343 
Nov.  T,  1895.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
TEA  IN  CEVEON  and  S.  INDIA. 
The  3fadras  3[ail  of  Oclober  1th,  oo.niiienting  on 
the  figures  given  by  the  Olaeruei'  of  proh.ible  future 
e.xtonsions  of  tea  in  Ceyiou,  offers  some  remarks  of 
interest  to  local  planter.s.  Adniitliug  tliat  there  are 
fiU.OOU  acres  which  may  be  put  under  tei  in  Ceylon 
during  the  next  five  or  six  years,  it  asks: — 
“When  these  (30,000  acres  are  in  bearing,  what, 
in  all  probability,  will  be  the  extent  of  land  under 
tea  in  Ceylon?  Will  it  be  th-)  pre.ssnt  acreage  (<.«■, 
379,182  acres)  plus  60,000  ? We  venture  to  assert 
that  it  will  be  nothing  like  this.  Admitting  that 
these  60,000  acres  are  in  every  way  suited  for  tea, 
and  are,  as  predicted,  brought  under  cultivation, 
then,  if  we  can  attach  any  ere  lence  to  reports  which 
have  reached  us.  they  will  not  do  very  mtich  more 
than  replace  the  acres  of  poor  soil  and  Tuiser- 
able  land  opened  up  in  recent  years,  which  will  never 
give  an  adequate  return,  and  which  will  naturally 
fall  out  of  cultivation  little  by  little  year  by  year. 
The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  tea  cultivation  is 
being  overdone  in  (deylon,  and,  wo  hold,  foolishly  so, 
seeing  what  good  land  is  available  in  Southern  India. 
Travancore  is  fair-ly  well-known  in  the  island  and 
Ceyiou  planters  have  given  their  attention  to  it  ; 
but  a district  which  is  but  little  known,  and  which 
is  most  admirably  suited  for  tea,  is  the  Wynaad. 
This  district  is  divided  into  North,  South,  and  South- 
East  Wynaad.  It  is  in  the  South  and  particular 
parts  of  the  South-East  where,  in  course  of  time, 
tea  will  be  largely  cultivated.  That  the  plant  will  give 
splendid  results  there  is  evidence  to  prove.  The  soil 
in  this  district  is  most  fertile  ; the  land  is  either  forest, 
bamboo  or  old  coffee  that  has  lain  fallow  under 
scrub  for  a decade  ; the  climate  is  very  suitable  ; and 
the  communications  are  on  the  whole  good.  Owing 
to  the  gold  mines,  which  were  at  work  there  fifteen 
years  ago,  roads  have  been  traced  all  over  tho 
district,  and  in  many  places  there  are  deserted 
bungalows  and  the  foundations  of  old  storehouses, 
mills,  Ac.  Companies  in  Ceyiou  and  individual 
planters  worrld  do  well  to  pro.spect  Wynaad  before 
putting  poor  land  under  tea.  So  long  as  the  pre- 
sent policy  of  pushing  the  product  in  new  markets 
is  pursued,  we  do  not  believe  that  the  Indian  and 
Ceylon  tea-planter,  with  cheap  labour  and  the  best 
of  machinery,  need  have  any  particular  dread  of 
over-p)oduction ; the  world  still  wants  200  mil- 
lion lb.  of  tea  annually  more  than  British  planta- 
tions can  produce.  But,  should  over-production  ever 
take  place,  or  should,  for  other  reasons,  there  be  a 
fall  in  prices,  it  will  then  be  a survival  of  the  fittest, 
and  the_  Company  or  the  planter  who  has  put  every 
rubbish-heap  under  cultivation  simply  because  it  hap- 
pens to  be  near  his  door,  and  who  has  deliberately 
ignored  good  soil,  yielding  1,000  lb.  and  more  of  tea 
w'.r  acre,  owing  to  its  being  at  a little  distance,  will 
bitterly  see  his  short-sighted  policy.  Wynaad,  in  a 
small  way,  has  as  great  a future  as  a tea-producing 
couirtry  before  it  as  either  Ceylon  or  Travancore,  and 
no  one,  we  believe,  would  be  more  ready  to  accept 
this  than  any  Ceylon  tea-planter  who  might  hapens 
to  visit  that  district. — Local  “Times.” 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(From  Chemist  and  Druj/i/ist.) 
London,  Sept.  19th. 
.‘t.NN.VTTO-SEED— In  good  demand  at  ratlicr  tinner 
rates,  25  packages  fair  Aladr.is  realising  from  .J^d  to  Jd 
per  07,. 
C.\EEEIXE— The  spot  price  in  second-hand  is  21s  tkl  to 
22s  per  U).,  but  very  little  is  available.  Whiifen's  brand 
for  October  delivery  offers  at  20s,  Howard's  for  Decem- 
ber at  18s  per  lb. 
G.v.mboge— There  has  been  an  active  deiuaiul  for  fine 
qualities  of  gamboge,  mostly  for  America,  and  an  ad- 
vance of  lOs  has  been  established,  good  picked  having- 
realised  lOf  15s  per  cwt.  At  today’s  auctior.s  no  demand 
was  manifested.  For  Saigong  and  Singapore  mixed,  small 
to  medium  prices,  partly  dull  ricely  t'racturo,  of  uis  per 
cwt  is  the  limit.  For  fair  pipe  and  lump  a bid  of  Sfl5s 
per  cwt  was  refused. 
Ks.sen’i'i.u,  Oils— Cinnamon-leaf  oil  is  again  dearer  ; 2^d 
ptr  oz  has  been  paid  and  3d  per  oz  is  asked.  Cinnamon* 
bai’K  oil  13  also  Unding  higher,  a good  deal  of  the  sn])])ly 
haMiig  been  bought  up.  For  a hff  in  sale  today  Is  per 
nz  was  asked.  Ihe  Lemon  crop  outlook  is  said  to  be 
very  nnsatisfactory.  Oil  gimivinteed  to  eoiitain  7-7  25  per 
h>.,  c i f prompt 
■sliipment.  ^ Citronella,  tu-m  ; snvill  parcels  have  sold  at 
I’®*’.  I’-  arnv.il  tli.ire  are  sellers  at  Is  "id 
pel  ID  , oil. 
better  tone  prevails,  and  20,U00 
mi  (icnn-ui  uulk  have  changed  hands  at 
the  slightly  improved  price  of  liihl  nor  0/  bn  Hip  snot 
! l>‘’esenc  111  i.imfactm-er.s’ ' quotations^ 
Ahifteus  vials  Is  4d  ; tin.s  la  2d.  Felletier  vi-ils  is 
fins  Loinbanla  vials  is  4.1,  tins  Is  2d  ; Oerman 
tins  ls_2d  per  07.  In  America  the  consuming  demand 
for  quinine  i.s  described  as  oxcc'lleiit.  \11  the  current 
orders  go  directly  to  the  inamiiactiirers,  dealers  having 
generally  advanced  their  views  t.i  25p,  ,althou"h  iobbiiw 
orders  might  possibly  lie  filled  at  2ilc  in  small  lot.s^ 
A parcel  of  20,000  07-  has  .just  lieeii  shipped  from  New 
York  to  London  by  the  ‘Europe.” 
V.v.niil.v-A  moderate  supply,  mostly  of  good  quality, 
•sold  at  very  high  prices. 
FRUIT  IN  UVA. 
{From  a Correspondent.) 
Be  fruit  culture,  for  wliich  our  district  is  re- 
markable arid  I sliould  s.ay  the  best  dimate  in 
the  Island,  I am  sending  you  by  goods  train 
a tea  1)a,sket  full  of  lemons,  citrons  and  bitter 
oranges,  (Heville  oranges  I tliink  I have  heard 
them  called).  Tlie  two  latter  citi’ons  and  bitter 
oranges  gi-ow  like  weeds,  ct'erywhero  along  the 
banks  of  stream.s  ami  are  gathered,  ami  used  by 
the  natives  in  their  diet',  cuiTies,  Ac.  Th'e 
loinons,  I have  giown  from  imported  semis.  The 
fruit  I .send  you  ai’e  by  no  means  a good  sample, 
as  my  .soil  is  very  poor  and  tiie  cultivalioii  spon- 
taneous, vyithout  any  manure.  Reside.s  these  I 
have  growing  apples,  pears,  plums  and  peaclies, 
all  bearing  f.air  crops  on  poor  imtana  soil  with- 
out manure.  The  local  fruit  trees,  I also  grow, 
and  side  by  side,  I can  .show  you  lo([uats,  Cliina 
anil  native  guavas,  mandarin  and  .sweet  oraimes 
of  varieties,  mangoes,  picks,  and  plaritains'’of 
varieties,  limes,  passion  fruit,  granadillas,  grape 
vinos,  pine  apples  of  varieties,  in  f.act  almost  any 
indigenous  fruit  can  he  grown  here,  and  if  your 
Mildura  friends  want  to  live  and  enjoy  life  by 
fruit  culture  let  tliem  come  to  our  glorious  Uva 
climate  111  preference  to  any  other  place  in  tlie 
island  or  lowcomitry,  with  its  heat  and  malaria ! 
[VVe  are  obliged  for  tlie  almiidaiit  sainjile  of  fruit  • 
enough  of  acidity  to  sour  even  “Mark  Tapley’L 
hut  Uva  can  nroduce  sweet  things  too.— Eh.  U.'u.j 
COFFEE  PLANTING  RY  JAVANESE. 
_ Thiee  lots  of  coffee  laud  at  Sel.-inia,  P.T.ik,  amouiit- 
inp;  in  all  to  forty  acres,  have  b-eeii  apiiHod  for  by 
Javanese.  The  headman  has  gone  t;>  J-f  i.miniiif  to 
buy  seed  and  rotuniiu;;  vi-i  Pciring,  will  b’ing  in 
hundred  followers;  Im  !i  is  Ind  cxpciicncc 
m coffee  planting  at  Klang  in  Selangor.  If  these 
men  settle  permanentlv,  and  succtcd.  olTioiv  will  soon 
follovv^;  the  oiiening  up  of  t.iie  n nv  bcidlciiatli  from 
Alor  Pongsuin  Krian  totiieJiok  river .mgiit  to  belli  the 
development  of  this  D, strict  eon.sider  . iy  uuid  will 
op  m up  .a  considerab  .0  area  of  bendaiig  land  for  settle- 
ment.— /‘iiia-iii;  (.idzelfe. 
ORCHID  COLLKCTINO 
ROHNIiO. 
NORTH 
The  British  North  Borneo  authoiities  will  issiii 
no  more  orchid  collecting  permits  for  the  presen 
tor  Province  Keppol  or  Rinabalu.  Any  per.soii  tra 
'.c.ling  or  collecting  orchids  without  a permit  is 
liable  to  a fine  ol  jjriOO.— A.  /'.  Prts.i. 
