and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. -Sep., 1910. 



RUBBER SEED. 



Periyar Rubber Company, Ltd., Thattakaad, 

 August 13, 1910. 



Sie,— With reference to rubber seed and the 

 Scientific Officer's remarks at the U. P. A. 

 Meeting. My experience here alters the figures 

 he gives largely. I find that only about one 

 tree in every ten bears seed at even seven years 

 of age. Last year with 6 to 8 year old trees 

 1 only averaged 33 seed per tree, i.e., 11 pods. 

 This year I shall average about 60 seed per tree 

 which is obtained from' 10% of the trees on the 

 acreage only, practically every tenth tree having 

 600 seed on it. So at 8 years of age I should 

 estimate an acre of rubber to yield 8,000 seed, or 

 say 25 acres to a ton of seed.— Yours faithfully, 



(Sgd.) H. B. Kirk. 

 — Planters' Chronicle, Aug. 20. 



COCA AS A RUBBER CATCH CROP. 



Some 18 months ago I pointed out that the 

 cultivation of Erythroxylon coca might well be 

 worth the rubber planter's attention, especially 

 the novo-granatense variety, which, like Para 

 rubber, rejoices in a hot moist climate- The 

 same advice is given to planters in Java by Dr. 

 de Jong, in the course of an article contributed 

 to the last number of the Java periodical, 

 Tnysmxnnia. The value of coca leaves depends 

 on the amount of alkaloid they contain ; and 

 the large supply of wild plants growing in 

 South America has prevented any very great 

 attention being paid to this cultivation in 

 Eastern countries. In Java, however, the Gov- 

 ernment botanists have been striving to evolve 

 a superior type of plant to the wild variety, and 

 they have succeeded so well, I understand, that 

 a prominent cocaine factory in Europe is aban- 

 doning the use of crude Peruvian cocaine in 

 favour of Java leaves as a raw material. Java 

 coca planters are now recommended to com- 

 bine, gradually extend their coca plantations, 

 and take steps to secure the whole of the market 

 for coca loaves and cocaine. Dr. de Jong esti- 

 mates the world's consumption of cocaine at 

 12,000 kilos (1 kilo equal 2J lb. av.) In Java, 

 about 500 kilos of dry leaf yielding 1*5 per cent, 

 of alkaloid give about 7'5 kilos of alkaloid, from 

 which 6 kilos of pure cocaine can be made ; and 

 it is argued that the present plantations in 

 Java could be largely extended without over- 

 taking the world's consumption of the leaves. 

 Dr. de Jong has been in negotiation with a 

 German firm of cocaine manufacturers on the 

 question of extracting the alkaloid in Java. 

 This firm considers that extraction on the spot 

 would mean a saving of from 10 to 20 marks per 

 100 kilos of loaves worked, and it offers to erect 

 plant in Java if a Syndicate of planters will 

 share the cost of tho enterprise and the risks. 

 The crude cocaine made would be exported' to a 

 European factory, which would be paid a fixed 

 rate for refining it. The refined cocaine would 

 be marketed in the ordinary way, and the price 

 obtained credited to the proposed "Java Extrac- 

 tion Co." consisting of tho whole of the Java coca 

 planters and the shareholders of the European 

 cocaine factory.— Geougos.—M. Mail, Aug. 27. 



A FRUIT PRESERVING ENTERPRISE. 



Mangoes, Liohis, and Pineapples. 

 The Bengal Preserving Compare, which has 

 been established at Muzuffarpore, is a Swadeshi 

 enterprise of considerable interest. The Com- 

 pany is seeking to develop a market in canned 

 fruits, notably mangoes, lichis, and pineapple , 

 and already gives employment to some 85 per- 

 sons. The director, Mr. A. B. Sircar, who has 

 studied in the United States, states that 20,000 

 cans of fruit have been turned out this year, and 

 that when everything is in full working order it 

 will be possible to maintain an output of 300,000 

 cans in each season. — Statesman, Aug. 21. 



THE VANILLA INDUSTRY. 



In Dominica. 

 The Dominican correspondent of the " West 

 India Committee Circular " states that a few 

 months ago an expert vanilla-curer came to the 

 island. He had now cured his first crop, the 

 green pods being obtained from the few plants 

 in existence. He informed the " Circular " cor- 

 respondent that he has never seen better vanilla, 

 while a large proportion of the pods are of such 

 a length that at present there is no quotation 

 for them, In the interior of Dominica, the plan- 

 ter states, many districts were perfectly adapted 

 to the growth of vanilla ; if he found that the 

 prices realised wore as good as he anticipated, 

 he would in all probability remain at Dominica 

 and purchase the green vanilla for curing. Many- 

 planters who took up land in the interior put in 

 a few vines, but the immense trouble and diffi- 

 culty involved in the curing had prevented any 

 real attention being paid to the industry. 



In Tahiti. 



The exports of vanilla from the Society Is- 

 lands showed the considerable increase of 33 

 tons during 19C9, owing to the improvement in 

 prices; the total shipments were 206 tons, valued 

 at 41,33R, against 173 tons, valued at 27,765£ , 

 in 1908. Stimulated by the better pricos, which 

 date from three years ago, the plantations 

 (says Mr. Consul Rowley) which had been al- 

 lowed to run wild, or had been destroyed, were 

 either put in order or restocked. After having 

 been spoilt during many years by high prices, 

 which yielded to the native planters, in return 

 for a minimum outlay in capital and labour, a 

 degree of affluence far beyond their wants, the 

 gradual and steady decline caused by the over- 

 stocking of the market brought an era of dis- 

 appointment and discouragement to those who 

 had hoped that the golden harvests of the past 

 werea permanent blessing of vanilla-cultivation. 

 Unable to see the necessity of adapting pro- 

 duction to the laws of supply and demand m 

 connection with an article for which there is a 

 limited use aud sale, the natives rather than 

 meet the difficulty by reducing their output and 

 making up (by quality) their former incomes 

 from this source of revenue, preferred to throw 

 up the pursuit altogether. So much for the 

 quantity produced. As to the quality it is to be 

 feared that the preparation of vanill actually 



