r>EC.  2,  1895.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
3^3 
Camping  Out. — •*  Yes,  I ciuup  out  the  whole  time 
Bometimes  sleeping  in  the  open  and  sonibtimes  under 
cover  of  a tent.  The  elevation  is  about  5,000  feet, 
aUd  in  February  and  March  it  freezes  there  of  a 
morning,  but  at  other  times  it  is  much  drier 
than  similar  elevations  in  Ceylon,  and  it  is  not 
nearly  so  hot  during  the  day  as  in  Ceylon.  And  it 
is  grand  soil ; very  fine  indeed.  The  very  patana 
land  even  is  better  soil  than  a lot  of  the  forest-land 
in  Ceylon.  On  the  Cardamom  hills,  as  you  know, 
cardamoms  are  indigenous ; they  are  not  cultivated 
in  any  way.  The  part  of  the  S>  Ihet  lands  W’here  I 
am  working,  as  I have  told  you,  is  mostly  jungle. 
You  ask  if  it  is  not  risky  for  the  Company  to  make 
this  road  before  getting  a definite  answer  from  the 
Travancore  Government  that  will  continue  it.  Other 
people  have  asked  me  the  same  question,  and  my  re- 
ply nas  always  been  that  the  road  is  necessary  lor 
the  development  of  that  side  of  the  Sylhet  lands. 
Whether  it  be  continued  or  not  the  road  must  be 
made.  It  is  through  the  finest  part  of  the  Sylhet  land.” 
A New  S.'.nitahium. — “ The  part  of  Travancore 
where  I am  working  is  in  the  same  range  as,  and 
probably  within  15  miles  of,  Kodi  Kanal,  which  is 
said  to  possess  the  finest  climate  in  India,  and 
whieh  has  been  fixed  on  now  as  the  site  for  the  chief 
Observatory  in  India.  It  is  already  largely  used  as 
a sanitarium,  and  there  are  many  boarding  houses 
there,  the  people  who  visit  the  place  coming  chiefly 
from  Madura,  Trichinopoly,  and  Madras,  and  they 
prefer  it  to  Ooty.  One  gets  there  every  English 
comfort,  and  plenty  of  pastiuje,  such  as  good  tennis, 
billiards,  shooting  Ax.  I could  recommend  it  to 
Ceylon  folk  requiring  a hill-change,  the  bugbear  for 
Ceylon  people  being,  however,  the  steamer  trip 
between  here  and  Tuticorin.  Still,  once  at  Tuti- 
corin,  one  can  get  to  it  pretty  easily  and  cheaply. 
One  has  to  go  by  railway  from  Tuticorin  and 
from  the  point  where  you  leave  the  railway  there  is 
a journey  of  over  30  miles  of  cart-road,  and  then 
one  of  eight  miles  in  saddle  or  in  chairs.  Steamer 
fare  from  Ceylon  to  Tuticorin  is  1121;  railway  fare 
from  Tuti  to  the  nearest  station  (120  miles)  is  R9 ; 
cost  of  conveyance  over  rest  of  the  country  III; 
total  R34  for  the  single  journey,  and  (of  course) 
less  for  the  return  trip.  You  can  leave  Tuticorin  at 
2 o’clock  today  and  arrive  at  Kodi  Kanal  in  time  for 
breakfast  tomorrow  morning.  I don’t  suppose  the 
Nuwara  Eliya  people  will  thank  me  for  saying  all 
this,  but  it  readly  is  a very  delightful  sanitarium. 
I am  off  on  Monday  or  Tuesday  again  for  Travan- 
core, and  I shall  be  away  there  several  months  st 
all  events.” 
^ 
“LADY  BIRDS”  IN  CALIFORNIA. 
UKATH  OF  THE  EN’TOMOLOGIST  WHO 
INTRODUCED  THEM. 
Professor  Cliarles  Valentine  Riley,  whose  death 
resulted  from  a fractured  skull  caused  by  a fall 
from  a bicycle,  w.as  the  leading  agricultural  en- 
tomologist of  tlie  United  States.  Born  at  Walton- 
on-Thanies  in  1843,  he  passed  his  early  years 
there  and  at  Chelsea.  He  tvas  educated  in  France 
and  Germany,  where  he  acquired  not  only  a 
knowledge  of  the  languages,  but  became  very 
skilled  in  the  use  of  tlie  pencil,  an  accoin- 
plishnient  tliat  proved  of  great  use  to 
nini  as  his  love  of  entomology  developed  itself. 
In  I860  lie  crossed  the  Atl.antic  and  settled  on 
a farm  in  Illinois,  where  he  devoted  himself  to 
agriculture  and  natural  history  pursuits.  In 
1864  he  took  part  in  the  civil  war  in  the  ranks 
of  an  Illinois  regiment  of  V’olunteers.  Four  years 
later  he  was  apjiointed  State  Entomologist  of 
Missouri,  and  during  his  tenure  of  olRce  he 
prepared  a remarkable  seiies  of  illustrated  mono- 
graphs. In  1877  he  hecaiim  the  leader  of  a com- 
mi.ssion  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  ravages  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  locust,  and  in  the  following 
year  the_otlice  of  Government  Entomologist  of  the 
Lnited  St.'ites  was  conferred  upon  him,  a post 
from  whicii  no  retired  only  a year  ago.  He 
^ihhshed  a large  numher  of  memoirs  upon  the 
Hessian  ny,  ariiiy  worm,  cotton  worm,  chincli 
phyllo.xera,  and  other  insect  pests.  One  of 
Ills  most  brilliant  e.xploits  was  the  suppre.s.sion 
of  a scale  insect  which  threatened  to  destrov 
tlie  orange  groves  of  California  ; tliis  he  did  by 
introducing  and  acclimatizing  from  Australia  an 
insect  allied  to  the  Engli.sli  ladybird— which 
preyed  upon  the  .sea  c insect.  Wliilsi  at  Washing- 
ton  lie  organized  the  Entomological  Mmseuni  and 
Stcllt'GCl  tll6  pdlOCilOtil  I'iXSCct  Llfc^  HOW  ij) 
seventh  year.  He  lectured  at  different,  times  at 
various  IJniver.-^ities  and  college.s,  and  in  1889 
the  entire  charge  of  tlie  agricultural  .section  of 
the  United  States  display  at  the  Paris  Exhibi- 
tion was  intrn.sted  to  him.  He  had  already 
received  a gold  niedal  from  tlie  French  Govern- 
ment in  recognition  of  his  researclies  into  the 
life  history  of  phylloxera,  and  in  1889  the  cross 
of  tlie  l.egioii  of  Honour  was  bestowed  upon  him. 
He  was  a frequent  visitor  to  his  native  land 
and  was  liere  as  recently  as  last  year,  when  lie 
attended  the  Oxford  meeting  of  the  British  As- 
sociation. 
THE  NEW  DIMBULA  COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
REPORT,  .SEASON  1894-95. 
In  presenting  their  renth  Annu.al  Report  the  Dir 
ectors  are  enabled  to  recommend  the  payment  in  full 
of  all  arrears  of  dividend  on  the  “B”  shares  and 
at  the  same  time  to  commence  payment  of  dividenH 
on  the  “C”  shares,  which  hitherto  have  not  participa 
Company.  The  estimated  yield 
of  Tea  for  the  past  year  has  been  exceeded  but 
prices  have  been  lower  than  in  the  preceding  'year 
The  estiue  is  reported  in  good  order;  consider- 
able additions  have  been  made  to  the  factory  ac- 
commodation m the  past  year,  and  larger  additions 
have  been  sanctioned  for  the  present  year  to  meet 
the  increasing  yield  from  the  larger  acreage  now  in 
bearing,  and  to  provide  as  far  as  possible  for  the 
efficient  treatment  of  the  Tea.  The  full  area  of 
cultivated  land  (2,193  acres)  will  come  into  bearine 
during  the  present  year.  ® 
The  accounts  now  presented  show  a surplus  of  £16  2"0 
3s.  after  writing  off  the  balance  of  Tea  Extension  Ac. 
count,  viz.,  £69  8s  Id.  and  the  balance  £1,750  16s  lid 
of  the  “Factory  and  Machinery  Account  ” The  Dir 
ectors  propose  a dividend  of  8 per  cent,  per  annum  on 
“A”  shares  for  the  year  ended  30tti  June  lash 
4 per  cent,  of  which  was  paid  in  Blarch.  The  Direc 
tors  also  propose  the  payment  in  full  of  all  arrears 
of  dividend  on  the  “ B”  shares  amounting  to  8 per 
cent,  4 percent,  of  whieh  was  paid  in  March  list, 
fu  payment  of  G per  cent,  on 
Directors  further  propose  an 
additional  dividend  of  2 per  cent,  on  all  sbaixs  and 
the  placing  of  £3.0.90  to  a Reserve  Fund  ’ ^ 
The  Directors  h vemuch  pleasure  in  recording  their 
appreciation  of  tiie  Oeneral  Management  in  Cevlou 
and  feel  tnat  special  credit  is  due  to  the  Resident 
Manager.— By  order  of  the  Board,  A.  Cbabbe, 
Secretary. 
FOR  THE 
•l.AP.'VNESE  AND  CHINESE 
STRAITS. 
The  well  known  politician,  Mr.  Oi  Keutaro.  is 
now  staying  at  Singapore,  where  he  is  believed  to 
be  engaged  in  business.  In  a recent  letter  to  a 
triend  at  home,  he  speaks  with  admiration  of  the 
influence  exercised  by  the  Chinese  population  there, 
and  ot  the  general  trustworthiness  of  Chinese  mer- 
chants. Another  surprise  to  him  has  been  that  the 
.summer  is  nioro  endurable  at  Singapofe  than  ijj 
