THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE 



Tropical Agriculturist and Magazine of the C. A. 8. 



Compiled by A. M. & J. FERGUSON. 



No. 3,] SBPTEMBEE, 1909. [Vol. V, 



THE PLANTING INDUSTRY OF 

 CEYLON. 



184,000 ACRES UNDER RUBBER 

 CULTIVATION. 



OUR DIRECTORY RETURNS. 



The printing of our " Ceylon Handbook and 

 Directory " for 1909-10 closed last week and copies 

 of the book are now (August 12) being made avail- 

 able to those who have booked orders, as fast as 

 our binders can overtake the work. We have 

 spared neither pains nor expense to bring the 

 information up to end of last month, as far as 

 it lay in our power, although we are not un- 

 consciousthat, with constant changes occurring, 

 absolute accuracy is unattainable. We have 

 once again to acknowledge our obligation and 

 tender thanks to all the Heads of Government 

 Departments and other officials, as well as to 

 members of the Planting and Mercantile Com- 

 munity, for the aid readily and courteously 

 afforded us in the compilation— without which it 

 would have been impossible for us to present the 

 book with the high degree of reliability that 

 we now do. As usual we now furnish our readers 

 with the results of the analysis of our Estate 

 Returns, showing that our Planting Industry 

 in all products is in as sound a condition as 

 ever. There has not been much new planting 

 during the past year, although an addition of 

 11,606 acres to the cultivated acreage is shown ; 

 but, perhaps, much of this may be due to more 

 precise rendering of estate returns. The total 

 area under rubber is now returned at 184,000 

 acres. A good deal of this extent is interplanted 

 in tea throughout 67,056 acres, while 18,698 acres 

 of cacao are also intermixed with rubber. Our 

 summary for all the products is as follows : — 



Acres. 



Total area of 2,091 plantations and plan- . 



ting properties ... 957,749 



do 1,731 plantations in culti- 

 vation (with 1,661 Superintendents 

 and assistants) ,., ... 625,629 



Acres. 



Total approximate 



extent under Tea ... ... 389,600 



do Cacao ... ... 30,016 



do Rubber ... 179,956 



do Coffee (Arabica and 



Liberica) ... 950 



do Cardamoms ... 7,738 



do Cinchona ... 196 



do Camphor trees ... 1,200 



do Grass (cultivated) ... 3,500 



Of Annatto, Coca, Kola, Ramie, Van- 

 illa, Pepper, Cloves, Citronella grass, 

 Divi-Divi, Croton, Castor oil, Aloes, 

 Cinnamon, Tobacco, Cotton — in our 

 plantations' list ... ... 7,000 



Coconuts, Arecas, Nutmegs, Fruit 

 trees (on the cacao, tea or other plan- 

 tations) ... ... ... 22,500 



Of Fuel, Timber, Sapan and Kapok 

 (on the tea, cacao or other plantations) 6,050 



The area of tea as given above is apart from, 

 perhaps, 5,700 acres in native gardens of small 

 extent— Kegalla District alone has nearly 2,000 

 acres— so that the grand total under tea in 

 Ceylon at end of July last must be about 395,000 

 acres. But, nevertheless, we feel considerable 

 allowance must be made for the enormous 

 number of rubber trees now growing among 

 tea in certain districts ; and we would, al- 

 lowing for this, consider the extent in tea 

 to be the same as last year, although our 

 returns show an increase of 3,000 acres. 

 The acreage in cacao is apart from 5,800 

 acres, say, in native gardens, thus giving a 

 total of about 36,000 acres. The Ceylon Plan- 

 ting Enterprise may then be summed up for 

 July, 1909, as follows, and the comparison with 

 last year— middle of 1908— stands thus : — 



Acres. Acres. Increase 

 Product. Middle Middle or 



1908. 1909. Decrease. 

 Tea ... 392,000 395,000 3,000 inc. 



Cacao ... 35,000 36,000 1,000 inc. 



Rubber ... 180,000 184,000 4,000 inc. 



Coffee ... ... 873 950 77 inc. 



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