June  i,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL 
TOBACCO  AND  CEYLON  PLANTEItS. 
(From  a South  ImUaii  Expert) 
1 have  lead,  witli  great  interest,  tlie  various 
opinions  ex[)ressed  upon  tobacco  past  and  I’nture 
in  Ceylon.  These  oinnions  call,  as  you  suggest, 
for  a reply  from  me.  A good  deal  ajipeared  Irom 
me  under  the  above  heading,  in  your  March  and 
April  i.ssues  of  the  Tropical  Ay riculiuritst. 
When  comparing  your  planters’  opinion.s  with  my 
own,  interested  reailers  must  feel  that  my  state- 
ments were  correct  and  are  justilied  by  facts.  With 
all  due  deference,  most  of  the  writers,  who  give 
their  e.xperience,  show  a lack  of  that  [iractical 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  necessary  to  make 
this  industry  a success. 
!So  far  as  I am  aware  (I  am  open  to  cor- 
rection,)— from  information  gained  in  the  island, 
fioni  men  who  were  interested  in  the  late 
Ceylon  Tobacco  Coy. — tobacco  was  a success 
and  a great  success,  so  long  as  the  expert  or 
experts  from  iSumatra  had  anything  to  do  with 
it,  and  failed  when,  after  these  men  severed 
their  connection,  the  Coy.  worked  without 
them.  At  all  events,  there  is  a startling  dif- 
ference in  the  prices  obtained.  Mr.  Vollar, 
whose  name  has  been  identilied  with  tobacco 
froiii  the  first,  and  whose  ojnnion  deserves  the 
greatest  consideration,  says  :—•*  There  is  no 
doubt  we  can  grow  lirstrate  cigar  tobacco,  but 
so  far  we  have  failed  in  the  curing  of  the 
tobacco,  Ac.”  Now,  neither  the  soil  nor  the 
cultivation  has  to  do  with  the  curing  of  the 
leaf ; this  is  a [irocess  only,  and  one  that  is 
essential  after  the  leaf  is  harvested,  'fobacco 
is  not  tobacco  until  the  leaf  is  cured 
and  fermented.  It  is  obvious  therefore,  that 
to  be  successful,  special  knowledge  is 
necessary,  and  like  most  things,  such  special 
knowledge  is  not  obtainable  from  books.  Bad 
curing  will  make  the  best  leal  worthless,  while 
good  curing  will  olten  convert  inferior  leaf  into 
good  smokable  tobacco,  though  possessing  the 
attributes  of  inferior  leaf.  Then  again  “(1)  Too 
tight  iiolling ; (2)  liCaf  too  strong  and  coarse  ; 
(.■})  liquoring  down  ; (4)  antd  certain  ingredients  to 
improve  llavour,  Ac.”  are  hardly  faults  of  cultiva- 
tion and  could  easily  be  overcome  by  practical 
knowledge. 
Tobacco  necessarily  requires  attention  to  busi- 
ness ; perhaps  more  so  than  any  other  product,  in 
its  handling  on  the  field  and  oil,  and  the  plainer 
who  prefers  “Tennis,  and  Mounted  Eut”  had 
better  not  try  tobacco,  for  he  will  surely  fail  and 
fail  badly. 
The  trade  at  home  i>ay  for  cigars  what  they 
are  worth  and  not  what  they  cost.  1115  per  lOUO 
I'.o.b.  would  represent  a very  jioor  cigar  whether 
from  India  or  Ceylon,  and  would,  even  at  that 
price,  liml  a small  sale  only.  There  is  no  demand 
for  a coar.se  cigar  ; wdiat  is  required  is  one  i hat  is 
well  made,  mihl  in  llavour,  pleasant  in  aroma, 
packed  uell  and  manufactured  with  consideration 
to  the  iieculiar  retjuirements  of  the  country  to 
which  they  are  to  be  exported  ; for  such  there  is  a 
large  and  increasing  demand,  and  luolitable  prices 
are  oll'ered  and  obtained. 
Jt  is  purely  a question  of  practical  knowledge  of 
plann  ing,  curing  and  manufacturing,  coupled  with 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  trade. 
THE  PATIAGAMA  CTNCllCNA  CO.,  LTD. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  this  Company 
was  held  at  the  olhee  of  Messrs,  Bois  Bros,  A Co. 
AGRICULTURIST.  853 
Colombo,  on  1st  May,  when  the  following  annual 
Report  was  adopted  : — 
‘•Tbs  Directors  herewith  beg  to  submit  theirPifteonth 
Annual  Report ; — Tho  estimate  of  Tea  for  tlic  past 
year  was  (50,000  lb.  : but  the  actual  crop  has  fallen 
somewhat  short  of  this  quantity,  being  only  lb. 
which  was  sold  in  Colombo  at  an  average  rate  of 
49’13  cents  per  lb.  On  a reference  to  the  annexed 
account,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  actual  working  of 
the  year  .shews  a small  margin  of  Rl,i)12-‘J5.  The 
Directors  recommend  that  the  balance  now  at  credit 
of  Profit  and  Loss  Account  should  be  appropriated 
n reduction  of  Suspense  Account,  vrh  ich  represents 
the  loss  incurred  in  working  tho  Estate  previous  to 
1890  whilst  the  Tea  w'as  coming  into  bearing ; and 
they  trust  the  Shareholders  will  approve  of  this  re- 
commendation. The  Shareholders  have  to  appoint 
a Director  in  place  of  Mr.  C.  E.  li.  Symons,  whose 
term  of  office  has  expired  ; and  it  will  also  be 
necessary  to  appoint  an  Auditor  for  1897. — By  order, 
Bois  Bitos.  & Co.,  Agents  & Secretaries.” 
A special  general  meeting  followed  when  the 
following  special  resolution  was  passed  : — 
“ That  the  Directors  be  empowered  to  issue  mort- 
gage debenture  bonds  to  the  extent  of  £5,000  sterling, 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  7 per  cent  per  annum, 
for  the  purpose  of  paying  off  the  existing  debentures 
aggregating  £1,000,  and  to  provide  funds  for  the 
cost  of  planting  tea  on  the  Company’s  estate.” 
. ^ 
SALE  OF  IIUNUPITIYA  xMILLS,  NEGOMBO. 
Messrs.  Baker  A Hall  have  just  sold  Hunupitiya 
Mills  (bought  only  the  oilier  day)  to  the  CeyTon 
Tea  Plantations  Gompany,  which  is  now  am'  ex- 
tensive owner  of  coconut  property. 
Since  writing  the  above,  a correspondent  ■writes: — ■ 
“ It  is  the  intention  of  the  Company  to  use 
the  mills  a.s  a eentral  depot  for  their'  coconut 
businc.ss,  their  intcre.sts  in  the  Negombo  distiict 
being  gradually  extended.  The  mills  are  .said 
to  be  capable  of  turning  out  1,000  ehests  of 
desiccated  eoconut  and  a large  quantity  of  oil 
monthly.” 
NEW  INDUSTRY  FUR  GLASGOW. 
In  about  three  weeks  hence  there  will  bo  started 
at  Polmadie  what  is  practically  a new  industry  not 
only  in  that  district  biu  in  Glasgow.  Tho  manu- 
facture of  steel  tea  chests  v/ill  form  tho  chief  busi- 
ness, and  will  be  carried  on  by  tho  Acme  Tea  Chest 
Company,  Limited,  :it  what  will  become  known  as 
the  Glasgow  Steel  Works.  In  a small  way  a com- 
mencement was  made  about  threo  years  ago  in  John 
Street  with  the  manufacture  of  packages,  but  .so 
great  has  the  demand  now  become  for  tlio  steel  tea 
chests  that  it  was  necessary  to  erect  extensive  works. 
After  tea  growers  in  India  and  Ceylon  were  per- 
suaded to  give  the  new  invention  a trial,  no  fewer 
than  150,000  chests  were  sent  abroad  in  ouo  year, 
and  during  the  year  closing,  which  is  tho  tliiril  of 
the  company’s  existence,  ;’)UU,0U0  chests  have  boon 
sent  to  India  and  Ceylon.  Wlicn  the  new  works 
are  in  full  operation  it  is  hoped  that  the  produce 
will  bo  something  like  1,200,000  tea  clrests  per  annum ; 
and  that  there  will  be  such  a demand  seems  assured 
when  it  is  remembered  that  soma  5,000,000  ehests  are 
used  every  year,  without  Japan,  and  that  toa-groweis 
everywhere  admit  the  advantages  of  the  patent  boxes 
over  the  wooden  chests.  Tho  new  industry  will  conse- 
quently before  long  give  cmpiuymeiit  to  between  .'>00 
and  (500  workmen,  including  mcchatdes,  joiners,  lau- 
yers,  and  labourers.  Should  all  go  well,  it  is  also  pro- 
posed that  the  compituy  produce  tiicir  own  steel 
plates,  as  meantime  the  plates  coming  from  NVales 
are  found  irregular  as  regards  hardness  and 
softness.  The  features  of  the  new  steel  chest 
may  be  summed  up  thus That  the  same  siise 
