174 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  i,  1896. 
acres  and  l)elon<,dng  to  Mr.  T.  C.  Anderson, 
liave  been  placed  in  their  hands  for  sale.  Such 
an  opportunity  for  floating  a further  new  com- 
pany is  not  likely  to  be  neglected.  The  two 
new  ventures  announced  during  tlie  week  have 
been  tlie  India  and  Ceylon  Tea  Company  and 
the  Associated  Tea  Estates  of  Ceylon.  Enclosed 
are  the  advertisements  made  by  both  of  these 
That  first  mentioned  you  will  observe  includes 
in  its  direction  the  name  of  Mr.  Thomas  Dickson. 
His  association  with  tliis  company  must  certainly 
prove  a tower  of  strength  to  it.  The  capital 
will  total  £500,000,  of  which  the  ])resent  issue 
is  limited  to  £430,000  The  Dooars  Tea  Company 
is  tlie  iirime  mover  in  this  fresh  enterprise.  Very 
little  doubt  is  felt  as  to  the  subscription  asked 
for  being  fully  met,  though  we  find  many  who 
dislike  the  association  of  Ceylon  with  external 
interest.  A clergyman  devoted  to  Ceylon  tea 
remarked  to  the  writer  yesterday  that  as  a con 
sumer  of  that  tea  only  he  thought  its  reputa- 
tion would  suffer  by  the  unition  of  interest. 
“Ceylon  tea,”  he  remarked,  “ should  stand  alone. 
It  i.s  .vat  rjcncris,  and  to  my  mind  Indian  tea, 
such  as  wo  can  obtain  in  London,  does  not  com- 
iiare  at  all  favourably  with  it.  The  reputation 
of  the  Ceylon  growth  will  suffer  whenever  the 
line  of  distinction  between  the  two  products  be- 
comes weakened.  The  public  will  always  dread 
the  amalgamation  of  these.”  This  remark  is  of 
the  character  of  others  that  one  hears  very  widely 
expressed.  It  is  certain  that  at  the  very  outset 
tiiis  India  and  Ceylon  d ea  Company  is  experi- 
encing a certain  difliculty.  The  Times  cii  this  morn- 
in"  iiiformed  us  that  the  subscription  list  for 
Lemdon  was  closed  yesterday,  and  that  for  the 
country  will  close  at  noon  today.  But  the  .same 
issue  of  the  Times  included  the  following  letter 
THE  EAST  INDIA  AND  CEYLON  TEA  COMPANY  (LIMITED). 
To  file  Editor  of  the  “ Times." 
gir With  reference  to  the  advertisement  which 
appeared  yesterday,  we  beg  to  inform  you  that  on 
representation  being  made  by  ns  to  the  Registrar 
of  Joint  Stock  Companies  of  the  unfairness  to  this 
company’s  shareholders  in  allowing  the  name  of  the 
India  and  Ceylon  Tea  Company,  he  has  informed 
us  that  the  company  has  not,  and  will  not  be, 
registered  under  that  name. 
We  need  hardly  express  our  surprise  at  the  directors 
of  that  company  advertising  before  registration  was 
granted,  or  wishing  to  do  so  with  a name  so  closely 
resembling  that  of  this  company. 
We  are  yours  faithfully,  for  the 
East  India  and  Ceylon  Tea  Company  (Limited). 
P.  R.  Buchanan  and  Co.,  Secretaries  and  Managing 
Agents. 
■15,  Leadenball-street,  London  July  23. 
How  far  the  facts  thus  disclosed  may  affect 
the  iiositiou  of  this  new  com]iany  it  is  not  for 
outsiders  to  say.  Yet  it  would  seem  that  the 
issue  of  its  shares  has  been  notified  before  even 
it  had  obtained  registration,  and  of  course  to  those 
who  are  not  “ in  the  know  ” this  has  a stange 
appearance.  Can  'such  a course  h.ave  been  legal? 
Or  whether  or  not  this  may  be  so,  is  it  one  that 
in  the  interests  of  the  imblic  is  to  be  justified? 
'I'he  second  com|)any  above  referred  to  is  the 
Associated  'I'ea  Estates  of  Ceylon.  Of  this 
venture  the  public  adverti-sement  is  also 
sent  you  with  this.  Tu  its  case,  again, 
Indian'  men  are  taking  the  lead — the  Chairman 
of  the  Mercantile  Bank  of  India,  Sir  Alexander 
Wilson,  who  is  one  of  the  directors,  holds,  in 
a .sense,  a cosmoimlitan  posit  ion,  his  bank  having 
iar"e  in’terests  in  Ceylon.  But  the  other  two 
directors  arc  both  associated  witli  Indian  tea 
ulantiu".  Tlie  estates  to  he  imrchased  in  Ceylon 
are  welbknown  ones  of  much  reputation,  and  em- 
brace  ‘2,739  acres  in  Kchini  Vhilley,  Udapussellawa, 
and  K.alutara.  The  ca|)ital  in  full  is  £150,000, 
and  tlie  present  Issue  is  8,000  iireference  6 per- 
cent shares  and  5,<J00  ordinary  shares,  £130.000 
in  all.  The  purcha.se  price  of  the  estates  is  to  be 
£103,720,  jiayable  in  cash.  It  is  notified  that 
letters  of  allotment  and  regret  have  already  been 
posted,  so  perhaps  it  may  be  inferred  that  prac- 
tically the  subscription  lists,  which  closed  on 
Wednesday,  have  been  filled  up,  tliough  for  rea- 
sons given  in  a previous  letter  it  is  by  no  means 
sure  that  this  conclusion  is  to  be  fully  accepted. 
GANG  WARILY  ESTATES  COMPANY  OF 
CEYLON,  LIMITED. 
Registered  July  4,  by  Harries,  Wilkinson  and  Raikes, 
38,  Nicholas- lane,  E.C.,  with  a capital  of  £100,000  in 
£10  shares.  Object,  to  adopt  and  carry  into  effect 
two  agreements  expressed  to  be  made,  as  to  the  first, 
between  John  Drummond  of  the  one  part  and  this 
company  of  the  other  part,  and  as  to  the  second 
between  W.  W.  Nutshell,  of  the  one  part  and  this 
company  of  the  other  part;  and,  generally,  to  carry 
on,  in  all  or  any  of  their  respective  branches,  the 
business  of  planters,  growers,  manufacturers  of  and 
dealers  in  tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  cinchona,  coconuts, 
spices,  rubber,  grain,  fruit,  cotton,  rice,  and  other 
natural  products  of  any  kind  ; as  shipowners,  bankers, 
engineers,  merchants,  &c.,  in  all  or  any  of  their 
respective  branches,  and  any  other  businesses  which 
can  conveniently  be  carried  on  in  connection  with 
such  businesses,  or  any  of  them,  including  the  buy- 
ing and  selling  of  timber  and  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  tea  boxes,  caddies,  and  other  articles ; to 
acquire  and  turn  to  account  tea  plantations  in  India, 
Ceylon,  or  elsewhere ; as  miners  and  smelters,  res- 
taurant proprietors,  &c.  The  signatories  are  : — 
Shares. 
J.  J.  G.  Knight,  M.L.C.,  Rose-hill,  Stock- 
bridge,  Hants  . . . . . . 1 
W.  H.  Anderson,  Rupert  Lodge,  Burn- 
ham, Bucks  . . . . . . 1 
T.  Stretch,  Billiter-square-buildiugs,  E.C.  1 
J.  E.  Hendrick,  Billiter-square-buildings,  E.C.  1 
P.  Somerville,  Billiter-square-buildiugs,  E.C.  1 
E.  G.  Parish,  Billiter-square-buildings,  E.C.  1 
W.  T.  Wilson,  13,  Rood-lane,  E.C.  ..  1 
The  first  directors — of  whom  there  shall  be  not 
less  than  three  nor  more  than  five — are  to  be  elected 
by  the  signatories.  Qualification,  £250.  Remuneration 
to  be  fixed  by  the  company.  Registered  office : 
Billiter-square-buildings,  Billiter-square,  E.C. 
COFFEE  PLANTING  IN  SELANGOR. 
The  following  notes  on  Selangor  Coffee  planting 
may  be  of  interest  to  your  readers.  The  holes  are 
usually  placed  ten  feet  apart  and  are  cut  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter  and  the  same  in  depth.  The  cost  is 
about  half  a cent  per  hole.  Filling  in  costs  nearly  as 
much.  The  coffee  is  topped  in  the  brown  wood  and 
generally  at  six  feet.  High  trees  are  not  liked  owing 
to  the  difficulty  experienced  in  picking  the  crop.  Flat 
land  is  preferred  to  hill  land,  but  that  may  be 
owing  to  the  laterite  coming  to  the  surface  on  the 
hill  while  on  fiat  land  the  laterite  is  more  or  less 
covered  with  alluvial  deposits  ; also  coffee  on  flat 
land  is  more  easily  worked.  The  estates  are  manured 
at  an  early  age  with  mineral  manures  mixed  with 
bones  and  poonac,  etc.,  etc.  Some  of  the  planters 
have  tried  the  system  of  leaving  two  and  even 
three  stems  but  the  general  feeling  is  in  favor  of 
one  stem.  Advances  are  not  heavy  and  the  coolies 
generally  have  no  debt ; if  a cooly  bolt  to  Penang, 
Malacca  or  Singapore  the  planter  cannot  sue  him 
in  the  criminal  court  but  may  proceed  against  him 
for  debt  in  the  civil  court  at  I’enang,  etc.  Felling 
costs  seven  or  eight  dollars  an  acre,  weeding  about 
seventy  cents.  This  is  done  by  Javanese  on  contract 
and  in  return  for  a contract  they  supply  coolies  to 
the  estate.  Klings  under  indenture  are  not  liked 
and  the  planters  obtain  free  coolies  cither  in  Belaugot 
