636 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 



POSSIBILITIES OF AN EXPORT FRUIT TRADE. 



The question whether Ceylon is capable of joining the 

 ranks of fruit-exporting countries has attracted private 

 and official attention on previous occasions, and some 

 spasmodic attempts have been made at furthering local 

 interest in the matter. In this connection Dr. Trimen 

 wrote in 1887, in response to an official communication 

 from the Secretary of State for the Colonies: " I do not 

 know 7 if it be true of the Eastern tropics generally, but 

 in Ceylon there is among English people no great liking 

 for tropical fruits, and few consider them in any way 

 comparable with temperate and sub-tropical ones. Hence 

 there is a large import of tinned and bottled fruits of 

 America and England." Conditions have, however, 

 altered much since then. Easter and more frequent 

 steamer services now enable fruits from the Antipodes 

 being landed in London in good condition. The taste 

 for rare tropical fruits has increased, and many that were 

 unknown in England but a few years ago, as the avocado 

 pear, the cherimoyer, mangoes, and others are now 

 frequently seen in Covent Garden, and sold at fancy 

 prices. Though the partiality for European fruits is in 

 many cases justified, many people think that no fruit can 

 surpass or equal in lusciousness a good pineapple, a 

 " suwandale " banana, a mangosteen, a cherimoyer, or 

 a perfect mango. These are the envy of people in less- 

 favoured climes. The pineapple, mangosteen, and cheri- 

 moyer have been described as the most delicious fruits in 

 the world, whilst in the estimation of the late Mr. Alfred 

 Russel Wallace, the sensation of eating durian was 

 worth a voyage to the East. If, therefore, the fruit 

 could be eaten in England without the necessity of a long 

 voyage it should be worth a good price. 



In supplying fresh fruits to some of the coastal districts 

 and towns of India less favourably situated for fruit 

 culture, there should be opportunities in Ceylon for a 

 local export trade. This might be supplemented by the 

 establishment of a factory in Colombo or Kandy for 

 making jams and preserves and for canning and drying 

 fruits. 



