and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society —January, 1912. 



s. d. s. d. s. d. 



Sept, 7th 2 10 to 3 1 Nov. 2nd 3 8 



„ 21st 3 3 to 3 5 „ 16th 3 5 



Oct. 5th 3 i to - 3 7 „ 30th 3 11 



,. 19th 3 3 to . 3 6 



The statistics from Ceylon offer some explana- 

 tion of the variations we have indicated. To the 

 export figures, Ferguson's Handbook adds the 

 acreage under cultivation and the highest price 

 in London, and we take the following there- 

 from : — 



Area Highest price 





planted on 





in London 



Season. 



plantations. 



Exports, 



(mid-season, 







lb. 



s. d. 



1880-81 



1200 



16' '69 



9 1 



1898 



5155 



531473 



13 



1899 



6300 



449959 



... 4 



1900 



6841 



537455 



3 9 



1901 



8621 



559704 



4 



1902 



9746 



615922 



3 2 



1903 



95(10 



90U418 



2 6 



1904 



9300 



995680 



2 6 



1805 



8870 



874625 



2 6 



1900 



8744 



7321:- 6 



3 3 



19u7 



8451 



7SH495 



2 6 



1908 



8350 



715418 



2 7 



1H09 



7738 



8240(18 



3 (i 



1910 



7426 



689007 



2 11 



1911'.(toNov. 13).. — 



493630 





It is to be noticed that of late years the area 

 under cultivation has steadily fallen, and to this 

 in a large measure is due the higher prices which 

 have prevailed. This year to November 13th— 

 the latest figures available— only 493,630 lb. have 

 been exported from Ceylon, against 541,120 1b. 

 at same date last year. India, of course, pro- 

 duces a large quantity. She exported to all 

 parts 358,920 lb, in the year ended March 3 1st, 

 1911, as against 405,994 in the twelve months 

 ended same date, 1910. Her home market, how- 

 ever, is a big consumer. Last year she had not 

 enough, and made large draughts on Ceylon sup- 

 plies, thereby reducing the stuff available for 

 the European and American markets. This year, 

 apparently, India has resorted to more normal 

 requirements as regards outside source, but 

 Ceylon herself has not had the quantities ordi- 

 narily required for the other markets of the 

 world. Compared to last year — a poor one, as 

 already indicated — we, like most of the other 

 centres, have had more cardamoms, but we 

 are a good deal behind 1909 in the quantity re- 

 ceived. Thus, the largest consuming countries 

 show :— 



CEYLON EXPORTS BY COUNTRIES PROM JAN. 1ST 

 TO NOV. 13th. 





1911. 



1910. 



1909. 





lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



United Kingdom 



214355 



199452 



291817 



Germany 



87fc59 



69569 



96604 



India 



82547 



206527 



107938 



United States 



56964 



26449 



55 006 



Turkey 



23145 



12670 



34903 



France 





9233 



6273 



An acceptable explanation of the falling-off in 

 the area cultivated lies in the greater attractions 

 of rubber cultivation, and this, in association 

 with some drought, has adversely influenced 

 available supplies. That extreme rates will pre- 

 vail until the new crop begins to show with im- 

 portance, i.e., about March-April, can hardly be 

 doubted, nor would it occasion surprise if the 

 high prices now being recorder) encouraged ad- 

 ditional plantation and collection. — British and, 

 Colonial Drugging Deg, 8, 



RUBBER EXHI BITION CONFERENCES 



Dr. Torrey Criticises Mr. Petch's Criticism, 

 grading of rubber. 



Liverpool, Nov. 26th. 

 SiR } — In a recent number of your paper Dr. 

 Fetch is reported as criticising the conduct of 

 the conlerences held in connection with the 

 Rubber and Allied Trades Exhibition held at 

 London last J une and July. As I presided at the 

 greater part of the Conference Sessions perhaps 

 you will permit me to point out that the 

 Conference was what those who contributed 

 papers and took part in the discussions made it. 

 Every paper that was sent in was read, with the 

 exception of one or two where either the paper 

 was belated or there was some misunderstand- 

 ing. I have not the full programme before me 

 now, but am entirely safe in asserting that at 

 least 80 per cent of all papers read and discussed 

 dealt with the planting and cultivation of rub- 

 ber, or siime problem intimately connected 

 with it. Possibly one or two papers may have 

 savoured of advertising in some degree, but 

 that is an element that is very difficult to eli- 

 minate and those who had the matter in handdid 

 not feel warranted in exercising any censorship. 



As to the remark attributed to me personally 

 " that planters should mix their latex and not 

 have so many grades," I am glad of the oppor- 

 tunity to put this remark in its proper context 

 and to repeat it under those circumstances with 

 redoubled emphasis. 



The great fault with plantation rubber at 

 present is its lack of steadiness in quality. 

 What manufacturers desire is not that new and 

 excellent grades of rubber shall be forthcoming, 

 but that when a grade does appear— no matter 

 what it is — it shall be possible to buy more of 

 the same kind. It is a matter of comparatively 

 little importance what the rubber is like — so 

 it be decent in quality — if only it represent 

 something that can be bought again with as- 

 surance that it will be the same as before. 

 It is entirely safe to assert that any plantation 

 that finds it possible to produce — perhaps by 

 blending, perhaps otherwise — one, two or pos- 

 sibly three grades which are uniform from one 

 year to another will find an equally steady and 

 strenuous demand. It is peifectiy true that 

 this course may preclude the production of the 

 very highest priced and choicest grades, but it 

 will justify itself by greatly increased turnover 

 and absence of trouble. 



As long as the present policy of pitchforking 

 into the market miscellaneous lots of rubber 

 which represent nothing that will ever again be 

 precisely duplicated continues, trouble will con- 

 tinue. So soou as the rubber planting business 

 generally comes on to the common ground with 

 other producers and recognises the same prin- 

 ciples as we all recognise all will be well. 

 The consumer is, and should be the dictator, 

 the producer has simply to give bim what he 

 desires. A great deal of time has been wasted 

 in talk about " finding out what manufacturers 

 want/' ^ou have not given them any one thing 

 long enough for them to find out whether they 

 like it or not. If you will give them any one 

 thing steadily from year to year you will find 

 that they like— and will buy— that whatever it is, 

 -Yours, &c, JOSEPH TORKEl^ 



