April i, 1S91.] 
TMr TROPICAL AGRiGULTURiST. 
725 
THE CEYLON PLANTING HISTEICTS 
GENERALLY. 
TEA AND TEA PEOSPECTa — “ NEXT- YEAR ” AT UST — 
11d a good average with low exchange — TIMBER 
TREE GROWING— FUEL AND HANA GRASS — TEA 
TRANSPORT AND THE RAILWAY EXTENSION AND 
OPENING UPCOUNTRY — LABOUR — MANURES — FREISHT3 
COFFEE — CINCHONA. 
f Bij a Planting Visitor after some years' ahsence.) 
I note with pleasure most marked improve- 
ment and progress everywhere in tea and tea pros- 
pects, and 1 have not the slightest hesitation in 
saying, that I consider the prospects of Coylon 
as a tea-producing country have improved during 
the last two years by 20 per cent and most estates 
have individually so increased in value. Prospective 
estimates of soma years ago, made by very capable 
men (such as Mr. Rutherford) have proved, so far 
as yield goes, far from correct. Upcountry eatates 
more particularly have given, and will give, far 
larger returns per acre than even the most sanguine 
oouldhave expected. To Ceylon, I think, the long- 
looked-for “Next Year” has at last come ; and I see 
no reason to fear its departure for many a day, 
but let us ‘‘ca’ canny ”1 Everywhere not only better 
but good times are apparent ; money is being freely 
offered at low rates (may planters not be led away by 
such oommissions and many etceteras follow; fortunes 
are seldom made on borrowed capital, while small 
savings are olten lost), estates are changing hands 
at high figures, folks are going home by the 
dozen, forgotten furlough circulars from several 
Companies are being reissued, salaries raised, and 
liberal oommissions given. All this is as it should 
be, times justify it, and deserving men are 
remunerated in a measure for the dark days 
Ceylon has passed through, let ua hope for ever. 
For some years to come it will not be for our 
Interests to see Ceylon teas averaging more than 
lid. High prices will curtail its spreading into 
channels where it is at present unknown, and 
lid, with present exchange ought to be the 
height of our ambition for a time. I think 
we shall always find a sympathy between ex- 
change and prices, Undoubtedly at present 
there is such. 
1 rejoice to see timber trees being intro- 
duced into our tea districts to the extent they 
are, as not only supplying a want too keenly felt, 
but with the object of breaking up largo areas of 
one product, and so distributing disease as brought 
on by insect life in a tropical country like Ceylon. 
I trust, on another visit, to note the length and 
breadth of Ceylon’s tea districts well covered with 
timber and fuel trees. Fuel is undoubtedly becom- 
ing a serious consideration to many estates. I 
wonder mana grass is not utilized as a heat genera- 
tor, I feel pretty certain that in time, compressed 
blocks, composed of mana grass with something 
else, say a little tar, will bo introduced as a fuel, 
and I sec no reason why it should not bo so. 
Why does that dead-and-alive Government of 
ours not olier some handsome reward for 
the introduction of a substitute for wood, as a 
fuel for tea factories?'* Compressed mana grass 
has been tried as a substitute for boards for 
tea boxes ; was successful so far as to show it 
could bo compressed, and if so I doubt not it 
it nob ralhar the dnty of tie Fiauters’ As50- 
gintioa Ed, T,A, 
would burn well. Any quantity of the article could 
be grown in the island. 
Tea lead will find a substitute shortly I 
doubt not ; the sooner the better. I have 
long had an idea that our teas could euc- 
oessfully be transported in specially made air- 
tight bags, from the firing machine on the estate 
to central packing and sorting factories, sulBciontly 
removed from Colombo as to be away from the 
sea air. The saving thus in transport of packing 
materials would be immense, to say nothing of 
innumerable other expenses. At present, with up 
and down rail rates, wo pay on the packing materials 
about 50 per cent of what tbe nc-t tea ousts us 
to transport to Colombo. Teas in properly packed 
airtight bags would not, I think, suffer eitber in 
quality or by being broken into dust, even on 
so badly a worked railway as Ceylon can boast of 
Railway extension from Nanuoya seems to make pro- 
gress Government has apparently laid down that 
land above a certain elevation is not to be opened up. 
A railway is constructed on such land, and so the 
principle that a railway is to 02 >en up a country 
disappears. Wo are always learoing eomethingl 
Labor seems by no means too plentiful. Our 
Government always manages to put some spoke 
in the planter’s wheel to retard his complete progress 
and the success of the Colony. 
Freights seem at present higher and scarce ; 
among other useful works of the C. P. Association, 
some enterprising line of steamers might be ap- 
proached with the view of dealing with Ceylon teas 
exclusively, and not leave us to take “ what is left,’’ 
in tbe way of room. — Results from Manur- 
ing of tea estates seem so far a success. If 
labor be plentiful, tea prices and exchange 
as at present and certain obnoxious manures 
such as coconut poonao bo avoided, the invest- 
ment is sound. 
Of good old Gofee, I have seen little ; it will be 
grown again in the island some day, but not I feat 
successfully till the present specimen has died out, 
and its bones and disease rotted away. — Cinchona 
has disappeared in two years in a marvellous 
manner, certainly 50 per cent, and the self-sown 
plants are not there as they used to be. If the 
tree will grow, it is no bad investment to grow it, 
but stocks of quinine are very heavy in London 
and the Continent, and though constan ly changing 
hands are not used up. 
Lowcountry products I shall in every sense 
leave alone. 
— ^ 
HILLCOUNTRY PLANTING REPORT. 
Nanuoya, Alarcli IZtli, 1891. 
WHITE CLOVER 
to our Irish friends in Colombo (by way of substitute 
for the true shamrock), until after the tappal was 
gone. The history of that same white clover is 
very curious. I got the seed from Australia in 
1879 or early in 1880, and sowed it in the valley 
in which out tank was subsequently formed. Thera 
it continued to flourish year after year ; and about 
1885 wo removed plants of it to a lawn in front of 
the upper bungalow. Subsequently the lawn was 
dug up, the grass and clover were entirely removed 
from the soil (so it was thoughi), and the space was 
laid out as a llower garden. About a year ago a 
portion was dug pretty deeply and manured for the> 
reception of flowering plants ; when, suddenly, tha 
white clover came up more fresh and flourishing, 
than ever, and lillo.i an entire bed with iia snow- 
white blossoms and its pretty, trijunotive green 
leaves. We cherish the freely flowering clover for 
the sake gf ‘‘Home’’ asBooiatigna and aUg fgt 
