THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
170 
[Sept,  i,  1896. 
No  provision,  however,  has  been  made  for  depre- 
ciation on  buildings,  plant,  or  machinery. 
No.  Estate.  1895  Crop.  1896  Crop 
(estimated). 
lb.  11). 
1.  Chesterford  ..  172,000  190,000 
2.  Dukinfield  . . 99,610  105,000 
3.  Doragalla  . . 233,988  *220,000 
4.  Horagoda  . . 67,000  *85,000 
5.  Madultenne  . . 91,000  *100,000 
Total  crop  . . 663,623  700,000 
Profit  . . ,£9,172  0 0 ,£9,461  0 0 
Yours  faithfully,  J.  M.  Henderson. 
Taking  the  profits  for  the  year  1896  as  ..£9,161 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  Dividend  upon  the 
Preference  Shaves  is  amply  covered,  6 per 
cent,  on  £60,000  absorbing 3,600 
leaving  for  Dividend  on  Ordinary  Shares  _ 
(£50,000),  London  Expenses,  etc.,  the  sum  of  ..£5,861 
besides  which  there  may  be  reckoned  the  in- 
crease of  yield  and  revenue  from  the  young 
Tea,  which  forms  a reserve  against  con- 
tingencies. 
The  following  contract  has  been  entered  into,  viz.: 
— An  agreement  between  the  Malabar  Company 
(Limited)  and  William  Henry  Davies  of  the  one  part, 
and  the  Company  of  the  other  part,  dated  16th  July, 
1896,  being  a contract  for  the  sale  and  purchase  of 
the  five  estates  above-mentioned. 
No  underwriting  of  the  Company’s  capital  has  been 
efiected,  and  the  Shares  will  he  allotted  as  far  as 
possible  pro  rata  on  the  application.  It  is  intended 
to  apply  in  due  course  for  a Stock  Exchange  settle- 
ment and  quotation. 
THE  CRAWFORD  CUTCH  CO. 
We  are  glad  to  know  that  this  Company’s 
business  at  Trincomalee  lias  now  been  thoroughly 
established  by  Mr.  C.  R Murray,  Secretary  of 
the  Company,  who  left  by  the  last  P.  & 0. 
mail  steamer  after  a three  months’  stay  in  the 
island.  The  works,  which  are  turning  out  at  the 
rate  of  6 tons  per  week,  are  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Gillespie. 
COFFEE  IN  NEW  CALEDONIA. 
Writing  to  a friend  in  Colombo,  a gentleman 
well-known  in  Ceylon  says  : — 
wrote  you  from  Sydney,  since  which  I was  asked 
by  a firm  to  come  and  report  on  some  coffee  plan- 
tations in  this  island.  1 have  been  here  a month 
visiting  a number  of  places.  Coffee  grows  like  a weed 
here,  and  it  is  grand  to  see  old  King  Coffee  looking 
so  healthy  with  deep  dark  green  foliage,  and  really 
good  crops.  It  is  wonderful  how  it  does,  seeing  the 
careless  cultivation  and  on  land  we  would  not  dream 
of  planting.  Just  fanej',  it  grows  in  the  low  land ; 
the  soil  is  rich  chocolate  4 or  .5  feet  deep,  but  all 
grass  land  like  our  patanas.  It  is  first  scythed  down, 
then  ploughed  18  inch  deep  with  a team  of  4 bullocks 
(English);  then  the  grass  roots  removed,  harrowed, 
and  coffee  planted,  and  with  it  the  blackwood  tree 
for  shade  under  which  the  coffee  thrives  most 
beautifully.  “Bois  Noir”  or  blackw'ood  seems  to 
kill  the  grass  and  weeds  once  the  shade  is  estab- 
lished. Plants  are  put  in  about  8'  by  6’  and  9'  by  5' 
and  until  the  shade  is  established,  ploughing  is  done 
between  the  coffee,  the  leaf  mould  formed  from 
the  leaves  and  seed  pods  of  the  Bois  Noir  are  very 
great,  and  in  fact  in  the  5 years  no  weeding  is 
needed.  Trees  (coffee)  are  topped  at  8 feet  and  no 
pruning  ever  done  which  is  a pity  as  they  are  far 
too  thickly  knotted  in  the  centres.  I saw  one  field 
last  week  at  Thio  and  St.  Paul's  about  25  acres 
carrying  12  cwt.  an  acre,  and  this  on  grass  land 
that  was.  Government  are  getting  out  young  men 
as  planting  emigrants  giving  them  15  acres  each  on 
forest  land,  and  insist  on  the  coffee  being  planted 
under  shade,  so  that  only  the  undergrowth  is  cleared, 
ftO  burning,  and  coffee  planted.  Plants  all  , shapes 
and  sizes  are  put  in  by  these  men  and  in  a few 
years  this  island  will  ship  crops  as  large  as  Ceylon 
did.  At  present  most  of  the  coffee  is  dried  in  cherry. 
Some  have  pulpers  but  do  not  know  how  to  set 
them.  One  place  I saw  pulp  and  cherry  and  parch- 
ment all  coming  through  together  and  in  some  going 
into  the  pulp  pit.  I set  this  pulper  for  them,  a 
Gordon’s  Disc,  worked  by  a 16  foot  water  wheel. 
This  wheel  also  works  a set  of  stampers  for 
clearing  the  parchment,  a very  slow  process.  The 
cisterns  are  about  4 feet  square  and  high  and  in 
this  they  also  wash  or  try  to  wash  the  parchment 
next  day.  After  setting  the  pulper  and  surprising 
them  with  the  clean  way  the  pulper  could  work, 
I also  made  them  make  a washing  cistern  of  planks 
and  one  day  washed  the  parchment,  bringing  it  to 
them  snow  white  and  no  pulp  or  cherry  as  they  did 
and  put  it  to  dry,  and  then  picked  the  parch- 
ment out.  Coffee  is  selling  at  12jd  per  lb.  here, 
and  such  rubbish,  about  equal  to  our  native.  The 
extent  of  this  property  is  13,000  acres,  of  which  500 
acres  are  under  coffee  and  the  rest  grazing,  and 
about  2,000  acres  good  for  coffee  viz.  forest  and 
river  flats.  The  climate  at  sea  level  equal  to  about 
Kandy  or  Gampola.  Very  healthy,  no  fever,  in  fact 
no  sickness,  and  strange  to  say  no  animal  or  rep- 
tile lives  on  the  island  and  very  few  birds.  Lo- 
custs are  bad  at  times.  A’ou  can  go  through  grass 
and  jungle  and  no  fear  of  any  snakes.  The  owner 
of  this  land  died  6 months  ago  and  they  want  to 
realize  coffee  crop,  60  tons  off  320  acres  bearing 
and  from  cattle  which  gives  about  £3,000  profit 
yearly  which  pays  for  coffee  cultivation.  Last  year 
they  netted  .£6,800.  The  grazing  land  for  stock  I 
am  going  to  try  and  get  a company  up  to  take  it. 
Rice  and  cotton  grow  well  but  no  labour,  and  the 
French  men  are  too  lazy  and  the  kanaka  coolies 
are  good  for  nothing  brutes,  get  R8  a month  and 
fed  with  rice,  meat  and  tea  and  don’t  pick  half  a 
bushel  of  cherry  a day  where  our  Tamils  would 
bring  in  I5  to  2 bushels  or  a box  to  a box  and  a 
half.  There  is  a fortune  here  in  rice  and  cotton 
and  1 wish  I had  some  one  with  capital  to  take  it 
up ; there  is  a big  fortune  here.  The  island  is 
full  of  minerals.  On  the  tops  of  the  mountains  they 
get  Nickel,  Chrome,  Cobalt,  Copper,  and  Coal.  Nickel 
chiefly ; there  is  about  200,000  tons  lying  here  wait- 
ing shipment,  in  fact  a small  mountain  of  it  ; owing 
to  low  prices  the  Company  will  not  .ship.  Convicts 
are  hired  out  by  Government  at  16s  a month  and 
their  feed.  Hoping  to  hear  from  you  in  Sydney, 
where  I go  tomorrow  per  “ Armand  Behic.” 
The  Rhea  Fhsre  Que.stion.— Our  Allahabad 
coiiteiiiporary,  dealing  with  this  subject,  warns  In- 
dian planters  and  merchants  against  lending  their 
capital  to  machine-rushing  companies  and  adds  : — 
It  is  only  fair  to  warn  them  that  before  the  machine 
is  tried  the  cultivation  of  the  plant  sliould  be 
tried.  Rhea  is  not  like  jute,  which  only  occupies 
the  ground  for  a few  weeks.  Once  down  it  has 
to  stay  for  years,  and  its  value,  as  grown  in  any 
part  of  India,  can  only  be  tested  by  experiments 
extending  over  a considerable  period.  We  are  by 
no  means  prepared  to  say  that  rhea  cannot  be 
raised  prolitably  in  any  part  of  India ; or  that 
with  chea])  labour  one  or  two  crops  a year  could 
not  compete  against  the  three  or  four  crops  in 
Java  and  similar  regions  where  lal)our  is  com- 
paratively dear.  Rut  it  is  none  the  less  certain 
that  accurate  knowledge  of  the  workable  outturn 
of  the  plant  and  the  cost  of  rai.sing  it  should  be 
obtained  in  any  given  locality  before  capital  is 
sunk  tliere  in  extensive  plantations.  If  the  Forest 
Departments  in  those  Rrovinces  where  conditions 
are  niost  favourable  will  consent  to  carry  out 
experiments  wliich  will  satisfy  capiialists  that 
rliea  wands  fit  for  their  machine  can  be  grown 
at  reasonable  cost  and  in  sufficient  quantity  year 
after  year,  tlicn,  and  tlien  only,  will  they  be 
justified  in  inviting  the  public  to  embark  intlie 
siicculation. 
