32 THE COCONUT BELT 



being developed throughout the world, it is gener- 

 ally recognised that it is in Ceylon that initiative 

 and capital have secured for the coconut palm a 

 high and comprehensive development, and it is 

 there that many valuable lessons have been 

 learned in the exploitation to the greatest advan- 

 tage of Nature's most remarkable tree. Many 

 districts that formerly had an unproductive soil 

 and were mere barren expanses have since become 

 clothed with luxuriant plantations, yielding excel- 

 lent revenues. 



Quite a hundred years ago, we are told, the 

 western and southern coasts of Ceylon possessed the 

 same continuous groves of palms as still present 

 themselves, the number of trees between two 

 points, Dondra Head and Kalpitika, being formerly 

 calculated at 10,000,000. Of all the crops raised 

 in Ceylon, coconuts cover by far the largest area of 

 land ; rice, tea, and rubber taking second, third, 

 and fourth places respectively. In this connection 

 may be mentioned the striking fact that although 

 Ceylon is one of the four principal centres of the 

 coconut industry, and one of the largest exporters 

 of coconut products, the colony still imports 

 annually considerable quantities of Indian and 

 Malabar coconuts, besides thousands of cwts. of 

 jaggery, Indian copra, poonac, and coir fibre. A 

 very interesting account of the early development 

 of the coconut industry in Ceylon was contributed 



