2l8 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1882. 



Bassein to Bombay, and freight from theDce to Liver- 

 pool, which, however heavy freight may have been at 

 that time, left them a large margin for profit. These 

 fioures, however, would hirdly give a satisfactory idea 

 as to the commercial merits of an enterprize in this 

 direction, as the capitalist would undoubtedly reap 

 greater benefits from an undertaking of this nature 

 were he to obtain his supply of raw material from a 

 plantation of his own. The culture of the plantain 

 is extremely simple, as it will flourish in almost any 

 soil where the climate ia warm and moist. It will 

 grow in the poorest soil, and its culture might be 

 extended with very little tr luble and expense. A 

 young shoot being planted attains maturity in eight 

 months, producing a bunch of fruit weighing 30, 50 

 and even 100 lbs., and throwing out from its roots 

 and around its stem from 7 to 10 fresh shoots. The.se 

 will, of course, each become a distinct plant, pro- 

 ducing its own bunch of fruit. According to the dis- 

 tances, there may be from 300 to 400 plants in an 

 acre, each producing on an average seven suckers, 

 thus making in all from 2,100 to 3,200 plants in an 

 acre. The produce of fruit at the lowest estimation 

 would be from 900 to 1,200 lb. annually ; and this 

 fi-uit has its market value. But should the supply 

 be in excess of the consumption in any purticular part 

 of the country, it could be dried and preserved by 

 a very simple process, in which state it is at all 

 times marketable. Thus it is apparent tliat the plant- 

 er who would cultivate the plaintain in large quant- 

 ites on account of its fibres or the preparation of 

 papermaking stuff would be amply repaid for the cost 

 of cultivation by the proceeds of the fruit yield aloue, 

 while the fibre from the stems and leaf stalks lor 

 textile and cordage purposes may be extracted at so 

 small a cost, with the aid of eimple rollers for crushing 

 the cellular tissues and pressing out the sap and then of 

 an ordinary scutcher removing the remaining extrane- 

 ous m.itter, that there is every reason to believe 

 that the planter would fiud it a very profitable busi- 

 ness. For preparing half-stuff for paper makers, we 

 understand that it is only necessary to split the stems, 

 cut them into lengths of three feet, aud pass them 

 through rollers grooved in such a manner as to make 

 them into fine strips, after which they may be dried 

 and packed into bales for export. 



The fact of ground rent being in many parts so 

 extremely low, the ease with which a plantation may 

 be raised, and the very small amount of labour required 

 in tending the plants and extrarling the fibre or pre 

 paring paperstutf, should be sufficient inducement 

 to many capitalists to launch out on a new enterpii.;e, 

 or at least to make the experiment of developing an 

 almost new and certainly sadly neglected industry. 



CEYLON FIELDS FOR PLANTING ENTERPRISE : 



—NEW AND OLD PRODUCTS : TISSA, 



GOOD ; VAVUNIYAVILANKULAM, BETTER; 



KANTHALAI, BEST. 



(By one who knows all three.) 



" Kanthalai" writes ; — " I have rend with much 



interest the article in your pajier of yesterday's date 



headed 'New Fields for Agricultural Enterprise.' 



"The 10,000 acres of land surveyed in convenient 

 lots of from 500 to 1,000 acres lotted off for that de- 

 funct Jaffna and Batticaloa Company comprize all 

 the advantages you desiderate, with the additional one 

 of being irrigable by the Kauth.^lai tank, and of being 

 Bupplied by a good road to Trineomalee on one side 

 from which it is distant 25 miles, and from Matale 

 railway on the other (75 miles), 



"The soil is as good, if not better, than that at 

 TiBsamaharMma, and there is the additional advantage 

 of from 3,000 to 5,000 acres of beautiful pasture land 

 round the tanlc. The climate is betUr than that of 



Tissa, though I have no doubt tlint is becoming better 

 every year. 



" The Government cannot surely intend to keep this 

 and locked up any longer, for the benefit of the 

 defunct Jaffna and Batticaloa Company ! One wonders 

 now it has been reserved for so long as nearly five 

 years. If thrown open to public competition, on what 

 are known as pioneer rates (RIO per acre paid in 

 four instalments), I have no doubt that much of it 

 would be taken up. 



"I send my card, and I am ready to supply any in- 

 formation, that may be required by any intending 

 settlers in respect of this land." 



♦ 



COFFEE IN BRAZIL AND CEYLON. 



A proprietor of Ceylon coffee property now at home, 

 but about to return to the island, sends us the fol- 

 lowing cutting : — 



COFFEE FROM BRAZIL. 



June 14th, 18S2.— Sneaking of the exhibition of coffee 

 from Brazil at the Crystal Palace, London, the Brazil and 

 River Plate Miil says : — It will doubtless be a surprise to 

 many to learn that the total amount of coffee grown 

 in Brazil during the year 1881 amounted to about 

 5,000,000 bags of 132 lb. each, being equivalent to 

 one-half the whole estimated production of the world. 

 Of ithis prodigious quantity, in the same period, 

 2,241,976 bags were exported to America and 2,135,442 

 bags to Europe, England receiving 266,756 cwt of the 

 latter and yet to the vast majority of people Bra- 

 zilian coffee is quite unknown. From its superior and 

 delicious flavour it, indeed, enters into consumption 

 as a component part of many of those execrable mixt- 

 ures which have done so much to discredit 

 and limit amongst us the nse of the aromatic 

 berry, but is seldom if ever sold in our grocers' 

 shops in its own name and in its native purity. 

 The Central Association of Agriculture and of 

 Commerce of Rio de Janeiro, under the auspices of 

 of the Imperial Government, have resolved to put an 

 end to this unsatisfactory and anomalous state of 

 things by opening exhibitions in the principal cities 

 of Europe and by otherwise popularizing the Brazilian 

 product by the diffusion of statistical and authorit- 

 ative data with respect thereto. 



Our correspondent, commenting on the above and on 

 the position of the coffee interest in Ceylon, writes 

 as follows : — 



"I send you a cutting out of yesterday's paper on 

 Brazilian coffee : would that our Government would do 

 something in the same direction, though I am not one 

 who believes that the chief industry of Ceylon cannot re- 

 cover ; friends in Br.Tzil advise me that present prices 

 are ruining many there, and have caused a check to 

 cultivation, which must make itself apparent before 

 long, besides which at the present rate of immigra- 

 tion, America will soon double her consumption of the 

 bean. No doubt, times are very hard and we must 

 all husband our resources — saving every penny, not 

 in the too absurd way of starving the goose that 

 lays the golden egg, and spending tar and away too 

 much on the style of living, but by giving up some 

 of tlie absurd extravagancies we fell into during 

 the palmy days of 1876-77 ; and in my opinion, we 

 shall yet see much brighter days for coffee. No 

 doubt," immense stocks are now held everywhere, 

 but all this is every day losing colour and becoming 

 more and more valuless, as buyers now will only 

 take colory k'uds. So the large stock of inferior 

 colourless stuff will do its duty in the shape of 

 mixing into compounds (French coffee, &c.). Immense 

 quantities of chicory are now grown in Great Britain 

 itself. So here at home we have a ready means of 

 adulteration, which legislation should affect. As you 

 may be interested in the leader in the Times on crop 

 prospects here 1 eend it you," 



