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COMIXG KING COCONUT. 



The following' extracts from articles in the initial number of the 

 Tropical Mail (London) ought to be of great interest in Hawaii, 

 where the systematic cultivation of the coconut for commercial 

 purposes has recently been started : 



world's coconut production. 



The matter which at the moment of writing engages our atten- 

 tion is the copious issue of books on the subject of the cultivation 

 of the coconut. As happened in the earlier days of the rubber and 

 other industries which have rapidly assumed exceptional import- 

 ance, a number of books and pamphlets are being published upon 

 the subject of coconuts, and many articles are now appearing 

 thereon in the public press — all of which are "signs of the times," 

 and are the usual forerunners and customary indicators of great 

 activity. 



These books and articles no doubt serve a useful purpose. 

 Some of them are excellent and accurate, and from all there is 

 to be obtained some information of value. On the other hand. 

 we have seen statements therein wdiich show their authors some- 

 what too ready to compile statistics of the world's production 

 and European consumption, which cannot be su])ported by ade- 

 quate evidence. 



For instance, in one article the statement a])i)earc(l that the 

 world's exports of copra in 1913 amounted in value to £75.000,- 

 000 sterling, and that this did not represent a quarter of the 

 total value of coconuts used, or, in other words, that the value of 

 the world's coconut out]nit exceeded £300.000.000 sterling per 

 annum. 



In another instance there is an estimate thai the value of copra 

 coming into Iuiro])e alone now re])resents some COO.OOO.OOO ster- 

 ling ]ier annum. 



Such extravagant estimates are nn'sleading and to he ik'|)re- 

 cated ; there is nothing to justify them. Accurate statistics as to 

 the value of the world's production of coconuts are not available, 

 nor are they very likely to be so for a long time, if ever. 



( )nly very incomplete figures are availabU- as to \W proihie- 

 tion of copra, coconut oil and desiccated, but an istiniati'. not 

 entirely unreasonable, formed upon these figures, kad^ us to put 

 the coconut ])roduction of the world at something in the neigh- 

 l)orhood of 6.. 5 00. 000, 000 nuts i)er annum. 



Now, if we reckon .5fX)0 nuts to go to a ton of copra, this rep- 

 resents 1,300.000 tons of co])ra, which at C30 pir ton are worth 

 £39.000,f300. In addition to the copra, then- .-ire. however, to 

 be reckoned the coconut fiber — ;i Vc'iluabli- itt'uu -and also cattle 

 food cake and other important by prixhuMs. if tlu' value of tlu-se 



