8 COCONUT CULTIVATION 



margarine or nut-butter), and the enormous re- 

 quirements of the soap trade, to say nothing of 

 the products used in the manufacture of biscuits, 

 confectionery, cattle food-cake, coir fibre, and 

 yarns, are ever increasing. 



" A foreword written recently by Sir William 

 Lever, one of the greatest soap manufacturers, 

 says : ' I know of no field of tropical agricul- 

 ture that is so promising at the present moment 

 as coconut planting, and I do not think that 

 in the whole world there is a promise of so 

 lucrative an investment of time and money as 

 in this industry.' 



" At present the exports from Malaya are : 



Coconuts, value $ 305,452 



Coconut oil 2,218,436 



Copra 18,429,954 



Total $20,953,842 



or about 2,500,000 sterling. This is bound to 

 increase enormously in the near future, and in 

 British Malaya 'the Golden Chersonese/ as 

 it is called is held out the promise of fortune 

 beyond ordinary conception ; but one can only 

 go there on somewhat prepared lines, and with 

 capital, not necessarily large, but sufficient to 

 deal with at least 500 acres of land. Some 

 London rubber agencies have as many as a 

 hundred applicants, mostly public-school boys, 

 waiting for a vacancy to occur out East : men 

 now recognize that the old professions in Eng- 

 land are played out ; that for young fellows of 



