a62 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  I,  1896. 
By  way  of  satisfying  o\u-  curiosity  he  took  a square 
wooden  box  out  of  liisdesk,  and  opening  tliis,  displayed 
to  our  view  a very  fine,  light,  golden-brown  blend 
of  tea,  with  an  enchanting  aroma.  “ Only  twelve 
pounds  left  now,”he  said.  We  bought  fifty  pounds  of 
it  at  £25  10s.  per  pound.  Most  of  it  we  sent  about  in 
small  quantities  to  our  agents  for  ‘ exhibition’  purpo- 
ses. After  great  pressure  for  a sample  we  sold  half-a- 
pound  of  it  to  an  Australian  merchant  for  £15.” 
Mr.  Densham  next  touched  on  the  pictorial  ad- 
vertisements which  have  done  so  much  towards 
making  “ Mazawattee  ” a household  word.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  have  been  executed  by  well-known 
artists — among  them  I'red.  Morgan,  (i.  Sheridan 
Knowles,  R.I.,  and  Ambrose  Dudley.  Who  is  not 
familiar  with  the  picture  of  the  dear  old  lady  drink- 
ing her  “ Mazawattee  ” by  the  side  of  a great-grand- 
child who  has  mischievously  donned  her  aged  rela- 
tive’s spectacles?  Another  famous  Mazawattee  pic- 
ture is  borrowed  from  the  ‘‘Vicar  of  Wakefield,” 
and  represents  Olivia  showing  her  mother  the  love- 
knots  in  her  cup.  The  fact  that  Mazawattee  Tea  re- 
calls the  delicious  blends  of  thirty  years  ago  is  so 
well-known  that  Mr.  Densham  quite  apologised  for 
introducing  the  fact  into  his  conversation. 
SO  TONS  l‘KU  I).\Y. 
One  might  ramble,  during  the  whole  of  an  ab- 
sorbingly-interesting afternoon,  through  the  famous 
Donshain  warehouses  on  Tower  Hill.  The  walls  are 
of  an  astonishing  thickness.  There  are  eight  floors 
to  the  warehouses.  On  one  we  watched  the  great  revolv- 
ing mixers,  each  capable  of  holding  about  a ton  of  tea; 
lower  down  were  gigantic  reservoirs  into  which  the 
blended  tea  passes  after  having  been  thoroughly  mixed 
above.  In  close  proximity  to  the  reservoirs  long  lines 
of  boys  (‘‘we  do  not  employ  a single  girl  in  the  whole 
place,”  explained  our  guide),  were  filling  tins  and 
packets  with  a rapidity  that  clearly  manifested  that 
they  were  ‘‘  paid  by  the  piece.”  Still  lower,  the  engine- 
room  presented  a wonderful  sight.  Three  enormous 
gas-engines,  capable  of  producing  something  like  110 
horse  power,  are  used  for  turning  the  ‘‘  mixers  ” 
which  are  studded  all  over  the  building.  When  the 
tea-mixers  are  running  at  full  loads  their  capacity 
for  blending  is  something  like  seventy  to  eighty  tons 
of  tea  per  day. 
A special  block  of  the  massive  Tower  Hill  ware- 
houses is  laid  out  for  ‘‘  Mazawattee  coffee.”  The  ex- 
tensive coffee  ‘‘  plant  ” is  driven  by  electrical  power. 
The  ‘‘Mazawattee”  printing  works  are  situated  in 
East  Smithtield,  and  the  offices  proper  are  in  East- 
cheap.  The  ‘‘Mazawattee”  employes  coin-poae  quite 
a formidable  army,  and  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  point 
out  that  the  generals  commanding  it  are  two  of  the 
clearest-headed  men  in  this  London  of  ours. — Success, 
Aug.  15. 
PALLEGAMA  GRANT  ASSOCIATION  OE 
CEYLON,  LIMITED. 
The  ordinary  annual  general  meeting  of  the 
Pallegama  Grant  Association  of  Ceylon,  Limited, 
was  held  today  at  noon,  in  the  office  of  the 
Agents  and  Secretaries  (Messrs.  lJuchanan, 
Frazer  & Co.).  Ihe  Hon.  W.  W.  Mitchell, 
presided  and  present  were  : — Messrs.  E Rosling, 
A.  Rosling,  D.  R.  Ruchanan,  W.  Bowden-Smith 
(representing  W.  S.  Bennett)  and  Mr.  Gordon 
Frazer  as  a shareholder  and  as  representing  tlie 
the  Agents  and  Secretaries. 
The  Skckktary  (Mr.  Gordon  Frazer)  read  the 
notice  calling  the  meeting,  and  minutes  of  last 
ordinary  meeting,  wdiicii  latter  were  conlirmod. 
THK  mREOTORS’  REPORT. 
The  Chairm.vn  submitted  tlie  report  of  the 
directors  for  the  past  year  which  is  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms  : — 
The  Directors  have  pleasure  in  submitting  the 
balance  sheet  and  profit  and  loss  account  to  30th 
Juno  1890,  didy  audited. 
During  the  pa.st  year  210  acres  have  boon  felled 
and  planted,  wmich  brings  the  total  area  now  under 
•cultivation  up  to  503  acres. 
The  growth  of  liberian  coffee  and  coconuts  is 
encouraging,  although  depredations  by  wild  animals 
still  continue  to  give  some  trouble. 
The  Directors  aitd  the  Agents  and  Secretarys 
have  agreed  to  waive  their  fees  for  the  past  year. 
In  terms  of  the  articles  of  Association  all  the 
Directors  retire,  but  being  eligible,  offer  themselves 
for  re-election. 
The  meeting  will  also  have  to  elect  an  Auditor 
in  the  place  of  Mr.  J.  Guthrie,  who  retires,  but  is 
eligible  for  re-election. — By  order  of  the  Directors, 
Buch.vnan  Fkazer  & Co., 
Agents  and  Secretaries. 
Colombo,  15th  August  1896. 
In  moving  tlie  adoption  of  the  report,  tlie 
Cjiaium  an  .said  : — As  the  report  has  been  in  the 
liands  of  tlie  shareholders  for  some  time,  and  as 
it  is  not  a very  long  one,  I presume  it  may  be 
taken  as  read.  1 cannot  say  I have  very  much  to 
add  to  the  information  that  has  been  given  in  the 
report,  but,  w'ith  your  permission,  I will  read 
extracts  from  a report  of  the  Superintendent  of 
date  5th  Seiitember,  which  brings  us  well  uji  to 
date  : — 
Coconuts. — Individual  coconuts  have  all  been  fenced 
in  and  are  looking  well.  Plants  in  the  •*  98  Acre 
Field  ” are  much  more  sturdy  than  those  in  the 
“ North  East  Field.”  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
they  were  younger  plants  when  put  out,  neither  had 
they  such  heavy  shade  in  the  nursery.  There  are, 
I regret  to  say,  many  vacancies,  but  with  careful 
supplying  and  fencing  in,  I hope  to  have  those  clearings 
even  by  the  end  of  the  year.  It  is  useless  planting 
coconuts  down  here  unless  they  are  fenced  imme- 
diately they  are  planted,  otherwise  wild  animals  will 
not  give  them  a chance.  During  the  drought  water- 
ing has  been  resorted  to  in  some  parts  of  these 
clearings,  principally  in  ‘‘  The  Bungalow  Field.” 
Liberian  Coffee. — I am  pleased  to  say  that  ‘‘The 
Forty-five-acre  Clearing,”  planted  in  November  and 
December  last,  has  stood  the  drought  well  without 
being  watered  and  looks  most  promising  There  are 
very  few  vacancies.  In  the  best  parts  the  plants  are 
from  18  inches  to  2 feet  high.  The  growth  is  not  so.  good 
in  the  hollows,  but  will  greatly  improve  when  they  are 
drained,  which  work  I hope  to  commence  next  week. 
Cacao. — This  product  has  not  stood  the  draught 
well,  but,  having  been  constantly  w.itered,  it  has 
pulled  through.  Taking  the  13  acres  all  over,  I 
should  say  there  were  30  per  cent,  of  vacancies. 
The  ‘‘  Pour-acre  Field  ” is  decidedly  the  best,  most  of 
the  vacancies  being  in  the  nine  acres. 
Nurseries. — 1*  bushels  of  Liberian  seed  has  been 
received  from  Wiharagama  estate,  and  is  now  in 
the  Nursery.  This  I expect  to  be  ready  for  planting 
out  in  November.  6,181  coconuts  are  in  the  nursery 
to  date  and  6,400  more  are  now  on  the  way  down 
from  Rattota.  Till  within  the  last  fortnight,  I have 
not  been  able  to  induce  the  Matale  or  the  Rattota 
•carters  to  cart  to  Leloya,  and  the  tavalams  all 
having  had  murrain  the  transport  of  these  nuts  has 
been  delayed  a month  and  the  nuts  that  are  now 
arriving  would  not  be  ready  for  planting  out,  at 
the  earliest,  before  the  end  of  December. 
Timber. — A contract  has  been  given  out  for  the 
felling,  squaring  and  transport  of  UX)  tons  of  ebony 
delivered  in  Matale.  About  30  tons  are  now  ready 
to  be  transported  and  I am  expecting  the  carts  down 
dailju 
I do  not  know  I have  anything  else  to  add 
beyond  pointing  out  to  the  shareholders  the  ex- 
ceptional difficulties  that  have  had  to  be  contended 
with  in  opening  new  land  in  such  a district,  so 
inaccessible,  and  where  the  dilliculiics  of  tiuns- 
poi  tareso  great.  We  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  Government  will  lender  substantial  as.sist- 
ance  this  year  in  bridging  the  culverts  between 
I’allcgama  and  Flleheira,  and  also  we  arc  look- 
ing forward  to  having  a ford  constructed  over  the 
Ambanganga.  This  is  a river  in  Hood  at 
certain  times  of  the  year  and  at  other  times 
with  hardly  any  water  in  it  at  all,  and  the 
Director  of  Public  Works  believes  a ford  would 
