190 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 2, i90L 
asfor stakes for fences. From parts of the tree wine 
and vinegar are made. It yields also a saccharine 
substance, as well as a starch resembling sago. In 
periods of famine, caused by protracted droughts, 
the nutritious tubstances obtained from it are of im- 
mense benefit to the poorer classes. Its fruit is used 
for feeding cattle. The pulp has an agreeeble taste ; 
and the nut, which is oleaginous and emulsive, is 
Bometimes used as a substitute for cofiee. Of the 
wood of the stem musical instruments, water-tubes 
and pumps are made. The pith is an excellent snb- 
Btitute for cork. From the stem a white liquid, 
similar to the milk of the coconut, and a fiour resem- 
bling maizena may be extracted. Of the straw, hats, 
baskets, brooms, and mats are made. A considerable 
quantity of this straw is shipped to Europe ; and a 
part of it returns to Brazil manufactured into hats. 
The straw is also used for thatching houses. More- 
over, salt is extracted from it, and likewise an alkali 
used in the manufacture of common soap. But from an 
industrial and commercial point of view, the most 
raluable product of the carnahuba tree is the wax 
obtained from its leaves. 
[We do not tind the name of this palm in 
Trimen's Guide to the Peradeniya Gardens ; but 
it is very probably growing there and we think 
■ne noticed the description in the magazine at 
the time it appeared. At the same time, this 
palm is no more wonderful in the multifarious pur- 
poses to which it can be put than the coconut or 
palmyra with the hundred or more uses found for 
the fruit, leaves, fibre &c.— Ed. CO.] 
Let us look at what your owners promiged. 
They promised to reduce tiie yield by four million 
pounds of tea. They knew that if they made 
this 4 millions they would get money for it 
at market rates, tliat is to say, 5 annas per 
pound— 4 millions at 5 annas is equal to 1, '250,000 
rupees. A few of your owners promised to give 
12 lakhs and fifty thousand rupees with the hope 
that this sacriflce would raise the prices of I lie 
lemaining tea. The statement is so startling tliat 
it is worth while to work out the sum in full 
and leave no doubt of the figures. Four million 
pounds of tea would have been sold at the lowest 
rate at 5 annas per pound. 
4,000,000 lb 
5 annas 
16) 20,000,000 annas 
1,250,000 rupees 
That is to say, these few owners promised nearly 
as much as the whole Cess at two pies )ier pound, 
whi';hl advocate. Why should these owners /to-ic 
refuse to advocate the two pieCess? The promised 
reduction was about ten per cent., so we can 
conclude that the above owners make 40 million 
pounds of tea between th^'iii. 40 millions at two 
pies works out as follows : - 
40,000,000 lb 
2 pies 
12) 80,000,000 pies 
THE TEA CESS AND THE TEA INDUSTRY- 
Aixgust 1st. 
gIP^_l want to put a searching question to 
your 'readers, i.e., to Ceylon tea men generally: 
If there is a "Cess," who pays the Cess? Mr 
Eoss W Hayter, writing to the "Home and Colonial 
Mail," advises a Cess of £45,000 and says:— "It 
may be said that the planter is not in a position 
to stand this I- 16th of a penny per pound. The 
nu'>stion just occurs to me. Who would pay it? 
Would not the consumer pay it in the long run 
instead of the grower or exporter?" How is it that 
such a question can be asked by any business 
man? Is it not evident on the face ot it that 
any article which is successfully advertised imys 
for the advertisement. Does anyone suspect for 
a moment the Ceylon planters are actually out of 
pocket— i 6, have paid the Cess which they im- 
posed on themselves ? Can anyone say that 
the Ceylon Cess, if it had not been imposed, 
■would 'have remained in the pockets of the pro- 
ducers? With that money you created a. demand 
for your teas in America. Your tea is not as 
good as Indian tea and yet it has made more 
headway. Can you still doubt that the Cess was 
not paid by yourselves but by the consumer? 
Mr Larkin says that he not only dares to spend 
larce sums in advertising but does not dare not to 
advertise. The only fault about your Cess is that it 
is not large enough. It ought to be ten times as 
large, so that you could not only advertise but 
•aurchase tea with which you could back up your 
advertisements. Mr Hayter's question is ridicu- 
lous. He should liave put it as a statement. He 
knows well enough surely that planters do not 
pay the Cess, beeinc that he put it as an in- 
terVoL'ation I am encouraged to put the same 
question ; there may be a few tea owners who 
^ave uot looked at the subject iu its obvious light. 
16) 6,666,666 annas 
4,16,666 riipeea 
This is less than one-third oj their former promise. 
In the first case they would have paid 12 lakha 
of rupees, because tiie simple reduction of 10 per 
cent from old markets would not be sufficient to 
raise prices. But in the second case, whatever 
is paid is paid by all equally, and there is tea 
ready wherewith new markets can be opened, 
and demand increased, and, after all is said and 
done, no one can refute the statement that 
the Cess would be paid by the consumers. 
What is it then that prevents the produce? from 
demanding a big Cess ? Let each man ainonest 
you answer this question ; some may know the 
real reason. And when once the obstacle is known 
it can be overcome. 
A pony will not face a paper screen ; he has to 
be shoved through it backwards ; when the screen 
is torn the rest of the competitors gallop through 
without fear. The obstacle between us and the 
Cess is a paper screen, and it is to be feared that 
a great number of the runners in this race have 
longer ears than ponies. Who will tear the 
screen and let all through? I have been trying to 
show that there is open country beyond the 
screen. The producer fears that he will have to 
pay the Cess ! The pony says " Mo7i Dieu, that 
wall will break my head !" Our Association do not 
wear spurs, and when the producer jibs he is 
allowed to stand, and the world is amused at the 
spectacle of our crowd jostled around the paper 
screen, and no race worth looking at. In 
" Indian Gardening and Planting," of July 25, an 
expert gives his views as to what should be done 
and asks the question. How is this to be done ? 
The time for questions is over, let every man 
answer his own questions, let him say this should 
be and must be done. Producers havQ an object 
