5S8 



THE TROPI.CAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Feb. I, 1887. 



British sbios pnterin»the porh of S^nt-l<^ in ISS.i. as 

 conm<re1 witb oth-r years. Tw) vear-< Wvc.k B-tixli 

 shippin<?, whether sxPo's or s'^eim'^-s, f "■ HXde ' ••! 

 that of any ooe nati )n hat- la'st. vp-ir 8t.^a n >rs u^'d >• 

 the Gerrnan flisr, a'l'l sai'in? vflsapls mler the Nir- 

 wes'an fliiT, consi l-^raWv pxf»e^'1'»d th i-e udIt tht» 

 Bnti-ih flaff. Th" cameof th's aop-'a-s ♦•■) 1t» th" mich 

 lower race's at which the G-rmns a 'd NT^f^T'ios 

 can pqiiip and sail thnir vissrIs. Th ^ l^w frfti^h^, 

 which now rules through px'5='R'»'v» corap'^ti'ion, aona- 

 rent'y leaves no nitr^in for profi'-s, aid th"^ £;°n-^ral 

 cry of the shiomister is tViat '^h^i'" vf».s-?e's are sailina 

 at a Io<!'!. This, in ri^a'd '•o B-i'i^h ve'^'^ls, app-a^a 

 to he actua'lv the fact i-i mo't oa^^e-!, inasnri tch a» the 

 sailing exo^dses of a R-i*^i<h vi^ss"! are a'^o'it twice as 

 jfreat as that, say, of a No-w^Efian ve-i«el. Fo • inst-anop, 

 in the fi'st place, the N-rw^giin me'-cantile raarinf 

 consists of Drivioa'lv Eng'i-h vssplsHoa rhtiio cheaply ; 

 second, the Nirwesfi^ns virittiJil their v^sads at a 

 much low^r rate than the E i^'ish ; and Ihs'^Iv, 'h^' 

 wa?es paid to Norwesfian cews, wh^thT 'Tias'er. mate 

 or s-='amen, avcra-re ha'f the wi^s paid to British 

 ieamen of the ^aiie class. B'-itish sh^po'n? caino^ 

 CO Tioete under such advantij-s, an! if the yo-'viTian 

 mercanti'e manne was suffi -iently larare th"y wiuld. 

 under circaaistances note 1, do th^ entire carrying 

 trade. 



Und«»r the heading of expo^-ts it was seated fhat 

 Great Bnt dn cousam -d but Ui-Me o" the ■iofT»'^ pxo >rt^d 

 from Sintn;!; henc" this branch of the trade, catn^opr- 

 cially sp^akin?, does not jater'^st the iila^trias or 

 trade of G-eat Bi'ain. It is oth°rwi^e ho vev°r with 

 the inriort tnde, imsrujch as with the f-xcpp*-ion of 

 farm h>useanl ma'-k 't orard?T? prtl'ic, everv com- 

 modity u-ed by a civ'lised com-'n'iaitv, pissessed of 

 no Dro hict'ye indnst^ries >>f i*s own, is imported from 

 such conn'rios as on suo"!'-' the deman ! for them 

 to hpst idyatitage. Th*^ damaTid for Foreisrn commo litVs 

 and industrial prohiction iaer«'-s 's everv year in this 

 province with the expansi m of its popu'atir)n and thp 

 dey°)opBient of its vast territo-ies. The demand c'>m- 

 prises hoii«t^l)->]cl rurulture, utt-osils and commoditii s, 

 hos-'-rw, r-»ndv-mad« male and female attire, boots 

 a"d t.ho .-R, CO' ton, woolen, and linen materials, j-^wellerv, 

 wiue":, beprs. erocpries, flou'', nil. kpi'ospne, preserve^' 

 mpft'a snd frn'ts. shationery, medicines, chiua and 

 por.^elaip, hardwure. cutlery, g'assware, earthenware-, 

 agrii'u'tnral implpinente, railroad stock and plant, 

 watPi-work plant, tram car stocV anl p'ant, and every 

 de-criptinn of mac'n'n'^ry and iron w">rk. 



Great, B-i*ain, by r-ason of h°r practically inexhaust- 

 ible "tock of in lusfcriil produces, u-dim'te 1 pr iductiyc 

 power, aid posse■^ied of the facilities of c*pi*al, 

 material, entern-isp, sea transport, ^c, ought to supply 

 the non-industrial countries with her nrorluction* 

 Fithout fpar of comp -t tion from countriss le-s 

 fayour-^tily situated. Snchis, in point of fact, the case 

 in th's province. The importa'iois from Great 

 Britain alone amount to nearly half the value of the 

 total import trade. Other c mntries, notably France, 

 Germany, and America, are attempting competition, 

 but wi'h no mirke ' siccess at present; the lon?- 

 ■tan 'i ig me'-dalities of British industries always 

 obtain preference. 



In those oses where the productions of foreign 

 industries comp'^te succpKsfully with, or are supersedintj 

 thosp of Great Brit-.in, the cause or fault is genera'ly 

 traceable to the British manu'acturers themsidves, 

 who, often too conservative in style and design, 

 obstinfttftly ignore the tastes, wishes, an 1 rpqnTom-'nts 

 of consuming markets; whpreas, on the che' hand, 

 competitors in Germany, France, and America, with 

 a keener pye to business and moi-e mobile in disposition, 

 spare no pains to adapt an 1 snppiy goods La accorilaace 

 wi»h the wants end p'cnh'arities of e-ch country. 



Ti exemolify this assert 1, mention may be m^de 

 of the earthenware and glass trade of this proviacn 

 to wit.hin ^ery recnfly «nppli;'»d from B-i'ish industrial 

 sources alonp, but «o v aim 1st entir^dy suopr^^d^d by 

 the intr >d(iction of G--ma'i earthpn 'inJ glasswar-. 

 Tne diversion of this tra 'p '^ soIp'v due to th- 

 persisteoca with w dch ti ) Q:iris'\ W"-k»rs, in *he 

 fata of w*raiug* from their eorreiipondents here, 



suDolied ohsolet'? ware, li^avv in wai^htanl un»vl I'y 

 o tie si'h". ; wi-^r^as t'n G^rnvn i^^p1l^J■il an 

 a'ticle o"^ l"ss r 'J n , an I alw.ys of "^^h^ latest m)d^rn 

 dpsi ;n, th 13 at im^ c mooting a Ivi it i^jo isly with 

 the !? '"i'h wi'-es in s-^^^ril psseitiils, viz, m<l^ra 

 ''or OS an! patterns to m?}!; th^ 7ia'"xilv diTmd 

 Itiiire f >r '"novety" an 1 ligntness if weight, to 

 p ! i;io n'se c >sfc of oro ' is ion, t'-aisn'-t f •■^ig'i', ai 1 

 .5 ^st^m luties, paid by weight. By not giving tho i;ht 

 to these simo'^ m itt-^rs aliiraMve trtlehas bee » lo«t 

 to British inlistries in this province; an 1 whit has 

 hapomel tithe earhh=!nvare trile mi7 alsn h<poea 

 to other b-amhes of t-a le if B-iHsh miU'ifacturers 

 t'lroigh remissu'^ss alloy the'r fo>i°rn cimi^ititors to 

 steal a march on 'h vn. — S>>(t'i An'r-i-an Journal. 



SILK COTTON. 



Kapok, an article wh'ch at preierit does not fi^nre 

 largely amon» exports of Sir sits produce is now draw- 

 ing great attention in Aiistr-ilia. Notwithstanding the 

 steady inquiry foi- it thee, this product is so little 

 known that, doubtless, fuHer particulars regarding 

 th-" articlp will not be without interest. Kan 'k is the 

 'Tiby and -Tavanese name for the Eriod end 'o An/rac- 

 fuo^Jim and the Gofitamt^inus Alba. It belo gs to the 

 ^ombacese family which comprises the Baobab the 

 largest tree yet known, the trunk being sometimes 

 90 feet in girth, ani tho Dirim tne. K^nok also 

 known by the name of silk cotton, was imoorted for 

 the first time into P'jurope in 13.51 for the Exhibition 

 held in London, that year, where, however, little 

 notice was taken of it. In Holland more notice was 

 tak m and that country continue to be the only 

 market for the article, until its value began to be 

 h-^tter known in the .Australian colonies. At the 

 Amsterdam "Exhibition held a few years ago. greater 

 interest was taken in it than in IS.ol, but yet the 

 results so far as its importation into Europe was 

 concer-'ied, Holland excepted, proved discouraging. 

 Tnis i^ the ra >re extraordinary now that the article 

 has with a wonderful success secured a commanding 

 nosition in the Australian mwket. The first c >nsigu- 

 ment of Java. Kpok arrived in Austradia, fifteen 

 years ago. Owing to the trade being then in the 

 bauds of Hollanders luJ natives, supplies were ir- 

 regular, and insignificant, the results being that sales 

 were confined to small quantities only In 1S31 on 

 occasion of the Exhibition at Melbourne, there came 

 tb'^her the first shioments of Kapok from British 

 India and Cevdon. The article met with a ready 

 sale from its fitness for beddme and upholstery pur- 

 Doses. Since then it has been imported into that 

 port increasingly, but a lively demand did not soring 

 un until the firm of Catherwood Welby & Co. of 

 that city with praiseworthy perseverance and re- 

 markable good frtnne, impc-tedand disnosed of the 

 firticle in large quantiti"s. This took place in 1834, 

 owing to Mr. Catherwood, when passing through Cey- 

 Im, becoming attracted by the Kapok he saw. He 

 at once perceived its economic uses and the future 

 there must be in store for it. This imnrovement 

 with respect to Kapok, was not without influence on 

 the market in Holland where, in December 1884, not 

 less than 12,000 bales of it were stored up in ware- 

 houses at the prompting of a ring to keep up prices, 

 while dealers on their part were firmly determined 

 to stmd out against them in the hope that further 

 shipments would compel merchants to ease down 

 stocks. They reckoned without their host, for unex- 

 pectedly the said firm secured two-thirds of the 

 whole crop. These circumstarcea will have a material 

 effect in raising the prica of kapok in this part of 

 th° world ^y ^he ooeration of the well known 

 economic rule that whenever the demand becomes 

 greater, prices are bound to rise. The ranid increase 

 of importations of kapok into Melbourne may be 

 jnd^elof from the fact that they rose from barley 

 1001 bales in 1834 to upwards of 8.000 in 1836. of 

 which 7.99.J w-.re fi-om Java valued at /■22,600. These 

 fig ires sh '^v theloi-ding p >sition of J1V.1 iming kapok- 

 expirtlng countries. From Ceylin so little of it is 

 pxp orted as to be almost inappreciable. Cjnparison 

 between Indian and Jaya kapok i»rin2a out the fact tbt^t 



