14 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST 
[July 1, 1901. 
Enquire of Major Gordon Eeeves if seed offhi.s 
Oascilloa trees is available : we should be inclined 
to try tliis kind in Malale.— Ed. T.A.] 
CULTIVATION OF CHILLIES IN 
CEYLON. 
Colombo, May 28. 
Sir, — Could you put me in the vray of ob- 
taining reliable infornjation about the plant- 
ing of chillies on a large scale. Has this 
ever been tried in this country by a Eiu'O- 
pean ? I understand that most of the chillies 
consumed here are imported from India, so 
that there should be a good profit if planted 
on suitable soil where they will crop well. 
The estate wheire I would propose to plant 
thein has very good soil and is situated at 
an elevation of about 18OO-20OU feet. The 
climate is a dry one, excepting for the 
months of the N.-E. monsoon. Any infor- 
mation will be thankfully received. — Yours 
faithfully, W. E. G. . 
[We refer our correspondent to the Tropical 
,Agricti'.htrist for August, 1900, page 75, and 
still better to November, 1900, page 369, where 
— after instructions as to planting — it is stated 
that very little labour or trouble is required 
to cultivate chillies in almost any kind of 
soil on the N.-B. coast of Queensland. 
Whether that is a guarantee for success at 
2,000 feet in Ceylon can only he proved by 
trial. We think the experiment well worth 
a trial. (Has our correspondent ever heard 
of the hard-up planter, whose coffee had 
gone to the bad, nuiking an honest penny 
out of a patent medicine for rheumatism 
and other ills of the flesh in the mother- 
country — a medicine Vi'hich took the breath 
away of old people, but certainly warmed 
them up in an innocent way : on being 
pressed by an old friend, the patentee con- 
fessed he had nothing but a decoction of 
Ceylon chillies !) — How'ever, as our corre- 
spondent says, there is a real need for the 
local cultivation of chillies and other vege- 
tables : it is a disgrace that we should be so 
dependent on India for so many products. 
Look for instance at our imports of arrow- 
root, tapioca and sago, all of which should be 
produced not only for local consumption but 
export ; and yet Ceylon pays nearly R100,000 
a year for its supply !— Ed. T.A.] 
CACAO PODS. 
Wattegama, May 30. 
Dear Sir, — Since writing my first report 
on Cacao Pods and Seeds, I have received 
a pqd said to be a. new variety called Puerto 
Cabella and sold by one planter at 30 cents 
per pod. I have been asked to say 
whether that pod was anything like the pods 
I gave a;i account of. This pod whs Ih inches 
long, lOi inches circumference, weighed 
lib in all; 8eed 12 roundish and 28 flattish ; 
weight of wet seed 4.| oz. and colour of pod, 
shajje and seed, when cut open, as near as 
possible to ^vhat I described as No. 2 Cunde- 
amoi'. 1'his lattei" was the name attached 
to the original plant received by me from 
Trinidad in 1878 and there is now many 
trees of that variety in Ceylon, planted from 
seed of that original plant. I'he pod I 
described was larger, more in weight, number 
of seed, &c. Another pod has been sent to me; 
this is from a Ceylon cacao estate and is also a 
Cmideamor, but grown on poor soil, weight 
of pod I lb, 41 seed 2g oz. only (wet). C. P. 
CEYLON (AND OTHEU) TEA IN 
GERMANY. 
Kandy, May 31. 
Sir,— I herein enclose interesting statistics, 
received from Mr. J H Kenton, regarding Ceylon 
tea in Germany — I am, Sir, Yours faitlifnily, 
A. PHILIP. 
TEA ENTERED FOR HOME CONSUMPTION 
IN GERMANY. 
From Great Britain 
BritiGh Eaist India } 
Ceylon j 
Holland 
Dutch East Indies 
China 
Elsewhere 
1899. 1900. 
Kilos. Kilos. 
o02,S00 322,600 
370,500 235,100 
included in India 11(5,700 
ig.'i.lOO 104,i'00 
300,200 380,800 
... 1,828,700 1,831,200 
34,100 63.200 
2,958,900 3,053,500 
lb. lb. 
Say 6,509,580 Say 6,717,700 
Oeylon has only been kept separate from India 
since September, 1900 :— 
EXPORTS. 
lb. lb. 
i!xom Colombo .. 346,959 402,717 
From Calcutta .. 701,877 861,'780 
Against Imports for 
Home Consumption... 
What has become of 
the balance of 
1,051,886 1,264,497 
704,000 773,960 
347,836 490,537 
NATIVES AND TEA DRINKING. 
Ambeganmwa, June 10th. 
Sir,— I think it would be a capital idea if yoa 
would invite suggestions in your columns for edu- 
cating the natives of Ceylon to drink tea ; you 
will remember what Lord Curzon said about the 
300,000,000 natives of India that were only waiting 
to learn to like tea before taking many mil- 
lion pounds of our output off the present markets, or 
words to that effect. At present my idea is that, 
though tea is dirt cheap, it is not so very easy 
for natives to buy it at anything like the price we 
sell it for in Colombo, even supposing they wish 
to buy it ; and a great proportion do not wish to 
buy it at all because they have never learnt to like it. 
I consider it is our duty to teach them to like 
it and to enable them to buy it from ns at the 
price we are getting for it in Colombo, minus 
brokers' charges, rail freight, &c.,— and packing in 
certain cases. Now for mij suggestions, They are 
put forward for what they are worth ; better ideas 
should follow, but someone must make a start. 
(\). Let every Superintendent have a notice np' 
in Tamil and Sinhalese at some place where it will 
catch the eye of the passer-by, to this effect: 
"Good tea for sale for cash (say) 1st grade 20 cents 
pe»jilb., 2uci p;rade 10 cents per lb. 
