474 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[January i, 1891, 
REVISED ESTIMATE OF INDIAN TEA 
CROP— CURRENT SEASON. 
The Indian Tea Assooiation has favored us (Messrs. 
Wm. Moran & Co.) with the following, giving the 
revised estimate for the current season : — 
“ In their ciroular of the 28th April last the General 
Committee gave an estimate of the out-turn of the 
present season's crop of Indian Tea based upon the 
following figures which they had been able to collect : — 
Original Estimate of Crop of 1890. 
lb. 
Assam . . . . . . . . 48,295,344 
Cachar and Sylhet . . . . . . 33,385,680 
Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars . . 22,817,270 
Chittagong and Chota-Nagpore . . 1,514,800 
Dehra Dun, Kumaon and Kangra . . 4,500,000 
Private and Native gardens . , . . 4,500,000 
115,013,094 
“From the figures which have since been obtained 
a revised estimate has been prepard, based upon actual 
results to the 30th Sept., »s follows: — 
Manufactured Manufactured 
to 30th Sept. 
to 30th Sept. 
1889. 
1890. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
Assam 
.. .. 31,680,136 
32,923,787 
Caohar and Sylhet . . 20,736,051 
23,816,670 
Darjeeling, 
Terai and 
Dooars 
..1 62,384,91 
15,291,811 
Chittagong 
and Cbota- 
Nagpore 
. . . . 1,049,419 
1,221,080 
69,700,497 
73,252,348 
Revised Estimate of Crop of 1890. 
Assam 
Oaobar and Sylhet . . 
Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars 
Chittagong and Chota-Nagpore 
Dehra Dun, Eumaon and Eangra 
Private and Native gardens.. 
45,001,072 
34,477,770 
21,070,453 
1,768,716 
4,500.000 
4,000,000 
110,818,011 
“ The exports to Australia, America and other 
places for the past season amounted to 5,388,560 lb., 
and if this quantity, plus 10 per cent, together with 
the requirements of Northern India now calculated 
at 500,000 lb. be deducted from the revised estimate, 
there will remain about 104J million lb. for ship- 
ment to Great Britain during the season of 1890-91 
against 98 million lb. shipped there in 1889-90.” 
CINNAMON AND COCONUTS : PLANTING 
REPORT. 
Kadirana, 24th Nov. — From the 26th October to the 
15th inst., 19 '87 inches of rain have fallen in this dis- 
trict, so that wells and springs are replenished, and all 
outward appearances of the late drought have dis- 
appeared, though its consequences will be felt for 
more than a year to come. This rain, and the fine 
weather we have had for over a week past, have matured 
the ‘'bud” there was on the bushes, and no doubt those 
who intend cutting for the “ punch! mosama” will soon 
begin work. All Mr. Tudor Kajapakse’s cinnamon 
estates in this district are to be leased, and as in the 
conditions there is no clause binding the lessee to carry 
out the arrangement not to scrape chips, a large 
quantity of these will be thrown upon the market 
which, in conjunction with the distrust and suspicion 
of bad faith already abroad, will probably lead to the 
cancelling of the agreement upon honour, which has 
still a year to run. 
“ I.YSOi. ” is a new disinfectant which is prepared by 
emulsifying carbolic acid with ordinary fat or resin 
soap, and the tar acid is incorporated with the soap 
at the moment of saponifioallon. It is said to be mote 
active than carbolic acid by itself.— 
POTATO CULTIVATION IN THE HILL 
COUNTRY OF CEYLON. 
Mr. Nock of Hakgala Gardens is good enough 
to give us the following account of his recent 
experience — just to show that potatoes can be pro- 
fitably grown on the hills of Ceylon, it good sorts 
and good seed tubers are used : — 
“ On 22nd of Aug. last I planted, in good friable soil, 
48 tubers of each of the three kinds named below, 
and I lifted them yesterday with the following results: — 
“ Oheswick Favourite.— From 48 sets the produce 
was 482 tubers weighing 85 pounds. The twelve largest 
weighed 7 pounds and the largest single tuber Hi 
ounces. 
“Impebatoe.— From48 sets, 367 tubers were produced 
weighing 75 pounds. The twelve largest weighed 8 
pounds and the largest single tuber 12 ounces. 
“ Adirondack. — 48 sets produced 457 tubers weigh- 
ing 65 pounds. The 12 largest tubers weighed 6 pounds 
and the largest tuber 11 ounces. 
“ Every tuber of Oheswick Favourite and Impsrator 
were quite sound. There were about 12 or 15 tubers of 
Adirondack that were diseased, but these were from 
a few roots at the bottom of the row where the soil 
was a little damper. 
“ A more even lot of tubers I never lifted and I at- 
tribute this evenness chiefly to the way the sets were 
prepared for planting, but in some measure it may be 
due to the very favourable weather during the time of 
growth. 
“ Every set was a whole tuber, and the average weight 
used was about 2 ounces; these tubers had been pre- 
viously laid out in a room, exposed to the light, and 
occasionally turned — which had caused the eyes to send 
out very sturdy sprouts and when these were about one 
inch long they were planted in rows 2 feet apart, the 
sets being 1 foot apart in the rows. The manure used 
was a little bone dust, and wood ashes with a sprinkling 
of lime. The only other attention they received was to 
keep them free from weeds and to earth them up well. 
“ They were in the ground only 84 days and during 
that time 12'70 inches of rain was registered. This fell 
on 47 days, but on only 10 days did '50 or more fall. 
On 27 days the fall was T5 or less, so that this 
sort of weather just suited them. 
“This is the fourth crop from a few tubers I brought on 
with me from Worcestershire, exactly two years ago, 
and I think this proves that with careful selection and 
preparation of “ seed” tubers, that the potato im- 
proves in this locality, instead of deteriorating as I be- 
lieve is generally supposed. 
“ Our rainfall for this month to date is only '50.” 
»■ 
THE CEYLON AMERICAN TEA 
COMPANY. 
The following is an extract from a letter from 
Mr. Stretch of Messrs. Darley, Butler & Go., dated 
London, 13th Nov.: — 
In writing last week about the new Ceylon Planters’ 
Tea Co. I had hardly got hold of my facts. Since 
then I have copy of the prospectus and full details of 
the proposed arrangements. The point which share- 
holders, or intending shareholders will require to be 
informed upon is how a dividend is to be paid on 
181,000.000 with a working capital of only only $200,000. 
The shares are divided as follows : 
Working capital 10,000 shares at $20 $200,000 
To old Co. 12,000 do do 240,000 
To Promoters 28,000 do do 560,000 
60,000 shares at $20 $1,000,000 
I suppose when the Company is in full working 
order the working capital may be turned over 3 times 
a year so that the turnover would be §600,000. 
It will require 10 per cent profit on that to pay 
6 per cent on the total capital. What are the pros- 
pects of earning such a profit? I bear that the 
tea sold in the States is rarely sold under $1 per lb 
