134 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. 2, 1897. 
Oya, and to acquire other estates iu Ceylon, India, 
and elsewhere, from time to time, as ai.d when favour- 
able opportunities occur. The particulars aud acreage 
of the Estates now acquired are as follows : — 
Acbeage 
*A E-i H kH 
Maha Eliya, 
Eimbula Dt..248 15 2 
Laxapana, Mas- 
keliya Dt. ..610 48 128 
Kandal Oya, *■ 
Yakdessa Dt. .468 26 136 
£ 
XD 
l/i 
05 
m 
o 
O 
cd 
O 
40 
305 
89 
20 
i6 
1021 
345 
3 
24 
1006 
474 
23 
120 
2332 
The Estates will be taken over as from IstJiily 
next the Company receiving the crops aud paying 
expenditure from that date. 
For the Season ending BOtli June 1896 the crops 
were as stated below, and the average selling prices 
for the year 1896 are set against them. The returns 
for the current season are not yet complete, but an 
increase upon the previous year’s crop is anticipated. 
Crop. 
1st July ’95 to Average 
30th June ’96. Selling Frice ’96 
Maha Eliya . . 119,003 lb. 9d 
Laxapana . . 260,081 lb. 8id 
Kandal Oya .. 176,0901b. 6jd 
555,174 lb. 
The price to be paid for the properties is :t'81,000, 
payable os to £76,000 in cash aud as to £5,000 in 
fully paid Ordinary Shares of the Company. 
Under the Contract for purchase the Company have 
the light to require any part of the purchase-money, 
not exceeding £56,000, to remain on Alortgage of the 
estates for three years at £5 per cent, interest, with 
the option of paying same off at any lime. The 
Directors propose to exercise that right now to the 
extent of £40,000, and, later on, to pay off that 
mortgage out of the proceeds of an issue of deben- 
tures to be created and secured by a first charge on 
the Company’s estates. The estates are well equip- 
ped with faotoiies, machinery, bungalows, buildings 
and coolie lines, sufficient for all their present re- 
quirements. Mr. George Greig (who has for a num- 
uer of years had charge of the estates) has expressed 
his readiness to accept the post of Resident Manager 
in Ceylo , for a period of five years, and has shown 
his confidence in the future of the Company by apply- 
ing for £5,000 ill Ordinary Shares. 
The tea crops for the coming season are estima,ted 
by Mr. Greig at 570,000 lb., and he puts the up-keep 
expenditure for the same period at R154.000. 
Taking the net value of the Crop in 
London, after payment of freight and 
all charges, at 6|d. per lb., the pro- 
ceeds would be ••• , ... £16,030 
and deducting Ceylon expenditure, 
R1 54,000 at Ex. Is 2^. .. ... 9,304 
there should be a profit of ... ... £ 6,726 
This would suffice to pay 
on the present issue, 
Inteiesi at 5 per cent, on 
Mortgage, or on Debentures 
issued ... ••• £2,000 0 0 
Preference Share Dividend at 
6 per cent. ... 900 0 0 
Ordinary Share Dividend ct 
10 per cent. ... 3,000 0 0 
and leave a S.upius of 
£5,900 
826 
£ 6,726 0 0 
It is confidently expected that the returns from 
these Estates will go on increasing, as at present 
there are 89 acres of Tea iu partial bearing, and 245 
^res planted aud yet to give crop ; moreover, the 
Directors piopose to plant up further land with Tea 
from time to time as occasion offers. 
PLANTING AND AGRICULTURE IN 
KINTA, STRAITS. 
(From Mr. IFrai/'s Bcpoit for 1S9G.) 
A large area of land has been taken up for 
coffee and other permanent crops, and a considerable 
proportion of this has been already cleared and planted. 
Mr. F. D. 0.sborue has a large acreage in Libeiian 
coffee, some of which is bearing, and he has also 
a fiuit plantation on the Tamban Road, which pro- 
mises well. Messrs. Osborne, Leech aud Pike— Mr. 
Foo Clm Chun — Messrs. C. Epliraeums and Crawford 
— Me.'srs. Dykes and Leong Fi, and Mr. W. Smith 
have also promising coffee estates. Mr. C. G. Ogilvie 
has about 360 acres iu coconuts and coffee, and 
Messrs. J. Paton Ker, Lutyens, and others, have grants 
of land on which work has not yet been commenced- 
Besides these large estates there are many smaller hold 
iugs belonging to Malays and other Asiatics, iiotablv 
a very prettily situated estate of about 100 acre's 
belonging to Dat> h Paudak, Ahkat, Pengluilu of 
Suugei Trap. 
Very little has been done so far for yiarf/ planting 
but a great deal of land has been taken up, aud 
there is every reason to hope that a large quantity 
of rice will be grown here in the near future 
The prolonged drought this year shewed how neces- 
sary irrigation is for most of the jjihH land in this 
district, if rice-growing is to become an important 
industiy. Some years ago Toll Muda Wahab com- 
menced a very large scheme for the irrigation of 
the large area of land lying between the Piiiii 
and Kinta liters, and he has spent iu all a sum not 
far short of $30,000 with, however, but partial suc- 
cess. He has dammed np about 650 acres of water 
but, owing to the work having been undertaken 
without irofessioual advice, the dam is continually 
giving way. He petitioned the Government for assist- 
p.nce, .and at the latter part of the year Mr. P B 
McGL-fchan was told off' to inspect the dam and advice 
him as to the completion of the work, aud there 
is now every hope that the several thousand 
acres of land below the dam may prove profitable 
The Datoh Paaglima contemplates undertaking an im- 
portant irrigation scheme from the Ulu Pari 
which will water a large extent of bcjuiciur/ near Ipoh 
There are other places in which, by a moderate out- 
lay, cGiisidera'ole tracts of fertile laud can be 
brought under cultivation, notably in the Kaniper 
valley. ^ 
In ^ iew of the fact that buffaloes appear to be 
rapidly becoming extinct in this district, it is most 
important that the Malays should be taught to use 
iploughs, and so become independent of these animals 
When asked why certain land is lying idle the 
answ’er is almost always the same, •• We have no 
buffaloes.” 
PLANTING IN BRITISH CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 
Mr. Israel’s jilace at Chipende, we hear, is look- 
ing 1,'vight ami liealtliy as usual, raid a consider- 
able n rep. of new la,nd is being opened up. Alto- 
gether Mr. Israel s place is a conspiciu-MS I.and- 
inark in the distance. 
The Lunze and Cldradzulo estates of Me.ssr.s. 
Buchanan Bros, are also looking in (ine ooiidii ion 
and a very fair return is expected from these 
plantations this season. 
Mr. R. H. Balfour Biair— who recently bomdit 
from Messrs. Pettitt Bros., several liund'red ac°res 
of land down Nalomwa way— Eastern part of 
Cholo— is at present busy elearing and pitting. 
