3o6 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov,  2,  1896. 
fierce  suns,  the  skies  day  by  day  being 
without  a cloud.  We  are  anxiously  await- 
ing the  advent  of  the  North-East  monsoon. 
hen  the  steady  rains  of  tlie  North  E ist  mon- 
soon are  with  us,  there  will  be,  I am  informed, 
a good  deal  of  land  planted  with  tea.  Some 
ot  these  clearings  are  from  patanas — poor  scrub 
lands  and  light  chenas.  Planters  should  be  very 
cautious  how  they  select  lands  for  tea  planta- 
tions. I am  quite  aware  some  kinds  of  patana 
soil  will  grow  good  tea.  For  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century  I have  seen  both  very  fine  coflee  trees 
and  of  late  years  tea  trees  growing  on  Nayabedde 
estate  near  the  road,  the  soil  there  being  of 
a kind  of  peat,  deep-lying  and  well-drained. 
This  kind  of  bog  soil  is  formed  by  the  slow 
decay  of  some  kind  of  vegetable  matter  which 
takes  place  during  many  years,  I might  say 
centuries.  Where  I now  reside,  we  have  five 
or  six  acres  of  rich  dark  soil  patana  land,  which, 
if  well  drained,  would  grow  tea  well  and  profit- 
ably for  years.  There  are  other  kinds  of  patana 
lands  suitable  for  tea  plantation,  but  great  care 
should  be  taken  in  these  days  to  select  only 
proper  and  suitable  lands,  and  as  a rule  to  eschew 
lands  growing  light  scrub  and  with  a .scanty 
growth  of  jungle  trees  on  it. 
Let  it  be  remembered  that  jioor  lands  that 
AVould  i)ay  a Tamby  01  Sinhalese  to  cultivate 
M’itli  tea  or  collee,  woul  l bring  loss  and  failure 
to  a European.  I am  not  one  of  those  “ tropi- 
cals” that  believe  in  the  restoration  of  eofl'ee 
cultivation,  while  the  red  fungus  can  be  seen 
on  most  old  eofl'ee  trees,  still  swarming  on  some 
estates  in  East  Haputale.  Ilefore  this  fungus 
reached  eofl’ee  estates  attacks  of  white  and 
black  bug  were  experienced  at  long  intervals ; 
but  after  a time  or  season  they  left  the  eofl'ee 
trees.  But  with  the  fatal  fungus  came  the 
green  bug  to  complete  the  destruction  caused  by 
the  fungu.s. 
Nevertheless  on  suitable  lands,  eofl’ee  might  be 
planted  now,  with  tlie  sober  expectation  of 
getting  crops—  half  a dozen  or  so — before  the  trees 
are  prevented  from  bearing  well  by  various 
enemies  of  one  kind  or  other ; ami  the  present 
])rice  of  eofl'ee,  and  the  local  consumption  of 
the  fragrant  berry  seems  to  favour  the  idea  of 
eofl’ee  planting  on  the  hillsides  of  Ceylon,  j ro- 
viding  such  lands  arc  good  chenas  or  forest 
lands,  if  the  vastatrix  fungus  ever  leaves  Ceylon. 
Then  there  is  no  reason  why  eofl’ee  should  not 
be  successfully  grown  again,  but  I have  felt 
the  sad  ell’ects  of  the  dire  fungus,  and  would  not 
depend  on  eofl’ee  cultivation  while  it  exists  as 
at  present. 
THE  CHICAGO  EXPOSITION. 
AHIUVAL  OF  MKDALS  ANO  CKRTIFICATES. 
Tlie  Hon.  SV.  W.  Mitchell  in  his  capacity  of 
Agent  to  the  Hon.  Sir  J.  J.  Grinlinton,  Special 
Commissioner  of  the  Ceylon  Government  at  the 
Great  Chicago  Exhibition,  has  received  the  medals 
ami  certificates  awarded  to  Ceylon  Exhibitors. 
In  all  10()  medals  ami  certificates  have  •omc  to 
haml.  It  isa  little  late  ill  the  day,  but  the  medal 
and  certificates  are  handsome  works  of  art  and 
well  worth  waiting  for.  Each  medal  is  contained 
in  an  aluminium  case,  rather  broader  than  a 
cigarette  case,  the  medal  itself  being  fixed  in  a 
frame  of  black  velvet  which  moves  inside  the  ease 
like  the  page  of  a book  ami  ivhich  enables  each  -ide 
of  the  medal  to  be  easily  inspected.  On  one 
face  the  medal,  which  is  of  bronze,  bears 
in  relief  a representation  of  the  landing  of 
Christopher  Colombus  on  the  shores  of  the  New 
■NVorld,  and  on  tlie  other,  of  which  the  design 
is  in  harmony,  the  in.scription — “ World’s  Colum- 
bian Expo.sition  in  commemoration  of  the  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  landing  of  Colom- 
bus,” and  then  the  dates  “MDCCCXCII — MDC- 
CCIII  C.  E.  Barber /ecf^.”  The  name  of  the  reci- 
pient is  stamiied  in  relief  on  each  medal.  The 
diploma  is  a beautiful  work  of  art  and  well- 
w'orthy  of  “ the  greatest  show  on  earth.”  It 
measures  36  x 25  inches.  The  design  is  a very 
elaborate  one.  At  the  top  is  a proscenium  through 
which  in  the  background  is  seen  a view  of  the 
Exposition  building.  On  one  side  Columbia 
and  the  bison  are  depicted  and  on  the 
other  representatives  of  the  youth  of  the  Anglo 
Saxon,  tlie  American,  Indian  and  the  negro  races, 
Allegorical  figures  beautifully  draped  surround 
the  centrepiece,  while  at  the  foot  is  a represen- 
tation of  a galley  carrying  as  shields  the  arms 
of  the  different  nations  and  in  which  allegorical 
figures  are  depicted.  In  the  centre,  the  nature 
of  the  exhibit,  the  exhibitor’s  name  and  the 
award  are  given— they  are  engraved  in  every 
case  and  not  written.  The  diploma  which  is  a 
triumph  of  the  engraver’s  art  was  executed  at 
the  engraving  bureau  of  the  U.  S.  A.  Treasury. 
The  Hon.  W.  W.  Mitchell,  forwarded  the  medals 
and  certificates  today  to  the  reciiiients  of  these 
honours,  the  list  of  which  is  as  follows  : — 
AGBIOULTUBE. 
oiioui'  6. 
Charles  De  Hoyaif,  Colombo  ; D.  Ik  Dias,  Kandy  ; 
J.  Gauder,  Colombo  ; Julian  Heyzer.  Colombo  ; The 
Orient  Co.,  Ld. ; VaVasseur  & Co. 
ouour  8. 
Aberdeen,  Ancoombra,  Ardlaw  and  Wishford,  Blair 
Athol,  Broadoak,  and  Brunswick  estates ; Buchanan, 
Frazer  & Co.,  Bunyan,  Charley  Valley,  Claremont,  Co- 
lumbia, Court  Lodge,  Dambatenne,Uamblagolla,  Dun- 
keld,  Dunnotter,  Gartmore,  Gigranella,  Glendevon, 
and  Glentarf  estates,  Hon.  Sir  J.  J.  Grinlinton  (for 
the  Ceylon  Government;,  Henfold,  Hethersett, 
Holmwood,  Invery,  Klntyre,  and  Kurunduoya  es- 
tates, F.  G.  A.  Lane  (for  Blair  Athol  estate), 
Laymastotte,  and  Lynsted  estates,  Mackwood  & Co. 
W Waddon  Martyn,  Mincing  Lane  and  Mousa- 
kanda  estates,  North  Matale  estate  (Land  and 
Produce  Company).  Oononagala  estate.  Oriental 
Bank  Estates  Company,  Ovoca,  Pedro,  Poop- 
rassie,  Portswood,  Kahatungoda,  Kookwood,  St. 
Clair,  rillyrie,  Udaradella,  Vellaioya  (no  diploma 
received),  Westhall  and  Yapame  estates. 
GROUP  9. 
Ceylon  Government  (Hon.  Sir  J.  J.  Grinlinton) 
and  the  Orient  Company,  Ltd. 
GROUP  14. 
Hon.  Sir  J.  J.  Grinlinton  (for  the  Ceylon  Go- 
vernment.) 
GROUP  16. 
Government  of  Ceylon. 
GROUP  18. 
Colombo  Oil  Mills  (G.  and  W.  Leechman  Co.) 
Charles  De  Soy.sa,  Clark  Spence  X Co.  Hon.  Sir 
J.  J.  Grinlinton  (for  the  Ceylon  Government)  and 
Mackwood  & Co. 
FOUESTBY. 
GROUP  19. 
Leechman  A Co.,  The  Government  of  (’eylon 
(the  Hon.  Sir  J.  J.  Grinlinton.) 
MINES  ANT)  MINING. 
GROUP  46. 
Darley,  Butler  X'  Co.,  Jacob  de  Mel,  M.  A. 
Fernando,  and  the  Ceylon  Government. 
MANUFACTUKES. 
GROUP  87. 
C.P.  Uayley  X Co.,  and  the  Oriental  Estates Oo. 
