March r, 1898,] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
home with him from Costa Rica, namely, £18 an 
acre for the cost of bringing rough land into coffee 
land. Reverting to the statement made in the 
prospectus that we proposed to bring 1,700 acres 
into cultivation under coffee at £18 an acre, any 
gentleman quick at figures will see that that statement 
will not fit in with our present capital, but we must 
remember that our capital has been dealt with since. 
We have a smaller capital than was originally contem- 
plated, and of course we can do with a small acreage 
of coffee. The 1,700 acres now loom in the Directors’ 
minds as 500 acres. About 500 acres is what the Direc- 
tors at present contemplate bringing into cultivation 
at the earliest possible date. There you will see 
that the figures square with the Capital that we 
have in hand. If the question is asked us : Do you 
desire to have more Capital in hand ? the Directors 
after due consideration will answer that question, 
but at present we feel we have enough Capital to do 
what lies before us to do, quite enough to enable us 
to pay a handsome dividend if our plans hold. The 
other question was as to the assistant that has been 
appointed to go out to help Mr. Rothe, in the Accounts 
in Costa Rica. He has been selected with the special 
view of managing these Accounts and sending them 
home month by month in the perfect form in which 
they come from a first-rate Ceylon estate. We 
believe that he is a young man capable of doing this. 
He is used to Accounts, and we look forward with 
a great deal of confidence to having our Accounts, 
in a very short time in a perfect and regular form, 
month by month. 
[The Resolution was put to the meeting and carried 
unanimously.] 
The Chairman : — The next resolution relates to our 
Auditors. 
Mr. Phipps : — I have great pleasure in moving “ That 
Messrs. McAuliffe & Davis be appointed Auditors for 
the current year’s Account at a remuneration to be 
fixed by the Board. 
Mr. Henderson seconded, 
[The Resolution was put to the meeting and carried 
unanimously.] 
The Chairman : — That terminates the business of 
the meeting. 
Mr. Whitbread : — I think we ought not to separate 
without moving a vote of thanks to our Chairman and 
Directors for the work they have so far done. I hope, 
they will find the labours in front of them easy and 
satisfactory. 
Mr. Roberts seconded. 
1 The Resolution was put to the meeting and carried 
unanimously.] 
The Chairman : — Answering not only for myself 
and my colleagues, but also for the staff, I have to 
express our indebtsdness to you for your appreciation 
of our services. We shall be pleased to give in the 
future all the care and attention we have done in the 
past. It is not exactly a sinecure. We have worked 
very hard for the Company, the success of which we 
are all deeply interested in. There is no one on the 
Board with a small holding — we all have large hold- 
ings, and therefore we want to do our best in the 
interests of the Shareholders. 
The proceedings then terminated. 
Lady-Birds and Fruits. — A most interesting 
attempt is about to be made to acclimatise the 
lady-bird in Egypt in order to protect the 
fruit grown in that country from the attacks of 
parasitic insects. The necessary lady-birds are 
to be imported from New South Wales. 
Cocoa Looking Up. — T here is compensa- 
tion in all things. As against the fungus and 
its ravages, vve have the price of cocoa going 
up; and we now read that “A large cocoa 
inanufacturing house has adopted a new adver- 
tising scheme. They have arranged to supply 
all the conductors of the most popular lines of 
buses in London with satchels filled with 
sample jiackets of cocoa, which are to be dis- 
rihuted to lady passengers.” 
607 
CEYLON TEA CROP ESTIMATE FOR 1898. 
The official estimate of the Planters’ As 
sociaion has now been publislied. The 
paiticulais are given for eacli group of dis 
tncts and we repeat the table here Adding to 
It the average yield per acre where that was 
lepoited in the proceedings of the Distrift Aot,r. 
eiations themselves -Uistiict Asso- 
Crop 
lb. 
5,750,500 
3,866,490 
1,150,000 
12,115,950 
19,323,510 
lb. per 
acre, 
425 
5.800.000 
4.000. 000 
6 . 100.000 
13,205,000 
7.408.000 
4,497,200 
17,000,550 
2.174.000 
2.800.000 
1,733,500 
7,993,700 
1.603.000 
3.090.000 
560,000 
2 . 000 . 000 
••122,171,400 
400 
450 
457 
394 
500 
523 
400 
429 
409 
421 
Ambagamuwa Association 
Badulla do. 
Balangoda do". 
Dikoya do. 
Dimbula do! 
Dolosbage and Yakdessa Asso- ' 
elation 
Haputale Association 
Kalutara do. 
Keiani Valley do! 
Maskeliya do. 
Maturatta and Hewahetta Asso- 
ciation 
Northern Districts Association 
Nuwara Eliya do 
Passara do" 
Punduloya do! 
Jrussellawa do. 
Rakwana do! 
Udapussellawa do" 
Udugama do! 
JNative and Unestimated 
The time is approachino- when so L o? valley, 
have to be made from U-.r^stiniTted'^ 
our island consumption • but sofur dpi 1 for 
of ..Mive sardenr oof 
terbalance,s this requirement coun- 
is that the total tea exports ^fm- 
fiiesrisi 
aboot 6 million II,. i„ ad.a^S'rf ,'lf 
Siinglr'r ir£;ho'“be“f 
million against 99 million 
limited addition indeed ; while 18 to To n’-.f ''^,7 
are at least expected to be taken nfff ^4 million lb. 
North America, rS and 5 ° 
Continent of Europe and all ttimr parts ""s 
that 17 million lb. were diverteVfn ri • 
from London last year, we shaH l^p r * 
indeed, in view of all the eflbrts ‘ *®^PPomted 
well into the American -in d i? ^ - ^ 
less than 21 millionr are requ^Tm " if 
ments outside of the United ^ ! direct ship- 
in fact is the estinmte of Me 
& Co., and if wf take Hfi? 'talker 
official estimate of crop, tlmre wonhM 
iion lb. left to go to lSu-T fa^t 
out, should ensure thromdiont tbL ' if borne 
demand and steady if not'bettei priers'^for C 
preceedlS'orr^^^/^TliiX % 
third page“ where it is nm" ^ 
IS well pleased with the prospects M ’ 
Russia, and still more to ?6 p * f^eylon tea m 
into with Mr. H H Dav 1 ^t^red 
Brothers & Winch Ld.' by which 
of £1,000 in advertising Ceyloi 
ensured. We should lige to^see a 
T inn undertaking this duty as wS 
sideration of a grant. Perhaus M.- 
how the way to attain that r esJlt': 
