Aug. 2, 1886J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



95 



economy. The existing condition of affairs has re- 

 sulted from keen competition, a radical improvement 

 in the methods of transportation by water, as well as 

 on land, increased facilities for rs.pid communication 

 with all parts of the world, the abundance and cheap- 

 ness of money, the closer relations existing between 

 . buyer and seller, and a consequent disposition to 

 trade upon a narrower margin of profit. The fact 

 that the yearly average price for fair to prime Rio 

 is the lowest since 1852 is the best proof of its relative 

 cheapness during the year, but the very narrow 

 fluctuations of the market have been of still greater 

 importance in restricting the opportunities for obtain- 

 ing more than a living profit. During ten months 

 of the year values drifted slowly backward and for- 

 ward within the limited range of 1 per cent, or -be- 

 tween 8J and OJ cents for fair Rio, the highest prices 

 having been made during January and February. 

 A moderate crop has been followed by a still larger 

 one, and the prospects for the future now point to a 

 crop of enormous proportions, and the largest ever 

 known. Furthermore, there has been no distinct 

 speculative movement, and buying and selling has 

 been of the hand-to-mouth character, that has de- 

 prived trade of its most elastic qualities. During 

 the first three months of the year the impression 

 prevailed that the yield of the crop would fall short 

 of the estimates, and, accordingly, that before the 

 close of the crop year, higher prices would prevail, 

 which, in connection with the facilities afforded small 

 traders throughout the country for purchasing direct 

 from Rio, stimulated buying and led to a liberal 

 stocking up. The warehouse deliveries from the sea- 

 coast ports for January, February and March, show- 

 ing a heavy increase, being 266,815 bags in excess of 

 the corresponding period in 1884, which is about 

 equal to the increased consumption shown for the 

 whole year ; but, instead of advancing, values con- 

 tinued to decline, and purchases made on the basis of 

 January and February prices must have been disposed 

 of at a considerable loss. The load so easily taken 

 on certainly acted as a dead weight upon the market 

 during the first six months of the year, and its in- 

 fluence was not wholly eradicated during the re- 

 maining half. At no time since then did a sharp 

 demand prevail, and almost constantly the country was 

 being urged to buy rather against general inclination, 

 which necessarily dulled the edge of spirited trade 

 and resulted in a sluggish unmteresting market. 

 According to the tabulated statement printed on a 

 previous page it will be observed that consumption 

 east of the Rocky Mountains has increased in com- 

 parison with 1884, 11,855 tons, or 5'3per cent, which, 

 although not as great an increase as shown the 

 year previous, nevertheless means about one-half 

 pound more for every man, woman and child of 

 our population, which is a very considerable expan- 

 sion, considering the relative proportion of this 

 population that are not coffee-drinkers. This brings 

 the per capita consumption of the comitry up to about 

 9'Sl poimds, against 7-61 pounds in 187i). While the 

 United States as a whole is one of the largest con- 

 sumers of coffee in the world, its population is not 

 so universally addicted to its use as in Holland, 

 where the per capita consumption is about '21 pounds, 

 or in Denmark and Belgium, where it amounts to 

 about 13* pounds, but with these exceptions we are 

 the largest individual consumers of the beverage. In 

 this comiection it is worthy of remark that Great 

 Britain shows a steady decrease within the past few 

 years, the quantity imported last year, which amounted 

 to 11.000 tons, being less than one-half what it was 

 four years previously. 



Cinchona Bakk Trade.— The one great feature of 

 the past year has been low prices. The extreme 

 fluctuations ranged from Id to 7Jd, or say 8c to 15c. 

 per lb. per unit. The supply, however, of one descrip- 

 tion or another, has been, in the London market, 

 ample. Our American market has lost nearly all its im- 

 portance, and we have to rely almost entirely on Lon- 

 ilon. youth American Bark is imported in very small 

 proportion, while, on the other hand, we notice an 

 increase of Calisaya Bark, and we expect still larger 

 arrivals of this kind in future of the cultivated qual- 

 itise, but we expect from Colombia only shipmeuts 



of the quantities which are stored there, waiting bet- 

 ter niarket prices. The cultivated Calisaya Bark 

 wliich has appeared in market is very rich. 

 It should be remarked that the shipments of Cey- 

 lon Bark were, for the first half of the season of 

 last year, very heavy, and prices for Bark were very 

 much depressed, and shippers lost money; consequently 

 the Bark shipped for the second half of the season 

 was less in quantity than anticipated, and the total 

 for tlie year that reached market only corresponded 

 with that of the previous season. The stock remain- 

 ing in Colombo at the close of the season, on the 

 first of October, was about 4,000,000 lb., and this 

 quantity being shipped during the last three months 

 of the past year, from October 1885, to January 

 1886, overflowed the market and caused another de- 

 pression in prices which decreased shipments. 

 All reports from Ceylon say, that the harvest of 

 Cinchona Bark will be smaller this year than here- 

 tofore, but low prices arc anticipated. The an-ivals 

 of Bark may be limited, but should much higher 

 prices set in, shipments will increase. The im- 

 ports of Java Bark in Europe have not in- 

 creased in proportion as expected. Attempts 

 have been made to import Ceylon Cinchona 

 Bark directly to New York. Wc have always 

 thought that tliis business should afford an advan- 

 tage to both the exporter and the importer and for 

 our home manufacturers. This is a matter of the 

 first importance, so as to be no longer obliged to rely 

 on London ; and certainly every encouragement should 

 be given to such an enterprise, by paying as high 

 prices as possible, so that the net result would 

 be improved by direct imports to New York. 

 The fluctuations in (Quinine for the past year were 

 30 cents per ounce, and during the last year rates 

 were very low, falling to a point never before reached. 

 It was noticed as a remarkable fact in reference 

 to 1884 that foreign Quinine was sold in Europe as 

 lo^y as 3s 6d per ounce, with Bark ruling at 4*d per 

 unit. In 1885 foreign Quinine was actually sold at 

 2s 6d per ounce, with bark at very nearly the same 

 value per unit as in 1884. 



The following table, from 80th June 1881, to 80th 

 June 1885, has been compiled from statistics kindly 

 furnished by the Hon. William F. Switzler, Chief 

 of the Bureau of Statistics, and will repay a care- 

 ful perusal : — 



Imports of cinchona bark during the past five years. 



Value Average 



Years. lb. in dollars. value per lb. 



1881 4,219,408 1,846,280 43-8 



1882 5,010,547 1,846,375 36-8 



1883 3,689,315 1,205,606 33'1 



1884 2,588,307 718,085 27-2 



1885 3,5.59,691 918,189 25-7 



THE "TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST." 



A gentleman resident in the Central Province who 

 has as good opportunities of knowing what is of 

 benefit to planters as any one we know, yends ua 

 the following explicit testimony to the value of 

 the " T A. :— 



*' Since its comniencement, 1 have regularly seen, 

 and perused the Tropical A'jyicultnrigf. There can 

 be but one opinion that its scope and object 

 are highly important, and that it suppHes a 

 distinct desideratum, which it is to the interest 

 of every estate proi^rietor to have available in 

 the bungalow for the use of his locum tenens, 

 or superintendent. As a magazine it provides in- 

 teresting and instructive fresh literature at in- 

 tervals, deprived, as most in Ceylon are, from 

 easy access to libraries, and as years go by it 

 will growingly become " The Ceylon Encyclopedia" 

 with reference to agricultural operations. Viewing 

 estate property, as practically a permanent in- 

 vestment to some one the trilling charge of 

 E12 per annum— a rupee a month— is, certainly of 

 no account, provided the separate numbers are kept, 

 and bound together yearly an a book of refeience,-^ 



