^86 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[February 2, 1891, 
Last year, as was shown in an article which appeared 
in the Financial News on Ooiober 18 last, the 
Mysore Company paid dividends of 75 per cent, 
from actual mining operations, and 50 per cent, 
from the sale of a portion of the property to the 
Champion Reef Company, and there is every reason 
to expect that this year, without any assistance from 
a subsidiary venture, the Mysore dividends will reach 
the very satisfactory figure of 100 per cent. The 
Nundydroog Company has already paid nearly 14 
per cent, on account of the present year, and will pro- 
bably pay double that payment when the full accounts 
of the year come to be dealt with ; and the third 
property of the trio, Ooregum, although unable to 
declare a dividend until the House of Lords decides 
whether or not the issue of the Preference shares 
was ultra vires, has unquestionably placed the 
Company in possession of a handsome balance of 
profit for division when it can be legally done. The 
trio are thus doing so well that we think those 
who hold shares in the undertakings would act 
very unwisely in parting with their holdings at 
anything like the prices now ruling. For these mines 
at all events, the days of doubt and uncertainty 
have passed, and their success cannot but be an 
incentive to greater exertions on the part of the 
managers of the other Indian properties, end to 
renewed confidence on the jrart of those whose hopijs 
have been so long deferred. However, our present 
purpose is to analyse the returns of the three really 
successful properties. 
It is worthy of note, in the first place, that last 
month’s yield of gold from the Mysore Mine — 5,250 
oz. — was the best on record, showing that as the 
property is opened out in depth and in width its 
productiveness steadily increases. We should be 
exceedingly sorry to under.estimate by one iota the 
services which Captain Plummer rendered to the 
Mysore Company, and, indeed, to the district gener- 
ally; but at the same time it would be equally unjust 
to dispute the fact that his successor occupying 
a difficult position in following such an expert, 
has well deserved the golden opinions which his 
management has won. Some months ago the influenza 
and its after effects caused a falling-off in the returns, 
and it was concluded by some pessimists that with 
Captain Plummer the glory of Mysore had departed. 
That this conclusion was an inaccurate one is now 
manifest. In the following table the crushings month 
by month since the end of 1888 are given, from which 
the shareholders will see at a glance what progress 
has been made:— 
1890. 1889. 
Tons. Oz. 
Tons. 
Oz. 
January 
3,271 5,003 
2,066 
2.376 
February ... 
3,000 6,884 
2,023 
3,038 
March 
3,200 5,884 
2,459 
3,249 
April 
3,661 4,571 
2,600 
3,249 
May 
3,385 4.263 
2,672 
3.872 
June 
3,491 4,461 
2,866 
4,275 
.Inly 
3,207 4,174 
2,947 
4,527 
August 
3,138 4,118 
2,900 
4,739 
September... 
3,100 4,238 
2,942 
4.879 
October 
3,009 5,014 
3,030 
4,424 
November... 
3,100 5,250 
3,040 
5,157 
December ... 
— — 
3,021 
4,829 
35,564 52,865 
32,566 
49,234 
The average yield during the past eleven months 
has been just under IJ oz. of gold to the ton of 
quartz, comparing with a trifle over that percentage 
for the whole of last year. Last month’s average 
was, however, very nearly 1 oz, 14 dwt. per ton, 
showing a distinct improvement on the aggregate 
percentages which we have just mentioned. For the 
eleven months of the current year it will be seen 
that the gold produced has exceeded by 3,G31 oz. 
the total production of last year, when, as we have 
said, 75 per cent, was paid to the shareholders out 
of the working profits. 
Turning, in the next place, to the Ooregum Mine, 
the table given below shows that the monthly crush- 
ings have augmented in a very satisfactory manner, 
the eleven months’ production exhibiting an increase 
of nearly 50 per cent, ov^r the whole of last year:— 
1890. 
1889. 
January 
February 
March 
April 
May ... 
June ... 
July ... 
August 
.September 
October 
November 
December 
11016 
Tons. 
Oz. 
Tons. 
Oz. 
823 
1,784 , 
454 
839 
957 
2,032 . 
482 
927 
l,0i'5 
2 076 . 
508 
1,032 
966 
2,049 . 
5>5 
1.226 
1,004 
2,107 . 
626 
1,353 
1,010 
2,127 . 
691 
1,427 
1,022 
2,161 . 
714 
1,467 
1,110 
2,306 . 
745 
1,506 
1,173 
2,491 . 
729 
1,563 
1,247 
2,646 . 
756 
1,620 
1,297 
2,725 . 
772 
1,662 
— 
— 
777 
1,683 
24,503 
7,839 16,434 
practically the same this year as last — 2 oz. 2 dwt. 
to the ton of quartz, and that was Imost precisely 
the result of last moalh’s crushing, the average 
is an exceedingly good one, especially in view of 
the steady increase in the amount of mineral 
crushed, and the Nundydroog returns ere, relatively, 
even more satisfactory, as will be observed from the 
subjoined table; — 
January ... 
February... 
March 
April 
May 
June 
July 
August ... 
September 
October ... 
November 
December 
1890. 
Tons. 
Oz. 
670 
1,139 
700 
1,321 
650 
117 
650 
986 
700 
1,085 
750 
1,400 
800 
1,488 
900 
1,418 
876 
1,421 
900 
1,478 
925 
1,475 
1889. 
Tons. Oz. 
370 681 
280 394 
300 514 
300 485 
300 520 
300 498 
300 497 
310 491 
339 324 
320 363 
312 700 
350 751 
8,520 14,228 ... 3,781 6,118 
Here we see that the yield of the precious metal 
for the past eleveu months has exceeded by 8,110 
oz., or about 130 per cent., the total production for 
the whole of last year ; and whereas the percentage 
last year was a lit’ie over 1 oz. 12 dwt. of gold 
per ton of quartz, the percentage this year has been 
about 1 oz. 13.J dwt. — also a very satisfactory average. 
Results such as these cannot fail to be gratifying 
to those who are interested in the Companies. They 
show that the Champion Reef of the Colar district is 
highly auriferous, and that with systematic and com- 
petent management, such as these mines undoubt- 
edly have, permanently valuable returns are tolerably 
certain, and they suggest also that, whatever may 
be the fate of the lag-behinds among the Indian 
properties, the Mys to trio promise to give a very 
good account of themselves for some time to come. 
— Financial Ne^vs, Dec. 15th. 

COFFEE PLANTING. 
TO THE EDITOR, OF THE ‘■'MADRAS TIMES.” ‘ 
Sir,— If you will allow me the space, I should be 
glad, as a novice in Coffee Planting, to obtain opinions 
from some of your readers. Men of experience, will 
I hope, not consider me on certain details unduly 
sceptical, I would, in the first place, ask why foreer. 
land, independent of good lay.s, is invariably preferred 
to grass lands in the hollows of valleys. The best 
permanent soil is to be found in such positions in India 
