690 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURiST„ 
[April i, 1891. 
while, hand power will have to be resorted so. 
such an unreliable source ol power as this that Kd.UUU 
has been expended, and the factory been placed in a 
most unsuitable position and one entailing large extra 
expense in leaf transport, whilst the manager a bun- 
galow being built near the factory, is in a most in- 
convenient position for the working of the estate. 
At present there is no alternative but to erect the 
engine and continue working in the existing 
I am of opinion that at a future date, when the es.ate 
is ffivinea large return and the money can be rendered 
available, it will be found necessary to erect a large 
central factory near the Bentota river outlet to which 
the engine will be moved, the present wheel and factory 
being kept as a reserve in case of breakdown of 
™BxPENmTUEH during 1890 has been very low and has 
shown that expectations formed as to cheapness of 
labour were well founded. The check roll averages 
for the month vary from 20 cents to 17 cents p r oooly 
Plucking including a most expensive transport of leat 
and baskets, is cents 2-42 per lb. green lear for the 
vear- “weeding” has been B4-20 per acre for the 
year.’ These figures I think speak for themselves and 
show that there is every justification for believing that 
in cheapness of production Talgaswela estate will be 
unrivalled when in full bearing. The amount ot leaf 
plucked has been 76,944 lb. ol which 8,8/9 lb. vvere 
sold to a neighbouring estate, and the balance resulted 
in 16,977 1b. made tea. ^ , j 
Estimates for the new year have been framed and 
show an expenditure of B38,339'63. To this has to be 
added the cost of a “ rapid ” roller, a sifter and ro'l 
breaker, shafting, and a 14 horse power engine, which 
will probably not fall short of RIO, 000. 
The yield I estimate at 90,000 lb. made tea, whilst 
there is every indication of a very heavy yield in 1892, 
before which the bushes cannot reasonable be expected 
to bear much. 
Areoanuts have been planted through many of the 
ravines, and this work is being continued. 
Labour has been abundant. 
Health of labourers his been very bad during the 
year, fever having been very prevalent. 
Mining Operations have been carried on by Mr. W. 
M. Young who has found indications of plumbago. 
The company have received as arranged 1/lOth of the 
amount of the minerals obtained. The factory has been 
painted with materials found on the estate, and the 
paint seems very good and durable. 
The general appearance of the estate is most satis- 
factory; the bushes are vigorous and shew signs of 
heavy flushes shortly. The plucking has beeii most 
carefully done, showing that Sitihalese village labour, 
with careful supervision, can be made to do most 
satisfactory work, 1 consider that the opening work, 
and the treatment of the bushes up to date shew signs 
ot hard oonsoioncious work, and I think the estate 
generally is a credit to Mr. Broadhuist, the Manager, 
Ld those under him, and to him I think the share- 
holders owe a debt of gratitude for good work done 
under oiroumstanoes of great discouragement. 
T. C. Owen, Managing Director and Chairman. 
Oolombo, Jan. 6th, 1891. 
Balance Sheet made up for the year ending 31st 
December 1890. 
Dr, Capital and Liauilitieb. 
T To Qnuitfll * ^ ^ 
a,000 Shares at RlOO fully paid 200,000 00 
II,_To Debts duo by the Company 
Baker & Hall for advances 2,087 71 
Bice per Snt)erintoudeiit's report 29.5 10 
Auditor’s loo ... 2 
11202,482 
Ct. PnOPBnTY AND A.S.SETS. 
II, —By Property Immovable; — 
Land : Cost of Land and Cultiva- 
tion to .'list Doc. ’69 K167,771 59 
Cost of Cultivation this yr. 1.3,062 23 
Add Usage of Estate Tools &c. 412 49 
K171,’2.3G 31 
81 
Buildings; Cost to Dec. 31, ’89 
Further expended this year 
12,598 81 
3,3/4 92 
K15,t)73 73 
By Property Movable : —Machinery 4,128 9b 
Furniture 1,486 68 
187,210 04 
Stock : Tools, Carts, Boats, &c. 2 284 06 
Less Us-ige of Tools, &e. 412 49 
B1871 57 
7,487 23 
fV.— By Debts due to the Company 
Lessee of Kiseland Estate for tea leaf sold 681 80 
V.— By Cash ;— Balance for Supl.’s report 1,325 17 
VI.— By Profit and Loss Account /—Balance 6,776 57 
ing Slat December 1890. 
Dr. Dec. 31st, 1888. 
To Balance brought forward 
Dec. 3lst, 1890. 
To Proportion of cost of Cultivation of Est 
on that portion yielding leaf 
To Office Expenses 
'i'o Auditor’s fee 
Cr. Doc. 31st, 1S90. 
By Sale of 13,137 lb. made Tea B5 
By Sale of leaf 
By Timber sold 
By Profit oil Bice 
By Transfer fees 
By Xuteresl from Bank 
By Balance 
B12,282 19 
(Signed) John Gtjthp.ie, Auditor ; Baker & Hall, 
Agents and Secretaries : Theo. C. Owen, 
ifiiairman ; G. Chapman Walker, G. W. 
SuHKEN, F. C. Loos, T. Watson Hall, Wal- 
ter -AGAii and Shelton Agar, Directors. 
Colombo, January 1891. 
B202,4&2 
81 
le year end- 
E 
c. 
5.80J 
e 
76 
5,.500 
00 
881 
43 
100 
00 
B12,282 
19 
B 
7 
1 
c. 
- 6,262 
38 
41 
00 
186 
72 
13 
50 
13 
20 
6,775 
57 
Cotton-picking by machinery is one of the 
recent iucovatiocs that have come to stay, A bale 
of cotton is on exhibition a; Memphis, Tenn, which 
was picked by machinery. The ba.T weighs 475 
pounds and was picked in two hours during a rain- 
storm-equal to the work of fifteen men. The cotton 
is much cleaner than when gathered in the old 
way, and will bring nearly half a cent a pound more. 
— Flanters' Monthly. 
Grain Diamonds, or rough brilliants, have been 
discovered in specimens of rook sands forwarded to 
M. Charles Velain, of Paris, by M. Charles Babot, 
from Eussian Lapland. The diamond-bearing sand 
was taken from the valley of Pasvig, and is the 
debris of granite. M. Velain, in a memoir to the 
Aoademie dcs Sciences, states that the gems, which 
are very tiny, may have come from the demolition of 
pegmatite in the district. This is the first time 
that diamonds have been found in European soil. 
— Globe, Feb. 6th. 
The Gigantic Earthworms of Ceylon.— The 
Quarterly Journal of Microscopical 6'czeiice for January 
contains a paper on Meyascolex caruleus, Templeton, 
from Oeylou ; together with a theory ot the course of 
the blood in. earthworms, by Dr. A. G. Bourne (plates 
vi. to ix. ) During a short visit in 1889 to Ceylon the 
author obtaiued thirty-eight species of earthworms ; 
only seven of these have been found in India, and 
about tweuty-nine Indian species have not yet been 
found in Ceylon. The author summarizes Ilia theory 
of the oirculutiou as follows: the vuscu'ar system con- 
sists of a portion in the cepbalized region, and of other 
portions metamericaliy repeated in all succeeding seg- 
ments. The cepbalized portion ditfers only from that 
occurring in any other segment in having undergone 
a synthesis, and also in the presence of coutraotile 
hearts. Throughout the body, blood is forced from the 
contractile vessels into the peripheral networks ; thence 
it is conveyed by a system of intestino-tegumontary 
vessels to intestinal capillaries, and from these it returns 
to the contractile vcesels.— 
