Jan.  I,  1896.1  THE  TROPICAL 
A NEW  CEYLON  TEA  COMPANY. 
The  Ederapolla  Tea  Company  of  Ceylon,  Limited, 
has  been  registered,  with  a capital  of  £50,000  in 
5,000  shares  of  £10  each.  The  company  has  been 
formed  to  purchase  from  Messrs.  Bott  and  Watt, 
Ederapolla  Estate,  and  from  Mr,  MacMartin,  Ardross 
Estate,  both  properties  being  situate  in  the  Kelani 
Valley  District,  Ceylon.  The  directors  are  Messrs. 
James  - Bett,  Ederapola  Estate,  Ceylon  (vendor); 
J.  M.  MacMartin,  Ardross  Estate,  Ceylon  (vendor) ; 
G.  W.  Paine,  Chairman  of  the  Kelani  Valley  Tea 
Association,  Limited ; and  R.  Porter,  Maskeliya, 
Ceylon,  managing  director  of  the  Kelani  Tea  Asso- 
ciation, Limited.  The  secretaries  are  Messrs.  Lyall, 
Anderson  & Co.,  of  16,  Philpot  Lane,  E.C. — If.  d)  C. 
flail,  Dec.  6. 
<•- 
A MONSTROUS  PAPAYA. 
At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal, 
Dr.  D.  Prain  exhibited  a monstrous  papaya,  which,  he 
explained,  was  an  excellent  cx.amplc  of  a fruit  within 
a fruit.  Of  this  condition  there  may  be  two  expla- 
nations. An  adventitious  fruit  may  occur  within  the 
ovary  so  as  to  occupy  the  position  usually  occupied 
bv  a seed.  This  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon 
oci  urrcnce.  But  here  was  a dillerent  phenomenon. 
Inside  the  ])erfectly  normal  looking  fruit  has  a 
second,  about  half  its  length,  quite  unconnected 
with  the  carpels  of  the  ordinary  pistil,  and  .arising 
from  the  axis  of  the  flower  within  the  normal 
ovary,  and  therefore  above  the  point  of  attachment 
of  its  parts.  The  edges  of  the  carpcllary  leaves  of 
this  second  ovary  were  more  or  loss  free,  except  at 
the  base ; through  the  interstices  could  be  seen  a 
third  ovary  proportionately  smaller  but  I'ather  more 
approaching  the  normal  ovary  in  appearance  and 
structure,  owing  to  its  component  carpels  being  united, 
except  at  their  tips.  This  third  ovary  was  as  free 
from  the  second  as  the  second  from  the  first.  It 
occupied  apparently  the  very  extremity  of  the  axis 
of  the  flower. — ff.  Mail. 
INDIAN  TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
3IR.  buechynden’s  operations. 
The  following  are  extracts  from  a letter  dated 
New  York,  l.Sth  October  1895,  from  Mr.  R.  Blechynden 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Indian  Tea  Association  : — 
On  page  3 of  my  letter  of  the  29th  July,  under 
the  head  “ in  the  week  ending  l.Sth  July,”  I re- 
ferred to  an  arrangement  I wac  trying  to  make 
with  grocers  to  use  their  cards  for  distribution 
through  Mrs.  Tipton  in  the  course  of  her  work,  and 
getting  them  to  give  a reduction  on  the  tea  purchased 
within  fixed  dates  by  those  presenting  the  cards. 
This  arrangement  was  carried  out  with  several  men. 
In  all  some  54  stores  covering  New  York, 
Brooklyn  and  a few  in  Jersey  city.  The 
cai’ds  were  used  chiefly  in  connection  with 
the  Trilmne  (newspaper)  fund  lor  Fresh  Air 
Excursions,  referred  to  in  my  previous  letter  on  this 
subject.  The  excursions  went  out  regularly  during 
the  summer,  and  Mrs.  Tipton  accompanied  the 
greater  number  of  them. 
I enclose  a cutting  from  the  Tnbune  summarising 
the  operations  of  the  season.  In  addition  to  the 
Tnhnne  excursions  some  of  the  others  were  served, 
as  for  instance  the  1st  of  August,  the  people’s  Taber- 
nacle excursion,  when.  1,272  souls  were  on  board, 
including  503  women,  of  whom  some  300  were  served. 
There  was  also  a coloured  people’s  excursion,  when 
I gave  Mrs.  Tipton  the  a.'^;  istance  of  some  coloured 
girls,  and  she  superintended  the  serving.  This  was 
on  the  9th  August. 
^ On  the  8th  August  there  was  a convention  of  Total 
Abstainers  held  in  the  Empire  Hotel,  a great  demon- 
stration, including  a parade  through  the  city.  Delegates 
attended  from  distant  parts  of  the  country.  By  some 
arrangement,  permission  was  obtained  to  serve  tea 
to  the  women  delegates  in  their  Committee  room  ; 
it  would  have  been  impossible  to  serve  the  general 
meeting.  Some  76  of  these  influential  ladies  were 
served,  and  also  the  men  who  were  transacting 
business  with  them,  and  samples  of  the  tea  given 
AGRICULTURIST.  48.5 
to  all  present  in  the  sample  tin  boxes  over  from  the 
World’s  Fair. 
As  stated  in  a previous  letter,  I took  advantage 
of  a special  opportunity  which  occurred  to  send  a 
demonstrator  to  a country  fair  of  some  local  im- 
portance at  Newburgh.  A firm  of  wholesale  grocers 
at  Newburgh,  doing  business  all  through  that  section 
of  the  country,  applied  to  the  Indian  and  Ceylon 
Te“-  Cos.  for  assistance  to  demonstrate  teas  at  the 
Fair.  They  were  referred  to  us,  and  as  Mr. 
Mackenzie  agreed  to  pay  half  the  cost,  I sent  one 
of  the  ladies  we  have  trained  there,  and  the  tea  was 
supplied  in  packets  by  the  India-Ceylon  Company. 
The  demonstrations  proved  successful  enough  to  lead 
the  firm  in  question  to  send  an  order  for  another 
400  pounds,  but  the  order  was  neglected,  and  I can- 
not say  what  the  result  will  be.  The  Firm  whom 
Mr.  Mackenzie  and  I had  an  interview  witn  when 
we  wont  to  the  Fair,  said  that  they  intended  push- 
ing the  tea  through  their  travellers  and  looked  to 
getting  a good  trade  in  it.  The  Fair  was  visited 
by  thousands  of  people,  and  was  quite  a large  affair. 
Regular  buildings  were  put  up  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  exhibits,  and  our  friends  occupied  an 
entire  building. — Indian  Planters'  Gazette,  Dec.  14. 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
Coffee. — The  National  Bank  together  with 
Messrs.  L.  Behrens  Sons,  in  Hamburg,  have  pur- 
chased coffee  plantations  in  Guatemala,  tlie  last 
year’s  crop  of  which  amounted  to  18,00U  quintals, 
'i’lio  i)urchase  sum  is  reported  at  .uillion  mark.s. 
It  is  stated  that  the  liftli  part  of  tlie  coffee  planta- 
tions in  Guatemala  are  now  owned  l>y  Hamburg 
parties,  and  about  one-half  of  the  Guatemala  crop 
come.s  to  the  Hamburg  market. — Planters’  Gazette, 
Dec.  1. 
Precious  Stones  in  Ceylon.— It  is  news  to 
us  to  learn  from  Mr.  Siedle  (who  has  long  been 
an  ex'pert  in  respect  of  Ceylon  gems)  that  the 
country  in  wdiicli  our  moonstones  (an  attractive 
form  of  adularia)  are  now'  found,  is  between 
Matale  or  Ukuwala  and  'Teldeniya  in  the  Dum- 
bara  Valley.  The  natives  often  tunnel  consider- 
able distances  and,  in  their  blasting,  sometimes 
break  up  valuable  pieces  ; for,  the  moonstones 
that  are  in  request  now,  are  pieces  large  enough 
to  be  cut  and  engraved  in  cameo-f.ashion.  One 
such  piece  found  on  Crystal  Hill  e.state,  Matale, 
w'as  of  considerable  value.  The  tiny  stones  are 
at  jireso.nt  plentiful  ami  cheap,  a brisk  demand 
from  Americ.a  some  time  ago  having  been  over- 
supplied.  The  moonstone  is  really  a very  pretty 
stone,  though  not  to  be  compared  for  a 
moment  in  value  with  our  rubies,  sapphires, 
cat’s-eyes,  or  alexandrite.  Ceylon  rubies, 
however,  are  going  out  of  fashion,  being 
eclii)sed  in  colour  by  those  from  Burma  and 
Siam.  But  in  sappliires  much  business  in  a 
(luiet  way  is  still  done,  and  Mr.  Siedle  is  able 
to  tell  us  of  leally  valuable  finds  by  the  natives 
in  Sabai agan I uwa— single  stones  up  to  Rl,000 
Rl,'250,  and  Rl,500  in  local  value.  Alexandrite, 
again,  usually  found  in  the  Matara  District  and 
near  Weligaina,  is  much  in  request  and  a good 
many  natives  are  keenly  after  it.  Altogether, 
the  mining  and  trade  in  Ceylon  gems  is  by  no 
means  played  out ; but  is  as  active  as  ever 
though  there  is  no  great  show  about  it. — Mr. 
Siedle  is,  with  justice,  looking  forward  to  the 
opening  up  of  the  Banibarabotuwa  division  of 
Sabaragamuwa  as  likely  to  bring  more  valuable 
gems  into  the  market.  In  early  days,  tliis  w'as 
a favourite  scene  for  gemming ; but  natives  do 
not  care  to  work  in  dense  forest.  There  is  .also 
a report  of  successful  gemming  having  been  lately 
begun  near  Haiiwella,  20  miles  from  Colombo. 
