i8 
THffi TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
ANNUAL RINGS IN THE NIM TREE. 
In Gamble’s Manual of Timbers it is remarked that 
it is not known whether the rings in the wood of 
the Nfm tx'ee [Melia indica) are annual or spurious. 
There is a forest plantation of Nfm at this place 
(Tumrauru Kodu) in which Nfm trees were planted 
14 years ago. I had some of them felled lately, and 
examined the rings. I found that the 14 annual rings 
were clearly marked, but that in addition there 
were other spurious rings which however did not go 
round, but merged into the annual rings. In fact the 
spurious rings seldom went more than a quarter way 
round. If the rings of the Nfm are counted care will 
have to be taken about these spurious rings. 
A. W. Lushington.— / ndian Forester. 
THE PALMYRA PALM. 
How very closely palmyra leaves can sometimes pack 
themselves on the stem. Of course the majority of 
the leaves die off, only about G or 8 remaining alive 
at a time. The diagram is supposed to represent the 
unrolled circumference of the tree, and in a height 
of 3 inches from base of petiole to base of petiole 
17 leaves were crowded together. The young leaf 
petiole, when green, is sheathing, but when the leaf 
dies and the stem distends, the sheath splits, mak- 
ing the base of the petiole appear forked. A scar is 
left behind on the stem the whole horizontal length 
where the leaf has at any time adhered. The leaf 
scars form almost continuous spirals round the tree, 
and I fancy that by their means a rough approxima- 
tion of the age of the tree can be made. Here the 
trees yield on the average 10 leaves per annum ; 17 
leaves gave 11 rung.s of the spiral ladder, so that there 
would be 6 such rungs per annum. This requires 
further elaboration, but I thought perhaps this might 
be of interest to you. Since writing the above I have 
had the opportunity of examining a great number 
of palmyras, and find that almost invariably the 
leaves come off the stem in whorls of 3, the bases of 
their petioles either touching or slightly overlapping. 
This fact is rather interesting as an extension of 
the trimerous formation of the floral organs of moat 
monocotyledons. Of course the three leaves of the 
whorl in palmyras are not synchronous, one deve- 
lops after the other. Since writing I have also come 
across the following, in Lindley’s Introduction to 
Botany : — “ It is said that the number of external 
rings which indicate the fall of leaves from the trunk 
of the Palm Tribe coincides with the number of 
years that the individual has lived. There is, how- 
ever, no proof of this at present ; such statements 
‘must therefore be received with caution." If, as is 
said, from 10 to 12 leaves form in each year (I am 
now making experiments to teat the accuracy of this), 
then, as three leaves go to form one of the external 
rings above referred to, from three to four of these 
external rings coincide with a year’s growth, and 
not one only. A. W. Lushington. 
— Indian Forester. 
CEYLON TEA PLANTATIONS COMPANY. 
(Special Report for “ Tropical Agriculturist.”) 
The annual ordinary meeting of shareholders 
was held at the offices of the Company, 20 
Eastcheap, London, on Thursday, ' April 29th, 
the Chairman, Mr. H.K. Rutherforti j)residing. 
The Chairman, after saying that, though the 
accommodation was smaller in the new offices 
than they had been used to, there seemed to be 
am))le room for all tlie shareholders who cared 
to attend, and remarking that if the smallness of 
the number of shareholders attending the meetings 
was a gauge of the prosperity of the Company 
the Directors would never want to see more 
gentlemen present than were there that day — 
(laughter and hear, hear)— said : — In submitting 
lJULY I, 1897. 
the Report and accounts for your consideration 
(which I presume you will as usual take as read) 
it has been my pleasant duty on previous occa- 
sions to congratulate you not only on the 
favourable results of each year’s working, but 
also on the sound iinancial position of the Com- 
pany : and I venture to think on reference to the 
balance sheet now presented you rvill consider 
the traditions of the Company have been main- 
tained. There is I think nothing in the figures of 
the balance sheet or profit and loss account 
requiring elucidation, but I would draw your 
attention to tbe fact that the capital cost of the 
tea properties with their buildings and machinery 
remains at practically the same total amount 
.as last year notwithstanding we have added 265 
acres to our tea acreage and also to our factory 
accommodation and tea machinery. Allowing for 
reserve fund and depreciation, the cost of the 
tea estates stands at about £22 per acre. The 
net profit for the year amounts to £48,986 10s 8d 
and we have placed £4,000 to depreciation, and 
added £15,000 to the reserve bringing this fund 
up to a total sum of £85,000 or £.3,920 over the 
par value of the preference share capital. At 
the end of the year we had £34,469 of this 
reserve in good securities and £38,403 invested 
in coconut properties. The balance is at present 
being utilized in the general business of the 
Company, but will be invested as opportunity offers. 
We have planted up 572 acres with coconuts during 
the year and we are fortunate in having a most 
favourable season for patting out the young 
plants. The lands we have in bearing gave us 
a profit of £1,139 and we confidently look 
for a steadily increased return as with the 
better system of cultivation now adopted 
in comparison with the native treatment 
the trees should give a larger yield of nuts. 
We are now completing the erection of a fibre 
mill on the Mawatte Estate which we trust 
will be in working order next month. As the 
coconut lands come into bearing the profits 
accruing from our reserve will very materially 
increase and it is our belief that we have 
placed these funds in an investment which 
will not only prove profitable, but which 
also affords you as safe a security as can 
be found in agriculture, while at the 
same time having it under your own control. 
Turning now to the working of the tea pro- 
perties, it is gratifying to find that there is 
no diminution of yield as the trees increase in 
age. The crop harvested was equal to 470 lb. 
of tea per acre over say 8,000 acres — a yield 
which is the highest average we have reached, 
but which, although an exceedingly fine out-turn 
over such a large area, will, I am sure, be 
eclipsed when the considerable acreage of com- 
paratively young tea, especially on Glenlyon 
and Tangakelly estates are more mature. On 
the question of crop as far as we can see we 
have but little to fear. As to price, notwith- 
standing that Ceylon and India’s crop last year 
exceeded all previous years by 174 millions of 
pounds, the price of this Company’s tea was 
not affected by this considerable excess as its 
average price was slightly better than that 
of 1895. Exchange, entirely beyond our con- 
trol, affected us adversely as compared with 
1895, diminishing our profits by about £5,000. 
Our teas cost somewhat more to produce last 
year which is accounted for by increased cost 
of firewood, in the plucking, owine to a preva- 
lence of wet days, in expenditure on manuring, 
buildings and machinery and also the increased 
