224 



Messrs. Eaton and Spring estimate a yield of | ton of palm 

 kernels per acre which is equivalent for 1,000 acres to 250 tons i.e. 

 at £38 per ton, £9,400. 



On this reckoning, taking only the figures relating to these 

 countries, we have here two figures of the estimated gross revenue 

 of a 1,000 acre Estate of Elacis as under: — 



The writer's Messrs. Eaton and Spring 



Palm-oil £21,250 . . . . £28,571 



Kernels £13,566 . . . . £ 9,400 



Total Gross Eevenue £34,816 . . . . £37,971 



of 1,000 acres: 



C'OXCLUSIOX AND SUGGESTIONS. 



We have in these Countries two products of the soil which 

 have great attractions for capitalists, namely Rubber and Coconuts, 

 both safe industries, both paying handsomely, both easy of per- 

 formance without strain of labour. 



In considering Coconut, in particular, planters are accustomed 

 to think in terms of copra only, and at the present time, with the 

 staple at $30 })er picul and 10 piculs of it, more or less, per acre, 

 produced at small cost, and with a minimum of labour, there is 

 really not much wrong with the coconut industry, from the money 

 making point of view. Yet planters might make more of it and 

 benefit their land, by the return of the " poonac," if they turned 

 their copra into oil, as they do in the Philippines, but as it is, the 

 industry flourishes exceedingly. 



Xow there are not a few people who think that there is room 

 also in these countries for the cultivation of Elaeis guineensis. 

 Perhaps that is so, but that will only be in places where the popu- 

 lation is dense, and the recruiting of labour, men and women, 

 assured at all times; for labour will be an all important factor, 

 more important perhaps than machinery. So far we have only 

 mentioned the difficulties which beset the coolies at the work of the 

 gathering of the fruit, but it is not only the hardness of the work 

 one has to look to, when dealing Avith Elaeis, it is also the great 

 number of hands required to do it. 



Whereas, for instance, on a coconut Estate, four coolies doing 

 nothing else, will suffice to bring down the crop of 200 acres in 

 one month, the same number of men will l^arely suffice to bring 

 down a crop of 30 acres of Elaeis in the same time. 



The same conditions apply to the labour at the factory. Where- 

 as the manipulation of copra is of the simplest, requiring practical- 

 ly no machinery, the fruit of Elaeis is about as intractable a staple 

 as can be conceived, requiring most elaborate machinery for the 

 mere depericarping of the fruit, before extraction of the oil. 



To satisfy himself on this point and find out where the diffi- 

 culty lies, the writer effected the depericarping of 25 fresh fruit. 



Witk a very sharp knife, he worked continuoush' for 43-| 

 minutes, slicing off the oily coating and the result was 5 ozs. of 

 pericarp. It will be noticed that on a former occasion, when mak- 



