774 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  I,  1896. 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE. 
THE  REPORT 
Tka  in  the  Caucasus. — The  Eussiaii  Government 
is  about  to  put  into  practice  the  knowledge  acquired 
about  tea  some  months  ago,  when  it  sent  a scientific 
expedition  to  China  and  japan  to  study  the  national 
tea  industry.  This  expedition  has  now  returned  with 
a numerous  staff  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  workmen, 
who  are  to  initiate  the  Russians  in  all  secrets  con- 
nected with  the  grow'ing  and  handling  of  tea.  The 
expedition  has  also  arranged  for  importing  a large 
number  of  young  tea-plants  into  Russia,  and  there  is 
talk  about  making  the  Caucasian  tea  industry  felt  on 
the  European  markets. 
Tea  Cigarettes. — The  descript‘011  given  in  an 
American  paper  of  the  effects  on  the  smoker  of  a tea 
cigarette  is  not  enticing.  You  first  make  your 
cigarette,  then  you  smoke  it  and  await  the  result. 
The  process  of  making  the  cigarette  is  comparatively 
simple — the  effect  is  distinctly  complex.  Tea  leaves 
are  dampened  enough  to  make  them  uncurl,  and  then 
are  rolled  in  paper.  The  first  cigarette  produces  a feel- 
ing of  dizziness,  and  is  sufficiently  nasty  to,  as  a 
rule,  choke  off  the  beginner.  But  with  perseverance 
the  feeling  of  dizziness  passes  off,  and  is  succeeded  by 
intense  exhilaration,  which  lasts  as  long  as  the  cigarette. 
Then  comes  the  penalty.  According  to  the  American 
authority  mentioned,  the  reaction  is  said  to  be  agonj , 
for  the  smoke  of  the  tea  is  inhaled  into  the  lungs,  and 
is  succeeded  by  a horrible  nausea.  Food  then  In- 
comes absolutely  distasteful,  and  a cup  of  tea  is  the 
first  thing  that  can  be  taken.  Shortly  after  all 
the  disagreeable  effects  have  passed  off, 
comes  a craving  for  another  cigarette,  which 
is  generally  surrendered  to,  and  so  the  round  goes 
on.  This  smoking  is  utterly  ruinous  to  the  nerves, 
and  someone  with  a passion  for  statistics  has  cal- 
culated that  twenty  tea  cigarettes  a day  equal  to 
forty  cups  of  tea  as  regards  quantity,  or  to  two  hundred 
as  regards  strength.— 11.  and  C.  Mail,  April  3. 
MARKET  FOR  TEA  SHARES. 
Thursday  Evening,  April  2,  1896. 
The  approach  of  the  Easter  vacation  has  tended  in 
some  measure  to  narrow  the  volume  of  transactions  in 
tea  companies’  shares,  but  notwithstanding  this  there 
has  been  a fair  business  in  progress,  and  the  market 
stocks  closed  with  no  weakening  whatever  in  quo- 
tations. 
Mincing  Lane  also  closed  firm  and  looks  like  renewed 
advances  after  Easter.  “ Last  of  the  season  ” invoices 
continue  to  appear  in  the  catalogues  which  foretell  an 
early  finish  of  the  Indian  sales,  while  Ceylons  also  seem 
to  be  in  rather  diminished  quantities. 
Fresh  Issues. — There  is  nothing  further  in  Dimbula 
Valley  Pref.  nor  in  the  Ordinary. 
Quoted  Shares.— East  Indian  and  Ceylon  Ordinary 
have  been  marked  up  in  the  official  list,  where  they  now 
close  10 J to  11^  ; but  there  are  .sellers  at  a shade  over 
11.  The  Prefs.  have  been  done  at  prices  varying  from 
13i  to  13g  or  thereabouts. 
UNION  ESTATES  CO.  OF  CEYLON,  LD. 
At  the  first  annual  ordinary  general  meeting 
of  the  United  E.statc.sCo.  of  Ceylon,  Ld.,  held 
on  the  I8th  April,  the  report  and  accounts,  .a.s  pub- 
lished, were  adopted,  and  a dividend  of  .5  per 
cent  for  1895  was  declared.  There  were  present 
Messrs,  C.  Young  (in  the  Chair),  G.  W.  Car- 
lyon,  G.  H.  Alston,  W.  D.  Gibbon,  Directors ; 
Messrs.  J.  Wilson,  A.  Thomson,  H.  Tarrant,  E. 
S.  Anderson,  W.  Moir,  C.  A.  Leechman,  W.  H. 
Fi<^‘' ; Mr.  G.  Walker,  Major  G.  L.  Gw'atkin, 
Messrs.  A Deane  and  S.  E.  Tench  (by  their  At- 
torney Mr.  W.  D.  Gibbon),  and  Mr.  J.  Mae- 
Liesh  (by  his  proxy  Mr.  E.  S.  Anderson.)  It 
was  mentioned  at  the  meeting  that  in  this  week’s 
Government  Gazette  a notice  api>eared  asse.ssing 
the  estates  in  the  district  for  the  exten.sion  of 
the  Deniyaya  road  5 miles  in  the  direction  of 
Hayes  estate. 
is  as  follows 
Hayes 
Gongalla 
Dea  Ella 
sc 
S a 
acreage. 
_ sb  9 til 
o 9 .9 
o a 
fl.S 
u a 
9 ^ 
D • 
ce 
C3  r-. 
X 
X 
CO  0 
0) 
0 Q) 
0 
|l 
0 
2^ 
H 
H 
H 
0 
0 
H 
405 
11 
— 
— 
— 
416 
790 
1206 
90 
12 
— 
— 
— 
102 
471 
573 
HI 
?8 
50 
31 
39 
309 
177 
486 
1 
1 0 
101 
50 
31 
39 
827 
1438 
2265 
(On  Dea  Ella  260  acres  of  tea  are  interspersed  with 
coconuts  planted  .30’  30’.) 
The  Directors  have  pleasure  in  submitting  to  the 
Shareholders  the  Accounts  of  the  Company  for  the 
past  year. 
Since  the  Company  was  formed  the  Directors  have 
purchased,  in  addition  to  Hayes  and  Dea  Ella 
(which  cost  R280,000),  Gongalla  Estate,  as  from  the 
1st  .June  for  the  sum  of  £800  (R14  524'84),  as  well 
as  acres  12  3-32  of  land  adjoining  Hayes  for  the  sum 
of  R288’.50.  These  latter  purchases  now  form  part  of 
Hayes  Estate. 
The  crops  secured  last  year  and  the  net  average 
prices  realized  were  as  follows,  viz  ; — 
From  Hayes  168,600  lb.  tea  average  cts.  41J  per  lb  , 
Gongalla  10,660  „ „ „ 41iJ  „ 
(7  months) 
Dea  Ella  67,96.5  ,,  ,,  ,,  39^  „ 
,,  44  cwt.  cocoa  „ R30  per  cwt. 
3,320  coconuts  „ ,,  30  per  mille 
whilst  the  sum  of  R6,020'47  was  obtained  on  Hayes 
by  receipts  for  manufacturing  tea  for  other  Estates. 
The  prices  realized  for  a large  portion  of  the 
Hayes  crop  were  disappointing,  owing  in  a great 
measure  to  loss  of  market  in  consequence  of  the 
very  defective  means  of  transport  from  the  estate 
which  necessitated  the  teas  being  stored  there  for 
long  periods  and  brought  the  bulk  of  the  crop  for 
sale  when  prices  ruled  low.  The  question  of  im- 
proving the  outlet  from  the  estate  to  the  main  cart 
road,  a distance  of  11  miles,  has  engaged  the  earnest 
attention  of  the  Directors,  and  Government  has 
already  sanctioned  the  construction  of  a cart  road 
on  the  grant-in-aid  system  for  one-half  the  distance, 
whilst  improvements  to  the  remaining  .5.3  miles  are 
being  made  on  estate  account.  Application  to  Gov- 
ernment has  also  been  made  for  the  construction 
of  an  outlet  road  (about  4 miles  in  length)  for  Dea 
Ella  estate. 
Excluding  the  cost  of  forming  the  Company  the 
profit  realized  was  equal  to  9i  per  cent  per  annum 
for  the  74  months  since  the  capital  was  called  up. 
The  net  profit  available  for  Dividend,  after  writing 
off  interest  to  Vendors  all  all  charges  incidental  to 
the  formation  of  the  Company  and  making  ample 
provision  for  depreciation  of  Buildings  and  Maclii- 
nery  amounted  to  R17,276'69,  or  5-40  per  cent  on 
the  paid  up  capital,  and  the  Directors  now  recom- 
mend the  payment  of  a Dividend  of  .'i  per  cent  for 
the  period  under  review. 
A balance  of  Rl,276’69  will  then  remain  to  be 
carried  forward  to  the  current  year’s  accounts. 
The  estimates  for  the  current  year  are  26.5,000  lb. 
Tea  a,nd  60  cwts.  Cocoa  on  an  expenditure  of 
R87,065,  which  sum  includes  the  cost  of  manufactur- 
ing tea  for  another  estate  in  the  Hayes  factory  and 
upkeep  of  young  products  on  Dea  Ella. 
The  c.apital  account  expenditure  on  Hayes  Estate 
is  estimated  at  R 11, .500  for  a clearing  of  12  acres 
tea,  extensions  to  buildings  and  additions  to 
machinery.  The  contribution  pnyiible  by  Hayes 
for  the  cost  of  the  road  above  referred  to  has  not 
yet  been  assessed. 
In  terms  of  the  Articles  of  Association  all  the 
Directors  now  retire,  but  are  eligible  for  re-election. 
