VALUE OF COIR IN LACCADIVES AND MALABAR. 113 
loose roving, preparatory to being twisted, which is done 
between the palms of the hands in a very ingenious way, so as 
to produce a yarn of two strands at once. No mechanical aid, 
even of the rudest description, has yet found its way into these 
islands.” (Robinson.) 
It is curious that in these islands, Coir is one of the chief 
commodities of barter for the necessaries of life, as rice, salt, 
tobacco, &c. The Coir is made up for their petty traffic in 
short kuts of a fixed length and weight, and at the end of the 
year these are collected and made up into lengths of 70 to 75 
fathoms, as received by the Government. 
Mr. Robinson, in his ‘ Report on the Laccadives,’ states that 
the difference in the quantity of Coir manufactured from a 
coast nut and from an island nut is very considerable. We may 
premise that forty Cocoa-nuts are said to yield 6 lb. of Coir 
in Ceylon. Mr. Robinson says: “ Three large coast nuts will 
yield 11b. of Coir, measuring twenty-two fathoms; whereas, 
ten small, fine island nuts go to about 1 1b. of Coir—but this 
will measure thirty-five fathoms: 2]b. of such yarn, measuring 
from seventy to seventy-five fathoms, are made up into sooties, 
of which there are fourteen to a bundle, averaging about a 
maund of 28lb. A Mangalore candy of 560 1b. will thus 
be the produce of 5600 nuts, and should contain about 20,000 
fathoms of yarn. The actual price of Coir received by the 
islanders, is about thirteen rupees per candy. The value of 
the Coir produce ofa tree is calculated to be from two to 
two and a half annas; and that of the produce of one hundred 
trees from fourteen to fifteen rupees. “ The average value of the 
total raw produce of a tree bearing fruit, would then be seven 
annas to half a rupee; and that of a plot of one hundred trees, 
forty-five rupees.” For the nuts which they export to the 
Malabar coast, they get from seven to ten rupees per thousand, 
or rather 1100, as ten per cent. is always allowed for luck in 
these sales. The islanders export from 300,000 to 400,000 nuts 
annually. The natives bring their Coir to the coast, in March 
and April, which is then received into the Government Godowns. 
Until the year 1820, all Coir was paid for at the rate of twenty-one 
rupees fourteen annas per Mangalore candy, or twenty-fiverupees 
per Calicut candy of 640lb. After that year, the Coir was 
divided into three classes. Since then, the average price paid 
8 
