310 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



Station of Mauritius. Tapioca cake is, there- 

 fore, to be ghen as forage only after mixing with 

 grains or with green leguminous plants. As for 

 the pig, who lives only for the purpose of putting 

 on fat, it is an ' excellent food and Chinese 

 farmers will pay up to 3U cents a picul for it. 



Trade and Industrial Uses. — Under the 

 different designations of Brazilian Arrow-root 

 (an usurped name) ; of cassava or tapioca flour, 

 pearl tapioca, etc., manioc, as everybody knows, 

 plays a great part in the trade of food stuffs. 

 Nourishing and easy of digestion, it gives us 

 excellent soups and puddings ; it enters into the 

 composition of several patent and milk foods, 

 and it is known all the world over in the 

 form of biscuits. It is even found in the 

 trade returns of Smyrna (see American Con- 

 sular Reports) for 300 tons for the fabrication 

 of Rahat Lakoum ( Turkish Delight ). But, 

 important as this trade is, it is not 

 there only that lies the strength of tapioca and 

 its sure commercial value ; it is as a source of 

 industrial starch that tapioca takes rank among 

 the most important staples of commerce. 



Other Uses. 



In the distilling for alcohol and in the manu- 

 facture of glucose, which is almost universally 

 used by brewers, distillers and confectioners, 

 tapioca starch has its place marked among the 

 other starches. It is used by cotton printers as 

 a stiffener for certain colours and mordants. It 

 is still more in request for cotton spinners, who 

 used it, in preference to other starches, for 

 sizing the yarn, especially when fine fabrics are 

 required. Before weaving, the yarn is sized, 

 which causes the loose ends of the fibres, com- 

 posing the yarn, to adhore and unite in form- 

 ing a strong and even thread. Tapioca starch 

 penetrates the fibres more completely than 

 potato or maize starch, which form more like an 

 outside coating to the thread, making it stiff 

 and thick and unsuitable for the making of a 

 ^.loSd *i . I uniform warp. 



Market of Tapioca. — As a result of this large 

 demand, the market for tapioca is always a firm 

 one. The shipments of the ports of Singapore 

 and Penang in May and June, 1908, amounted 

 to 5,417 tons and the "Singapore Market Re- 

 port" records the following prices (per picul) for 

 the month of June : — 



Highest price. Lowest price 



Tapioca Flake Small SB^O 



Tapioca Pearl Small 5'65 



Tapioca Pearl Small 8'75 



Tapioca Pearl Medium 6'30 



Tapioca Pearl Bullet 8" 



The following estimate only aims at giving an 

 approximate cost of the work reckoned on a daily 

 wage of 40 cents per day, but Chinese labour 

 will be found more profitable if employed on 

 contract or by results, and local conditions pre- 

 vailing in this or that region, will, in many 

 cases, allow of a reduction of expenditure on 

 several of the items therein mentioned. 



Estimates. 



Estimate of Costs and Returns of 1,000 acres of tapioca 

 interplanted with Para-Rubber. The Hevea are planted 

 20 feet byl7.'6"='20 trees per acre allowing for drains. 



The Tapioca planted 5 feet by 2.' ti" = 3,000 plants per 

 acre allowing space round the Hevea. 



1st year (1909) 300 acres (block A) are planted up. 

 2nd year (1910) 350 acres (block B) are planted up. 

 3rd year (1911) 350 acres (block C) are planted up. 



5771 



4- 90 

 870 



5- 05 

 7-374 



fair 

 fair 

 hne 

 fair 



(1909) First Year (block A) 300 acres 

 Purchase of land : 1,000 acres at dols. 20 

 Engagement of 250 coolies at dols. 60 per head 



(dols. 30 recoverable) 

 Felling, burning, stacking, dols. 10 per acre on 



300 acres 



Roads and drains, dols. 10 per acre on 300 acres 

 Tapioca cuttings, 1 million at 10 cents per hundred 

 Hoeing, 300 acres in alternate strips 2§ feet broad 



(1 acre costs dols. 24-2.1 = 300 acres at dols. 12 



per acre 



Weeding, Cultivation, banking up, dols. 10 per acre 



Salaries ; Manager and Assistant 



Salaries : 2 Conductors 



Salaries : Hospital Dresser 



Buildings: 2 Bungalows 



Buildings : 10 Coolie lines 



Buildings : Hospital 



Tools, transports, Medicines, barbed wire, and 

 contingencies 



dols. 

 20,(100 



15,000 



3,000 

 3,000 

 1,000 



3,600 

 3,000 

 6,000 

 1,440 



M0 

 1,400 

 2, COO 



800 



7,000 



Expenditure : tapioca 

 Rubber : 45,000 stumps at 30 dols. 7,000 dols 1,350 



dols. 68,030 



Nurseries for 1910=1911 : Making bed 

 15 1 1,000 seeds at dols. 5 per thousand 

 Lining, holing and Ailing up at dols. 3 per 

 acre 



Planting out and rilling up at dol. 1 per 

 acre 



300 

 750 



800 



3,600 



Total Expenditure lstyear, 1909 



Second Year (1910) Block B 350 acres 



The same expenditure as 1909 dols. 71,680 



Less : Purchase of land dols. 20,000 

 Less : Engagement of 50 



coolies less at dols. 60 

 Less : Bungalows and 



hospital 

 Less: Tapioca Cuttings 

 Less : Rubber Stumps and 



seeds 



dols, 71, 



3,000 



2, 00 

 1,000 



2,100 



23,300 



dols. 43,380 



Plus : on 50 acres (350 instead of 300): 

 felling 



Plus : burning at dols. 10 per acre, 

 Roads and drains dols. 10 



Plus : Hoeing dols. 12 Weeding 

 dols, 10=dols. 42 per acre on 50 



Plus : 350 acres ( plot A) weeding 



Plus: Building: factory (wood and 

 ruberoid concrete floor) 



Plus : Building Drying shed brick 

 flue heating pans 



Plus : Machinery: Washers, Separa- 

 tors, Press-Motor 



dols. 64,980 



Lifting the crop off 300 acres, dols. 4 

 per acre 



Carting the crop off 390 acres, dol. 1 

 per acre 



Handling and manipulation of 

 tapioca in factory 9,000 piculs at 

 0-25 cents 



Wages, Engine room 



Gunnies 10,000 at 20 cents 



Freight, export duty 21 percent, com- 

 mon brokerage at I' iO par picul on 

 9,000 piculs 



1,200 

 309 



2,250 

 1,800 

 2,00J 



13,500 



Expenditure on tapioca: dols. Si. 030 



Rubber : Lining, holing and planting 



50 acres at 4 200 

 Rubber: Upkeep of drains and roads 



650 acres at 3 1,950 



Total Expenditure (1910) 

 Crop: Block A first crup, 300 acres at 

 3 1 pikols,=9,000 piculs at 6= 



dols. 88,180 



dols. 54,000 



Expenditure o:id of 2nd year dols 159,1 



Third Year (1911) Block C 350 (acres 



—the same expenditure as in 1909 dols. 88 ; 180 

 Less: Machinery and buildings 



dols. 16,500 16,500 



dols. 71,680 



