April  r,  1897  J THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
693 
PLANTING  AND  PRODPCE. 
(From  tlie  II . and  C.  Bind,  Feb.  20.) 
Pushing  Tua. — The  pushing  of  tea  by  retailers 
goes  along  merrily.  We  notice  that  a Glasgow  store 
gives  “ sugar  for  nothing”  in  the  proportion  of  half 
a pound  to  each  quarter-pound  of  tea  at  lid.  We 
trust  that  the  day  will  never  arrive  when  tea  will  be 
given  away  with  something  else.  It  is  an  age  of 
over-production  and  consequent  low  prices,  but  tea  is 
an  exceptional  position,  at  least  in  some  respects.  It 
cannot  as  yet  be  grown  even  on  bounty  terms  in 
Europe,  and  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  have  not  yet 
started  on  their  threatened  raid  on  the  markets  of  the 
world. 
The  Sug.ak  Commission. — From  an  account  of  the 
first  sitting  in  Demerara  of  the  Royal  Commissioners, 
which  we  give  in  another  column,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  evidence  of  planters.  Government  ofSclals,  magis- 
trates, merchants,  chemists,  engineers,  and  others 
has  been  taken.  The  opinion  generally  expressed 
appears  to  have  been  that  all  has  been  done  that 
can  be  done  to  make  the  sugar  industry  of  British 
Guiana  profitable,  and  it  is  claimed  that  the  one 
thing  needful  is  fair  competition,  on  a natural  basis. 
The  Commissioners  intend  visiting  the  islands  of  the 
West  Indies.  Apropos  of  the  sugflr  supply  and  the 
Sugar  Commission,  Lord  Stanmore  presided  on 
Monday  night  at  the  Imperial  Institute  at  a lecture 
on“  The  Bast,  Present,  and  Future  of  the  Sugar- 
Supply  of  the  British  Empire,”  by  Mr.  C.  A.  Barbcr- 
The  subject  was  treated  in  a comprehensive  man. 
per,  and  was  illustrated  by  a large  number  of  views 
on  the  screen.  After  referring  to  the  enormous 
growth  of  the  consumption  of  sugar  at  different  periods, 
Mr.  liaiber  said  that  in  1895  the  total  consumption  in 
Great  Britain  was  l,5()(i,000  tons.  Fifty  years  ago 
cane  produced  nearly  all  the  sugar,  but  there  had 
been  a factory  established  for  the  manufacture 
from  beet  at  the  beginning  of  the  century.  He  re- 
ferred to  the  large  quantity  sent  here  by  France  and 
Germany,  and  to  the  unfair  system  of  bounties;  and, 
in  concluding  his  lecture,  remarked  that  the  future 
of  sugar  was  full  of  interest.  Beet  was  going  to  stay 
whether  bounties  continued  or  not.  The  British 
colonies  were  in  a very  bad  way,  there  was  no  doubt 
about  that,  and  many  proprietors  would  be  ruined. 
He  believed,  however,  that  coarse  sugar  could  ha 
produced  so  well  and  cheaply  in  the  islands  that 
ultimately  they  would  emerge  from  the  trial.  The 
question  was  how  many  of  the  present  race  would 
see  the- triumph  ? The  Commission  that  had  gone 
out  to  the  West  Indies  would  find  that  they  had 
other  things  to  contend  with  besidas  bounties. 
TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
Mr.  Wm.  B.  Sbeveni,  who  claims  to  have  been 
tlie  very  first  to  have  given  a start  to  Ceylon  Tea 
in  Russia — imineiliately  after  our  nieeung  him 
at  Vichy  in  France,  in  Sept.  1887 — writes  as 
follows  by  the  mail  delayed  through  the 
“Oiotava”  : — 
St.  Petersburg,  22nd  Jan.  1897.  Add  ; 15  Admiralty 
Canal. — Some  weeks  ago  I ivrote  a long  letter  * 
advising  you  to  have  some  articles  written  in  the 
leading  Russian  papers  re  the  excellent  qualities 
of  Ceylon  tea.  As  I cannot  write  Russian  myself 
i.e.  well  enough  for  the  press,  I,  personally,  should 
reap  no  advantage  from  these  articles  being  written  ; 
but  I cannot  help  but  think  that  the  planters — if  they 
are  wise — would  make  use  of  this  offer.  I also  hope 
they  will  not  forget  the  man  who  first  conceived  the 
idea  of  introducing  Ceylon  tea  into  Russia  and  paved 
the  way  for  Rogivue  and  his  assistants.  I really 
do  not  care  what  form  the  testimonial  takes ; but  I 
think  if  the  tea  planters  are  men  of  fine  feeling 
they  will  not  forget  me.  I suffered  so  much  ridicule 
and  even  loss  in  this  attempt,  that  I should  like  to 
have  something  to  show  for  it — even  if  it  mere  only 
a tea-caddy  I You,  I am  sure,  can  understand  this 
* Not  received, — Ed.  T.A, 
feeling.  I find  Ceylon  tea  is  now  being  sold  here.  It  ia 
however  making  slow  headway.  The  taste  does  not 
suit  the  public  and  perhaps  the  quality  is  not  quite 
as  good  as  it  might  be.  I know  I bought  i a lb.  not 
long  ago  ; but  the  quality  is  so  poor  that  I cannot 
finish  it.  It  casts  Rl  ltj  per  lb. 
We  leave  tlie  F.  A.  Committee  or  rather  the 
Committee  of  Thirty,  to  say  whether  tliey  feel 
inclined  to  semi  Mr.  Barne.s-Steveni  an  “ Orien- 
tal tea-caddy  ” a.-i  a memento  to  the  first  man 
who  stood  up  for  Ceylon  tea  in  Russia  ? And  in 
addition  to  empower  him  to  spend  £b  or  £10 
on  a series  of  articles  in  the  Rii.ssian  pre.ss  on  the 
goodness  of  our  Ceylon  teas. 
« 
PLANTING  PRODUCTS. 
(Extracts  from  the  Forty-third  Annual  Report  of  the 
Ceylon  Flanters'  Association,  held 
17th  March,  1697.) 
Tea. — The  estimate  as  furnished  by  our  Hon.  Secre* 
tary  at  the  instance  of  the  Parent  Body  is  2,800,0001b. 
made  tea.  Further  large  acreages  have  been  planted 
under  tea  during  the  year  now  under  review,  the 
weather  for  such  operation  b.iing  exceptionally  favour- 
able. The  further  loweriugof  prices  for  our  teas,  and 
the  upward  tendency  of  exchange  during  the  latter 
portion  of  the  year  will  doubtless  suggest  to  membera 
ihe  great  importance  of  exercising  all  judgment  and 
caution  in  the  future  selecting  of  tea  laud,  as  the  old 
cry  of  *■  overproduction  ’ is  now  being  raised,  and 
we  may  have  to  face  smaller  profits  in  consequence. 
The  high  favour  in  which  Te.i  Companies  in  Uva 
are  viewed  by  the  public,  as  attested  by  the  Colombo 
share  li.its,  goes  to  prove  how  eminently  suitableour 
soil  and  climate  are  to  the  tea  bush.  The  north- 
east monsoon  rains  were  severe  and  continuous, 
thereby  seriously  retarding  our  flushes  during  those 
rainy  months.  For  the  sake  of  record,  your  Com- 
mittee think  it  interesting  to  commit  to  writin<r  the 
fact  that  in  the  month  of  December  the  flood  water 
touched  the  Badulla  bridge  ! 
CoEFEE.— Your  Committee  feel  it  unnecessary  to  al- 
lude to  this  products  (Arabian)  at  any  length.  Age 
(iu  many  instances),  green  bug,  and  leaf  disease  are 
steadily  performing  their  mission  of  destruction,  and 
it  is  now  pretty  well  allowed  as  hopeless  to  success- 
fully cultivate  this  product.  The  A variety  hai 
received  considerable  attention  in  the  Mooneragalla 
district,  with  varied  results.  Crops  generally  nave 
been  very  short  indeed. 
Cocoa. — Much  new  land  has  been  planted  under 
this  product,  especially  iu  the  Mooneragalla  district, 
where  it  is  so  thoroughly  established  and  grows 
luxuriantly.  Beyond  a little  “Helopeltis”  to  bo  oh- 
served  here  and  there,  this  industry  so  far  may  be 
s.aid  to  be  free  of  pssts,  and  requiring,  as  it  does,  so 
small  a labour  force,  it  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  these 
days  scarce  of  labour. 
^ 
NEW  INDUSTRIES  IN  THE  KURUNEGALA 
DISTRICTS. 
{From  our  Correspondent.) 
I. — COCONUT  MANUFACTORY,  COCONUT  OIL,  FIBRE,  AND 
DESICC.ATING  MILLS. 
The  name  of  J.  II.  Vavasseur  tfe  Co.  will  ever  re- 
main intimately  connected  with  the  introduction  into 
Ceylon  of  an  industry  which,  in  point  of  importance 
in  the  labour  it  employs,  the  capital  it  involves,  the 
prominence  into  which  the  island  is  brought  by  it 
in  various  parts  of  the  world,  promises  to  be  second 
to  none  of  the  other  industries  here — namely  coconut 
desiccating.  Desiccated  coconut  already  forms  a prin- 
cipal article  of  export  and  one  of  the  most  popular 
shapes  iu  which  the  product  of  the  coconut  palm  is 
sent  out  of  the  island,  Mr.  John  Clovis  de  Silva  the 
well-known  merchant,  with  commendable  zeal  fore- 
sight and  enterprize,  has  added  to  our  provincial  indus- 
tries this  useful  branch,  and  in  the  space  of  a month 
87 
