonrnalist, of d?, 
Free School t eet. nud No. 5/1, Coancil House Btreet, 
Calcutta both in British Iiidia.r-An invention for 
" a centrifugal drier for steamed tea leaf." — Septem- 
ber 29. 1903. 
7.^3.— Alfred Ernest Caldioott. District Engineer 
of the Public Works Department of Ceylon. — 
Invention for a metal clip for fastening planka 
to bridges and similar structures. — Sept. 30, 1903. 
794.— Adelaide Attygalle of " Eversley," Wolf- 
endahl, Colombo. — Invention for the piealing of 
i ickets worn by Sinhalese ladies. — Nov. 12, 1903. 
7tt6.— Edwin Rice Wiggin of Bambrakelly estate, 
Lindnla. — Invention of an improvement on the "All. 
eyne's Tea Roller Invention." No. 710, Nov. 12, 1903, 
807.— Peter Stuart Brown of Bothwell park- 
Bothwell, Lancashire, Scotland, Manufacturer.— Im- 
provements in boxes for holding tea. — Nov. 16, 1903. 
704. —Frank Edmund Winsland and George Ernest 
Moore, both of the Joyhing tea estate. North Lakhim- 
pur, Upper Assam, India, Tea Planters. — Improve- 
ments in apparatus suitable for packing tea. — Nov. 
30, 1908. 
709.— Patrick Duncan Gonrlay Clark of Balangoda 
in the District of Sabaragamuwa. — Improvements for 
the purpose of air-heating and economising fuel. — 
Dec. 16, 1903. 
Miss Adelaide Attygalle is the eldest daughter 
of Dr J Attygalle and we believe she is the first 
Sinhalese lady to apply for and obtain a patent) 
for any invention in the history of her country. 
THE 0FEIC1.\L TEA CEOP ESTIMATE, 
1.55,000,000 lb. 
The Secretary of the Planters' Association of 
Ceylon telegraphs as follows : — 
Kandy, Jan. 8. 
The Ceylon Planters' Association Com- 
mittee estimates the tea crop for export in 
1904 at 155,000,000 lb. The acreage in tea 
is 380,000 of which 10,000 acres are not yet 
in bearing. 
NOTES ON TACKLE EOil INDIAN SEA 
FISHING. 
(To the Editor, "Indian Field.") 
Sir,— During the past mouth I have done a 
good deal of sea fishing, in and just outside 
Karachi Harbour. The sport to be obtained 
is excellent and the fishing outfit need only 
be of the simplest description. The angling 
maybe divided into three kinds— first fishing 
off rocks and piers for rock perch and other 
fish which are to be found close to the shore. 
For this, light paternoster tackle and small 
hooks are required, while the rod should be 
about 12 or li feet long in order to give 
one sufdcient reach. One does not often 
hook heavy fish from the shore, and when 
it does happen the usual result is a smash, 
for sea fish are strong for their size and 
extraordinarily active. The rock perches 
run from half a pound to over two pounds 
and when the larger ones are taking well it 
is excellent fun. A bullet of from half to 
three-quarters of an ounce, and a hook 
attached just above it dropper fashion with 
about eight or nine inches of gut, is the most 
suitable kind of tackle. The trace itself can 
be of double gut or Hercules gimp, I 
