THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan»  1,  1896. 
470 
in  black  ftgurcs-^so  that  at  a glance  the  Super- 
intendent can  see  how  far  his  weeding,  clearing, 
manuring  oV  harvesting  work  lias  progressed,  as 
lie  walKs  or  riiles  over  the  property.  This  is 
quite  an  original  idea  of  Mr.  Wright’s,  adopted 
so  far  as  we  know  on  no  other  property,  and  yet 
it  has  been  admired  for  its  usefulness  and  sim- 
plicity by  all  old  |)lanters  who  have  visited 
Kandangonuiwa.  In  the  centre  of  his  property,  on 
a coninianding  position,  Mr.  Wright  has  erected 
a commodious  bungalow  and  all  the  needful 
otbces  and  stores ; while  all  who  know  of  his 
past  career  as  a successfnl  amateur  Hortioil- 
turist,  may  be  sure  that  he  h.as  not  forgotten 
his  cunning  or  tastes  over  the  garden. 
splendid,  well-cujtivated  as  well  as  carefully 
selected  mangosteens  and  other  foreign  fruit 
trees  are  nowhere  else  to  be  .seen  in  the  island 
he  has  Singapore  mangosteeiis,  blood  oranges 
from  Aden,  durians,  chestnuts,  nuts, 
rambutans,  ami  mangoes,  &c.  M>-  'vjpht  s 
latest  hobby— for  he  cannot  possib  y be  idle  in 
this  direction — is  Orchids,  of  which  he  has  a 
delightful  collection  including  some  very  beaiitilul 
speciniens. 
Mr  Wri"ht  is  a great  believer  in  manuring 
coconuts ; and  we  feel  sure  that  he  is  ready 
to  subscribe  to  the  opinion  of  that  other  veteran, 
Mr  W Lauiont,  that  no  man  ever  spent 
un  to  a rupee  per  tree  jier  annum  in  manuring 
his  coco-palms,  without  jiocketing  IQO  per  cent 
on  his  outlay.  The  use  of  a stock  of  cattle 
is  not  neglected  on  Kandangoiiiuwa ; but  Mr. 
Wrifdit  has  more  faith  in  sheep  manure : and 
he  be^an  by  introducing  a valuable  breed  troin 
Australia — a ram  and  tluee  ewes  al^iut  six  years 
a"o,  and  now  he  has  raised  a Hock  of  close  on 
aliundred  sliee)),  across  with  native  ewes  ;wlnle  he 
is  determined  to  get  the  number  uji  to  1,000  of 
a Hock  before  he  considers  his  property  properly 
stocked.  This  is  a new  departme  in  stock- 
broedin"  of  the  utmost  importance  to  tlie  Colony 
at  lar-'c,  and  for  which  Mr.  Wright  dc.serves 
very  **‘reat  creilit  ami  ollicial  thanks. 
Mr."  Wright  is  also  a believer  in  the  \ eyan- 
<mda  Coconut  Desiccating  Mills,  lie  and  other 
nei'dibouring  proprietors  are  entirely  satislied 
witti  the  liberal  way  in  wbich  their  crous  are 
purchased  at  this  establishment.  So  far,  it  has 
been  the  day  of  comparatively  small  things  with 
Kandagoniuwa  in  its  crops  of  nuts,  rising  from 
1 784  nuts  in  1889  to  close  on  40,000  this  ye.ar. 
lint  henceforward,  the  return  going  on  at  a 
geometrical  ratio  may  be  expected  very  soon  to 
reach  eight-hundred-thousand  nuts,  bo  mote  it 
i,e_with  a continuance  for  a century  of  crop- 
nin"  at  the  same  rate  to  the  beneht  of  Mr. 
WrT'dit,  his  children  and  grand-children. 
4 "few  lines  of  “ Keniiniscences  ” of  early  years, 
will  conclude  our  notice  of  Mr.  Wright’s  work. 
I’LANTINC  AND  PRODUCE. 
The  Fear  ok  Over  PiioDrcTiON.-If  the  tea 
Planting  industry  is  overdone  it  will  not  be 
Cause^  of  the  absence  of  warning  on  the  sub- 
let At  homo  and  on  the  spot  tea  growers  are 
ri,V  11^ t if  thev  will  persist  in  increasing  the  out- 
to  „ tty  „«st  look  OM  lor  .11  kind,  of  trouble  In 
f l e fuluri  The  temptation  ]ust  now  is  very  great 
HO  doubt  to  “open  out”  in  tea,  and  there  is  every 
S.nSc  th.t  thl  “ Vt  tho"  Wetdi;  wfrn 
while  the  demand  is  brisk,  lhat  iho  irienaiy  wain 
higs  iLued  for  some  time  past  will,  as  in  the  case 
of  lUnings  generally,  be  utter  y neglec  ed  we  do 
notXubtT  blit  it  is  tlie  duty  of  a well  rcgula^d 
minds  to  persist  in  uttering  them  all  tho  same.  We 
that  a Calcutta  prophet  says  that  ore  long  wc 
— the  planters — “ shall  have  to  face  hard  times,” 
Well,  we  imagine  that  is  precisely  what  will  happen  un- 
less there  is  moderation  in  the  oulturn.  Newmarkets 
are  very  important,  but  they  are  necessary  to  relieve 
tlie  British  market  of  some  of  the  present  supply. 
Unless  people  discover  some  new  virtue  in  tea  the 
demand  after  all  is  limited. 
The  New  Markets. — There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
demand  for  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  is  increasing  out- 
side the  United  Kingdom.  Australia  is  steadUy 
adding  to  the  quantity  annnally  consumed,  and  ap- 
pears to  be  following  the  example  of  the  Unit^ 
Kingdom  in  the  gradual  displacement  of  China  tea 
by  Indian  and  Ceylon.  In  Russia  the  use  of  Ceylon 
tea  has  lately  received  considerable  impetus,  and 
that  market  is  now  a very  important  outlet.  South 
Africa,  however,  should  not  be  overlooked,  as  recent 
advices  from  Cape  Town  state  that  the  quantity  of 
China  tea.s  shipped  to  Natal,  although  tea  planting  is 
carried  on  to  a small  extent  there,  has  lately  been  on 
an  increased  scale. 
A Tea  Garden  Dispute. — It  is  not  often  that  a 
dispute  about  an  Assam  lea  garden  is  heard  in  the 
Law  Courts  at  home.  In  the  Queen’s  Bench  Divi- 
sion last  week,  Mr.  Justice  Mathew,  sitting  to  try 
commercial  cases,  had  before  him  the  case  of  Mac- 
Lau^lin  v.  Bardley,  which  was  an  action  brought 
by  Dr.  A.  J.  MacLaughliu  to  recover  a balance 
on  account  of  the  purchase  of  a plantation 
in  Assam  from  Mr.  William  Mackenzie  Bard- 
ley,  of  The  Elms,  Exinouth.  Dr.  Blake  Odgers, 
Q.C.  (with  him  Mr.  Rose  limes),  in  opening  the 
case,  explained  the  purchase  was  admitted,  defen- 
dant having  from  time  to  time  made  payments  on 
account.  The  action  related  to  the  purchase  of  an 
estate,  and  defendant  agreed  to  pay  eight  rupees 
an  acre  for  land  suitable  for  planting  tea  and  one 
rupee  for  land  not  suited  for  tnat  purpose.  The 
dispute  was  in  respeet  of  the  acreage  of  the  estate, 
and  there  was  a question  as  to  survey  made  at 
the  request  of  the  defendant  in  order  to  avoid 
a difficulty  with  the  Government.  The  property 
subsequently  went  into  the  hands  of  a Company, 
of  which  the  defendant  was  chairman  of  the 
directois.  The  plaintiff  was  called  in  support  of 
the  claim,  and  was  cross-examined  by  Mr.  Turton, 
who  represented  the  defendant.  In  the  course  of 
the  evidence  the  counsel  engaged  in  the  case  saw 
his  lordship  in  his  private  room.  On  their  re- 
turn into  Court  Dr.  Odgers  asked  his  lordship  to 
give  judgment  for  plaintiff  for  jEHOO  and  costs, 
tho  settlement  to  cover  and  include  all  mat- 
ters in  dispute,  and  to  be  a final  discharge  of 
the  settlement.  Mr.  Turton  thanked  his  lordship  for 
his  interpositipn,  and  said  it  should  be  clearly 
understood  that  the  settlement  included  all  matters 
of  difference  arising  out  of  this  transaction.  His 
lordship  agreed,  and  gave  judgment  accordingly. 
F.'vCTs  and  Figures. — Financiul  News,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  following  extract,  throws  doubt  upon  the 
statistics  regarding  the  increased  cousumption  of  Indian 
and  Ceylen  tea  abroad.  It  says  .•  *'  some  rather 
absurd  statistics  have  got  into  circulation  regarding 
the  increased  cousumption  abroad  of  Indian  and 
Ceylon  tea,  one  writer  representing  that  up  to  the 
end  of  September  the  deliveries  abroad  were 
35,000, OtX)  lb.,  against  28, 000, (XX)  lb.  for  the  whole  of 
1804.  That  the  re  exports  of  Indian  and  Ceylon 
tea  are  growing  fast  is  true,  but  these  figures  are 
far  in  excess  of  the  truth.  Tho  Board  of  Trade  return+i 
for  October  show  that  in  ten  months  the  total  re-ex- 
ports of  tea  were  25,201,881  lb.  of  which  throe-fifths  was 
Chinese.  The  re-exports  of  Indian  tea  ro.se  from 
2,832,838  lb.  for  ton  months  in  1804  to  3,102,288  lb. 
for  the  same  period  this  year  ; while  the  increase 
in  Ceylon  lea  was  from  4,-102,014  Ih.  to  (>,073,288  lb. 
Of  course,  some  countries  take  their  Indian  tea 
direct ; but  tho  London  market  is  still  the  best 
criterion  of  the  course  of  this  rising  trade.”  Messrs. 
Gow,  Wilson,  and  Stanton’s  letter,  wliich  tho  Finmicial 
News  prints  today,  is  a complete  answer  to  its  own 
comments.  This  letter  is  as  follows  ; “ In  your 
article  upon  the  increased  consumption  of  Indian 
ami  Coylon  tea  abroad  you  have  drawn  attention 
to  a matter  which  is  of  vital  importance  to  the 
