March  i,  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
639 
THE  INDIAN  AND  CEYLON  TEA  CROPS. 
A merchant  lately  asked  us  ; — 
“ Is  there  any  ready  means  of  comparing  the  total 
grading  of  Ceylon  teas  with  Indian,  for,  say,  a year  ? 
This  might  give  an  indication  as  to  which  country 
plucks  finest,  and  possibly  accounts  for  difference  in 
rates.” 
The  only  information  we  can  get  is  fi’oni  a tea- 
dealer  who  says  tliat  tlie  proportion  of  “fine” 
Indian  teas  (Darjeelings,  »S:c.)  is  ten  ]>er  cent  of  the 
total  Indian  crop  ; while  the  proportion  of  “ line” 
Ceylons  (Nuwara  Eliya,  &c.)  is  only  3 per  cent 
of  the  Cejdon  crop.  If  this  be  correct,  it  cer- 
tainly explains  to  some  extent  the  higher 
average  for  Indian  tea ; but  would  it  not  be 
possible  to  work  out  the  total  quantity  of  Broken 
Pekoes  and  Pekoes  in  the  Indian  and  Ceylon 
sales  for  a year  in  order  to  oiler  a further  com- 
parison ? 
While  on  this  subject  we  may  (j^uote  the  some- 
what epigrammatic  and  contradictory  statement 
of  an  old  resident  who  follows  the  local  tea  in- 
dustry very  closely 
‘‘  — is  the  exponent  of  versus 
If  we  all  did  what  he  does  150,000, OCKJ  lb.  would  be 
the  export  of  Ceylon  tea  for  1898.  If  wc  go  in  for 
f/ualiiif,  the  dealers  will  have  us  on  the  hop,  and 
give  ns  ordinary  prices  for  it  and  then  import  cheap 
tea  from  China  to  mix  with  it.  It  is  our  common 
teas  that  have  enabled  us  to  chuck  China  tea  out 
of  consumption.” 
INDIA  RUBBER  FOR  CEYLON  PLANTERS. 
“J.  M.’s  ” letter  in  another  column  appears 
at  the  right  time.  We  feel  that  it  was  a great 
omission  in  the  Planters’  Association  Report 
that  no  reference  was  made  to  rubber,  and,  we 
trust  our  suggestion  as  to  collecting  information 
on  this  and  other  minor  products,  from  the  Dis- 
trict Associations,  will  be  adopted  another  year. 
Meanlime,  it  is  of  interest  to  know  that  very 
shortly  a series  of  experiments  in  harvesting 
rubber  is  to  be  undertaken  at  the  Henaratgoda 
Gardens  and  that  the  results  are  to  be  cai'cfully 
noted  and  published  for  the  guidance  and,  we 
trust,  encouragement  of  planters.  Every  year, 
too,  sliould  make  the  areas  cultivated  with  rubber 
under  the  direction  of  the  Forest  Department, 
more  interesting,  and  it  should  soon  be  time  to 
institute  tapping  experiments,  so  as  to  judge 
year  by  j'ear,  what  is  the  best  and  most  pro- 
fitable time  and  mode  to  harvest  the  crop.  Then 
if  planters,  with  an  appreciable  number  of  rubber 
trees  or  creepers  and  a certain  amount  of  ex- 
perience in  cultivation  and  harvesting,  will  but 
tell  us  of  the  same,  briefly  and  to  the  point, 
we  shall  indeed  be  able  to  put  forward  more 
reliable  information  as  to  the  present  po.sition 
Ilf  Rubber-growing  in  Ceylon.  The  importance 
of  the  industry  as  one  of  the  few  products,  for 
which  there  is  an  ever-growing  demand,  cannot 
be  over-.estimated. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  RUBBER 
IN  CEYLON. 
Kandy,  Feb.  2. 
Pkar  Sii!,—  It  is  much  to  be  desiied  that  we 
slioiiM  bi-ai  inure  abmit  nibbor  and  its  enhivation 
fioii.  all  who  liave  inforni:-.ti(«u  to  imparl,  sm  h as 
those  ex  pel  imenting  in  Ct  ybiu  ; ml  those  ^vllo 
arc  directors  of  sm-li  establislmients  as  the  Pera- 
deniya  Botanical  Ganleii.s.  It  would  indeed  he 
a very  appropriate  time  for  Mr.  Willis  to  strike 
his  first  note. 
Some  time  ago  attention  was  called  in  your 
columns  to  Mr.  Rowland  W.  Cater’s  communi- 
cation to  Chamber's  Journal  on  castilloa  rubber 
and  I see  in  the  Stayidard  of  29th  Januaiy 
an  interesting  article  upon  “The  Rubber  In- 
dustry” coniinencing  vvith  the  recent  discovery 
of  the  Germans  in  their  Cameroon  possessions, 
of  aiu'olilic  rubber  yielding  tree  Kickxia  Afri- 
cana.  It  is  said  that  the  value  of  the  export 
from  Lagos  was  £324  6s  4d  in  1894  and 
in  1895  all  from  this  Kickxia  Africaua.  In  the 
Standard  reference  is  made  to  ell'orts  of  Indian 
and  Ceylon  Governments  and  Ceylon  planters 
to  ascertain  if  the  cultivation  of  rubber  can  be 
made  iirofltable  and  speaks  of  the  experiments  of 
Ceylon  planters  not  being  remarkably  successful, 
though  finest  varieties  were  introduced,  and  it 
states  that  “it  is  not  uncommon  still  to  hear 
of  cottee  planters  in  Ceylon  and  others  in  India 
laying  out  their  estates  in  rubber  !” 
I do  not  think  the  introduction  of  the  best 
varieties  was  on  a large  enough  scale  or  has  had 
sufficient  time  for  very  complete  jeoof  of  success 
over  an  area  of  large  extent. 
The  advantage  of  cultivation  in  respect  to 
best  varieties,  accessibility  of  cheap  labour,  purity, 
and  careful  )jreparation  as  opposed  to  collecting 
in  primeval  forests — uiulcr  disadvantages,  that 
involve  destruction  of  the  trees,  and  after  mixii  g 
wfith  foreign  matter  and  at  much  cost,  — may  be 
so  great  as  to  justify  more  attention  to  the  matter 
than  has  hitherto  been  given  here. 
Mr.  Cater’s  article  “ Out  with  the  Indian 
Rubber  Gatherers  ” is  valuable  for  information  of 
various  sorts  ; but  when  he  gives  the  figure  of 
estimate  of  a plantation  of  castilloa  elastica  at 
Nicaragua  with  its  results  in  8 years  it  makes 
one  wonder  wdiether  we  have  not  neglected  our 
opportunities  in  Ceylon.  Having  taken  his 
selling  basis  on  2s  a lb.  only,  calculating  his 
trees  planted  15  feet  apart,  included  the  pre- 
mium of  3d  per  tree  paid  by  the  Government, 
wages  of  tapping  at  over  Is  3d  per  diem,  he  brings 
the  following  result  of  a 500  acre  clearing  at 
Nicaragua  : — 
£ 
Cost  of  500  acres  of  land  at  6s  p.  acre 
1 . . 125 
Survey  and  procuring  titles  thereto 
. . 100 
Clearing  land  for  planting  . . 
. . 1,000 
Collecting  seed  and  planting. . 
..  500 
Eight  yeailv  weedings  at  £200  each 
. . 1,600 
Extras,  implements,  &c.,  &c. 
..  300 
£3,625 
Interest  on  £3,626  eight  years  at  5 
per 
cent  p.  acre 
. . 1,450 
Planters  expenses,  cost  of  living  Ac., 
eight  year  at  £200  per  annum 
per 
. . 1,600 
Cost  of  gathering  the  Sih  years  crop 
. . 1,500 
£8.175 
But  his  estimate  of  profit  per  acre  at  the  8th 
year  is  as  follows  : — 
Dr. 
£ s.  d. 
Cost  of  cultivation  eight  years  193 
trees  p.  acre  . . ..749 
Cost  of  tapping  or  harvesting  . . 3 0 0 
Balance  of  profit  ..  . . 88  13  G 
Cr. 
Government  premium 
Yield  965  lb.  per  tree  at  2s 
£98  18  3 
£ s.  d. 
.283 
. 96  10  0 
£98  18  3 
