St2 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June r, 1898 . 
EASTERN PRODUCE AND ESTATES 
COMPANY, LIMITED. 
Directors. — Messrs. Balph A. Csmeron, Managing 
Director ; Norman W. Grieve, C. J. Lindsay Nicholson, 
David Reid, Christopher B. Smith, Edward Wahab. 
Donglas R. Smith, Secretary. 
Report. — To be presented at the Eleventh Ordinary 
General Meeting, to be held at Winchester House, 
Old Broad S leet, on the 29th April. 
The Directors submit Report and Balance Sheet for 
the year ending 31st December, 1897. 
The profit for the year is £37,941 18s. lid., which, 
added, to £11,739 Is. 4d., balance from last account, 
amounts to . . • • £49,681 0 3 
From this has to be deducted : — 
Interest on Debentures. . ; 
Debenturers for £7,509 
drawn and paid off, with 
bonus of 5 per cent, on 31st 
Dec. 1897 
Interim Dividend of 2Jper 
cent on Preferred and Or- 
dinary Share Capital, paid 
4th November, 1897 
4,950 0 0 
7,875 0 0 
7,497 4 0 
20,322 4 0 
leaving a balance of . . 29,358 16 3 
which it is proposed to 
appropriate as follows : — 
Final Dividend on the i 
Preferred Shares of 2g per 
cent., making 5 per cent, 
for the year, and on the Or- 
dinary Shares of 44 per 
cent., making 7 per cent for 
the year . . 13,479 18 0 
To Reserve Fund . . 5,000 0 0 
Balance to be carried for- 
ward as provision for retire- 
ment of Debentures in the 
current year . . 10,878 18 3 
£29,358 16 3 
A higher rate of exchange coupled with a 1 wer price 
of tea, and enhanced cost of rice — the result of the 
Indian Famine — have adversely affected profits in the 
past year. 
As shown in the schedule below, the Company on 
31st December last had 10,650 acres under Tea cultiva- 
tion, of which 9,565 were over four years old. 
The Koladenia Estate, a small outlying property, was 
sold as from 1st January, 1897, for £2,644 8s. 8d., and 
the amount has been invested in the names of the 
Trustees for the Debenture holders. 
The yield of Tea in 1897 was 3,635,0001b., being 
somewhat short of the estimate, and’ the average 
gross sale price was 7-06d. Tne estimated yield for 
1898 is 3,850,000 lb. In aocor.iance with the Articles 
of Association, two of the Directors, Mr. Norman W. 
Grieve and Mr. David Reid, retire from office, and 
being eligible, offer tliemselves for re-election. The 
retiring Auditors, Messrs. Welton, Jones & Co., offer 
themselves for re-election. 
SCHEDULE OP THE COMPANY’S ESTATES AT 31SX 
DECEMBER, 1897. 
Arapolakaude, Asgeria and Bulatwatte, Colonna, 
Condegalla, Doombagastalawa, Dromoland, Hope, In- 
gnrugalla and Berrewella, Eirrimittia, Eumaradola, 
Kumbukkan, Ltbookellie, Meddecoombra, Norwood 
Rothschild, Sogamma, Vellai Oya and Dandukelawa 
and Wevekellie. 
Under Tea .. .. 10,650 Acres. 
„ Cocoa . .. 642 ,, 
„ Cofffee, Cardamons and 
Sundries .. 343 „ 
,, Forest Grab's and uncul- 
tivated Lnn4 .. 4,825 „ 
Total .. 16,460 „ 
MINOR PRODUCTS. 
London, April 9. 
Oil, Lemon. — Flat. It is possible to buy good brands 
at 3s 6d per lb. on the spot, though one holder asks 
4s f.o.b., which would indicate a higher market in 
Messina. 
Oil, Lemongrass. — From 4Jd to 5d. peroz is asked, 
according to holder, for good oil. 
Quinine. — The Amsterdam bark-auctions were no 
sooner over than speculation as to the fate of quinine 
commenced. By Friday it became known that the 
manufacturers had tacitly agreed upon a decline, and 
on Monday it was known on 'Change that this de- 
cline, was Ijd per oz. We 'oelieve that the decision 
was arrived at reluctantly, at least on the part of 
English manufacturers, who are not at all frightened 
by the advent of Java quinine. The market closes 
without firmness, and the sale of Java quinine at 8d 
per oz in Amsterdam may weaken it still further. 
Ferri et quininas citras is now quoted at 5d per oz 
in 25 oz tins, and fid per oz in 1-cz phials for quan- 
tities of not less than 100 oz . — Chemist and Uracigist, 
April 9. 
BUYING CATTLE AND EXPORTING THEM 
FROM CEYLON. 
It is not often one hears of cattle being pur- 
chased and shipped out of Ceylon. Some time 
ago the Private Secretary of the Governor of 
Mauritius was over at the Agricultural School 
enquiring about native bulls for draught pur- 
poses. Cattle have to be imported from Mada- 
gascar to Mauritius and the expense 
of this is very great. The Mauritius Govern- 
ment wanted a hetd of native bullocks for use 
in Government carts, but though the Agricultural 
School authorities were asked to make arrange- 
iTients for the collection of a fairly large numlier 
of animals, nothing further has been heard from 
the Mauritius Government 
Last week a Wynaad planter was a visitor at 
the Government Dairy and offered to take over 
a number of Sind cattle ; but, of conise, they were 
not available. The gentleman has left a com- 
mission for the purchase of some animals at the 
next sale of dairy stock. The manager of the dairy 
succeeded in procurins?' for him locally a couple 
of good animals which were taken on Saturday 
to Calicut. At the request of the French Consul 
a pair of young Sinhalese cattle have been 
procured for shipment to Hongkong ; they are 
said to be going to Dr. Yersin, of pl.ague fame, 
for breeding experiments. 
We now hear of Sinhalese cattle being wanted 
for Trinidad, but for what purpose we cannot say. 
Trinidad has its Government Dairy and Breeding 
Farm which is working very successfully. It was in 
fact this establishment which suggested the idea of 
starting the Ceylon Government Dairy to Sir Arthur 
Havelock, who was formerly Governor of Trini- 
dad. The Trinidad dairy farm has a satisfactory 
lot of cross-bred (English — Indian) animals and 
what it wants with our degenerated native cows 
(which seldom give more than 2 or 3 pints of 
milk a day^ it is difficult to imagine. Can the 
Trinidad people be thinking that the Govern- 
ment dairy is working with Sinhalese animals, 
or be confusing Sind and Sinhalese ? 
Tra Prospect, s in Northern India.— Messrs. 
W. Moran & Go. of Calcutta report on 21st April : 
— “ Some good showers of rain have again been 
reported from Cachar and Sylhet, but have dried 
up again and a great deal more is required to 
bring on the plant which is very backward. All 
other districts appear to have had a few inches, 
doing an immense amount of good. From pans of 
Assam the weather is said to be too cold.” 
