284 



'/Tie Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



geographical and climatic situation for growing 

 coconuts. Especially do I allude to the East 

 Coast of the Peninsula, and in particular to the 

 State of Kelantan, which but recently opening 

 up is now advancing by leaps and bounds. It 

 is a well-known fact that here coconuts grow in 

 more luxuriant profusion than almost anywhere 

 else in the world, the Kelantan nut being famed 

 for its weight and size, averaging 200 nuts to 

 the picul (equal to 133 1-3 lb.) of copra. In the 

 district I refer to, the lie of the land, climate, 

 and proximity to the sea are all that can be 

 desired. The soil is the ideal soil for the coconut 

 palm, and its physical qualities make it very 

 easy to work Ceylon copra admittedly commands 

 a better price m the market, but for this there 

 is a reason apart from any extra merits in 

 the nut itself. When good care is exercised 

 in harvesting the nuts under European super- 

 vision, such as is seen in Ceylon, where coco- 

 nut raising has been such a profitable industry 

 for years, the copra thus produced commands 

 a higher price than when less or very little 

 care is shown, and when the copra of both 

 ripe and unripe nuts is mixed. Given intel- 

 ligent management and the collection of only 

 fully ripe nuts, the highest market price would 

 be obtained and the highest percentage of oil 

 extracted. It has been calculated by experts 

 that by the selection of ripe nuts alone an 

 increase of expressed oil can be obtained 3u0 

 to 400 per cent, in excess of carelessly gathered 

 and carelessly dried nuts. Today in Malaya, 

 except on one or two estates now coming 

 under European supervision, the collection of 

 nuts and drying the copra have been entirely 

 in the hands of the natives, this fact account- 

 ing for the difference in price. 



(2) Mr. Wicherley is right in saying that 

 yields compare favourably with other places. 

 It is safe to allow in this district for six- 

 year-old trees an average of 10 nuts per tree, 

 30 at seven years, 40 at eight, 50 to 60 at 

 nine to ten, and 80 nuts at eleven and up- 

 wards. With careful attention an average of 

 even 100 nuts per tree could be secured, 

 so favourable are the local conditions. 



(3) Cost of production in Malaya is only high 

 when imported indentured labour has to be pro- 

 vided. In the State of Kelantau there is a large 

 native labour force on the boundaries of the 

 estates now being opened up, and I would chal- 

 lenge Ceylon, or even Southern India, to show 

 cheaper work than is being done in this district. 



(4) It is true there are no freehold estates in 

 Malaya; but in Kelantan, at all events, and I 

 believe also in the Federated Malay States, land 

 is held on tenure direct from the Government 

 in perpetuity. The Land Office is always open 

 to register transfers of land to responsible par- 

 ties, so that to all intents and purposes this 

 method of lease is as good as any freehold. The 

 quit rent here is only one-half that named by 

 your correspondent— namely, 50 cents (Is 2d) per 

 acre for the first six years, when trees are con- 

 sidered to be in bearing, and $1 (2s 4d) per acre 

 thereafter in perpetuity. 



I cannot follow Mr Wicherley s calculation 

 in regard to profit to be obtained from 500 acres. 

 Allowing 55 trees per acre, and an average of 

 45 nuts only per tree— with 225 nuts to the picul, 



or 4,000 to the ton (his own figures) at to-day's 

 price of $10'50 (Straits currency) per picul — this 

 gives a gross return of £6,700." Again, allowing 

 for his estimated expenditure of £2.000 (equal 

 to £4 per acre, which is excessive), this loaves 

 a net profit of £4,700 per annum, against his 

 £1,000. What he does with the difference he 

 does not tell us. 



(5) At present in Kelantan beetles or other 

 pests are hardly kuown, and, owing to the wise 

 prescience of Government, which has formed 

 a special department with staff and inspectors 

 to deal with this question, should there be an 

 appearance of any of these pests the methods 

 available would at once place a limit on their 

 operations. 



(6) In regard to the relative prospects for in- 

 vestments in Ceylon or Malaya, I" venture to 

 say that the latter presents by far the most 

 favourable opportunity. Even to day land can 

 be obtained in the latter without such high pre- 

 miums as are at present being demanded iu 

 Ceylon, and for any investor who has the capital 

 and the pluck to get iu now on the ground floor he 

 would see, in six years time, 100 per cent, per 

 annum or more on his money, even allowing for a 

 lower level in copra prices than those now current. 



The world-wide demand for copra occasioned 

 by the increased uses of the oil, not only for 

 soap, but as the base of a wholesome margarine 

 or "nut'' butter, at present shows possibilities 

 of unlimited expansion in almost all European 

 countries and in America. The coconut industry 

 is growing in importance more rapidly than any 

 other, and it offers opportunities and induce- 

 ments for employment of capital second to none 

 in the world of tropical agriculture, and I would 

 refer to an extract from a recent report of Mr 

 R W Munto on the Sungei Kechil Estates, in 

 which he says : " Touching on coconut cultiva- 

 tion as an investment I always consider that 

 one of its chief attractions is the exceptional 

 stability of the product, which renders a fairly 

 accurate forecast of the profits possible for 

 many years ahead ". It is quite true that there 

 is also an ever-present and increasing demand 

 for fibres of any and every kind, and experts 

 state that by utilising the fibre of the husk at 

 least 33 per cent, could thereby be addod to the 

 profit on copra. At present, throughout almost 

 the whole of Malay, these hu^ks are thrown to 

 waste, owing to no capital having been em- 

 ployed in erecting decorticating plant. But 

 the mainstay of coconuts is the oil, and, for the 

 reasons which I have enumerated above, I em- 

 phatically join issue with your correspondent in 

 his statement that handsome returns are not to 

 be obtained from coconut estates. 



You are at liberty, sir, to give Mr Wicherley 

 my name and address should he desire it, but 

 not wishing to be advertised as engineering his 

 " boom," which will come all right of its own 

 volition. — I am, &c, 



A Believer in Coconuts. 



London, W. Feb. 20th 



Sir, — In confirmation of the statements con- 

 tained in my letter published in your issue of 

 the 24th instant that the State of Kelantan, 

 Malay Peninsula, is in the best situation, both 

 geographically and climatically, for cooonut 



