March 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
621 
Then the cup broke, for there was a flaw 
therein— the flaw of haste. 
Then said they : *' Let us not despair, for 
there is yet more clay, the true stiff clay of 
Lanka, better far than that of China. Let 
us therefore make yet another cup ; and let 
there be no flaw therein." 
With care, they made it and it was a goodly 
vessel, neither was there any flaw therein. 
They filled the cup with tea, but filled it not 
too rapidly. 
In that tea were many leaves of strength 
and flavour, but also many stalks. 
The leaves floated in suspension for a little 
space and gave strength and aroma unto the 
liquor, and so tliat it gleamed with joy and 
was bright, saying " we will do our duty 
unto the leaves and stalks ; and cherish them 
with our abundance of moisture, so that they 
may give yet more of their frag ranee unto us 
then will there be no liquorlike unto us." • 
The leaves were not eatisfied with the 
liquor that supported them and gave to each 
its mDisture. And they murmured saying 
"Let us federate, for in unity there is surely 
strength;" and ao saying they sank slowly 
to the bottom of the cup and there united. 
The stalks, in whom there was little strength, 
but nmch lightness of heart, joined not the 
leaves, but remained in the sunshine and 
breathed of the air that was without the 
cup, saying, "This liquor is good and sup- 
porteth us right well ; let us look well out into 
world and see what is around us, being well 
satisfied with the liquor that is beneath us." 
The leaves, though united in one federa- 
tion, became both garrulous and garrulous, 
complaining one against the other and also 
against the liquor that was life unto them, 
saying "You take the liquor from me, brother 
leaf ; give me some, I wish to rise above 
this liquor and control it." 
But so soddened were they by the liquor 
that now oppressed them, that none could rise. 
Then the liquor stagnated for want of the* 
help that the leaves had given it by their 
laroma and smelt evilly in the cup. 
Then were the leaves and stalks involved in 
one common ruin. 
And the makers of the cup ponder this 
matter greatly, " What shall be done that 
this liquor may be cleansed?" 
And sume said "Let us obtain leaves of a 
more soothing quality, with less harshness 
in their contposition " and others "Let us 
filter this from its impurities or put yet 
another liquor into the cup." But the end 
of their deliberations, I know not, and 
the future is dark for the liquor, that was 
good, needeth to be purified, but cannot be 
owing to the dissension among the leaves 
and the carelessness of the stalks. 
Yroc Werdna. 
MATDRATA PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
Acreage and Tea Estate. — 5,051 acres in ten, 
4,940 acres in bearinR, 1,732,500 lb. BUck Tea, for 
1904, fqaal to 355 lb. tea per acre. No Green Teas 
are being made. High Forest estate is not in- 
cluded in these figures, as it has been included in 
those of the Udapussellawa P. A. 
Crop and Prices. — A few estates were short, while 
Bome exceeded the previous season's crop. Prices 
were better than 1902 by about one halfpenny. 
KELANI VALLEY PLANTERS' ASSOCLVTION. 
ANNUAL RKPORT. 
Meetings. — Four Committee Meetings, and four 
General Meetings have been held during the year. 
Finance. — The balance to the credit of the Associa- 
tion at the end of December 1903 i-j R2G2'52 as against 
R525'31 last year. A detailed statemenc of accounts 
is circulated among members by which will be seen 
that a contribution of R250 was subscribed on the 
occasion of the opening of the K V Railway. This item, 
together with the increased cost of advertising during 
the year accounts for the decrease in the balance 
at credit. 
Ceop.— The estimated crop for 1904 is 16,777,880 lb, 
including 5,530,080 lb. green tea. The acreage in 
bearing is 36,527 acres — 459 lb per acre, the estimated 
crop per acre being the same as last year. The total 
acreage under tea is 37,584. As compared with the 
crop estimate of 1903 which was 16,707,530 lb for 
36,864 acres in bearing, with 37,222 acres total under 
tea there is a total increase of 70,330 lb e. an 
increase in green tea of 289,880 lb and a decrease 
in black tea of 219,5501b. which your Committee 
venture to think satisfactory. 
Rubber,— Though but a small quantity of rubber ia 
at present being produced in ttie district, tUe are* 
opened in this product continues to increase rapidly 
and promises in future to rival the staple industry. 
Pests. — Your Committee is glad to report that the 
District is fairly free from pests of all kinds. 
A CAMPHOK FACTORY IN THE UNITilD 
STATES. 
The Japanese Coi.sul-General at New York 
reports that a cainphor-manufaetuiing comoany, 
styled the Port Chester Chemical Company, has 
been established in the United States. It has a 
capital of a million dollars, and expects to turn 
out from nexc September a large quantity of 
camphor which will compare well with the 
Japanese product The promoter of the Company 
is an inventor named N Z irlou (?), who four years 
ago hit upon a method of making camphor, and 
was at one time established at Niagara where he 
turned out camphor at the rate of a hundred 
pounds a day. The invention now seems to have 
given rise to this new enterprise. — Japan limes. 
TO DESTROY OIFEXSIVE WATER WEEDS. 
Mr. J B Carruthers, Assistant Director of 
the Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, has dis- 
covered a means of destroying the offensive 
weed that grows in fresh water lakes ia 
Ceylon. The weed is most common in the 
beautiful lake at Kurunegala. The process 
is a simple one, but is said to be effective, and 
has the advantage of being harmless to the 
ornamental aquatic plants. 
AN ABNORMAL DUCK'S EGG. 
A curious freak in the form of a black duck's 
egg was shown to u^ recently oylVIr. George Ftr- 
naudo, of t'olombo. The egg is of ordinary 
size but in colour is peculiar, being beautifully 
marbled and traced all over as if wonderfu lly 
shaded with Indian ink, vajying from almost white 
at I he more pointed end tc black at the other end. 
This egg and another like it , only ligiuer in sh iding 
were laid by an ordinary Ceylon duck. We have 
suggested to Mr Fernando that the egg if caiefnlly 
blown would be acceptable to the collection in the 
Colombo Museum. 
