THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTLRIS  f. 
[Nov.  2,  1896. 
336 
The  meeting  closed  with  a vote  of  thanks  to  the 
chair. 
The  following  L tiie  roi)ort  by  tlie  Directors  : — 
Your  Directors  submit  their  Auiuial  Report  aiici  ac- 
counts for  the  12  month.s  ending  30th  June, 
The  Tea  Crop  from  the  3 Estates  was  5,200  lb.  over 
the  estimate,  but  the  estimated  250  bushels  of  parch- 
ment Coffee  from  Nahakettia  Estate  was  represented 
by  85  bushels  only. 
Tine  Hill  and  Wavahena  Tea  Crop 
amounted  to  ..  117,723  1b. 
Out-turn  purchased  Tea  do.  . . ll,2(;i  ,, 
Nahakettia  . . do.  . . 112,180  ,, 
The  working  profit  for  tho  season  amounted  to 
I\25,880'78,  eouiributed  as  follows  ; — 1121,()01'51  by 
Pine  Hill  and  Wevaheua  and  U4,271)'27  by  Nahakettia. 
Tho  amount  available  for  dividend  after  payment  of 
tho  interim  dividend  of  3 per  cent  on  21st  Feb.  IS'.td, 
stands  at  Iil5,2'J6'78  equal  to  an  additional  4 per  cent 
or  7 per  cent  for  the  year — which  your  directors  propose 
to  deal  with  as  follows  : — 
To  payment  of  dividend  at  the  rate  of 
4 per  cent  . . . . iU3,V>16  00 
Leaving  a balance  to  be  carried 
forward  . . • . 1,380'78 
1115,295-78 
Since  closing  the  accounts,  the  sale  of  Nahakettia 
Estate  for  the  sura  of  11190, UOO  has  been  completed, 
showing  an  apparent  profit  of  115,417-56  over  the 
amount  it  stands  at  in  the  Company’s  books,  but  the 
actual  profit  cannot  yet  be  ascertained,  on  account  of 
claims  for  short  area,  involving  survey  costs,  a claim 
for  sale  commission,  11  nd  also  heavy  costs  to  pay  for  the 
expense  and  trouble  of  writing  down  the  Company’s 
Capital  from  R355,00U  in  3,550  shares  of  RlOU  each  to 
R2l3,000  in  3,550  shares  of  R50  each. 
The  Directors  do  not  add  anything  to  Reserve  Fund 
from  profits  as  a sum  of  R14,30U  from  the  Nahakettia 
sale  money  is  added  thereto. 
Tho  estimated  Estates’  crop  for  season 
1895-97  is  put  at  . . . . 150,000  lb.  tea. 
and  fro.u  purch  ised  leaf  . . 15,000  do. 
155,000 
According  to  the  Articlea  of  Association,  Mr.  H.  St. 
C.  Bowie  Evans  retires  from  the  Directorate,  but  is 
eligible  for  re-election. 
WHO  DISCO VER If  D THE  TEA  ELAN  T 
IN  INDIA  ? 
TO  THE  EDITOU  OF  THF.  “ ENGLISHMAN.” 
Sill, — As  one  who  many  years  ago  entered  on  this 
vexata  quesiio  and  endeavoured  to  solve  it,  I am 
interested  in  what  your  “Special  Commissioner” 
has  so  graphically  said  on  the  subject  in  your  im- 
pression (Dat  Edition  of  this  morning.) 
Tho  destruction  by  five  of  my  library  of  rare 
and  valuable  books  on  India  in  1882,  and  the — to 
me  irreparable— loss  of  my  MMS.  on  History,  Natural 
History  and  Shikar,  prevents  my  being  able  to  verify 
my  statements  by  referring  to  the  authorities  on 
which  they  are  based,  and  1 have,  therefore,  to  trust 
more  or  less  to  memory  which  at  best  cannot  be 
ccusidered  as  absolutely  reliable.  At  page  145ofiny 
'-  Historical  and  Topographical  Sketch  of  Calcutta,” 
which  originally  appeared  in  your ‘‘  Saturday  Evening 
Journal  ” more  than  twenty  years  ago,  occurs  tho 
following  footnote : — 
“ In  this  year  (1825)  the  tea  plant  was  discovered 
in  India.  It  was  found  in  the  district  of  Tejpur, 
Assam,  by  Major  R.  Bruce  and  his  brother,  Mr. 
0.  A.  Bruce.  Various  other  persons  claim  this  honour, 
but  it  is  generally  allowed  that  tho  brothers  Bruce 
-\vere  really  the  discoverers  of  the  tea  plant  in  this 
country.” 
Subsequently  I gathered  addi'Jonal  evidence  on 
tho  subject,  and  wrote  a p’por  on  it,  which  was 
reproduced  in  Wyman’s"  Tea Eucyclopicdia.”  I think 
it  was  there  satisfactorily  established  that  the  late 
Major  It.  Bruce  was  the  actual  discoverer  of  the 
indigenous  tea  jilant  in  India.  Not  having  Mr. 
"WyiHau’s  work  at  hand  to  refer  to,  I am  unable  to 
forward  a copy  of  the  said  article ; but,  as  the  sub- 
ject is  of  some  interest  to  those  connected  with  the 
tea  industry  in  India,  you  may  be  disposed  to  pub- 
lish it  from  the  above  book  should  it  be  in  your 
Editorial  Library. 
In  connection  with  this  subject  I may  state  that  as 
the  tea  plant  is  not  found  in  a wild  state  in  China, 
and  is  indigenous  to  India,  ergo,  botuiis's  are  w-rong 
in  designating  it  Thea  Chincnnis  ; the  above  specific 
name  ought  once  more,  I submit,  to  bo  changed  to 
Iiulica,  in  accordance  with  the  recognised  rules  of 
sciimlific  nomenclature.  But  it  is  said  that  a 
myth  is  as  difficult  to  kill  ns  a cat,  aye,  and  more  so, 
and  this  scientific  misnomer,  if  I may  be  permitted  to 
so  c:\ll  it  is  likely  to  bo  perpetuated.  The  Buddhist 
legend  about  the  tea  plant  being  carried  from  India 
to  China  by  a priest*  is  evidently  based  on  historical 
facts.  H.  James  Rainey. 
Rainey  Villa,  Khulna,  Sept.  21. 
LANTANA— THE  FOREST’S  FRIEND  1 
I think  “ Velleda,”  though  ho  jested  on  the  subject 
of  Lantanaiw  your  March  issue,  may  like  to  read  the 
annexed  extract  from  the  Coorg  Annual  Report  for 
1894-05.  Mr.  Lawrie  effectually  disposes  of  the 
“ Forester’s  friend”  tlieory,  and  clearly  shows  that, 
though  Lantana  “ takes  possession  of  the  soil.”  it  does 
not  later  on  protect  the  young  plants  of  valuable 
species  as  “ Velleda”  thinks. 
It  may  interest  your  readers  to  know  that  in  Berar, 
where  the  Jyautaiia  was  an  undoubted  pest,  steady 
work  for  three  seasons  at  an  expenditure  of  some  Rs. 
17,000  has  practically  eradicated  the  shurb,  and  all 
that  is  now  needed  is  the  destruction  for  a few  years 
to  come  of  seedlings  and  any  plants  overlooked  in  the 
first  clearing.  Tho  expenditure  in  the  future  will  be 
trilling,  as  one  very  satisfactory  feature  observed  is 
the  absence  of  shoots  from  roots  left  in  ground,  and 
the  comparatively  few  seedlings  observable  after  two 
years’  careful  work. 
I may  mention  the  fact  that  the  Central  Provinces 
Forest  Administration  has  warmly  supported  Berar  in 
eradicating  Lantma,  and  has  carefully  destroyed  any 
isolated  shrubs  found  in  Betul  and  Nimar.  All  these 
shrubs  were  apparently  sown  by  birds  w’hich  love  tho 
sweet  fruit  borne  by  Lantana  Scandens. 
C.  B.voshawe. 
P.  S. — May  I warn  your  Bombay  readers  of  the 
danger  of  introducing  Jjantana  hedges.  I hear  this  is 
being  done  in  tho  little  hill  station  of  Panchgani,  and 
I fear  it  is  certain  (as  it  did  in  tho  case  of  Chikalda, 
which  is  much  like  Panchgani)  to  lead  up  to  very  in- 
sanitary conditions. 
Extract  from  Coorq  Forest  Jieport,  1895-95,  h;/  A,  E, 
Lawrie,  iJeimtp  Oonserrator  of  Forests. 
“I  am  sorry  I cannot  endorse  the  opinion  of  my  prede- 
cessor regarding  seedlings  of  matti  biti  &iidliome,  found 
under  impenetrable  clumps  of  Jjantana.  One  has  only 
got  to  see  a stretch  of  Lantana  in  all  its  glory,  and  it 
will  not  take  long  to  find  tliat  these  light-loving  seed- 
lirgs  stand  absolutely  no  chance.  Even  sandal  itself 
cannot  stand  very  thick  Jjantana.  Lately  I have  had 
a few  lines  opened  through  dense  Jjantana  wliere  san- 
dal had  been  sown  some  five  years  ago,  and  which  were 
known  to  have  germinated  excellently,  and  for  two 
years  were  not  lost  sight  of,  but  in  the  third  were  com- 
pletely covered  over  witli  Jjantana  and  entirely  lost 
sight  of.  In  these  lines,  for  every  one  weedly  sandal 
nearly  a hundred  dry  rotted  stains  were  found  from 
three  to  four  feet  high,  yyiinfam  as  a nurse  growing 
and  as  a hedge  no  doubt  is  very  good ; the  stems  if  not 
burnt  rise  some  feet  up  and  then  curve  down  on  either 
side,  allowing  a fair  amount  of  side  light  to  reach  any 
seedling  springing  up  under  it,  and  hero  tho  seedlings 
shoot  a head  protected  from  cattle  and  other  animals. 
The  other  groat  drawback  to  Lantana  and  which 
makes  it  anything  but  tho  Forester’s  friend  is  in  tho 
matter  of  fires ; for  onoo  a fire  enters  a Lantana, 
stretch  tho  entire  area  is  bound  to  be  gutted.  In 
any  case,  if  it  can  be  prevented,  Lantana  should  not 
1)0.  allowed  to  lake  unlimited  pohsossion  of  the  ground. 
* Porhajis  Tlicosophists  would  be  disposed  to  claim 
him  to  bo  0110  of  their  mysterious  Maliatmas. 
