238 



THE OOCOANUT PALM. 



the coast of Brazil. From Para alone 7^ niillion cocoanuts, worth 

 130,000Z., are annually shipped to the United States and elsewhere. 



The annual produce of the plantations on the island of Itamarca, 

 on that coast, is about 400,000 nuts, which would yield more than 

 2100 cwts. of coir. This island is but three leagues in length, and as 

 the coast alone is planted with these palms, and they are thus pro- 

 ductive, what might not all the cocoanut groves yield, which extend 

 along the coast from the river San Francisco to the bar of Maranguape, 

 a distance of 94 leagues, all cultivated with cocoanut trees ? 



Many years ago Dr. Eoyle estimated the average produce of cocoa- 

 nuts from the whole of Malabar at from 300,000,000 to 400,000,000 

 annually, valued at 50,000Z., and copperah, or the dried kernels, was 

 exported for as much more. Thirty years ago there were in Travan- 

 core more than 5J million cocoanut trees, and since that period 

 the cultivation has largely increased, as the demand for the oil and 

 the coir has advanced. From Cochin more than 3000 tons of oil 

 are exported. During the last fifteen years the natives of Cochin 

 have been bestowing a vast amount of attention on cocoanut culti- 

 vation, and some idea of the rate at which this is carried on may be 

 realised from the fact that paddy (rice) land is converted into cocoa- 

 nut plantations, and large portions of the backwater are reclaimed, 

 and at once planted with cocoanut trees. 



Besides those grown, there is a large annual import of cocoanuts 

 into Bengal, as the following return shows : 



Year. 



Number. 



Cwts. 



1871 



16,999,964 



24,291 



1872 



22,271,904 



49,509 



1873 



16,812,444 



20,274 



1874 



13,190,494 



60,462 



1875 



11,688,854 



25,108 



The most valuable product of commerce in Malabar is that from 

 the cocoanut tree. In 1873 the value of the oil exported was 356,187/,, 

 and of the coir, yarn, and rope, 176,482Z., making a total of 552,669/. 



Exports of coir, yarn, and rope from British India : 





Year. 



Quantity. 



Value. 









cwts. 



£ 







1871 



103,264 



92,751 







1872 



128,954 



119,601 







1873 



181,456 



167,613 







1874 



162,576 



153,371 







1875 



152,745 



137,280 





Ceylon. — The great importance of the cocoanut in this island may 

 be estimated from the fact that the value of the cocoanut plantations 

 in the island are estimated at 15,000,O00Z. In 1865 there were 

 332,890 acres under cocoanuts, chiefly situated in the north-western, 

 northern, and southern provinces ; but this acreage has been reduced 

 by one-half of late years. 



