and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



ISO 



Copra, poor in oil-producing qualities. I am 

 now referring to Malay and Chinese owned 

 estates which comprise practically the whole 

 industry. It is well-known that European 

 owned estates produce Copra of the very highest 

 quality; but. unfortunately for their owners, 

 the poor quality determines the market price. 

 Ceylon Copra obtains a better price, chiefly 

 because the large majority of coconut estates 

 there are owned by Europeans and under 

 European management and every care is taken 

 to turn out Copra of first quality. The Pacific 

 Islands Copra maintains its advantage in price 

 principally because Messrs Lever Bros, and other 

 well-known soap manufacturers have extensive 

 interests there. They have representatives on the 

 spot who insist on first class Copra being sup- 

 plied and in return pay the highest price. The 

 difference in price between good and bad Copra 

 in Singapore is about !^1 per picul. The present 

 price for first quality is about $7*50. As the 

 price rises, it is customary for many native and 

 Chinese growers to resort to the injurious 



PRACTICE OF RUSHING QUANTITIES OF UNRIPE, 

 BADLY DRIED COPRA 



on the market in order to catch the higher 

 rate. This is a practice which cannot be too 

 strongly condomned. The principal sources 

 of supply are Dutch Borneo, the Natunas and 

 Anambas Islands, Johore, the Malay Peninsula, 

 and the Dutch Islands generally. Singapore pro- 

 duces over 3,000 piculs of Copra per month, chiefly 

 fromTanjong Katong and Passir Panjang. This, 

 with the exception of a small quantity from 

 European estates, is badly dried and contains 

 a large percentage of unripe nut. Dutch Copra 

 from Billeton and Banka is principally kiln- 

 dried and arrives clean, well-dried and of good 

 quality. That from Padang, Sumatra, is in 

 small pieces, well-ripened, dry, dark and oily in 

 appearance and contains more oil than any 

 other Copra imported to Singapore. This is due 

 to careful cultivation and none but well matured 

 nuts being gathered. The Celebes give us a 

 good Copra, well dried from fully matured nuts, 

 yields an excellent oil and shews careful pre- 

 paration. Asahan exports fine large Copra, ripe 

 and fairly well dried both by sun and kiln. 

 Pontianak produces dry Copra of fair quality 

 containing a small percentage of unripe nut. 

 Saigon (Singkawang/ Copra is of good quality, 

 dry, and shews careful preparation. Ternate 

 Islands Copra is very good, generally dry. 

 Kelantan Copra is good hut that from Johore, 

 (Batu Pahat) is very wet, unripe and mouldy. 

 Rhio sends good samples of Copra, but occasion- 

 ally the quality cannot be depended on. I have 

 recently seen shipments from Malacca and Muar 

 which were very bad indeed : in fact, it is said 

 that Copra from these two places is the worst 

 sent in to Singapore. In one store I saw several 

 lots heating s.> badly that it was impossible to 

 bear the hand between the sacks. Quite half 

 was unripe and little or no attempt had been 

 made at drying. I am informed on good autho- 

 rity that the quantity of bad Copra from 

 Malacca is steadily increasing. 



Selangor Copra from native and Chinese 

 sources is of fair quality but contains a good 

 percentage of unripe nut, also sand and other 

 impurities. 



The exports of Copra are to Russia, France, 

 Spain and other continental ports and recently 

 to the United Kingdom. The exports of coco- 

 nut oil from Singapore in 1907 reached 159.801 

 piculs of which 40,163 piculs were imported 

 chiefly from Pontianak. 



The imports into and exports from Singapore 

 in each of the 5 yoars 1903 to 1907, and for 9 

 months of 190S are : — 





Imports. 



Exports. 



Year. 



Piculs. 



Value. 



Piculs. 



Value. 



1903 



75>,37l 



6,090,fiM 



628,099 



5,214,877 



1904 





5,234,079 



493,364 



4,165,9*7 



1905 



92.;,mu 



7,107,328 



776,285 





1906 



5,215,593 



427, "(7 



3^02 '',755 







8,571,039 



654,869 



6,303,115 



months of 1908 



897,175 



6,20 ,535 



781,057 



5,529,955 



The Director of Agriculture has stated in his 

 annual report for 19t)7 that this important 

 branch of the Agriculture of the Federated 

 Malay States has increased in acreage by seven 

 per cent, during that year, and that the total 

 area under coconuts at the end of the same 

 period was 11-2,500 acres. These facts and the 

 above figures demonstrate the importance of 

 the Copra Industry to the Peninsula and sur- 

 rounding Islands and also shew that there is a 

 renewed interest in not the least important of 

 our agricultural staple industries. It is hoped 

 that this renewed interest will bring about 

 better cultivation and induce growers to take 

 more pains in the preparation ot their produce 

 for market. T. Wilson Main. 



— Straits Agricultural Bulletin, Jan. 



SCHOOL GARDENS IN JAMAICA. 



For the encouragement of school gardens in 

 JamaicatheCovernor of the colony has sanctioned 

 the award of a number of prizes to be made at the 

 3nd of the present year. These awards consist of 

 seven first prizes of £5 and seven second prizes of 

 £2, a first and second prize respectively to be given 

 in each of the seven districts of the island super- 

 vised by one of the School Inspectors. 



AMERICAN COCONUT OIL MARKET. 



INC RESIN G USES AND DEMAND. 



Chicago, Dec. 16, 1908.— The demand for 

 coconut oil has firmed up and prices are higher 

 than they have been for some time. This is a 

 condition that was hardl} r looked for by the 

 trade. Not within many years-has 



THE OUTTURN OF COPRA 



the raw material from which the oil is 

 made, been as large as it has within the past 

 year. Every island in the Pacific from which 

 the trade receives copra contributed morb than 

 its usual quota, Importations into this country 

 have been very liberal, though forming a smail 

 part of the total productions The two mills on 

 the Pacific Coast have been kept in constant 

 operation during the greater part of the present 

 season, and the production of the domestic oil 

 is reported to have been much heavier than it 

 was last year. And yet, in spite of the larger 

 yield of copra, in spite of the greater production 

 of oil, the demand for the latter is now so keen 

 that makers and importers alike are forced to 



