THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
718 
land  might  be  acquired  at  a lew  rate  per  acre 
it  necessitated  being  done  V)y  a biglily  paid  stall' 
of  Agents  and  Managers,  local  and  expert,  and 
others  negotiating  with  natives  and  arranging 
titles.  Besides  all  thi-<,  tobacco  is  far  and  an  ay 
the  most  delicate  and  most  dangerous  cultiva- 
tion. 'J'he  greatest  possible  attention  is  required 
at  every  ste)).  There  is  nothing  to  C(|ual  it  in  any 
Ceylon  produce — the  nurseries  and  insect  attacks  ; 
the  ])lanting  reqniiing  an  enormous  force  of  labour 
at  almost  a moment’s  notice  ; and  when  cater- 
]>illars  come  as  they  must  and  will  very  fre- 
quently a similarly  large  force  is  needed.  Subject 
to  all  sorts  of  danger  from  vicissitudo.s  of  climate 
and  weather  and  (piite  open  to  destrnclion  from 
a day  or  two  of  strong  hreezes  it  is  dillieult  to 
lind  a district  that  would  be  really  safe  and 
nothing  but  a S})lendid  market  and  a successful 
cron  season  con  d ]iossihly  repay  tlie  toil 
ana  failures  of  others.  I belie\'e,  however,  liiat  the 
Siiniatra  ex)>erts  were  anything  but  satisfied 
that  their  tobacco  did  lind  full  justice  in  the 
market,  and  probably  the  trade  would  hardly  ac- 
cept at  fair  value  even  good  tobacco  from  a new 
source.  M'e  are  not  Mointing  in  precedents  for 
such  treatment.  I have  not  forgotten  the  effoi ts 
made  by  the  late  Mr.  A.  M.  Ferguson  in  favour 
of  Ceylon  Tea  in  Australia  against  llic  interests 
vested  in  Cliina — a thing  of  this  s a t reiiuires 
years  of  ojiposition.  Yon  .arc  correct  in  assuming 
that  tobacco  is  still  grown  profitably  by  natives 
in  Dumbara,  and  I may  tell  you  that  at  Katu- 
gastota  in  the  native  gardens  a good  deal  of 
money  has  been  made  there  last  year,  and  no 
doubt  this  has  been  done  with  the  seed  and  with 
the  experience  picked  np  from  the  Tobacco  Com- 
pany’s former  buildings.  J. 
THE  TOBACCO  LEAF  SALES  OF  THE 
CEYLON  TOBACCO  COMPANY. 
Kandy,  Ceylon,  27th  P’eh.  1897. 
Silt, — With  referP7ice  to  the  paragraph  in  the 
Cei/lon  Observer  of  Friday  the  26th  instant  under 
the  Heading  “Tobacco”  the  not  total  amount 
realized  by  Tobacco  I.eaf  Sa'es,  .after  the  Ceylon 
Tobacco  Company,  Ltd.,  went  into  Liquidation 
was 
The  average  price  was  a little  over  ]icr  cwt. 
all  round,  while  tlicio  is  no  doubt  that  there 
was  .a  ring  of  dealers  to  tmilcavonr  to  keep  the 
prices  down  as  on  more  than  one  occasion  1 
declined  to  acco])L  bids  with  the  result  that  a 
Inoderately  good  jirice  w.as  ultimately  obtained 
all  round. — 1 am,  sir,  yours  faitlifully, 
A.  ITIILIP. 
PRODUCE  QUOTATIONS;  LIBFBIAN 
COFFEE. 
Dkau  Sll!,— 1 notice  in  yoiir  issue  of  2uth 
March,  the  Chamber  of  C(  mmcrcc  Price  Cuuent 
of  28rd  gives  Jjiborian  tiaiclimciit  “ per  In  slid 
1(8"26  very  scarce  but  Mr.  A.  M.  Cliittambalam 
in  his  local  market  list  )iri:itcd  in  same  issue  of 
2oth  gives  the  jaice  .as  Bl2  r)0  per  hiisliel  (nominal.) 
])o  sndi  (jnolations  .as  BS  25  nlicn  the  jnodnee 
is  senroe,  coi.qnmd  to  J112'5U  its  price  a year 
ago,  Avlicnit  Mas  not  .‘caice,  denote  that  Me  have 
noM’,  once  nioie  to  lind  tliis  (ailti\ ation  .a  delusion, 
find  let  it  lapse  into abamlonnn  nl  V Can  you  tlnoM 
ally  light  ujion  lliis  sudden  collapse?  Are  the 
jnyApoit;  jnercluints  gettuig  all  Uie  Luvopcau 
I April  i,  1897, 
and  American  orders  or  are  there  other  sources 
and  onr  crojis  too  insignilicant  to  count,  or  are  our 
hnyers  so  feM' as  to  att’ord  no  real  market  at  all? 
I have  some  tears  that  tlie  cultivation  is  not 
greatly  jirogressing  as  it  is,  hutM'ith  such  jirices 
at  B8'2.t  I jnesume  it  M'ould  be  altogether  dis- 
couraged. COFFEE. 
TE.\  I’BUNINC,  PLFCKTNG  AND 
PREPARATION. 
March  3. 
Dkai:  Sin,— 1 cannot  refrain  from  an  exclamation 
of  supreme  surprise  on  reading  the  lirst  replies  to 
yonr  i|ncries  rc,  fall  in  juices.  'What  on  earth  ; 
are  A.’s  made  of,  if  they  must  needs  Made 
tlirongli  oceans  of  leaf  on  tlieir  M’ay  to  their  1 
%irtnous  couches? 
(dive  n.s  juactical  men  M'ho  can  see  an  inch 
beyond  their  noses  as  onr  “ Guides,  jiliilosojihcrs 
and  friends”  01  mg’ II  conliimc  to  Hood  tlic  market 
M’itli  inferior  broken  teas  the  cause  of  Mliidi  is 
evidently  hob  nailed  IxKitsI — Yours  faitlifully, 
FARMER. 
[Put  let  “P'arnier”  oblige  us  by  sending  his  J 
OM'ii  answers  to  the  circular-questions  and  so 
show  lioM-  they  ought  to  be  de.alt  Avith.  W e ? 
liave  liegun  jmidisliing  the  replies  in  the  order  ^ 
of  receijit  and  not  by  any  process  of  selection. — 
Ed.  T.A.] 
QUERIES  ABOUT  TEA. 
Matale  'SVk.st,  March  4. 
Dear  Sir, — (deo.  M'hitc  & Co.’s  memorandam 
No.  157  da‘ed  Eeb.  3rd  is  iiitei cstiiig.  Take  No.  1 
Avith  outlets,  Nanuoya  and  Talawakelle,  altitude 
of  cst.ates  from  3,5l’0  to  6,500  feet,  tlie  highest  | 
price  oVitained  Avas  1/24  and  the  loMcst  6id.  JIoav  I 
do  yon  account  for  a diU'erciiee  of  8jd-  Surely  coar.se  '' 
jducking  alone;  or  that  cmiihined  Aviili  careless  ^ 
mamifacture  c.aniiot  account  for  tlii  ? IlaAe  asjiect 
and  soil  anything  to  do  Avitli  liigb  juices?  oris  J 
it  that  one  w.as  cultivated  for  a long  number 
of  years  before  being  jdanted  Avith  tea?  Tin's 
Avili  not  bold  good  in  all  cases;  as  there  are 
estates  in  most  districts  that  secure  toji-judces 
nlLlioiigh  jilantcd  Avith  cottee  for  .a  long  time, 
Avhile  others  jdanted  in  forest  or  eliena  get  tAvo 
Jirices. 
Do  some  estates  detei  iorale  faster  than  otliers  ? 
I can  call  to  mind  2 estates  that  secured  top- 
prices  some  years  ago  for  4 or  5 years  in  succession. 
The  juices  Avent  loAvcr  and  ioMcr,  till  at  hast 
estates  adjoining  one  of  these  secured  higher 
juices,  (lioiigli  foiiiieily  these  Avas  such  a dill'trence 
as  Sd.  and  9d.  jicr  Ih.  helAvceii  them.  Hoav  is  it 
the  Nonlicrn  Districts  get  such  low  juices?  One 
estate  alone  gds  as  much  as  8d.  though  the 
elevation  of  some  are  3,d00  feet  and  more.  .Surely 
all  tlie  Planters  of  the  Districts  are  not  iiicaji- 
ahle  men  and  a good  many  estates  jilnck  ratlier 
line,  til  Maskeliya,  Dikoya  and  BugaAvaiilalaAva 
M'ith  oiitlet-Haltoii- the  iiigliest  juice  Avas  1 /T 
and  Hie  loAvest  6yd. 
In  l.oAver  Dikoya,  Kotmale  tlvc.,  out-let  Mhit'a-  1 
Avella  and  NaAvalajiiliya— elevation  ],.500  to  4,.‘.(V) 
there  is  not  much  ditl'erenee  in  juice,  Iiighest Rl, 
lowest  5R1.  and  only  3 estates  secured  prices 
from  .8(1.  to  <SR1.  NN  by  does  Dimhula  get  higher 
Jirices  than  D.koya?  Is  it  oAving  to  the  lower 
rainfall  and  does  a very  liigh  rainfall,  c.g.^ 
Matale  D'p:t!'iet  Iomci  the  price  uf  tea. 
