PROSPECTS 

 OF THE 

 INDUSTRY 

 DEVELOPING. 



of farmiiiig, and can replace capital bj'- energy and 

 enterprise. Such a man could acquire his land on 

 extended terms of payment, grow maize, beans or 

 barley while waiting for his citrus to reach the pro- 

 ductive stage, cheaix^n his cost of living by raising 

 as much as possible of his requirements and by occa- 

 sional spells working for others. By the time he was 

 in need of an extracting plant his land would be of 

 more than sufficient value to serve as security for a 

 loan to purchase it. 



Though well established trees produce consider- 

 ably more, i,ooo lemons per tree is taken as the 

 standard of production for the purposes of this 

 essay. Planting 20ft. x 25ft. gives So trees to the 

 acre, or So, 000 lemons, equivalent to 266 barrels each 

 containing 300. 266 barrels will produce 50 lbs. of 

 ecuelled oil of lemons, and 938 lbs. of citric acid or 

 citrate of lime. Much depends upon the care and skill 

 displayed in the several processes of manufacture, and 

 it is not unlikely that the figures given will be 

 improved on when the workers are more experienced. 

 With ecuelled oil of lemons selling at 10/- per lb. 

 citric acid at £5 per cwt., and citrate of lime at the 

 same price, £42 per acre is obtained. 



When the comparatively small amount of capital 

 involved, the limited labour supply required (ten to 

 twelve natives being sufficient for 50 acres), and the 

 scarcity of disease or other risks, are taken into con- 

 sideration, these figures present a return that will 

 compare favourably wnth most other branches of 

 aigriculture. In the East African Highlands there 

 are no hurricanes to brinig destruction to plantations 

 as in the W^est Indies : a plantation once established 

 will endure for many years if only reasonably well 

 looked after. Citrus cultivation involves neither the 

 labour nor anxiety of seasonal crop farming, and 

 should for that reason appeal to the man who, though 

 desirous of engaging in agriculture, is not physically 

 fitted to take up its more laborious branches. 

 Though it may be yet too soon to say that East 

 Africa is destined to become a rival of the West 

 Indies in the output of citrus products, it is safe to 

 say that the natural conditions are all in her favour, 

 and that the progress already made has exceeded the 

 expectations of those eiiigaged in the industry and 

 justifies their high hopes for the future. 



J. P. LUCY. 



<S(*> 



