II2 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[Auouat I, iSgt. 
PROGRESS IN “WEST HAPUTALE:” 
“ IHK DARJBBLINa OF CEYLON ” ! A TEA OOMPANY 
WANTBO ; ALL THE PHEBENT PBOPUIEIOKS 
TO BECOME BHAHKHOLDBSa ? 
We are indebted to a eorrespondent who aapple- 
mente the recent notice oi this district that appeared 
in our columns with the (ollcning lurther in- 
formation : — 
“ In reading a oorrespondent’s notes from West 
Haputale in your Overland sheet, I see he passed 
without mentioning Lentran land Caliender, flourish- 
ing tea estates both owned by Mr. Dunamure, 
who has established a tea factory in the centre 
of the Valley. On Wellatonne Uo Mr. Margary 
is opening land in tea. There must be well on 
to 700 acres of tea planted in the Kalupahana 
Valley out of a total of three thousand acres avail- 
able in private lands. It would pay better to make 
it all into a Company with one factory if some- 
one would take the matter up. In addition to 
being near the railway, the district has the 
advantage over the old estates in other district, 
in being all virgin soil, with ample fuel supply, 
and if properly managed the tea at that ele- 
vation should command a better price than the 
average. There is undoubtedly a flne field for a 
Company. Some of the present proprietors sank 
their capital by paying an average of B(30 a acre 
at the Government laud sale in ISflO -, and when cin- 
chona failed, tea was only in its infancy, whereas 
now it is proved to suooeed in the wind, which 
after all is much the same as in the rest of Hapn- 
tale. There is a prejudice sgaiust Kalupahana, 
but it is the healthiest climate in Ceylon, and will 
yet grow the best tea. It runs to 7,000 feet in 
some parte where the climate and lay of the land 
has been compared to Darjeeling." 
THE COLOMBO PUBLIC TEA SALES. 
TBE IlOUBES FOB THE HALF-YEAB. 
The public sales of tea in Colombo for the half-year 
clused with yesterday’s heavy anotioii, and we have 
pleasure in supplying our readers with the figures for 
the six months, and the comparative totals for the 
latter half of 1890. This is the first year in which the 
season is being reckoned from January to December, 
instead of— as in the old oottee days from Oot. to Sept. 
The progress iii the quantity of Ceylon tea placed 
in the world’s matkuts are well-knowu to the 
public; but the figures below show that the lea trade 
of Colombo from the begiuuing of 1891 bas made even 
greater progress compared with the total exported. 
The quantity offered in the loeal market in 1885-6 was 
about 20 per oeut,, while the following year it fell to 
17 per oeut. Since then, we believe it has not reached, 
or at any ra'e not exceeded, the 20 per cent., until the 
present oocasiou, for out of about 03,000,000 lb. of tea 
which by the bOth iust. will have been exported from 
Colombo since the let Jan. last, about C,770,000 lb., or 21 
per cent, will have been offered in public sale by the 
brokers of Ceylon. This is doubtless a great increase 
on the previous six mouths, but we are inclined to 
believe that it is a sign of greater confidence in the 
local market wbiob will continue. From July to Decem- 
ber last inclusive the number of packages elleted and 
sold were 67,550 and 45,164 respoovively as against 
96 804 and 69,488 for the present six months. As to 
the number of lb. they can be easily oalcnlated through- 
out, at the average rate of 70 lb to a chest or package. 
The following list, the figures of which we have obtained 
from our bcokera, are for the half year conoluded 
yesterday, and represent the number of packages offered 
and sold. It will be seen that Messrs. Forbes aud 
Walker still hold a very seoure first position, while 
from the indications of the last quarter more 
pspeoially, the next three fitmii which ktand (eirly 
close together, are engaeed in a keen competition for 
second place, or will be dnriiig the coming half-year. — 
The figures oonoerniug Messrs. Denham’s sales are 
rmcesnury to make tho totals. 
offered 
sold 
Messrs. Forbes and Wsilkor .♦ 
pkgs. 
pkgs. 
. 40,847 
31,387 
„ Sooierville & Co. 
. 20,010 
13,166 
Mr. K. John 
. 18,314 
12,532 
Messrs. A. 11. Thompson &Co. 
. 17,279 
9,227 
„ E. Bonham Co. 
354 
180 
Totals .. 
. 96.804 
69,488 
Local “Independent.*' 
PLANTING IN PERAK. 
We are very pleased (to hoar of the good work 
being done in the Straits Settlements by old Ceylon 
Planters. From a letter just received from Mr. 
Thomas Fraser, we quote as follows ; — 
I suppose you have beard of the very favourable 
terms the Perak aovernment is offering land for, viz : 
blocks of SOU aeros, of which any applicant can have 
two aud select where he likes, at $3 an acre aud 
no quit rent and purchase in puepetuity. The Oovern- 
ment however may impose an advalon m duty of 2} o/o 
or any part of it, should they wish to do so on the 
crop exported. 
People at home ate turning their attention to it 
aud a very consiilerable acreage has already been taken 
up on these terms and there is plenty of capital to 
open it. 
Our coffee. Arabian and Liberian, are both doing ex- 
oeedihgly well. The latter hae oertaiuly found a home 
here as it never did in Ceylon. Tea is also doing re-, 
markably well and there is any quantity of land to be 
had Buitable for its oaltivatiou and cheap. I am sur- 
prised that some of your old coffee planters have not 
come over to take up land aud so purlicipate in the 
liberal terms now being offered by the Government. 
^ 
WESTWARD HO!— THE COMMISSIONERS 
FOR PERU. 
We have a letter from " Old Colonist " dated 
31et May from on board the S. S. “ Etruria ” off 
Queenstown, Ireland — the precursor, we trust, of 
many chatty notes to follow. We quote his news 
BO far : — 
Here we are so far well and hopeful, the spirit 
indeed being very willing. Ross has bad “ La Utippe,” 
but I hope a few days on the Atlantic will set him 
right. Wo may have a few days iu New York. Wo 
are to visit Trinidad, but whether wo may find it most 
convenient to do so in going or coming 1 do not know 
yet. 'Ibis great Yankeelaiid liner of somewhere about 
8,000 tone is uo doubt a smart affair, bnt there is a 
(juiet dignity about life on board the good old P. & O. 
which 4 have never found elsewhere at sea. Dear old 
“ Logie ” came down to seo us off yesterday and stayed 
till the bell rang. Very kind of him. Row well he 
looks ! When 1 am asked “ vvho is the happiest man 
you ever met T' 1 ’ll think of “ Logie.” 1 wish be had 
been going along with us. You will probably seo him 
soon en route tor the Straits, Most kind letter from 
another old colonist, W. Donnan of Belfast today* 
Wants me to go to South Africa when I return f 
I presume it will be January 1892, before we oan 
emerge from Peru, Brazil or Bolivia? 
The Amazon Steam Navioation Company luis 
sold its hundred sisamers, aud all its wharves, 
landings, and wharehouses to the Brazilian Cor- 
poration, known as the Kmpreza do Ooaa Publicas, 
for £850,000, making 1:360,600 by the traiiaaotion. 
This tranaaotion renders the groat rubber-carrying 
trade of the Amazon n Brazilian mouuply,— /g. 
tHarubber Jeurn»l> 
