624 
THE  TROPICAl.  AGRICULTURIST.  [March  i,  1897. 
the  crop  every  tliird  year.  Experience  bids  me 
say  tliat  Sulphate  of  Ammonia  is  playing  with 
tire  unless  one  knows  what  he  is  handling  and 
Bamber’s  “ Chemistry  and  Agriculture  of  Tea” 
L'ives  an  empliatic  warning  should  one  be  elated 
by  sucli  monstrosities  as  twin  stalks  and  triple 
“ bangee”  1 aves  after  applying  Suli)hate  of  Am- 
monia, however  mixed  with  wood  ash,  ‘ ones  or 
fish  or  etcetera. — Yours  truly, 
HOMO  PLANTAT,  HOMO  IIUIIOAT,  SED 
DECS  DAT  INCllEMENTUM. 
No.  LXI. 
Dimbula. — I thoroughly  believe  in  manuring,  but 
we  should  have  more  coolies  or  manuriu"  is  of  no 
use  ; on  old  fields  the  first  application  of  manure 
does  not  result  in  much  more  leaf,  but  the  trees 
fill  out  and  strengthen  the  wood  on  them,  and  the 
following  year  you  get  the  benefit.  I have 
manured  for  over  6 years  a portion  of  the  estate 
each  year  with  Castorcake  and  Bones,  only  one  part 
of  the  latter  to  5 of  the  former— cattle  manure 
does  not  tell  for  many  months  after  the  applica- 
tion, inU  it  lasts  double  the  time  of  artificial  and 
does  not  leave  any  bad  effects  afterwards  as 
artificial  sometimes  does. — J.  J. 
[This  closes  the  series  of  letters  kindly  .sent 
to  us  on  the  Manuring  of  Tea  : the  whole  are 
being  reproduce*!  in  our  Tropical  Agriculturist 
with  our  several  reviews  ; and  .afterwards  some 
copies  will  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form  for 
rea<ly  reference:  one  copy  of  which  will  be  sent 
w'ith  our  compliments  and  thanks  to  each  con- 
tributor to  the  series. — Ed.  T.A] 
THE  AGRAOUVAH  ESTATES  COM- 
PANY, LTD. 
The  annual  ordinary  general  meeting  of  share- 
holders of  the  above  Company  w.as  held  at 
the  Company’s  Offices,  No.  7.  Queen  Street,  Port, 
Colombo,  at  3-30  p.m.  on  Feb.  11th. 
Present  Mr.  A.  Thomson,  Chairman  ; Mr. 
C.  A.  Leechman,  Director  ; Messrs  A.  Steven- 
son, H.  Tarr.ant,  Jas.  Forbes,  Geo,  Noel,  and 
C.  J.  Donald.  The  following  sharehohlers  were 
represented  by  the  holders  of  their  Powers  of 
Attorney;— mV.  Wm.  Watson,  by  Mr.  J.  G.  War- 
drop  ; Mr.  E.  John,  by  Mr.  K.  John  ; Mr.  G. 
C.  Walker,  by  Mr.  Jas.  Forbes  ; Mr.  G.  H. 
Alston,  by  Mr.  A.  Thom.son  : Mr.  W.  H.  Figg, 
by  Mr.  T^homson. 
The  report  and  accounts  of  the  Company  as 
published  were  adopted,  and  a final  dividend 
of  14  per  cent  (making  22  per  cent  for  the  year), 
was  declared  and  made  payable  forthwith. 
Mr.  C.  A.  Leechman  was  re-elected  a Director, 
and  Mr.  Hercules  J.  Scott,  was  appointed  Auditor 
for  this  year.  . 
A vote  of  thanks  to  the  chair  closed  the  pro- 
ceedings. 
The  following  is  the  report  :— 
Acreage,  31st  December  1896. 
Agra  Ouvah. 
Tea  in  full  bearing 
Tea  not  in  bearing 
Grass  in  Jungle 
Total  Estate  . . 
Fankerton. 
Tea  in  full  bearing 
Timber  clearing 
Grass,  Patana  and  Scrub 
Total  Estate  . . 
Grand  Total  . . 
302  acres 
20  „ 
!) 
331  acres 
165  acres 
10  „ 
18  „ 
193  acres 
521  acres 
The  directors  have  pleasure  in  preseutiug  to  the 
shareholders  the  accounts  of  the  Company  for  the 
past  year. 
The  crops  secured  were  257,004  lb.  tea,  as  against 
191.685  lb.  in  1895,  and  487  bushels  coffee,  as  against 
1,291  bushels  in  1895. 
The  avei'age  net  prices  obtained  were  61'29  cents 
per  lb.  for  the  tea  crop  and  R16'64  per  bushel  for 
the  coffee  crop,  against  about  66j  cents  per  lb.  and 
R17‘85  per  bushel  respectively  in  1895.  The  receipts 
for  manufacturing  tea  for  other  estates  shew  an  in- 
crease of  R6,856'43  as  compared  with  the  figures  for 
the  preceding  year. 
The  expenditure  on  capital  account  during  the 
year  amounted  to  R17,798'50,  this  outlay  being  for 
additions  to  buildings  and  machinery  and  on  a new 
clearing  of  20  acres  tea  on  Agra  Ouvah. 
After  making  the  usual  ample  provision  for  depre- 
ciation of  Buildings  and  Machinery,  and  including  the 
balance  of  R6,439T0  brought  forward  from  1895,  the 
amount  at  credit  of  Profit  and  Loss  account  is 
R94,301'82,  being  rather  over  25  per  cent  on  the  paid  up 
Capital  of  the  Company.  An  interim  dividend  of  8 
per  cent  was  declared  on  the  8th  August  last,  absorb- 
ing R30,000,  thus  leaving  a balance  of  R64,381’82  now 
to  be  dealt  with. 
The  Directors  recommend  the  payment  of  a final 
dividend  of  14  per  cent,  making  22  percent  for  the  year, 
and  that  the  balance  of  Rll,881'82  be  carried  forward 
to  the  current  year’s  account. 
The  crops  estimated  for  in  1897  are  265,000  1b.  Tea 
and  100  bushe's  Coffee,  on  an  expenditure  on  the 
Estate  of  R79,557‘50,  which  outlay  is  inclusive  of  the 
cost  of  manufacture  of  135,000  lb.  Tea  expected  from 
other  Estates  for  that  purpose,  and  the  upkeep  of  the 
20  acres  clearing  planted  last  year.  No  expenditure  on 
Capital  account  is  expected  to  be  necessary  this  year. 
At  Extraordinary  General  Meetings  held  on  24th 
October  and  14th  November,  1896,  special  resolutions 
were  passed  increasing  the  Authorized  Capital  of 
the  Company  to  11750,000,  thus  placing  the  Directors 
in  a position  to  add  to  add  to  the  properties  of  the 
Company  on  any  favorable  opportunity  for  so  doing 
presenting  itself. 
Messrs.  G.  W.  Carlyon  and  W.  H.  Figg  having  re- 
signed their  seals  on  the  Board  on  their  departure 
respectively  from  the  Island,  Messrs.  A.  Tliomson  and 
G.  H.  Alston  were  appointed  by  the  remaining  Direc- 
tors to  fill  the  vacancies  thus  created.  In  terms  of 
the  Articles  of  Association  Mr.  C.  A.  Leechman  re- 
tires by  rotation  from  the  office  of  Director,  but  is 
eligible  for  re-election.  On  8th  January  of  this  year 
Mr.  Alexander  Stevenson  lesigned  his  appointment 
as  Director,  but  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board  it  is 
unnecessary  to  fill  up  this  vacancy. 
Mr.  R.  L.  M.  Brown  having  resigned  the  post  of 
Auditor  to  the  Company,  the  Directors,  under  the 
Company’s  Article  No.  92,  appointed  Mr.  Hercules  J. 
Scott  to  fill  the  vacancy,  thus  occasioned.  The  appoint- 
ment of  an  Auditor  for  the  current  year  rests  with 
the  meeting. 
« 
CHINA’S  AWAKENING. 
A CEYLON  TEA  PROPRIETOR  ON  CHINA  TEA. 
Mr.  T.  Fairhurst,  who  is  well  known  in  Ceylon  as 
the  owner  of  Ferham  and  St.  Andrew’s  estates,  Dim- 
bula,  but  who  spends  his  time  mostly  at  Foochow,  is  at 
present  on  a visit  to  the  island.  Speaking  to  the 
representative  of  a contemporary  he  said: — “Well,  I 
suppose  the  point  of  most  interest  is  the  introduction 
of  machinery  for  tea  manufacture  into  China,  but  I am 
afraid  that,  so  far,  I can  tell  you  but  very  little.  You 
see,  things  are  very  different  in  China  from  what  they 
are,  here.  Here  you  get  tea  all  the  year  round  ; but 
in  China  they  only  get  it  in  crops — three  crops  in  a 
year — and  of  these  the  finest  and  best  crop  is  the  first 
one,  which  is  gathered  in  April.  That  is  always  equal 
to  about  half  or  a little  more  than  half — of  the  total 
crop  from  the  Foochow  district  in  a year,  and,  as  far 
as  the  use  of  machinery  will  affect  tho  teas,  wo  had 
little  opportunity  of  judging  in  1896.  for,  when  the 
machinery  that  is  now  there  was  erected,  the  first 
