THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
235 
Oct. t, 1897.] 
undertaking. With regard to the proposal to sell four 
of the company’s 0 e 3 lon properties to a subsidiary 
company, the directors have decided nou to ciispo^e of 
these meantime. As to the amalgamation of certain 
other of the company’s estates in Ceylon with tho.se of 
a neighbouring company, the Consolidated Com- 
pany have now concluded an agreement to amalga- 
mate their holdings in the Bambarahotua Valley 
with those of the East India and Ceylon Tea Com- 
pany, Limited, in that district. The properties 
of both companies will be valued by Mr. Joseph 
Eraser, tea planter, Matale, Ceylon, and taken over 
by the new company, to be called the Hopewell Tea 
Company, limited, which has been formed to work 
the amalgamated group, as from September 15, 1897. 
The shares in the new concern will be held as to 
two-thirds by the Consolidated Tea and Lands Coin- 
pany. Limited, and as to one-third by the East India 
and Ceylon Tea Company, Limited. This amalgam- 
ation will lead to greater economy in working, and 
consequently to more profitable results. 
The directors have to advise the purchase of the 
Soongaohi, Oodllabari, «nd Gajilidubah Estates, situ- 
ated in the Dooars, for the sum of £16,000. Soongachi 
lies midway between two of the estates taken over 
by the company from the North Sylhet Tea Company, 
Limited, and as the three properties practically make 
cne division, considerable economy in working will 
result from their being under one superintendent. 
The Oodlabari and Gajilidubah estates having been 
m-ouped with Soongachi at the auction sale, fiad to 
be bought along with the latter property, but as they 
were not favourably situated for being worked econo- 
mically with the other estates of the Company 
in that district, the directors decided to sell 
them on the first favourable opportunity. This oc- 
curred last .January, when the price of K3‘2,500 was 
obtained for them. Since the close of the financial 
year, the directors have also bought the Kuinla estate, 
Dooars, for B.270,000. This garden lies between two 
of the Company’s properties, and its acquisition will 
lead to more economical working on the Dam Dim- 
Division. The directors propose making a call of ,£1 
per share on the ordinary shares, payable in Sep- 
tember. — H. and C. Mail, July 30. 

COFFEE COMPANY’S REPORT. 
THE DLLMONT COFFEE COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
The following is from the report presented at the 
second ordinary general meeting 
The profits for 1896 were guaranteed by the vendors 
at £120,000. This sum was duly paid to the 
company, the appropriation of same being as follows : 
Expenses to December 31st 1896 ; In London, 
.e2,278 11s 7d ; in Brazil, £754 16s Id. Dess amount 
of 'interest and commission, .£834 5s Id ; writing off 
the entire preliminary expenses, £3,327 2s 3d ; 
interest to December 31st, 1896, on the five and half 
per cent, first mortgage debentures, £5,100 15s lid ; 
dividend to December 31st, 1890, on the seven 
and half per cent, cumulative preference shares, 
£6 109 14s 9d ; dividend to December 31, 1896, on the 
ordinary shares at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, 
£8 14516s 5d; interest on pre-payment of calls, £199 Is 
9d’; amount placed to reserve account, £83,506 17s ; 
am'ount carried forward to 1897, £11,411 9s 4d; total 
£ 120,000. The actual profits of the Companhia Agricola 
Fazenda Dumont for 1896, after providing for all out- 
standings on the estates, amounted to B2,444,024|69 1, 
which sum calculated at the average rate of exchange 
ruling throughout the year, is equivalent to £92,605 12s 
5d sterling. This short fall in the protit.s is mainly 
attributable to the heavy drop in the price of Santos 
cofiee, and to want of care and supervision in the 
harvesting and curing of last year’s crop owing 
to the ill-health of the vendor's manager. A large 
difference arises, moreover, in the conversion of 
the profits into sterling at the average rate of 
exchange for 1896, as against the rate at which 
the auditors based their estimates in the prospectus. 
The crop, which had been calculated at 80,357 cwt, 
amounted to 74,115 owt. Your directors were not in 
a position to exercise any control over the manage- 
ment of the property until .January 1st last. Since 
then steps ha-ie been taken to introduce a better 
system of management and to add considerably 
to the machinery and appliances for curing the 
cofiee crop. A considerable quantity of new 
machinery has been purchased, aud some of it is 
already erected aud in working order on the estates. 
The benefit of these improvements will only be 
partially felt during the current season, hut when 
completed they will undoubtedly materially improve, 
the quality of the coffee and consequently the pros- 
pects of the company. The directors have further- 
engaged a gentleman of experience, who will shortly 
proceed to Brazil to thorong’nly examine and report 
on this machinery-, and to advise regarding future 
requirements in this direction. The lands planted 
with coffee, stated in the prospectus as being about 
13,900 acres, have now been surveyed, and are found 
to cover an area of 13,461 acres, of which about 9,800 
oares are in bearing and 3,661 not y-et in bearing. Latest 
advices from the managing director show that the 
estates are in a satisfactory condition and more labour 
had been obtained. Seven pulpers have been at 
work day and night on this season’s crop, against 
only two last year, aud tlie new machinery is being 
erected and gradually bi’ought into working order. 
The reports and valuations received to date on this 
pulped coffee are of a most satisfactory character, 
aud justify the expectations of the directors. Three 
Englishmen have been appointed to assist in the 
management of the estates, and two of them have 
already taken up their duties. The company’s rail- 
way, which is being extended, lias recently been 
favourably reported on, and is now in good working 
order. The properties have been duly transferred 
and mortgaged in favour of the trustees for the 
debeuture-hoiders iii accordance with the law 
of Brazil. The vendor company, viz., the Com- 
pauhia Agricol.a Fazenda Du7nont, the shares of 
which are held by this company, has been kept 
ill existence for convenience of working and in 
order to maintain its local and trade relations. 
A Stock Exchange quotation has been duly granted 
for tlie debentures, and both classes of tiie com- 
pany’s shares. Mr. C. A Cai-lisie, late of Sao 
Paulo, has joined the board of this company, while 
Senhor Corneiio Procopio, owing to failmg, health, 
has been compelled to resign the management ot 
the estates, which is now undertaken by Mr. John 
Buchamau, a director of the company-, assisted by 
Senhor Boiu'gas. It is hoped that an interim dividend 
ou account of season 1897 may be paid on the ordinary 
shares in October next, by which time the amount of this 
year’s crop will be known aud a large quantity ofitsold. 
/is far as the directors can see, the accounts in the 
future will be closed, so as to admit of the annual 
general meeting being held in London in the month of 
April. — IL. and C. Mail, July 30. 
AMERICAN DOMESTIC TEA INDUSTRY. 
There has been 110 question that tea can be grown 
iu certain parts of the United States, nor that it has 
been successfully grown in South Oaroliua, The 
labour problem has stood in the way. South Carolina 
cannot compete with cheap labour iutheOrient. Machines 
have not yet been invented to pluck tea, and until 
that day comes domestic grown tea will not figure in 
the American inaiket, except as a cariosity. There 
is also a deficiency in rain fall to operate against the 
successful growing of tea iu the United States. — - 
American U racer, July 14. 
INDIAN PATENTS. 
Applications in respect of the undermentioned 
inventions have been tiled, under the provisions of 
the Inventions and Designs Act of 1888, in the office 
of tlie Secretary appointed under that Act, during the 
week ending 2-ith Juiy 1897 : — 
Improvements in Transplanters. — No. 61 of 1897. — 
George William Uiaride, planter, of JIarehatch Estate, 
