260 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [Oct. 1, 1901. 
The Directoi's recommend that a sum of B2,500 
be transferred to the Extension Fund and that the 
balance of R4-,371"01 be carried forward to next year's 
account. 
It will be noticed that the loans have been further 
reduced duriug the past year— and that Government 
has acquired rather over 6 acres of land for Railway 
purposes. 
The estimaie for the season 1901-1902 is 453,000 
lb of Tea apainat an expenditure on Working; Account 
of E88,553.20. 
The estimated expenditure on Capital Account is 
K5,600 for extension to Erracht Factory, not under- 
taken last year. 
In terms of the Articles of Association Hon, Mr. 
W H Figg now retires from the Board but is eligible 
for re-election. 
The appointment of an Auditor for the current year 
will re.st with the meeting. 
8T. HBLIER'S TEA COMPANY. 
The Ninth Annual Ordinary General Meetin"? of 
this Company was to have been held on the 7th 
\ilt. .It the office of Mes.sis. Boi.s Bios, and Co., 
but did not take place on account of the want 
of a quorum. The following is the directors' 
report : — 
ACREAGE. 
250 acres in bearing 
29 do planted in 1896 
34 do do 1898 
313 acres 
114 do Jungle, &c. 
Total 427 acres , . 
The Directors have now the pleasure to submit 
their Ninth Annual Report to the 30th June last. 
The crop, which was originally estimated at 105,000 
lb. of made tea to the 30th June, has turned out 
only 38,181 lb., realizing and average price of 33'03 
cents per lb. as against 36'29 last year. 
The cost of the te:^. iu Colombo, exclusive of the 
sum of R885 61 expende'l on Capital Account, wo:ks 
out at 28'(15 cents per Jb., as against 24-65 cents per 
lb. last season. 
The Visiting Agent's report, dated 4th August, 
1901, can be seen by the Shareholders at the Com- 
pany's office. 
The Directors miich regret having to record the death 
of Mr, W Sandys Thomas, who had been connected 
with the Company since its inception. Mr. H G Bois 
was appointed to the seat i.hereby rendered vacant, 
and retiies in accordance with the Articles of Associa- 
tion, but, being eligible, offers for re-election. 
Mr. Stanley Bois retires from the board by rotatiouj 
but, being eligible, also offers himself for re-election. 
The Shareholders will have to elect an Auditor for 
the season for 19UI-02. 
KANAN DEVAN HILLS PRODUCE 
COMPANY, LIMITED, 
REPORT OF TKB DIRECTOKS 
foi' the year endinp; 30th November, 1900, to be sub- 
mitled to the fourth annual ordinary yeneral meet- 
in;^ of shareholders of the Kanan iJevan Hill Pro- 
duce Conip:iriy, Limited, to be held in the registered 
offi'ie of lliO Company, 22, West Nile Street, (Jias- 
«o\v, on Monday, Che 26th day of Auf^'us.,, 1901, at 
two o'c'oek p.m. 
The Directors have now to submit their report for 
the year ending 30th November, 1900. The crop 
gathered during the season from the tea estates 
amounted to 1,444,695 lb, and realized an average of 
V27d per lb. The coffee amounted to 1,400 cwts, and 
cinchona to 555,089 lb. The amount at credit of pro- 
fit and loss account, after providing for commission on 
profits to tea estate Managers, Ag mts in Calcutta, and 
Secretaries, inierest and discount on bills i'c, and 
dividend on preference shares, is £10,087 7b 8d. Out 
of this the Directors propose to pay a iliiiuend at 
the rate of '6h per cent, on ihe ordinary shares, p.iy; ble 
on 30th August, 19"! This will absorb £9,100, 
leaving a balaiiOe of £937 7s 8d to be carried forw.ird 
to the fuUowing year. Considering the unprecedented 
ci iriis whi. h has prevailed in the tea market during the 
past six months, tie result is sjtisfactoi-y. In A^sam 
the pioperties are all in good order. In Travanuore 
the progress in the important v^orks in hand has not 
been so ranid ns was anticipated. Communications 
have been much improved by the completion of iho 
wire ropeway, which is nov/ working Batisfaotorily. 
The cart road of 10 miles from Bodinayakanur to the 
foot of the hills, constructed by the Company's officers, 
has been inspected, approved, and taken over by 
Government, and it is believed that a Steam Tramway 
will be laid down on this road, and on to Arninaya- 
naykwnur, the station of the South Indian R.iii ay 
where the Compau>'s produce is despatched. The 
cart road from the top of the ropeway to the Company's 
headquarters at Muuaar is now being metalled, and it 
is hoped this work will be fiuiohed by the end of the 
year, when permanent cart traffic will be establifbed. 
Meantime, the one line tramw ty is working fairly 
well. Three new factories for the macufactur'^ of the 
Company's tea were under cons'ruction during the 
year under review. These have been opened for manu- 
facture during 1901 and are n^w fuliy equipped. 
Another factory is being erected, and three more 
are on order. Owing to want of accommodaiion and 
a defective water-course, full justice could not be 
done to the tea in 1900, but it is hoped, with tbe 
new factories mentioned above, a marked improve- 
ment in the quality will be effected during the year. 
Some of the 1901 invoices have been sold in the 
London market at a considerable improvement in 
price, and samples recently to hand show good valua- 
tions. An area of 2,763 acres new tea was added to 
the cultivation during the past year. The result of 
this planting was generally satisfactory, but the 
vacancies are beiug carefully supplied. 
As the shareholders are aware, the Company's Con- 
cession in Travrincore is considered one of the fi.iest 
fields for cinchona in the East, and the Directors, 
finding the product to be profitable, are doing all they 
can to judiciously deveiop it. The cinchona tree yields 
the bark from which quinine, so much valued in me- 
dicine, is obtained. It has been arranged that 2J 
millions cinchona seedlings, reared from specially 
selected seed, will be planted during 1901, and a similar 
quantity will be planted in 1902. These seedlings 
will be planted throughout the existing tea cultiva- 
tion ; and, as the growing and putting out of the 
plants will be practically the only expense incurred, 
the outlay will be sn:all. The up-keep will cost little 
extra ; and it is anticipated that a valuable crop of 
bark will thus be secured cheaply. With a view of 
obtaining the fullest information in regard to cinchona, 
the Directors recently sent one of their managers 
on a visit to the cmchona plantations of Java, 
and his report is both useful and encouragii g. 
The Directors feel that, with its large holding in 
cinchona, the prospects of this Company are more 
assured than if they rested on tea and coffee alone. 
The greatest care will be taken to make tht cinchona- 
planting a thorough success. The season in Assam, 
although a bad one ge. erally, did not matLi ially affect 
the Noakacharee Group of estates, the -ielr! both in 
quau'.ity and quality leiug fairly sati. factors, namely 
—898,128 lb againtt ku es:unace of 827,600 lb, 
wli.le 'he avei-i'L'e p- r -e'iz wis 7 881 per poand. 
Duiint; rhc j-e-r Ui. 'er revif vv the follovving exten- 
sions, arranged for shortly after tiie formation of the 
Company, have been made : — 19 acres tea in Assam, 
2,744 acres tea and sixty acres chichona in Travancore, 
