May  r,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
743 
THE  REPORT  ON  THE  CAWNPORE 
EXPERIMENTAL  FARM 
for  1893-96  has  readied  us.  The  Farm  is  under 
the  immediate  charge  of  the  Principal  of  the 
Agricultural  School  at  Cawnpore,  ■who  must  be 
highly  gratified  with  the  praise  bestowed  on  the 
farm  by  no  less  an  authority  than  Or.  Voelcker  ; 
for  the  latter,  in  his  report  on  the  “ Improve- 
ments in  Indian  Agriculture,”  records  the  follow- 
ing opinion  : — “ In  fact,  I was  much  pleased  with 
the  Cawnpore  Farm,  and  was  not  prepared  to  find 
in  India  anything  which  so  nearly  came  up  to  my 
idea  of  what  an  experimental  station  should  be.” 
Among  other  matters  which  occupy  the  atten- 
tion of  the  farm  authorities  is  the  distribution  of 
implements,  of  which  we  read  that  there  was  a 
remarkable  increase  in  the  number  distributed 
during  the  year.  This  is  said  to  be  due  chiefly  to 
the  etlbi  ts  of  the  representatives  of  the  department 
, in  bringing  the  improved  implements  into  promi- 
nence at  the  Agricultural  Shows.  We  note  that 
the  implements  were  either  sold  or  given  out  on 
hire,  or  for  trial.  Under  the  head  of  “Distribu- 
tion of  Seed,”  we  find  that  between  20,000  and 
30,000  lb.  of  seed  were  distributed  during  the  year 
under  report  from  the  seed-store  attached  to  the 
Farm  ; while  under  the  head  of  Cattle,"  we  have 
a note  on  the  Veterinary  Hospital,  where  the 
number  of  patients  treated  was  72,  and  the  cases 
cuied  70.  The  results  in  the  latter  case  are  natur- 
ally consideieil  to  have  been  encouraging.  Among 
other  interesting  experiments  are  those  with  refer- 
ence to  Cotton  Cultivation,  and  the  various  systems 
of  conserving  Cattle  Manures,  which  are  said  to  be 
likely  in  time  to  lead  to  some  results  of  economic 
value. 
We  have  only  been  able  to  refer  to  a few  of  the 
striking  features  in  this  Report,  but  our  perusal  of 
the  document  leaves  us  no  room  for  surprise  that 
so  eminent  an  authority  as  Dr.  Voelcker  should 
have  spoken  in  high  terms  of  the  Cawnpore  Farm. 
When  may  we  expect  to  see  a like  institution  in 
Ceylon?  Not  while  the  Government  do  not  pro- 
vide a vote  for  such  important  work  as  the  distri- 
bution of.  seeds  and  implements,  and  for  the  carry- 
ing out  of  useful  experiments  in  connection  with 
their  Agricultural  School.  In  this  connection  we 
would  emphasise  the  importance  of  a Veterinary 
Hospital  such  as  that  referred  to  in  the  Report 
(worked,  if  possible,  in  connection  with  the  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  as  in 
Bombay)  seeing  that  the  Government  have  a 
highly-paid  Veterinary  Surgeon,  who  is  apparently 
not  over-burdened  with  work  or  responsibilities. 
A veterinary  hospital  would  not  only  be  the 
means  of  popularizing  European  veterinary  treat- 
ment, but  would  also  afford  a training  ground  for 
students  of  the  Veterinary  School  whose  opportuni- 
ties for  acquiring  a practical  training  in  the 
veterinary  art  must  be  very  small.  It  is  a 
matter  for  regret  that  the  Government  of  Ceylon 
did  not  think  of  inviting  an  expert,  such  as  Dr. 
Voelcker,  to  draw  up  a scheme  of  work  for  the 
Ceylon  Agricultural  School  at  the  same  time 
that  he  was  reporting  on  the  “ Improvements  in 
Indian  Agriculture.” 
THE  ESTATES  COMPANY  OF  UVA, 
LIMITED. 
The  annual  ordinary  general  meeting  of  the 
above  Company  was  held  at  the  Company’s 
Offices,  No.  7 Queen  Street,  Fort,  Colombo,  at 
12-30  p.m.,  on  Saturday,  27th  March,  1897. 
95 
The  directors’  report  was  as  follows : — ■ 
ACREAGE. 
c6 
Dammeria  Group  . . 436 
Battawatte  and  Forest " 
Hill  . . . . 209 
Gampaha  . . . . 3.32 
977 
Dammeria  Group 
Battawatte  and  Forest 
Hill 
Gampaha 
U o 
O 
43 
81 
u bo 
ea  a 
167 
20 
216 
<D 
<D 
eh  2 
23 
14 
82 
bo 
a 
(D  — ' 
H 
110 
<u 
fH 
o 
H 
575 
211  .587 
119  471 
410 
1,633 
!st  and 
asta  land' 
o 
o 
H 
502 
1,143 
141 
232 
747 
866 
129  119  875  2,756 
(Some  coffee  also  remains  amongst  tea  and  timber 
trees  on  Gampaha  ann  Battawatte  Estates.) 
The  Directors  have  now  the  pleasure  of  submitting 
to  the  Shareholders  the  accounts  for  the  past  year. 
The  tea  cropi,  which  was  estimated  at  350,000,  lb. 
amounted  to  350,102  lb  in  addition  to  which  32,025  lb. 
were  made  from  purchased  leaf.  Of  the  total  quan- 
tity, viz:  382,127  1b.  372,8181b.  have  been  sold  at  a 
net  average  of  about  48g  cents  per  lb.  A reason- 
able valuation  has  been  placed  on  the  unsold  portion 
of  the  crop,  viz  : 9,309  lb.  The  receipts  for  manufac- 
turing tea  for  other  estates  amounted  to  115,679'32. 
The  Coffee  crop  was  slightly  under  the  estimate 
of  970  bushels,  having  amounted  only  to  918  bushels, 
as  against  3,070  bushels  in  1895.  As  will  be  seen 
from  the  Working  Account,  the  Cocoa  and  Carda- 
mom crops  slightly  execeeded  the  estimates  of  50 
cwts  and  500  lb  respectively. 
The  expenditure  on  Working  Account  amounted  to 
Ri48,451'80,  which  included  the  whole  of  the  Salaries 
and  Establishment  charges  on  each  of  the  Estates. 
During  the  past  year  the  Tea  acreage  was  in- 
creased from  1,574  to  1,633  acres,  partly  by  the 
planting  up  of  land  under  other  products  and 
partly  by  opening  up  new  land.  A small  addition  of 
Acres.  12’3T8  has  been  made  to  the  Dammeria 
Group  by  purchase  of  that  extent  of  Crown  land. 
The  cost  of  these  extensions,  as  also  upkeep  of  the 
Tea  fields  not  in  bearing,  amounting  to  E26,854T7, 
is  added  to  the  coat  of  the  Estates.  The  cost  of 
additions  to  Buildings  and  Machinery  during 
the  year  amounted  respectively  to  R10,307'60  and 
R10,530-80. 
An  issue  of  99  shares  of  R500  each  was  made  in 
terms  of  the  Directors"  Circular  letter  of  26th  March 
last,  these  shares  being  taken  up  by  the  holders  of 
the  then  existing  shares  at  a premium  of  RlOO  per 
share.  The  paid  up  Capital  of  the  Company  is  thus 
increased  to  R700,000  and  a sum  of  R9,900,  the 
premium  on  the  new  issue,  is  placed  to  credit  of 
Profit  and  Loss  account.  The  Diretors  recommend 
that  this  premium  be  transferred  to  Depreciation 
Account. 
After  making  provision  for  ordinary  depreciation 
of  Buildings  and  Machinery  a sum  of  R58,867"38  is 
available  for  distribution,  which  will  be  reduced  to 
R48,967"38  by  the  transfer  of  the  share  premium  as 
above  referred  to.  The  Directors  recommend  that 
a dividend  of  7 per  cent  for  the  year  be  declared 
on  the  Capital  as  at  1st  January,  1896,  viz.,  R650,500. 
and  that,  in  terms  of  the  issue,  a dividend  of  3J  per 
cent  be  declared  on  the  Capital  last  issued,  v z., 
R49,500.  The  payment  of  these  dividends  will  absorb 
R47,267"50  and  leave  Rl,699"88  to  be  carried  forward 
to  the  current  year’s  accounts. 
