[Jan.  I,  1897. 
458  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
THE  OTTERY  TEA  COMPANY  OF 
CEYLON,  LIMITED. 
An  ordinary  general  meeting  of  tlie  Ottery  Tea 
Co.  of  Ceylon,  Ltd.,  was  held  at  12  noon  on  Tues- 
day the  8tli  Dec.  at  No.  1,  Baillie  Street,  tlie  offices 
of  Messrs.  Lee  Hedges  Co.  Those  j)resent  were 
Mr.  K.  H.  S.  Scott  (in  the  Chair),  Mr.  W.  Kings- 
bury, Mrs.  K.  H.  »S.  Scott  (re[>resented  by  her 
pro.xy,)  Mr.  K.  H.  S.  Scott,  Mr.  V.  A.  Julius, 
Mr.  E.  M.  Shattock  (represented  by  his  proxy), 
Mr.  W.  Kingsbury. 
The  ChaiRiMAN  proposed  that  the  Report  of 
the  Directors  and  the  accounts  as  presented  be 
arlopted. 
Mr.  Shattock  seconded:— Carried. 
THE  REPORT 
The  Report  was  as  follows : — 
The  Directors  beg  to  submit  their  Report  and 
Accounts  for  the  season  ended  30th  September  last, 
which  they  trust  will  be  considered  satisfactory. 
The  total  quantity  of  Tea  secured  was  147,613 
lbs.,  or  a yield  of  404  lb.  per  acre  off  36.5  acres, 
which  realised  a nett  average  price  of  cts.  53  51  per  lb. 
After  providing  for  the  payment  of  Rl,793’.57,  inter- 
est on  Mortgage,  R8,328  59  in  reducing  the  Mortgage 
debt  by  £500,  and  Rl,507'32,  the  total  amount  of 
Preliminary  expenses,  the  balance  available  for  dis- 
tribution amounts  to  R30,040'45.  Of  this  sum, 
R14,900  were  absorbed  by  the  payment  of  an  inteiim 
dividend  of  5 per  cent,  for  the  6 months  ended  31st 
March  last,  and  the  Directors  now  recommend  a 
farther  dividend  of  5 per  cent,  for  the  last  6 months, 
making  10  per  cent,  lor  the  year,  and  the  carrying 
forward  of  the  balance  R240'45  to  the  new  year. 
A sum  of  R1,988T8  was  spent  on  manuring  during 
the  12  months  under  review,  and  was  charged  to 
Estate  Expenditure. 
The  Estate  was  visited  by  Mr.  Keith  Rollo  on  the 
8th  October,  and  his  Report  on  the  condition 
and  prospects  of  the  property  is  highly  satisfactory. 
The  meeting  will  have  to  elect  an  Auditor  for 
season  1896-1697. 
A DIVIDEND. 
Mr.  Shattock  proposed  that  a final  dividend 
of  5 per  cent,  be  paid  fortliwitli. 
Mr.  Julius  seconded  : — Carried. 
ELECTION  OF  AUDITOR. 
Mr.  R.  H.  S.  Scott  proposed  that  Mr.  II.  S.  Scott 
bo  elected  auditor  for  the  season  189G-7. 
Mr.  E.  M.  Shattock  seconded : — Carried. 
This  was  all  the  business  done. 
^ 
AN  AUXILIARY  TO  TEA. 
Those  possessing  suitable  land  at  the  proper 
elevation,  might  well  go  in  for  the  cul* 
tivatiou  of  the  Jalap  plant,  Jprmaea  Punja.  This 
is  a beautiful  climber,  with  rose-coloured  flowers 
and  belongs  to  the  natural  order  convolmhiceue.  It 
grows  wild  on  the  mountains  of  Mexico,  and  derives 
Its  name  from  the  city  of  Xalapa,  the  capital  of 
the  state  of  Vera  Cruz,  which  has  long  been  the 
emporium  of  the  jalap  trade.  It  is  successfully  cul- 
tivated on  the  North-West  Himalaya,  at  Mussorie, 
and  the  Nilgiris  near  Ootacamund’  The  dried  roots 
or  tnbercules  of  well-matured  plants,  give  an  equal 
yield  of  the  active  resinous  principles  with  the  best 
jalap  imported  from  Mexico  and  South  America. 
So  it  is  well  worth  the  while  of  planters, 
favourably  situated,  to  study  its  culture  and 
extend  its  cultivation  to  other  parts  of  India,  where  it 
has  not  as  yet  found  its  way.  As  a secondary 
crop  and  as  an  auxiliary  to  tea,  it  will  well  repay 
attention.  It  has  also  been  established  on  the  Cin- 
chona plantations  of  Jamaica,  where  it  thrives  re- 
markably well.  Jalap  occurs  in  commerce,  in  dry 
pear-shaped  masses,  usually  called  tubers,  and  vary 
m size,  from  that  of  a small  nut,  to  that  of  an 
pfange.  The  so-called  tubers  are  however,  simply 
enlarged  divisions  of  the  root  known  botani- 
cally  as  tubercules.  A tuber  is  an  enlarged 
underground  stem,  and  the  term  is  therefore, 
incorrect  by  applied  to  the  transformed  roots  of  the 
jalap  plant.  Jalap  is  used  medicinally  as  a hydragogae 
purgative.  This  ti-ue  jalap  must  not  be  confounded 
with  Iponuea  Turpethum — the  Indian  Jalap  (Turpeth 
Root),  which  the  Bengalis  call  7'eori  or  Dhud,  and 
the  Hindustainis  Pitohri  or  'Parbud.  This  is  a peren- 
nial plant  growing  wild  almost  all  over  India.  The 
root-bark  is  obtainable  in  the  bazaar,  and  is  cathar- 
tic and  laxative,  resembling  the  true  jalap  in  its  ac- 
tion. Jalap  requires  a rich  soil,  for  the  crop  is  an 
exhausting  one.  It  cannot  be  growm  amongst  tea 
bushes,  for  it  will  thrive  at  the  expense  of  the  tea. 
A rich,  deep  vegetable  sandy  loam  is  best  suited  to 
the  cultivation,  and  although  moisture  is  necessary, 
undrained  soils  are  fatal.  In  its  natural  condition, 
the  jalap  plant  is  found  in  shady  woods,  at  an 
elevation  of  3,000  to  5,000  feet  above  the  sea  : in 
regions  where  there  is  an  abundance  of  rain,  and 
where  the  temperature  during  the  day  ranges  between 
60  ° and  70  ° Fahr.  Plants  may  be  obtained  from 
cuttings  of  the  side  shoots,  set  in  a sandy  soil  in  a 
shady  place,  and  kept  constantly  moist.  But 
for  cultivation  on  a large  scale  the  smaller 
tubercules  should  be  planted,  or  cuttings  of  under- 
ground stems  may  be  buried  a few  inches  below 
the  surface.  The  tubercules  should  on  no  account 
be  exposed  to  the  sun,  or  they  will  lose  their  vitality, 
and  they  should  be  planted  out  as  soon  as  possible 
after  they  have  been  dug  out  of  the  ground.  The  land 
should  be  well  tilled,  and  trenched  to  the  depth  of 
two  feet.  The  trenches  may  then,  with  advantage, 
be  partially  filled  with  surface  soil.  The  tubercules 
are  planted  in  the  trenches  one  foot  apart,  and  to  the 
depth  of  about  six  inches.  When  the  vines  grow, 
stakes  must  be  firmly  fixed  on  the  ground  for  them  to 
run  on.  After  the  plants  have  made  some  growth, 
they  should  be  moulded  up  with  earth,  taken  out 
of  the  trench.  Weeding  should  be  done  at  intervals 
to  keep  the  laud  free  from  weeds.  At  the  third 
year  a return  may  be  expected.  Out  in  this 
country  1,000  lb.  of  dry  tubercules  can  be  gathered 
from  an  acre,  and  crops  may  be  reaped  every 
third  year  thereafter.  This  best  plan  is  to  lift 
two  or  three  plots  one  year,  leaving  others  undis- 
turbed until  the  following  year,  and  so  on.  By  so 
doing  crops  will  be  got  every  year.  The  drying  pro- 
cess is  a difficult  and  trying  one,  for  70  per  cent, 
of  the  weight  has  to  be  evaporated.  It  frequently 
happens  that  when  the  tubercules  are  in  the  sun, 
there  is  a considerable  loss  on  account  of  some  be- 
coming mouldy,  and  others  becoming  subject  to 
fermentation.  This  loss  may  be  prevented  to  a 
great  extent  by  gashing  the  tubercules,  or  cutting 
them  into  slices.  But  jalap  prepared  in  this  way 
fetches  a lower  price  in  the  English  and  American 
markets.  The  tubercules  might  be  dried  in  an  eva- 
porator or  drier,  but  great  care  would.be  necessary, 
as  too  much  heat  spoils  the  product.  The  Indians 
of  Mexico  prepare  jalap  in  the  following  way.  The 
tubercules,  when  gathered,  are  freed  from  earth  and 
foreign  matter,  and  then  hung  up  in  a net  over  a 
wood  fire.  The  fire  is  kept  constantly  burning  in  the 
hut,  and  in  consequence  the  jalap  acquires  a smoky 
flavour,  which  is  considered  by  buyers  to  bo  one  of 
the  tests  of  “ the  good  tubers.”  This  method  might 
be  adopted.  Rough  inexpensive  sheds  or  bashas  might 
be  easily  erected,  and  the  tubercules  dried  slowly 
in  them,  over  a wood  fire.  The  fires  could  bo 
damped,  or  put  out,  at  night ; the  heat  and  the 
smoke  would  prevent  fermentation  and  mouldiness. 
As  jalap  is  used  in  medicine  alone,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  highest  price,  it  is  best  to  place  the  pro- 
duct on  the  market  in  the  form  best  known  to 
wholesale  druggists-  Itesina  Jalapw  of  the  Pharma- 
copccias  is  a pale  brown  powder.  It  contains  two 
glucosidal  resins,  which  have  been  named  Convoh'ulin 
and  Jalapiii.  Jalapin  of  pharmacy  is  the  purified, 
decolorized  resin  of  jalap,  in  whitish  amorphous 
powder.  Jalapin  sells  at  about  2s  3d  per  oz.  or  1 
lb.  30s  Radix  Jalapre  Is  per  lb.,  or  100  lb.  lOd  per 
lb. — Jiulian  Planters'  Gazette,  Nov,  21, 
