54 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIS  P. 
[July  i,  1893. 
VF.RaK  Aoni-lIuRTICTr/l  UIiAL  SHOW.  — IVrak 
lo  have  its  sliow  ! An  Amri-MortioiilUnal  SIk»\v 
will  he  liehl  at  IJatn  (iajah  on  l■'^i(lay  ami  Saturday 
the  l-2tli  and  I.SthdnIy.  Well  done  the  ^^o-aheail 
Straits  Settlement  1 
Na'I'AI.  Tkas  were  lately  shewn  freely  at  the 
Kami  A^ricnltnral  Show  hy  Messrs.  Hind.son  lY 
('().,  a tinn  th.at  Iteoan  plantinit  in  18X7  and  has 
j^radnally  increased  its  output  from  tiOO  Ih.  a 
year  to  (dose  on  80tl,()()ti  lli.  'I'lie  capital  invcisted 
IS  said  to  he  L(>u,0(h),  from  dtti)  to  (iOO  acres  heinj' 
[(huited  with  yearly  additions.  The  linn’s  estates 
are  said  to  he  tnlly  ei[nipped  with  imichinery. 
Tr,.V.  — In  the  matter  of  over-prodn>ction  of  tea  the 
J\In(lrn!i  Tinu’n  make's  the  followinp;  comment  : — 
At  a recent  niee:iiif{  of  tlio  Jtimbula  Planters’  As- 
sociation, Ceylon,  the  chairman  put  forwainl  a reso- 
lution to  th(!  effect  that  the  Association  trusted  that 
in  future  Government  would  not  sell  land  for  tea 
cultivation  at  an  upset  price  of  less  tlian  lUOO  an 
acre,  or  more,  according  to  locality.  The  chaiiinan’s 
object  was  to  prevent  over-production.  The  resolu- 
tion, which  was  lost  by  a large  majority,  caused 
much  discussion,  one  planter  making  the  sensible 
remark  that  whether  or  not  Ceylon  planted  another 
acre  of  tea,  or  shut  up  altogether  no  Indian  man 
would  care,  and  there  are  thousands  of  acres  in  India 
to  every  ten  aci'os  in  Ceylon.  To  hear  the  over- 
production party  talk  one  would  think  Ceylon  was 
the  sole  tea-producer  of  the  world.  They  forget  that 
Ceylon  is  a very  little  place  after  all  is  said. 
ThK  SUltVF.VOlt-GKXbliAb’.S  HKTUI’.N  OK  UaIX- 
F.\LL  in  (’eylon  during  18114  and  the  means 
during  difl'erent  periods,  is  issued  as  a Sup|de- 
ment  to  yesterday’s  (inzi'tte.  We  sh.all  give  a 
re^iuw'  in  due  course,  meantime  remarking  that 
the  heaviest  fall  of  rain  recmnled  for  last  year 
was  on  Semhawatta,  Kitnlgala  (l,()oo  feel  eleva- 
tion), namely  •22l"21)  inches  distributed  ov(>r  222 
days,  tJie  iiu'ans  for  lli;  years  being  2l8-.‘fS  inches, 
while  the  minimum  fall  was  at  Manaar  with 
24'94  inches  on  (in  days,  the  means  during  24^ 
years  being  .ST '84  inches-  'I’lie  next  heaviest  falls 
were;— St.  Martin’s,  Itaugalla  {S,")(m»  ft.)  l(iS(i2 
inches  on  llKi  days;  Digalla,  Awi.ssawella  (400 
ft.)  H)8'.S2  inches  on  2ol)  days;  Dunedin,  Awiss.-i- 
wella  (400  ft.)  HJti'DS  inches  on  204  days  ; and 
('oldstream,  Watawala  (S,S00  ft. ) l.')l)  D4  inches  on 
208  days. — The  Semhawatta  fall  of  221  •21)  inches 
coiapaiW  w'ith  thaton  I’adupola  given  in  the  I*.  W.D. 
return  which  for  last  year  was  .‘232-71  inches. 
(V)KKKK  IN  Nvassalano. — We  are  much  in- 
terested by  the  letter  on  this  subject  which  Mr 
I).  I>.  Cameron  of  Assam  semis  us,  our  corres- 
jiondent  being  brother-in-law  to  Mr.  Duncan  who 
went  to  Nyassaland  as  horticnlturist  to  the  Church 
of  Scotland  .Mission  in  1878.  Mr.  Cameron  had 
also  a brother  associat'd  with  .Mr.  I'.uchanau  of 
Zomba  who  dic'd  there  in  181)3.  We  liml  that 
though  Commissioner  dolmston,  C.l>.,  in  hisolii- 
cial  lleport,  published  in  .\ugust  last  year,  through 
some  curious  blunder,  distinctly  gi'vs  .Mr.  .John 
liuchanan,  C..M.<;.,  the  credit  of  bringing  out  with 
him  “ a small  cotlim  plant  from  the  Kdinbnrgh 
llotanical  Cardens " ; as  the  very  beginning  of 
the  coll'ee  enteriuise  yet  Mr.  lJuchanan  himself 
in  his  book  on  the  “Shire  Highlands ’’ published 
in  188.'>,  distinctly  gives  the  credit  where  it  is 
due.  We  ((note  from  the  latter  as  follows  : — 
With  Mr.  Duncan’s  arrival  in  1878  came  another 
supply  of  seeds,  and  besides,  a variety  of  fruit-trees 
from  Grahamstowii.  i\Ir.  Duncan  brought  with  him 
from  I'ldiuburgh  three  coflee  and  one  tea  plant,  and 
a number  of  grape-vine  cuttings.  Two  of  the  coffee 
and  the  tea  plant  ultimately  died ; but  one  colTee- 
plant  {('qtf'iiii  artihirn)  lived  inul  grew,  and  has  shown 
that  coffee  is  at  home  in  the  Shiiv  highlands. 
it  is  strange  that  .Mr.  .bdinston  in  writing 
Ids  Report,  should  not  have  refem'd  to  Mr, 
Ruchanan’s  hook. 
Cnl'KKK.  ClT.TIN'ATIoN  IN  .M ArPJTUS— both  of 
the  Liberian  and  i\rabian  varieties  -eontimiesto 
attract  attention  and  the  local  press  write 
iieely  on  the  subject,  i|Uoling  largely  from  the 
Troith-al  A</rlriiititrUf.  S\'e  st.e  no  more  mention 
of  tea  in  our  latest  file  of  jiapers. 
Koi..\-(;1!owiN(;  i.\  Cevi.on. — M e are  indehttal 
to  .Mr.  ^V.  Robson  for  two  very  nice,  healthy 
jdanis  ot  Kola  from  his  Matale  jdantation,  and 
a fresh  gathered  jxxl  of  considerable  size.  M’e 
shall  see  that  a due  trial  is  given  to  all  and  the 
result  for  the  lon  country  reported  later  on. 
Thk  Au.ianck  Tka  Co.  ok  Ckvi.on,  Ld— for 
nhieh  Messrs.  Whittall  A'  Co.  are  Agents  and 
Secu'etaries — now  own  the  following  ilourishing 
lea  estates  -A berdc'.eu  and  Ijovat,  I'da  Radella, 
LuccombeCroup, f’alsjiy, Cleneagles  and  Thornliehl 
aggregating  a total  extent  of  2,8.)3  ames  of 
whic.li  2,3li!)  are  cultivated,  and  all  hut  14  acres 
in  tea. 
CoNDEXsiiD  CoFKEE  CoMP.VNv,  LIMITED. — Registered 
by  Warner  and  Seligman,  ‘21,  Great  M'ii  chester- 
street.  E.C.,  with  a capital  of  IT, 500  in  tT  shares. 
Object,  to  enter  into  an  agreement  with  W.  H.  Thew, 
ancl,  generally,  to  carry  on  business  as  tea  and  coffee 
growers,  blenders,  and  merchants.  The  directors  arc 
to  be  nominated  by  the  signatories.  Qimlitication. 
one  share.  Remuneration  t’50  per  annum  each. — 
Fiiiancidl  Xcirn.  /iO>ido)i,  13th  May. 
L.vborers  for  Cuba. — Several  Manzanilla  planters 
and  merchants,  in  combination  with  a certain 
number  of  emigration  agents  and  owners  and  con- 
signees of  steamers  in  Spain,  are  endeavouring  to 
bring  over  from  Galicia,  Catalonia  and  the  Canary 
Islands,  50,(X)0  laborers  within  the  term  of  six  years, 
to  he  exclusively  employed  on  plantations  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  island,  and  it  is  said  that  5.000 
C .ii.ii  i.'ins  have  already  been  engaged  and  will  arrive 
at  Cuba,  together  with  1,000  more  from  the  penin- 
sula, the  latter  exclusivi'ly  for  account  of  Manzanilla 
plaiiter.s.  Those  workmen,  who  are  selected  among 
the  class  of  aggriculturists  and  are  accustomed  to 
labor  in  the  fields,  are  at  from  2()  to  10  yn.ars  old 
and  will  earn  |15  gold  per  month,  with  hoard. 
— Ibid. 
Inventions  and  Patents. — In  his  report  on  the  work- 
ing of  the  Calcutta  Patent  Office  during  the  past 
year  INIr.  G \V.  Forrest  discusses  the  question  of 
whether  it  is  hotter  to  adopt  the  English  system  ot 
entei  iug  into^no  inquiry  as  to  the  novelty  of  patents, 
or  the  American  system  of  having  a thorough  inves- 
tigation made  in  each  case.  He  points  out  that,  in 
India,  the  Act  leaves  it  discretionary  to  make  inquiry 
into  novelty,  hut,  owing  to  there  being  but  few  com- 
petent experts  in  the  country,  the  exercise  of  this 
power  must  necessarily  be  more  or  less  unsatisfactory. 
Ill  England,  lie  finds  the  consensus  of  opinion  to  he 
that  it  is  better  to  make  no  inquiry  into  novelty.  The 
policy  which  has  been  pursued,  therefore,  has  been 
to  curtail,  as  far  as  possible,  all  iirolimiiiary  investi- 
gation, except  in  cases  in  which  the  invention  is  likely 
to  effect  the  interests  of  the  State,  or  Unit  of  the 
poorer  classics  who  cannot  protect  themselves. — 
1‘ionffr,  .Tune  1. 
( '(K'(in(;t-1’i..\\tin<;  in  thk  Nuhtii-M'kst. 
'I'lie  pmgiTss  of  coconut  palm  planting  in  tin? 
I’nttalam  district  is  shewn  by  the  following 
figures  summarized  from  a return  received  for 
oiir  Directory ; 
Division. 
Acres 
Nc.of 
Cultivated. 
'Trees. 
.Arachchewille 
. . 385 
17.300 
Chenaliiideyappo 
. . 435 
.33,200 
INfawalkundu 
. . 475 
29..500 
Periyaknlam 
. , .5<K) 
35,lXH) 
Sembatta 
. . 775 
.50.0(H) 
Rammewattan 
. . 371 
'25, 1(H) 
Periya  Ottapana 
. . 325 
1!),‘)0() 
Palacbola 
. . 8;>.') 
5(1, 7(H) 
Dainvva 
..  .5(K) 
35,(HH) 
Talapalu  and  Manjadi 
. . 8(K) 
,54.(XH) 
Total 
. . 5,524 
3.5f),(XX) 
