Sept, t, 1897 .] 
TFIE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
< 9 ^ 
high rate of Exchange, which ruled, I may say, 
from the date of drawing our first bill of Exchange; 
and then there was the scarcity of rice and of labour. 
I think, therefore, that it must be satisfactory to 
you to find that, notvvitlistandiug these drawbacks, 
a substantial dividend is possible. We are now in 
quiet possession of the estates, which siuce January 
last have been managed by Mr. C. J. Pattenson, 
who resides on one of the properties, and gives 
practically his undivided attention to the Company’s 
interests, r was fortunate in securing the services 
of this gentlem in w'hen I was in Ceylon last 
December. He is well known to most of your 
Directors, and I feel sure the Company’s manage- 
ment there is in safe hands. During the first months 
Jlr. Thomas Mackie acted, until we could appoint a 
permanent manager. .Mr. Mackie is a gentleman of 
great experience, and was of infinite use in organising 
the Company’s staff, and taking over the estates from 
the vendors. As I have stated, we are now in full 
working order, Exchange is more in our favour, 
and rice will soon be obtainable at lower prices, owing 
to a satisfactory monsoon. Labour, too, has been 
coming in more plentifully lately, hence most of our 
difficulties of last year are rapidly disappearing. To 
some, no doubt, it may appear lacking in caution 
to have commenced with so large a dividend as 
10 per cent., instead of cai-rying forward a larger 
balance than we have done, but, deliberating 
on this point, your Directors had in view the 
gradual increase in crops, which will enable them 
not only to continue to pay sim lar dividends, 
but to gradually build up a subst. ntial reserve. 
Ten jrer cent, is not so large a dividend as one or two 
of the lately-formed Companies pay, but in estimating 
the satisfactory character, or otherwise, of this, I would 
ask you to bear in mind the source from which 
your dividend is derived. Every acre you possess is 
of first-class soil. The estates are situated in per- 
haps the best district of Ceylon, at an elevation of 
from 4,000 to 5,000 feet, producing teas of a high 
class, as our prices for the year indicate. I consider 
the Dimbula Valley Tea Estates are amongst those 
holding a unique position in respect of the bugbear 
over-production, which some discern in the horizon, 
but, even if there is reality in that in the case of 
common teas, I think our’s may have immunity. The 
area over which teas such as our’s are used almost 
entirely for blending and for bringing up to a certain 
standard commoner teas, is very circumsciibed. In- 
deed, it is practically already' planted up, so that no 
extension of cultivation can take place. In fact, 
many people whose opinions are worth having, say 
that the more common teas there are produced, the 
more will be the demand for our’s. B-j that as it 
may, you have embarked in a concern which will 
hold its own in stability and ability to pay dividends. 
This year, in spite of our difficulties, we have a net 
of over 4d per lb., and, provided we get similar prices 
during the current year, the net for our teas will be 
nearer 4Jd or 5d, and it is not difficult to calculate 
what a half-penny more on a million lb. of tea means. 
We have now a fairly good supply of labour on our 
estates, namely, 1,742 coolies, and, although our ad- 
vance of 20 rupees per head is very much less than 
many estates, I hope to see some reduction during 
the current year. Langdale estate, which is in the 
same district as our other gardens, was offered to 
us at a price at which your Director.s deemed it 
advisable to secure it. It is a property which yields 
similar tea to our other gardens, and is of first-class 
soil. The price paid was actually £21,000, half in 
cash and half in shares at £1 premium. Deducting 
the premium on 2,000 shares, the estate will stand 
in our books at £ 2 , 200 , and sliould, judging from past 
figures, yield 12 per cent., should we ojily get similar 
crops. But the Directors are hopeful that, with 
the cultivation it will now receive, and the economy in 
being woiked with the whole group, even better re- 
sults will be obtained. The balance of this issue to 
meet the £ 12,000 cash p-aid to the vendor has been 
allotted pro rata to ordinary sharelioldors at £1 pre- 
mium, and has all been taken up. I have pleasure 
n moving the adoption of the report and accounts. 
PLANTING PROGRE.SS IN PERAK, 
STRAITS. 
FROM ANNUAL REPORT ON THE MATANG DISTRICT FOR THE 
YEAR 1890. 
Estates in Mataing. — There are three coffee estates 
in the Mataiig district, viz The Jebong estate, with 
Mr. F. A. Stephens as owner and manager. The 
estate of the Straits Coffee I’lantiug Company, under 
the management of Mr. Mac Cilvary. On the Jebong 
estate 105 acres have been planted. The young coffee 
on this estate seems to be doing reuiarkablv well 
Mr. Mac Gilvary has opened and planted about 80 
acres. Both these estates are situated in low lyiii« 
land, entitely different in every respect from the estates 
opened up at Waterloo, Gapis, Rumah Papaji and 
Kamuning. The land appears very rich, and the 
managers sanguine as to results, which I sincerely ho])o 
will be more than justified. Mr. C. L. Gibson owns the 
other coffee estates, but be has so far only cleared a small 
portion and put in his nurseries. Tajiioca has been 
planted by a Chinaman u-anied Gob Hooi Chew to 
the extent of 092 acres. He has also planted 300 acres 
of coconuts, and has 8,000 more nuts ready for jJaiit- 
ing. There are about 20 acies of pepper in the 
district, the balance of the 80 acres granted to Haji 
Yusuf. Sugar has not been jilanted as yet, altliough 
the Stewart; and Kennedy concession should have 
been commenced some time ago. This causes a great 
deal of trouble to the padi planters in the vicinity, 
owing to its jungle affording shelter to the pigs aiid 
vermin which destroy the padi all round. 
PLANTING IN SELANGOR, STRAITS. 
REPORT ON THE KUALA LANGAT DIS- 
TRICT FOR THE YEAR 1896. 
LAND AND AGRICULTURE t EUROPEAN ESTATES. 
The year has not been successful as regards Euro- 
pean enterprise. Messrs. Maynard and Rendle were 
allowed to abandon the greater part of their block and 
aro now taking up 300 acres of fresh land in its place. 
Similarly, Mr. Boning found himsolf compelled to 
abandon his coffee planted alongside the road (amount- 
ing to several acres), though 1 am glad to say that 
some fifty or sixty acres at the back of his estate near 
the river bank appear to bo really good, and are 
growing what is generally admitted to be some of the 
finest coffee in the State. At the end of the year Mr. 
Borring applied for, and obtained, about 120 acres of 
good land adjacent to his estate. Mr. Orchard, who 
had purchased a block (No. 51) on the Klang Road, was 
permitted to exchange his land for a block of similar 
area in Klang district. Finally, Mr. Bernard, '.vho was 
granted 1,000 acres of land near the eighth mile on 
the Klang road, abandoned his land entitely, and has, 
I hear, taken up land in Sumatra. The main cause of 
this want of success was no doubt insufficient pros- 
pecting. There is an abundance of really first-rate land 
at Telok, as in other parts of the district, but it re- 
quires more careful prospecting than it has had 
hitherto. On the other hand, signs are not wanting 
that low- water mark has been passed, and, w’ith a fresh 
start and better luck, I am confident that a really 
bright future will be in store for this hitherto back- 
ward part of the State. Thus, at the time of writing, 
1 have just received a letter applying for a thousand 
acres of land on the Klanang Road, where the soil is 
known to be excellent, and where the 18-foot road, 
when gravelled (as it should be next j ear), will ma- 
terially assist the development o( this part of the 
district, whilst yet other land i!i tlie same neighbour- 
hood is being prospected by applicants -who desire 
large areas. 
CUSTOMARY HOLDINGS. 
The total area of customary holdings on the mukim 
registers f®r 1896 wus 6,255 acres 1 rood 33 poles. 
The total area of land applied for was 2,195 acres 
2 roods 11 poles. The total area of land demarcated, 
1,636 acres 3 roods 22 poles. The total area of land 
issued under extracts from register din ing tlie year 
was 516 acres 1 rood 39 poles. 
