June i, 1886.} 



IfHK TKUFiCAL. AUKlCUL,TUklS'l'. 



he-/ 



our anticipations" the almost certain event we had 

 looked for. In the case of ciiiclioiia no one 

 would have supposed Dial the shipments from 

 Cejloii. up to the end of March would show 

 an excess of two and a quarter million Ih. be- 

 yond the shipments at the same period of 

 last year and to the end of April a comparative 

 excess of 8,100,000 lb.! For the first seven 

 sales jf the present year the average unit has 

 not varied more than a farthing in the London 

 market. At no period that we have records of 

 has such stagnant dullness characterized these 

 sales. Yet, if we look into the statistical figures 

 of this article, we tind the deliveries during this 

 period have been well maintained and compare 

 favourably with previous years, especially if we 

 bear in mind that the deliveries jiot only equal in 

 number of packages those of previous years, but 

 the average size of the package is considerably 

 larger bemg mostly made nj) of Ceylon bark. 

 Take for instance the total deliveries for the first 

 three months of 188'2, which amounted to 14,798 

 packages and the total deliveries for the same period 

 in 18811, which amounted to Hi, 217 packages, the 

 increase in the number of packages amounts to 

 1, tl'.l, but the average increase in the size of the 

 package must be something very considerable. The 

 deliveries for the first three months of 1885 were 

 15,042 packages, against l(i.817 in 1884 and lti,438 

 in 1883, those of 1885 and 1880 being almost 

 entirely of East Indian bark with its larger pack- 

 age. These facts show a steadily progressive in- 

 crease over former years. We opened the present 

 year with a stock of t;2,247 against 80,874 packages 

 at the beginning of last year. The stock increased 

 as follows : — 



1886. Total Stock. 1885. 



JanuarySlst 67,033 pkgs. against 80,039 



February 28th ... 6S,873 „ „ 80,067 



March 31st 63,700 „ „ 78,635 



The increase then in the three months amounts to 

 1,453 package.^. If we take the package at 250 lb. aver- 

 age say, for the purpose of discussion, we have an 

 increase to the stocks since the commencement of 

 the year amounting to some 3(i3,250 lb., a mere 

 bagatelle in dealing with an article like cinchona 

 bark. The exports from Ceylon show au increase of 

 some 3 milli "IS lb. over the same jjeriod of last 

 year, yet thrcc-<|uartcrs of this extra amount e.K- 

 ported has been ■piictly absorbed by the deliveries, 

 and does not remain hanging over the market. The 

 stock at the end of March shows a decrease of 

 some 15,000 packages compared with the same 

 period of 1-87. These facts all point to an im- 

 provement in the value of bark and ciuiuine pro- 

 vided the shipments from Ceylon during the next 

 few months tio not show an unreasonable increase 

 over those of last year during the same period. 



The unsettled position of Irish affairs has 

 especially aff'^cted Ceylon Teas. The Irish who 

 are very par icular about their teas, and insist on 

 having it g 'od, seem to have a predilection for 

 Ceylon tea. The tea market generally, from our 

 latest advices, was very quiet and prices for Ceylon 

 lea h»d fall<n. The general complaint was that 

 the quality just now for all Ceylon tea was not 

 BO fine as osoal, and the numerous small breaks 

 that are constanlly arriving had temporarily affected 

 onr market. The imports of all teas for the first 

 three month"; of 18-((i amounted to 4fi.73;).0OO lb. 

 against 30,78ti,000 lb. in 18S5, and 3!),080,000 lb. 

 ih 1884. The deliveries are returned at 54,(181,000 

 lb. against (-.9,131,000 lb. in 1885, and 51,172,000 

 ib. in 1884. The abnormal deliveries for the first 

 three months of 1885 are accounted tor by the 

 unfounded fears as it proved, that it was con- 

 templated adding an eslva duty of 3d pet lb. to 



tire already e.xistiug one of Gd per lb. The stock 

 on the 28th February ' amounted to 811,171,000 lb. 

 against 8(5,837,000 in 1885, and 114,8',»l,0001b. in issi. 

 It becomes more imperative than ever for Ceylon 

 with her increasing exports to maintain lier 

 quality, and increase the sizo of her breaks. The 

 fallhig-olT in quality being so general can only bo 

 attributable to chmatic conditions whieli, as wo 

 know, have shown considerable variation this year. 



There has been a good deal more stir in tho 

 Caiuia.mom Mauki:t during JIarch and April, and 

 although the rise in value has been innualurial, 

 there has been no difliculty in iinding purchasers 

 at a fair valuation. The demand is said to come 

 from the Continent more than from America just 

 now. lu March the landings amounted to 337 

 chests, and the deliveries to 453 chests, leaving 

 the stock at the end of the month 03(1 chests 

 against 83(1 in 1885 and 708 in 1884, whilst in 

 1883 the stock at this period of the year was 

 only 482. The total deliveries for the first three 

 months of 1886 amounted to OIC chests against 

 729 in 1885, 344 in 1884, and only 262 in 1883, 

 which shows an increased Continental and American 

 demand of some 300 per cent in three years. The 

 future of this market is uncurtain. If exports 

 continue to increase at the present ratio from 

 Ceylon, it is an impossibility that prices will 

 continue even at the low ebb to which they have 

 descended. 



LETTERS FROM BRAZIL. 

 {Sjieci'd Jill- " C'eijlon Olmerrcr" .) 



or.ADU.Ui FAILUKE OP COFFEE — CULTIVATION OF PAYING 

 rEOLDCTS — Sn<iAKC.\NE — TUE FOOD OF THE COUNTKY — 

 CORN-GKOWlN'G — FAEINHA .\HD FUBA — I'OSTSCKIPT : COF- 

 FEE, THE SEASON, L,U30UE SUFPLY AND EUROPEAN 

 COLONISTS — THE PRIME MINISTER OF P.RAZIL A READER 

 OF THE " CEYLON OBSErvVEE." 



Prov. Rio de Janeiro, 4tli March, 1886. 



The planters in the lower part of the Province 

 of Eio de Janeiro were slow in making up their 

 minds that there was nothing more to be hoped 

 for from coffee. Those lost the least who were 

 the first to give up hope. There was no chance' 

 of selling out, yet needless expenditure could be 

 withheld and the labour sjient on it devoted to 

 something else. 



I mentioned before that the Brazilian coffee 

 planter as a rule grows all the provisions needed 

 for his labourers in addition to his priucijial 

 agricultural product, col^'ee. These are Indian 

 corn, beans, and mandioca. Since coffee would 

 not p.ay, there was no help for it, but to extend 

 the cultivation of these products, and sell what 

 was not reciuired for home consumption. 

 Although railway extension, like your Dimbula- 

 tJva line, came too late to help them when they 

 could transjiort coffee, it was now ready to assist 

 them in the carriage to a market in Itio do 

 Janeiro of their provision crops, and fortunate 

 for the farmer it was so, for corn and beans will 

 pay for a long distance carriage on pack-mules. 



Sugarcane was tried by some, but machinery 

 being expensive and prices of sugar low, nothing could 

 be made of it. Those, however, who turned the 

 cane juice into rum managed to make the two 

 ends meet. Cano is easily grown, and the sea- 

 side of the Serra-de-mar is the best jjlace imagin- 

 able for it, but the transpoi-t from the fields to 

 the engine-house, the enormous quantity of (Ire- 

 wood rec|uirod for the open evaporators, and the 

 skill and care rc(|uircd for manipulating so as to 

 give a fair aample, made cano growing for nugar 

 making by a private farmer a losing game. 



