THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[Feb. I, 1898. 
558 
profit to the poor padatoatmen who resort to adul- 
teration with sand to make up their losses. All this 
will be put a stop to, with the advent of a railway 
to Puttalam, which will cheapen the price of salt and 
stop adulteration thereof with sand 
EESIDEKT OF PUTTALAM. 
PLANTING, GEMMING AND LOADING 
IN BAMBARABOTUWA. 
Dear Sir, — In reference to the article signed 
“ Critic’' in tlie local “ Times ” and headed “ Gem- 
ming in Ceylon,” the 860 acres Kondurngalla 
iunMe referred to belonged to one Marikar, and 
was” bought, I think, by Mr. L. Davidson, Me.ssrs. 
Finlay, Muir & Co.’s late V. A., for somethingunder 
K30 an acre and subsequently re-sold to Messrs. 
Finlay, Muir & Co. I em not sure at what price 
it was bought, or re-sold. The, cutting of the 
road and connecting it with the Ratnapura and 
Balangoda districts did much anyway to add to 
its value, but for this, the land was diflicult of 
approach. The road was cut by Messrs. Finlay, 
Muir & Go., when Mr. Gray w'p on Hopewell 
and enabled Me.ssrs. F nlay, Muir & Co.’s, Visiting 
Agent to ride in at Ratnapura end and out via 
Balan»oila. The land now belongs to Messrs. 
Finlay, Muir & Co. and felling operations are going 
on apace both there and on Bambera Ellakande, 
the adioining land. I should say quite 2,000 acres 
or more are being felled in this one locality by 
this firm. I believe w'atchmen were actually put 
onto keep off petty gem-diggers and piltering 
and contractor.s engaged on any work on this 
block are likely to delay finishing ofl, to enable 
them to have a good search for gems while so 
It is strange that the old Bungalow sites on 
these blocks”command a view of Hai)ugastenne 
Bun-ralow, and the Hopewell Wellawalamukelana 
are *'all more or less seen from one another, thus 
enablin'^ the old Coffee Planters in 1848 to keep 
UP a series of signallings, in troublous timp. 
From S. D’s Bungalow atHopew'ell, only 12 miles 
by road (and about four in a direct line) from 
Balam-'oda, the Colombo Lighthouse flash is 
plainly discernible, while on a clear day steamers 
can be seen— and a view' ot the sea coast, as far 
as Hambantotta is obtainable in another direction. 
This would make an e.xcellent signal post with 
an electric light right across the Island,— or a 
Heliooraphing station, if occasion arose.— I remain 
^ouri” ^ ECEPHANT. 
fibre AGAIN: A CEYLON FIBEE-Pl ANT 
PRAISED. - 
Dear SlR,-lt is evident that the maxim of 
beim^ denied’hoiiour in one’s native coiintp^ is aRo 
writes l/IltlL OdllC'Cv , 
into Florida as an ornamental |)lant, where it has 
been cliristened the “ trout plant, [uobably on ac- 
count of tlie peculiar spots or markings on the 
leaves yields a fibre “of the finest and strongest 
vet discovered and that its cultivation in that 
eountrv is about to assume the proportions of an 
important industry. Eigliteen months after setting 
the plant, it is said, the first crop can be cut ; but 
two crops annually will be yielded thereafter, the 
yield of clean fihre per acre being five tons 1 he 
writer in ciuestion also liuits at the prospect of there 
beinir within the next twelve months thousands of 
acres in Florida, i.lauted witli Sanseviera ; and that, 
if recent investigations were not misleading, 
“ there will be no need to go to Kloiidyke for gold. 
That the Sanseviera fibre is of a very fine quality, 
comparatively easy of extraction and well appre* 
dated in the market, has already been testified to 
by planters in Ceylon. Yet though the Sansevieia 
is a jungle plant here, it has not so far proved 
quite amenable to our methods of cultivating it ; 
or at least its cultivation has not been considered 
sufficiently remunerative to oust antecedent pro- 
ducts. In our jungles the plant is almost invari- 
ably met with on rocky soil, a fact wich suggests 
that the principle of affording it deep rich soil is 
at fault, and moreover that the Sanseviera is a 
most suitable plant for planting up waste and 
rocky corners on lowcountry estates, thus excel- 
ling the far-famed rhea or ramie which generally 
requires the richest of soils. The Sanseviera also 
enjoys total immunity from any disease or insect 
pest. 
It is curious to note that in Dr. Watt’s Diction- 
ary of Economic Plants, there are no less than 
25 vernacular names quoted for the Sanseviera, 
which, however, are mainly Asiatic, in Europe the 
plant is commonly known by the name “ sword 
plant.” — Yours truly, NIYANDA. 
[We quote the Florida extract in full in our 
Trupkal Aijriailturlst. The soil we saw in Florida 
was generally light and of brackish-sand as in 
he Rajatalawa-Cliilaw district. — E d. T.A.] 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
Kandy, Jan. 17. 
Sir, — M r. Mackenzie writing from London on 
the 24th December commences as follows ; — 
“ I returned home last week and in a more 
hopeful mood as regards progress in America, 
than on any previous occasion. Our teas are get- 
ting better known and more appreciated every 
monlli. He goes on to say that the packet busi- 
ness of a large English firm, which sells, Cey- 
lon and Indian teas in America has doubled and 
another trebled during the year. He gives en- 
couraging details of the manner in which a 
Chicago Firm known to be considerable purchasers 
of tea in the Colombo market, are advertising in 
the west states that two American Firms are 
now buying regularly in London and holding 
stocks of our tea in New York and refers to 
several English houses who are doing the same, 
one of the latter in particular doing a very large 
business and handling no China or Ja)>an bear 
at all.” He concludes as follows; — “The most 
satisfactory sign of all is the number of sm.all 
dealers who are everyw'here holding our teas 
now and the number of houses putting up their 
own packets. 
“My report with the accounts will follow in a 
few days. 
“ I send you a memo, which you might publish 
for the benefit of Colombo shippers, showing the 
difficulties which arise when teas are shipped 
different from tlie samples. It comes from one of 
our best friends. 
“ I also send some of the indefatigable Larkins 
communications, they will show you how we get 
the rejected teas stopped entrance into Canada, 
also our advertisement in last Canadian Grocer.” 
CEYLON TEA IN THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE. 
Mr. R. V. Webster who recieved as grant of 
£500 from the X X X Committee for the purpose of 
advertising Ceylon tea on the Continent of Europe 
writes that he has visited the principal towns 
in Belgium, Holland, North Coast of Germany, 
Denmark and Sweden, and that he has succeeded 
in interesting a great many in Ceylon teas 
