39*5 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRiCULTURtST. 
[Dec.  I,  1896. 
THE  MOCHA  TEA  COMl’ANY. 
rROl’OSKl)  PURCHASE  OP  KSTATlvS. 
A siiocial  nieetiup:  of  the  j\loc!ui  Tea  Company 
was  held  at  tlie  ollieea  of  the  Company,  I’rinee 
(Street,  at  noon  totlay,  for  the  jmrpose  of  re- 
ceiving' a recommendation  from  the  Directors, 
as  to  tiie  proposed  jnirchase  of  two  estates  in 
the  Maskeliya  district. 
Mr.  l‘\  W.  Bois  jiiesided,  and  there  were  also 
])iesent  Mr.  \V.  Moor,  .Mr.  11.  U.  J?ois,  and  Mr.  V. 
A.  Jnliu.s  : also  Mrs.  M.  E.  Bois,  Mr.s.  Hnrdwood, 
Mis.s  W.  Bois,  and  Mr.  Henry  Bois,  as  repre.sented 
hy  their  attorney,  Mr.  E.  \V.  Bois  ; and  Miss 
Jnlins  as  represented  hy  Mr.  V.  A.  Jnlins. 
The  CliAlltMAX,  in  e.xplainine:  the  ohjecta  of  the 
meetiii'’',  said,  they  were  called  tof'cther  in  con- 
sequence of  a recommendation  from  the  Directors 
that  the  Co'iqiany  should  purchase  two  estates 
for  a sum  not  exceeding  £6,1U0.  The  two  estates 
were  really  to  be  taken  as  one.  'I’hey  were 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Comj)any  by  Mr. 
J.  M.  Campbell,  who  represented  the  projirietor. 
Seeing  that  he  was  an  interested  party  the 
Directors  thought  it  best  to  have  the  opinion  of 
an  independent  visiting  agent,  and  conse([uently 
they  asked  .Mr.  A.  C.  Bonner  to  report  and  value. 
'lids  report  was  then  read.  It  is  stated  that  the 
two  estates  could  be  taken  as  one.  They  com- 
prised ‘200  acres  in  excellent  oialer.  The  crop 
estimated  from  them  was  only  ecjual  to  275  lb 
per  acre,  but  with  somewhat  coarser  plucking 
an  additional  75  lb.  per  acre  could  be  obtained. 
The  average  crop  for  the  past  four  years  was  equal 
to  256  lb  per  acre.  The  valuation  of  the  estate  at 
nine  years  purchase  was  11118,700;  and  he  thought 
an  annual  prolit  of  1113, 50j  miglit  be  looked  for. 
'Lhe  (hlAlRMAN  said  that  taken  as  a whole 
the  estates  did  not  appear  to  be  in  a very  line  state. 
They  wouhl  notice  that  Mr.  Bonner’s  valuation 
was  11118,700,  but  he  wished  to  i)oint  out  that 
that  included  19  acres  which  were  in  dispute. 
In  regard  to  that  he  inight  say  that  the  pre- 
sent owner  did  not  seem  to  have  any  proper 
claim.  Therefore  they  had  to  make  a deduc- 
tion for  this  and  the  valuation  became  11109,500, 
and  the  estimated  pr.dits  would  be  about 
1112,000.  He  mighr  s,ay  that  .Mr.  ( ampbell 
thought  the  estates  could  be  very  much  im- 
proved and  worked  witli  a greater  return. 
It  was  then  proposed  by  Mr.  V'.  A.  dui.tu.s, 
seconded  by  Mr.  11.  (1.  Bois  and  unanimously 
agreed  to,  “ that  Directors  be  authorise*!  to 
purchase  tlie  i.auUa  .and  {’raighill  estates  in  the 
Alaskeli.ya  district  for  a sum  not  excceiling  £6,10(1 
sterling,  and  to  r.iise  a sum  not  exceeding  B6;J,000 
at  6 per  c"nt.  interest  to  enable  tlieui  to  pay 
the  purchase  money.’ 
It  was  agreeil  on  t'le  motion  of  the  Chair:u.vn 
that  a sp-cial  geneial  meeting  to  conlinu  tins 
formal  resolution  be  held  at  noon  on  Saturday, 
November  7th. 
As  the  meetin.g  broke  up  the  Chairman  said  he 
lioped  things  would  turnoutas  well  as  they  expected. 

THE  l.ATE  DB.  TUi.MEN. 
In  the  death  of  Dr.  H.  'rrimou,  the  lale 
Director  of  the  Koyal  Botanic  Cardens,  Bera- 
deniya,  Ceylon  and  tlie  .scientilic  world  have  sus- 
tained a heavy  loss.  Not  only  did  he  occupy  a 
place  in  the  torefront  <d'  authorities  on  tro[iical 
agriculture,  but  his  devotion  (o  duty  amidst  the 
distraction  and  physical  sull'cring  of  disease  must 
evoke  feelings  of  admiration  tor  the  strength  of 
will  and  character  which  surmounted  these 
didicnlties,  amt  of  ]>ity  that  death  took  him  ere 
his  life’s  work  was  done.  In  the  brief  compass  ot 
this  article  it  is  iuipossihle  to  indicate  all  that 
he  was  as  a scientist  and  a man.  Science  was 
his  mistress,  but  in  his  case  it  did  not  lead  him 
beyond  the  paths  trodden  hy  the  generality  of 
mankind;  and  his  .sociability  and  geniality  will  be 
a lasting  remembrance  to  a wide  circle  of  devoted 
friends.  On  bis  career,  a brilliant  one  in  scien- 
tiiic  circles,  though  to  the  general  public  com- 
paratively unknown,  we  have  already  touched;  but 
a bald  narration  compressed  into  the  limits  of 
a paragraph  gives  but  a faint  idea  of  years  of 
conscientious  and  unremitiing  work,  which  has 
gone  to  enrich  scientilic  knowledge  and  hare 
been  of  immense  service  in  its  practical  ap- 
plications. To  give  our  readers  an  appreciation 
of  Dr.  'rrimen’s  life  and  work,  we  do  not  think 
that  w'c  can  do  better  than  (piote  from  an  article 
our  ab.-^ent  senior  wrote  on  the  subject  .some  few 
months  ag» 
“ Take  Dr.  'Irimeu’s  latest  work  : ‘ TllK  Flora 
OK  CicvLON  ’ in  three  volumes — why,  it  is  ini- 
jiossible  to  overestimate  the  value  of  this  work 
for  practical,  educational,  and  scientilic  juirposes 
in  the  colony.  . . . Dr.  Thw  aites’s  great  work 
on  Ceylon  plants  might  well  be  compl.ained  of 
by  any  ‘ jiractical  planter  ’ as  above  his  head 
— being  essentially  a scientific  botanist’s  book. 
But  Dr.  'rrinicn,  wdiile  taking  care  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  science,  and  to  be  as  full  and  cor- 
rect as  any  reasonable  botanist  couhl  desire, 
has  added  a scries  of  most  useful  economic 
notes  which  simply  make  his  work  a treasure- 
house  to  the  ordinary  intelligent  readers, — to  all 
in  fact  wdio  wish  to  know'  what  can  be  said 
about  each  of  our  jilants  (useful  iiiid  ornamental) 
and  especially  about  the  timber  trees  and  eco- 
nomic |)roducts  of  the  island.  That  the  highly 
acconqilished  and  worthy  Director  should  have 
persisted  in  this  imi)ort<ant  undertaking  to  the 
sacrifice  of  his  health,  if  not  of  all  that  makes 
life  w'orth  living,  speaks  highly  for  his  con- 
scentious  devotion  to  duty  and  deserves  the 
grateful  acknowdedgement,  not  only  of  the 
Covernment,  but  of  every  l ight-thinking  man  in 
the  community.  We  are  equally  clear  that 
never  before  in  the  history  ot  the  island  has 
more  attention  been  given  in  our  Botanic 
Cardens  to  every  (juestiou  bearing  on  the  eco- 
nomic as  well  as  scientific.  si<le  ot  |danring,  and 
tropical  agriculture  generally,  than  during  the 
]>ast  fifteen  years.  We  speak  of  that  we  do 
know  ; for,  as  editor  both  of  daily  and  monthly 
issues,  we  have  continuously  been  made  the 
medium  of  rcijnests  f >r  information,  of  puzzling 
(pie-itions,  of  plants  foiwirdc  l for  identification 
by  planters — not  to  speak  of  our  ow'ii  many 
etlitorial  ([ueries— and  we  have  never  failed  to 
receive  the  most  prompt,  and  satisfactory  attention 
from  Dr.  Trimen.  . . . \Ve  are  absolutely 
clear  that  no  more  valuable  reports— both  from 
an  economic  and  scientilic  point  of  view — reach 
us  from  any  Botanic  or  Government  Gardens  the 
w’ide  world  over,  than  those  that  bear  the  imprint 
of  Peradeniya.” 
CEYLON  TEA  SALES  IN  MELBOUNE. 
Teas. — Locally,  on  tlie  1st  October,  a small  cata- 
louge,  ooiisistiiig  of  2.50  packages  cf  Oeylon,  wag 
offered  at  auction,  selling  up  to  8}d.  for  I’ekoe,  (ijd. 
Pekoe  fannings,  Is.  2id.  for  broken  orange  Pekoe, 
53d.  for  Souchongs,  l2Jd.  for  broken  Pekoe  and  4Jd. 
for  siftings.  Privately,  700  half-chests  of  Panyongs 
sold  at  -Iftd.,  market  firm  at  this  price,  and  150 
quarter-chests  of  buds.  A quiet  business  doing  in 
Ceylon  and  Indian  ; 100  jtackages  of  the  former  sold 
to  Is.  for  line;  and  130  chests  of  the  latter  to 
7^1. 
