172 The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



CEYLON'S PALM PRODUCTS. 



JANUARY; TO JUNE 1912. 



All exports of Coconut Produce for the half 

 year, save copra, are short of the corresponding 

 figures for 1911 ; at the same time, it looks as if 

 the year would be a very fair average one. 



There is a serious falling-ofl in Coconut Oil as 

 compared with other years, for 1910 showed no 

 less than 254,691 cwt. exported against only 

 119,333 cwt. this year to date or, over 50 per 

 cent less. We have not far to go to find the 

 cause of this shortfall in Oil ; it is doubtless 

 owing to the greater export of ,Oopra,'practically 

 all of which should be crushed locally. While 

 our total export is so small, no Jess than 58,777 

 cwt went to Great Britain, or nearly 50 per cent, 

 the Continent getting theirs in Copra, far and 

 away the cheapest way of securing their supply 

 of our Oil, as it includes the Poonac for ttock 

 feeding. No doubt the coal strike influenced 

 home orders to a certain extent, and we know 

 that some of the mills had to go slow in con- 

 sequence for a time. Prices, local and home, 

 were very steady from January to June. 



Bad as the year so far has been for export 

 business, we sent off during the period under 

 review 205,156 cwt of Copra against 160,683cwt. 

 in 1911, the average for 1909-1912 January-June 

 being 243,791 cwt. It will be seen that Britain 

 took only 501 cwt. in the first half of last year, 

 and none at all this year to date; all went as 

 usual to the Continent, to feed the oil mills. 

 Prices ranged between Rs, 88 and Rs. 81 per 

 candy for Estate Copra. 



There has been a considerable falling-off in 

 the export of Desiccated Coconut during the six 

 months, we having sent away only 10,962,541 

 lb. against 12,257,773 lb. for the same period 

 last year, the United Kingdom as usual being 

 our best customer, with Germany and the 

 United States coming next. The first half of 

 the year ia invariably the worst for this pro- 

 duct, for the second half embraces Ceylon's best 

 crop months. Owing to the coal strike at home 

 orders for this product also fell off ; but, strange 

 to say, prices remained remarkably steady, 

 ranging between 22^ cts. and 25 cts. for ordinary 

 assortment with 25 cts. to 27 cts. per lb. for 

 fancy grades. With fewer orders from home, 

 mills had to go slow, while some were shut 

 down for a month or so. With such splendid 

 prices for our Desiccated Nut and Copra we 

 cannot understand why a Negombg correspon* 



dent recently reported to us a collapse in the 

 prices of those products, 



There was a slight decrease in Poonac owing, 

 no doubt, to the greater Copra export depriving 

 mills of their proper requirements for crushing. 

 Prices kept up very high ; and this is hard on the 

 poor carters, the growers' best transport frieuds. 

 Their bulls were in anything but good condi- 

 tion, judging by the wretched animals to be seen 

 struggling with their cruel loads over Colombo 

 streets with their big ruts. A good deal of 

 Poonac is being used as manure for Coconut 

 gardens now, with the better prices procurable 

 for Nuts. 



There has been a considerable drop in the ex- 

 port of Nuts in shell, the total to date being only 

 5,237,979 against 8,140,437 in 1911. This was 

 probably caused by high prices and shorter 

 crops over this worst crop period — the dry 

 cycle having told more severely than ever, on 

 trees all over the nut districts. 



Prices ranged between R60and R70per 1,000 

 mill delivery. Estimates for the year, so far, 

 are nowhere filled. One gentleman states that 

 his last picking this year was under 90,000 

 nuts ; while the same land yielded for the same 

 picking last year no less than 280,000 nuts. 

 With such figures — which, we understand, are 

 fairly representative — there can be little doubt 

 that our palms have gone through the severest 

 drought ever experienced in Ceylon, with a 

 rainfall, taking Colombo figures, of 59 69 inches 

 average over the 5 years ending 31st Dec. last; 

 while North of Colombo, we doubt if the yearly 

 rainfall, over the same period, would average 

 40 inches per annum— or less than half our 

 Colombo average for the last 42 years, 82' 32. 

 With such results, truly our Palm planters may 

 safely be said to have come through the most 

 trying time ever known by the oldest residents; 

 but with the welcome rains to date, the Coco- 

 nut growers' ship is well off in deep water 

 once more. 



As to Coir Yarn and Fibre there is a fairly 

 good increase in our yarn exported, but Fibre is 

 far in excess of any previous year, with 110,774 

 cwts. against 83,636cwts. in 1911. With Mattress 

 Fibre at R5 per cwt. in Colombo, a great im- 

 petus was given during last year, and this year 

 to date; but it has fallen to R3 odd again. The 

 raw husk went to R3 per 1,000, and one miller 

 was paying no less than R5 per 1,000 huska. 

 Mills were working full blast, and there waa 

 very healthy competition for the husk, 



