March 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
629. 
The Club is particularly fortunate in 
having the advice of an expert sportsman 
at the present juncture when they seem to 
hesitate between a continuation of expen- 
sively imported ova— with most lamentable 
losses— and striking out on their own with 
almost certain success at comparatively small 
cost. The best fish for Ceylon is undoubtedly 
the rainbow trout and not the brown, as 
the former, though introduced only some 
six years ago, has bred freely here, whereas 
the latter, though introduced quite 16 years 
ago, has never bred at all. The x'ainbow is 
a native of California but it has been suc- 
cessfully acclimatised to the South Eastern 
States of America; the South of England, 
the North Island of New Zealand and 
Ceylon. It is never likely to do well in the 
colder waters of England or New Zealand — 
so say writers to " Land and Water," "The 
Encyclopedi.i of Spcrt " and other papers 
and books. Hence, no doubt, Mr Murly's 
preference for brown trout. Here, however, 
the warmer the water the better they seem 
to like it : so let the Fishing Club turn 
them out in their thousands into every stream 
and river in the island, and I will swear 
they will surprise the natives, if no one 
eise.-yours faithfully,— PISCATOR. 
WHISTLING TEAL IN THE SOUTHERN 
PKOVINCE.-t. 
Ambalangoda, Feb. 21. 
Dear Sir,— I was glad to note in your 
paper of the 9th inst., a paragraph re the close 
season for Whistling Teal in the S. and 
W. Provinces. My experience is, after n 
good many years' " Feather " shooting in 
these provinces, tha.t August and September 
are the only two months when fair sport 
can be had with these bii'ds, and that by 
Flight Shooting " only. The plea for the 
closing of these months put up by the 
Government Agents of these provinces is, I 
believe, that young Teal (presumably 
fledglings) abound during August and Sep- 
tember. This is erroneous as to such num- 
bers. Though late birds are to be found 
in every " Feathered Species," depending 
mostly on the vagaries of the nidification 
season. This, however, is no earthly reason 
why an excellent sport should be knocked 
on the head. Please note that the above re- 
marks refer to the Southern and Western 
Pre vinces.— Yours faithfully, 
M. J. ALDERSON. 
IL 
Vavouiya, N.P., 24th Feb., 1904. 
Dear Sir, — With regard to the close sea- 
son for Whistling Teal in the Southern and 
Western Provinces I cannot pretend to the 
experience Mr. Alderson has of both dis- 
tricts; but I think it would be a pity to 
have the open season before at least the 1st 
of September. 
Many of us who used to attend the Uru- 
gasmanhandiya Camp, usually held towards 
the end of August, will remember the baskets 
of very young teal that were brought for 
sitle to tpe Camp each year ; and in 1902, 
which may have been an abnormally late 
year, I know that they were being caught 
unfledged well into September, and being 
brought for sale into Kalutara. 
In the drier districts they do not seem to 
keep to these months mentioned, as I have 
seen them in the Hambantota district with 
the young unfledged in mid-December, and 
this year, 1 disturbed a teal with two young 
"flappers" on the 9th of January in a tank 
in this district. But in Kalutara district, 
which I have known off and on now for ten 
years, I have always looked upon August and 
September as the months for young birds, 
and whether the close season is made for 
these months or not, it is surely against all 
sporting instincts to shoot the parent birds 
at such a time. W. FEKGUSON. 
RUBBER PLANTI^G IN CEYLON. 
London, E.G., Feb. 5th. 
Dear Sir,— You may be glad to have copy 
of the enclosed letter on the subject of 
Faibber Planting appearing in the presant 
issue of " Commercial Intelligence. ' I must 
plead guilty to sending them the extract 
appearing in their previous number. Regard- 
ing the Rubber Seed experiments I have 
embodied some further information in a 
letter to a Rubber journal.— I am, yours truly, 
J. CORYTON ROBERTS. 
[The letter appears elsewhere — .Ed. T.A.'\ 
RUBBER CULTIVATION AND BRITISH 
IMPORT TEA DUTY 
Kandy, Feb. 23rd, 1904, 
Sir,— I enclose for the information of those 
interested copy of letters received from the Secre- 
tary o' the Ceylon Association in London in 
reference to Rubber cultivation and British Import 
Duty on Tea — Yours faithfully, A. PHILIP. 
RUBBER PLANTING BY THE INDIAN GOVRENMENT. 
Ceylon Association in London, 61 and 62, Grace- 
church Street, E.C., Feb. 5th, 1904. 
A. Philip E«q. 
Dear Sir,— I have the pleasure to enclose copy 
of further correspondence with the India Office 
as to the planting of Rubber trees in Burma aqd 
elsewhere, I also enclose copy of reply from the 
Chancellor of the E.xchequer to a joint letter from 
the Indian and Ceylon Associations on the sub- 
ject of the Tea duty here. Printed copies of thi-s 
letter go to you under separate cover. — Yours 
faithfully, (Signed) Wm. Martin Leake, Secy. 
Ceylon Association in London, 61 and 62 Grace- 
church Street , London E.G. Jan. 25th, 1904. 
Sir A Godley, K.c b , Undersecretary of State 
for India in Council, Whitehall S.W. 
Sir, — Referring to the previous correspondence 
in regard to the planting of Rubber trees by the 
Indian Government in Burma I am to say that the 
Tea and Produce Committee of this Association; 
having consiilered the explanations given in your 
letters (R and S 3060) of 11th ultimo, and (P and S 
3196) of 18th ultimo, quite agree that these expla- 
nations in a measure modify the effect feared from 
the planting experiment in Burma. The Com- 
mittee regret to say however that information has 
