270 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1884. 



when worked up the wood had some resemblance to that 

 of the English oak, and in tact was used like it for staves, 

 for buckets, kegs, tubs, ice. The species most commoa 

 around Melbourne is known in New South Wales as 

 1 Forest Oak.' 



Silky Oak.— See ' Grevillea Kobusta," pp. 53, 125.— The 

 most noticeable of the numerous species of this genus 

 known in Australia. It is a grand timber tree, bearing 

 large masses of comb-shaped, highly-perfumed yellow or 

 orange coloured flowers. It is a native of Northern New 

 South "Wales and Queensland, found on rich alluvial river 

 banks, where it often attains to a height of 100 feet. It 

 is considered the best Australian stavewood. 



Tkee Fern— (Natural Order, Filiees.) Pp. 19, 20, 57, 

 58. — These noble representatives ri the fern tribe form 

 a special feature in Australian and New Zealand veget- 

 ation, often attaining a height exceeding 80 feet. Dicksonia 

 antarctica and Alsophia austraHs are the two most fre- 

 quently met with in Victoria ; the former is the pride of 

 our fern gullies, and is found only in the most shady aod 

 well-watered localities. The latter is often encountered 

 growing on mountain-tops, its feathery fronds waving in 

 the breeze. It is known as the mountain Tree Fern and 

 Umbrolla Fern. 



TRAVANCORE. 



From the report on the administration of this native 

 state which has been sent to us, we learn that the 

 population shown by the late census was 2,400,000. 

 The true number is probably over 2J millions. Kr.m 

 the table of exports we notice that copperah and coir 

 are the great staples, cardamoms occupying a very 

 secondary place. There are several references to the 

 abolition of the Indian import duties having given 

 products from Ceylon an advantage in the Calcutta 

 market over similar products grown in Travancore. 

 We quote as follows : — 



The value of the exports by sea during the year was 

 less by 111,45,953 than in the previous year, though if we 

 include the exports by backwater also, the result is a 

 considerable increase. Confining ourselves, however, to the 

 trade by sea direct from the Travaucore ports, we see 

 a falling off of R3,45,563 iu one article namely copra. 

 This decline occurs iu the export both to Uombay aud 

 Calcutta, but is striking iu the case of the latter as 

 shown by the following figures: — 



Bombay. Calcutta. All other Total export 

 places. by sea. 



R, 

 9,06,418 

 10,25,876 

 12,38,768 

 10,11,958 

 6,08,3115 

 The trade with Calcutta in this one article has thus 

 fallen to less than one-fourth of what it was iu the pre- 

 vious year, or, if we compare it with 1 056, to one-tenth. 

 This declensiou is attributed by the Commercial Ageutto 

 the abolition of the duty levied at Calcutta up to March 

 1878, i.e., the Malabar year 1,054 ou Ceylon and Nicobar 

 copra, but as the exports of 1,055 and 1,056 were appa- 

 rently unaffected by this cause, hut on the contrary rose 

 considerably, and as it is reasonable to suppose tnat the 

 unfavorable seasons of the last few years must, by dimin- 

 ishing production have had something to do with the dnn- 

 i lished exports of 1057 and 1058, it is perhaps premature 

 to conclude that the falling off in the diminished exports of 

 copra to Calcutta is due altogether to the abolition of the 

 duty mentioned by Mr. Rohde. It may be that for some 

 time after the abolition of duty, Travancore copra retained 

 its hold on the market from its superior quality, but that 

 it has since lost its ground owing to the cheaper article 

 taking its place, lint whatever the cause, the course of 

 the trade in this article will need to be carefully watched. 

 The abolition of the export duties in Travancore will 

 doubtless he the proper step to take to free the trade of 

 the State from the advantages under which it now un- 

 doubtedly labors and to enable it to compete fairly with 

 other parts of the country, but though on fiuancial grounds 

 t is not possible to do this immediately when we have a 



Revenue Survey and Settlement ou hand which is en- 

 tailing a large annual expenditure, still the results of those 

 operations will be carefully watched in view to applying a 

 large share of the increase of revenue expected therefrom 

 towards freeing trade as far as possible. 



Coconut Oil. — There is an increase of R29,4GS in the total 

 export of this article. The bulk of the increase occurs in 

 the quantity carried by backwater. The reduction of the 

 tariff value of this article from R15 to R14, which was 

 made in the year inider report, lias doubtless led to a large 

 conversion of copra into oil in the country itself. 



Coir and fibre show an iucrease of R2,58,447 in the total 

 export. The increasing demand for this article in America, 

 and the more economical methods adopted in its manipul- 

 ation in consequence of an increasing appreciation of its 

 value, have led to a healthy development of the coir-spinnig 

 and coir-matting iudustry in the country. The following 

 figures show how steady the progress of this trade has been 

 during the last five years: — 



Value. 

 Years. R. 



1.054 ... 12,4S,300 



1.055 ... 13^2,100 



1.056 ... 12,00,000 



1.057 ... 15,12,300 

 1,658 ... 17,70,747 



There was a decrease of R20,216 in the entire trade 

 in this commodity. If we take the total export trade m 

 copra, coconut oil, coir, coir fibre and coconuts, — all the 

 produce of the cocoa, which forms the staple wealth of the 

 country and constitutes 54 per cent of the whole export 

 trade — we find we have exported R127,857 worth less in 

 HIM than in 1058. 



Areca shows a falling off of R. r >2,907 in the total export. 

 The greater portion of the decrease (R44.725) is in the 

 export by land. This article is chiefly sent to the adjoin- 

 ing districts of Tinnevelly and Madura. The export by sea 

 of this article has dwindled down to almost nothing. 



The cause assigned by the Commercial Agent is the 

 abolition of the British Indian import duty on areca in March 

 1882 i.e.. about the middle of 1057. But the decline com- 

 menced much earlier. The subject needs closer investig- 

 ation. 



Coffee. — This important article shows perhaps the largest 

 falling off, bping R.4. 46,065 or 53 per cent less compared 

 with the previous year. The continued depression of this 

 once thriving industry accounts for this result. The dir- 

 ection of the trade by sea in this article is shown below: — 



1057 



1056. 



Places. 



Grand total.. .27,418 5,56,073 12.812 2 55.337 

 Dry Ginger. — The total export under this head was 

 higher than of the year preceding by R61, 161. The article 

 was principally sent to Bombay, New York and Jeddah. 

 Palmyrah jaggery. — In this also there is an increase of 

 RO 1.945. It is produced in South Travancore and being of 

 superior quality is taken largely to the Tinnevelly district. 

 A demand has now sprung up ''or it in Europe where the- 

 jaggery is said to be converted into an inferior kind of 

 sugar. 



Salt fiish. — The entire trade shows an iucrease of R23.336 

 Colombo is the principal consumer. 



Pepper. — There is a large iucrease in the total export 

 of this — mother staple article of export— amounting to 

 Rl,01,714. The season of the last year was m irked by 



