THE ^BOPIGAL AGRlOULTURIST. 
Cfto'p.'-^'tbt'^acreage in teB, 5,318; acreapfe in bear- 
ing, 4,881 ; total tea crop, 2,141,000 ; estimate of 
green tea to be made nil: acreage of tea land abandoned 
during the past year, 4; average 438 lb made tea per 
acre. The decrease of green teas is to be deplored. 
Vi^e consider that a small bonns should at any rate be 
offered to those who are enterprising enough to erect 
new machinery. 
Tea Pests. — We are glad to record once again that 
we are more or less free from tea peats. A Pest Com- 
mittee was appointed, and in the absence of any 
report, we are glad to conclude the fiistriot free from 
any serious diseases. • . . ; 
♦ ■ 
QALLB DISTRICT PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
* '' /'. ( BEPORT FOE 1903. 
Your Committee has pleasure iu reporting that the 
Association is still well supported, 16 estates, with 
a cultivated area of 4,547 acres of tea and coconuts, 
being represented by 13 members on the register. 
There are, however, alill many estates owned by 
native gentlemen and others whom the Aasociation 
would be glad to welcome. 
OBor. — The 1903 season has been a short one in 
this as in other districts owing to the abnormal season. 
The crop for 1904 in estimated at 2,300,000 lb. of tea, 
the ^ame as in 1903. 
CocosuTS.— Yield and prices generally have been 
poor, 
EuBBER.— Plantations are doing well, but yield is 
slack at preeent owing to the immaturity of the 
trees. Good retmna have been obtained for the 
older trees, with top prices. 
Cinnamon.— Yield good ; prices poor ; but exten- 
Bions have been numerous, 
SudAE Cdltivation — much decreased, owing to poor 
prices. 
Bainfall— about normal. 
Labour. — Tamil labour is short of requirements, 
but Sinhalese village labour has been plentiful. 
A COCONUT PEST. 
I NEW GENUS AND SPECIES. 
" At a meeting ot the Linnean Society, held on 
Novembei" 25bl), 1903, as recorded in Nature of 
January 21st, 1904, a description was read by 
Mr. David Sharp, F.E.S., ot a new genus and 
species ot Coleoptera (Fam. Hispidse) from New 
Britain. The generic name Brontispa, u. gen. Cliry- 
somelidarum (Hispides, group Cryptoiiychides), 
ia proposed for this insect, which has of late done 
much damage in coconut plantatipns. 
THE CEYLON GAME PROTECTION SOCIETY. 
GENEBAL meeting at NUWAEA ELIYA. 
At a General Mfetingof the above Society held 
at the Hill Club atl'SO p.m., Mr James KMai tm 
presided. Present : — Major W L Murray-Menzies, 
Messrs H V Masefiekl, H A Beachcrofb, PR." hand, 
H C Kennedy, W Oimiston, K Jackson, H V Hill, 
J C Kennedy and Thomas Farr. Notice calling the 
meeting was read. Minutes of a General Meeting 
held on the 16th September, 1903, were read and 
conlirmed. 
MrFAKR— addressing the meeting, said he did 
not prepare a report on the past year's work. 
He had not done so as the work to the end of 1902 
had been fully dealt within his exhaustive report 
for that year on the 20ih of February. 1903. He 
had brought, written notes which he proposed to 
read ; if good enough a report thpy might adopt 
Ihem as such. They were as follows :-r- 
Gentlemen, 1 do not think that you will cflU n^pon 
me for a printed report in the usual form when 
you have heard what I have to say on the work 
done by this Society during the year 1903. My 
report 1902-3 was laid before you 12 months ago, 
but it embraced rniist matters of any importance 
that the Society had undur its consideration during 
the early part of 1903. The meeting at which tlie 
report was read and adopted was held on February 
20! h and since that date only one general meeting 
had been held on September ]6tli. At this meeting 
a draft of proposed new rules was presented to you 
by the Hon. Secretary wiio was requested to get 
them published in the local papers with the view 
of inviting criticism. This, I regret to say, has 
lamentably failed in its object and the biead I 
have cast upon the waters has returned unto me. 
The question of shooting in the Hill ile.«erves was 
dealt with at some length in my last report and at 
the General Meeting in September, I was thanked 
by the Hon, Secretfiry of the Haputale branch for 
the fair and unbiased way in which the case had 
been submitted to Government. The outcome of 
the whole discussion, correspondence and debate on 
this much-vexed question has been the letter from 
the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, dated June 9th 
19C3, in which the conditions to be attached togame 
license in the future are fully and clearly set forth. 
The Question of close season for Whistling 
Tkal (Dendro cygna Javanica)— was taken up 
by the Society at the instiijation of the Hon. G M 
Fowler, G. A., Western Province, and the Hon. 
secretary was requested to make enquiries from 
the G. A.'s of the various provinces as to the 
breeding seasons of these birds in different parts 
of the Island. The correspondence connected with 
these enquiries necessarily occupied much tim and 
when I had received all the replies to my letters 1 
forwarded them to the Hon. the Colonial 
Secretary who subsequently wrote, informing 
me that the close season for Whistling Teal 
in the W P. had been fixed for July, Au- 
gust and September and that as regards the 
other provinces the action of the Government 
Agents concerned should be awaitCii. Having 
since heard nothing more on the ."subject it is to be 
concluded that the necessity for a close season 
elsewhere does not exist. 
IvEVENUE. — In my speech at the meeting of 
September 20th I referred to the flagging interest 
in the Protection of Game in Ceylon and I .fore- 
shadowed a falling off in revenue during the current 
year. This, I regret to state, has been fully 
realised and we aie now spending in excess of our 
income. The Society's funds have diminished 
during this year to the extent of some R300 — our 
balance in December, 1902, having been about 
Rl,800 against about Rl,500 this year. This is 
in &ome measure attributable to the Branch 
Societies of Nawalapitiya and Haputale having 
alienated subscriptions which used to flow into the 
treasury of the Parent Society. So that although 
the strength of the Parent body is somewhat 
impaired, the falling off of expenditure on the 
protection of game is not so great as appears on 
the surface. I think I may safely put down some 
of the withdrawal of support to the apparently 
insuperable difficulties in the way of obtaining 
convictions in our Police Courts. Offenders against 
the game Laws have been repeatedly prosecuted 
during the past 12 months — some of them being 
caught almost red-handed — and yet they have been 
acquitted in almost every instance; and whet ' 
