and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society — Dec, 1910, 569 



THE WOR LD'S CO COA TRADE. 



The United States Consul at Amsterdam 

 reports that particulars about the world's pro- 

 duction and consumption of cocoa for the first 

 half of 1910beiug available, the Indische Mercuur 

 comments upon the prospects for the current 

 j ear. Both as regards the production and the 

 consumption of cocoa a normal increase is ex- 

 pected, with proportional increase in the world's 

 supply. According to the data obtainable, de- 

 creases and increasos of cocoa production are 

 noted, as compared with 1909, as follows : — ■ 



Decreases in — Long tons Months 



Para (Brazil; 1300 6 



Ecuador 1150 6J 



Jamaica HOO 5 



Fernando Vo (Spanish West African 



island) 70C 5 



Cuba 50 5 



Venezuela 50 



Grenada (British West Indies) 50 6 



Total 4900 



Increases in — Long tons Months 

 San Thome ("Portuguese West African 



island) 36 r 



Accra (British West Africa) 2500 4 



Samana ^Dominican Republic) 2400 5 



Trinidad (West Indies) 2400 6 



Bahia (Brazil) 1300 « 



Ceylon 800 5 



Lagos (Africa) 450 4 



Total 



13450 



From the foregoing figures it will be seen that 

 the world's production to date has increased by 

 about 8,500 tons. This, however, cannot betaken 

 as a standard for tho total production during the 

 year 1910, for the reason that the output in the 

 iirsthalf-year always exceeds that in the second. 

 It is estimated that the total world production 

 for this year will amount to about 220,000 tons, 

 including Dutch East Indies with 2,500 tons and 

 Surinam (Dutch Guiana) with 2,000 tons. As 

 compared with 1909, increases and decreases in 

 the consumption of cocoa for the first part of 



Increases in — 



Tons 



Months 



Germany 



1900 



e 



Switzerland 



750 



3 



Belgiuai 



700 



6 



Russia 



350 



4 



Franco 



350 



. 5 



Austria- Hungary 



300 



5 



Canada 



150 



4 



Total 



45C0 





Decreases in — 



Tons 



Months 



United States 



63' 



5 



Spain 



1200 



5 



Great Britain 



850 







Netherlands 



150 



6 



Total 



8500 





According to these figures, which show a do- 

 crease of 4,000 tons for the first half of 1910, the 

 total consumption would decrease considerably, 

 but on the contrary it is expected that the 1910 

 consumption will exceed that of 1909 by some- 

 thing like 14,000 tons, so that tho world's con- 

 sumption would amount to 207,600 tons, as 

 against 193,800 tins in 1909 and 164,000 tons in 

 1908. The world's production being estimated at 

 220,000 tons and theconsumpliou at 2< 8,000 tons, 

 the world's supply will probably increase by 

 abon*- 12,000 tons. The supply amounted to 

 90,460 tons at the end of December, 19U9, and 

 will possibly amount to about 102,000 tons at 

 the end of tho current year. — Chamber of Com- 

 merce Journal, November. 



72 



THE CABDAMOffl MARKET, 



The strengthening character of the carda- 

 mom market during late months has lent it- 

 self to free prognostication of " famine " prices 

 in the early future. What precise measure of 

 justification these forecasts have in fact, is diffi- 

 cult to determine, but certain it is that ship- 

 ments to Europe have been much below those 

 of last year, and that stocks in London reflect 

 the depletion, The importations into London 

 during the first 10 months of the current year 

 were but 3,660 casos as against 4, 139 for the same 

 period last year, and landings had so far failed 

 to keep pace with consumption as to reduce 

 stocks in metropolitan warehouses to 1,273 cases 

 against 1,474 at corresponding date last year, a 

 figure which contrasted with 1,271 on October 

 3lst, 1908. In tabular form the stock statistical 

 position at the close of October during the last 

 three years may be stated thus : — 



1910. 1909. 1908. 



Imported 3,600 4,815 3,053 



Delivered 4,139 4,2 8 3,540 



Stocks 1,273 1,474 1,271 



Whilst the figures for the current year do not 

 at the moment lend full support to the expecta- 

 tion of much higher prices, they present, in con- 

 junction with the paucity of current deliveries, 

 the possibility of price augmentation, should 

 demand continue to mauife^t itself on its pre- 

 cent scale. Cardamoms, of course, is a valuable 

 article on Mincing Lane. Beside the medicinal 

 use, they are very largely employed in India by 

 the well-to-do native classes in cookery, flav- 

 ouring curries, cakes, and confectionery, and in 

 Northern Europe they find an outlet as a spice 

 ■for flavouring cakes, in the preparation of 

 liqueurs, and largely in Germany in the making 

 •of sausages. We have prepared the following 

 scale of prices as at the first auction of this year 

 and that of November 4th (this week's auction 

 results will be found m our market report): — 

 Ceylon— Mysore Palish to Pale. 

 1910. Bold Medium. Small. Tiny 



Jan. 13 2s4dto2s6d 2s to 2s 3d la Sd to Is lOd Is 5d 

 Nov. 4 2s Ed to 2s 9d 2s 4d to 2s 7d 2s Id to 2s 3d Is lOd to Is lid 



Onthe other hand, at about this time, in 1908, 

 when importations had bten less, stocks about 

 the same, but demand on a smaller scale, bold 

 pale were fetching 2i 2d to 2s id.— British and 

 Colonial Druggist, Nov. 18. 



THE mLK OF THE GOCONUT." 



Not a few people have wondered what kind 

 of stuff the " milk '' of tho coconut is. Recent 

 analyses have, according to the Lancet, dissipa- 

 ted the delusion that the fluid has anything in 

 common with real milk. It contains only 4 per 

 cent of solids, consisting chiefly of sugars 2'8 per 

 cent, tho balance being made up of mineral 

 matter and tartaric acid. It is interesting to 

 racord that more than half of the sugar present 

 is manuitol, the sweet principle of manna, 

 which is sometimes found also in wine as a 

 product of normal grape sugar. The question 

 has been discussed as to whether it would be 

 profitable to extract the coconut water for the 

 sake of its cane sugar ; but as this amounts to 

 only 1-lOth percent, tho process .would not be 

 commercially successful. 



