402 
THE TROPICAL AGRICUL 1 URIST. 
[Dec. I, 1897. 
capital and £6250 of mortgages, the Company pos- 
sessed 1441 acres of land under mature tea, and 444 
acres under immature tea, so that the reserve land 
only amounted to the trifle of 206 acres. The capital 
cost was therefore over £100 per acre, and how this 
must handicap the concern can be imagined when 
it is stated that any company with a capital cost cf 
over £50 per acre is considered highly valued, while 
most of the good companies have a capitalisation of 
between £19 and £40 per acre. To show how badly 
this Company shows up, we compare its figures with 
those of a few other companies on the same basis, 
as we did the companies in the article on Ceylon 
tea companies, 
• M 
oH 
<L» H 
Companies. ^ 3 = 
S s 
Hi 
al ce 
P'S-- 
S O' 
— c3 
“ o 
o q; 
c3 
9 ^ 
P 
<1 
3 tx ■ 
=5 .S 
S 
0) 
<1 
acr. 
acr. 
acr. 
£ 
£ 
£ 
d. 
lb. 
Dimbula V alley 2091 
1441 
444 156,250 
375 
101 
5.56 
Edarapolla . 
. 894 
471 
129 
22,000 
295 
39 
61 
6-10 
Highland 
702 
545 
41 
32,000 
404 
65 
94 
357 
Standard 
. . 3290 1519 
761 
60,000 9800 
22 
llj 
398 
The Company has the benefit 1 f a rather high 
yield per acre of tea, for which a good price is 
obtained, but this does not warrant such a high 
capital value per acre. The Board managed to bring 
out a trading profit of £14,596, and a nett profit of 
£13,375, but we should rather doubt their methods in 
arriving at this result, while nothing can be said 
about them, as no a' count of the W'orking of the 
estates is rendered. By this mep.ns a dividend of 10 
per cent, on the Ordinary Shares was distributed, 
but we feel sure that the heavy capital cost is bound 
to tell its tale in the future. 
Two things puzzle ns extremely liere, namely, 
how Mr. Wilson makes out the Dimhula Valley 
tea area to stand so high as £101 an acre, and 
how the “ Standard ’ can hold their line pro- 
perties so low as a cost of £22 capital per 
mature acre ? Perhaps we may liave corrections 
on both points. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Thb African Coffee Company. — Mlaugi Coffee 
Estates, Limited, was registered on Oct. 16th, with 
a capital, £50,000, in £1 shares to adopt an agree- 
ment with J. Crabb, and to plant, grow, manufacture 
and deal in coffee, cocoa, tobacco, sugar, maize, tea, 
etc. The subscribers are A. Eldridge, 32, Hamil- 
ton Bldgs, Gt. Eastern St. E. C., accountant ; H. P. 
Garrett, 54, Gloucester St. Bloomsbury, W. C., 
gentlemen, J. B. Somerville, 48, Lincoln’s Inn 
Fields, W. C. solicitor ; A. P. Paine, 20, Essex St. 
Strand, \V. C. solicitor; 3. Crabb, 26, WetherellEd, 
N, E. gentleman; C. H. Chambers, Belle Vue, Swan- 
iey, Kent, clerk ; and J. Edwards, Swan Grove, 
Cncklewood, N.W. gentlemen. 
The “ Indian Forester.” — A Monthly Magazine 
of Forestry, Agriculture, and Travel. Edited by 
J, W. Oliver, Conservator of Forests, and Director 
of the Forest School, Dehra Dun, The following is 
the contents for No 10— October, 1897 : — I.— Origi- 
nal Articles and Translations. India Rubber ; Kumri 
Teak Plantation, by A. L. Lowrie ; II.— Corres- 
pondence. The After-training of Coopers Hill Men. 
Letter from “Scrutator ”; Gurnand’s System. Letters 
from N. Hearle and “Kritik”; Tlie Formation of 
Chlorophyll. Letters from J. L, MacCarthy O’Leary 
and A. W. Lushington ; III. — Official Papers and 
Intelligence. An Enunciation of Foiest Policy by the 
Madras Government ; IV. — Previews. Forestry in 
Jeypore State ; Forest Administration in Bengal 
during 1895-96 ; VI. — Extracts, Notes and Queries ; 
Y£X. Timber and Produce Trade ; VIII.-^Extracts 
from Official Gazettes. 
Cardamom Oil. — The oils of different species of 
cardamoms described here have been distilled here- 
tofore by us as well as by olheis. Their composi- 
tion, however, has as yet not been asceitained; we 
therefore insert here a brief resume of the results 
of our examinatiou of these oils, abstracted from a 
report which will soon be published iu some che- 
mical periodical . — Sclamiuel Co’s. Jicport. [Then 
follows a learned analysis of oils from different 
species of cardamoms. — E d. T.A.~\ 
Tea CuLTiv.vriON at New Caledonia.— Efforts are 
being made to encourage the culti vation of tlie tea 
plant in New Caledonia. An exchange to hand by 
the steamer “ Tanais ” yesterday states that a quantity 
of tea seed was received by the Agricultural Union 
at Noumea by the mail steamer “ Polynesien, and 
would be distributed among those desirous of attempt- 
ing the culture of the plant. It is considered that the 
climate of New Caledonia is adnfirably suited to the 
growth of tea, and that if the matter were taken up 
energetically it would prove a source of wealth to the 
French colony, by reason of the enormous demand for 
tea iu all parts of the world.— Pfa/itcrs Gazette 
Oct. 1. 
A New Roof .\nii W.ael Covepixc! for Iron 
AND Wooden ! t ildings in Tropicae Countries 
— is described ill the latent Indlmi and' Eastern 
Engvneer. It is a new cement called “ Tile.sto- 
neite ” Cement, which is both heat-re.sisting, 
wn^terproof,_ and fireproof and consequently for 
hot coiintrie.s is an invaluable adjunct to roofs, 
and outside walls, of iron and wooden buildings. 
In fact, wherever it is desirable to reduce the 
temperature as in bungalow, s, station-verandahs, 
barracks, stores, factories, laundiies, creameries, 
etc., tjie use of this cement does away with the 
necessity for the expensive double loof soine- 
tinie.s put lip for that purpose. Furtber, being 
completely waterproof, it is specially suitable for 
wooden stiuctnres, the use of wbieli is restricted 
by the fact of tbeir not being rainproof; and, 
of course, the cement can be applietl to build- 
ings covered w ith iron or felt ? We read further: — 
A considerable advantage claimed for this cement 
is that it wi’l adhere to perpendicular walls, whether 
constructed of brick, wood, or corrugated iron; and 
this virtue still further prevents the absorption of 
heat from the sun’s rays, thus reducing the tem- 
perature w'ithiu. “ Tilestoneite ” Cement is nou- 
inflammable, and completely protects iron buildings 
from the corroding effects of salt, spray, steam, or 
vapour; and as it contains no deleterious substance, 
water coming from it may, with safety, be used for 
drinking and domestic purposes. The cement is light- 
grey in colour — the best refractor— and is made of 
materials which are the best noii-coiiductors of heat, 
and it gives a stoue-like and fini.siied appearance to 
a- y structure to which it may be applied. The 
-cerae’ t is applied in a dry state, and all that 'is le- 
quired to bring it into woiking condition is the ad- 
dition of a litile water, wlien it can be applied in 
layers, with a trowel or plasttrei’s float, no skilled labour 
being requirde. The manufacturers reckon tint one 
ton of this cement will cover about 4,30 squ-are feet 
of corrugated iron, IJ inch thick and the cost per 
square loot, therefore, is very trifling. Compared 
with slates or tiles the saving is equal to 50 per 
cent in material, with the additional advantage that 
no skilled labour is required. For wooden surfaces 
an 1 ! ch beineiou sufficient thi 2dss, a tou will cover 
5/3 square feet, at a cost of 2d per square foot; 
whereas one ton of slates or riles w'ill cover only 220 
square feet, and wrill cost 4idper fqu. re foot. One 
of the best tesiimonials to the meiits of this cement 
is the fact that it is supplied to the British Secretary 
of Stale for India, the Ciown Agents for the Colo- 
nies, and the Agents General for' the Cape of Good 
Hope, and Western Australia, for use on Govern- 
ment buildings. 
The sooner the mamifaclurcrs get agents in Ceylon 
to advertise and supply “ Tilestoneite,” tlie better ! 
