and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— November, 1911. 487 



NYASALAND'S PRODUCTS: TEA 

 AND RUBBER. 



Cotton and Tobacco Leading : " The Best 

 Upland Staple in the World." 



The report on the Blue-book of Nyasaland 

 Protectorate for 1910-11 says : — 



A general review of the agricultural situation 

 shows that the past year has been most success- 

 ful, as evinced by the largely increased export 

 of agricultural produce, the general prosperity 

 of planters, and the keen demand for agricul- 

 tural land within transportable distance from 

 the railway. The forward movement reported 

 last year has continued. Cotton and tobacco 

 may now be considered as the principal cultiva- 

 tions of the Protectorate, and as likely to in- 

 crease if transport facilities are extended. 



Coffee is still being discarded in favour of 

 cotton and tobacco, the total acreage of this 

 crop for the year under review being only 5,6294-. 

 The season, although favourable for cotton and 

 tobacco, was unfavourable for coffee, with the 

 result that the total export for the past year 

 amounted to no more than 334,161 lb., as against 

 748,410 lb. in the previous season. 



The year under review was the best 

 cotton season which the Protectorate has 

 experienced, cotton ripening late into the 

 season, and on many estates producing the 

 heaviest crop that has been reaped since 

 its introduction as a European cultivation. The 

 European acreage increased from 8 975 in the 

 previous year to 12,752 for the year under re- 

 view, whilst the crop at present being harvested 

 covers over 23,000 acres. The exported crop, in 

 bales of 400 lb. for 1909-10 amounted to 2,147, 

 and for the year under review to 4,342, showing 

 an increase of over 100 per cent, in a single sea- 

 son. A gratifying feature is the increased in- 

 terest which planters are now taking in seed 

 selection. The results of the experiments carried 

 out on the Government agricultural stations 

 show [the great advantage and profit of such 

 work as is being undertaken there. 

 Good Quality Cotton. 



The quality of the staple has been maintained, 

 and the first-class cotton of the Protectorate 

 shows such improvement that its valuation 

 fluctuates more with the Egyptian crop than 

 with the American crop as in the past. The 

 large Egyptian crop last season made prices 

 a little lower than in the previous season, 

 but the top price of the season— viz., Is per 

 lb— shows that Nyasaland Upland still main- 

 tains its position as the highest-priced Upland 

 cotton in the world. This excellent variety is be- 

 coming thoroughly acclimatised, and its success 

 in West Africa and Rhodesia indicates that it 

 will become in time the most extensively-grown 

 variety m the new cotton fields of Africa. Lts 

 special quality is its wonderfnl adaptability to ele- 

 vations of from 1,000 to 3,000 ft. , its high degree of 

 immunity from bacterial blight audits hardiness. 



The Egyptian crop on the lower river was 

 more successful than in the previous year, as 

 planters now understand that it is useless to 

 attempt to grow Egyptian cotton except on the 

 best-drnined parts of plantations at elevations 

 under 1,000 ft. 



The naLive cotton crop has risen from 220 

 tons to 692 tons. In several districts this in- 

 dustry has now becomo so thoroughly estab- 

 lished as to admit of the withdrawal of the hut 

 tax rebate which was allowed as an incentive to 

 native cultivators when the enterprise was iket 

 introduced. The experiment of encouraging 

 natives to apply themselves to this cultivation 

 has proved a remarkable success in every way. 

 It is worthy of note that some of the native 

 cotton from Mlanje district has sold for as much 

 as Is. per lb. 



Tea Plantations. 



A large increase in the acreage of tea plan- 

 tations has to be recorded, viz., from 518 to 

 1,037 acres. The export of tea was 42,042 lb. 

 as against 34,601 lb. The area of tea actually 

 in bearing, howover, is still relatively small, 

 the crop being one which requires several 

 years to arrive at the productive stage. The 

 success of this industry has attracted much 

 atte .tion and interest, with the result that 

 improved machinery for the treatment of the 

 crop has been imported, and considerable com- 

 petition has arisen for land in the tea growing 

 protions of Mlanje district. 



The tobacco season has been satisfactory, 

 although not quite so good as last year. The ac- 

 reage under this crop is 3,274, while the export 

 of tobacco for the year under review amounts to 

 1,704,637 1b. as compared with 1,084,757 lb. in 

 the previous year. 



Rubber, 



The acreage under rubber is still increasing 

 (present acreage, 9,072^), and, although no es- 

 tates are in full bearing, rubber promises well 

 in Mlanje, West Shire, and parts of the Shire 

 highlands. It is now proved, however, that 

 rubber cannot be profitably cultivated in all 

 parts of the Protectorate. 



Para rubber in the West Nyasa district still 

 continues to show much promise, and the 

 acreage under this crop has been increased 

 to 726^ acres in the past year. 



The exploitation of Landolphia parvifolia 

 has been carefully conducted by the African 

 Lakes Corporation, Limited. The value of this 

 product is satisfactory — viz., 3s 9d to 4s 4d, 

 with fine white Para quoted at 5s 2Jd. Good 

 prices have led to a large increase in the 

 export of rubber, extracted principally from 

 wild vines. The total quantity exported during 

 the year under review amounts to 59,471 lb. 

 — Financier, Oct. 28. 



CHINESE TEA-S EED OIL. 



Tea-seed oil is the name, applied to an oil 

 expressed from the seed of the Camellia Sasan- 

 qua. This is not the tea-tree (Camellia Thea), 

 nor can its leaves be used. It grows principally 

 in Honan, but is found wherever the wood-oil 

 tree grows. The seeds are gathered in October 

 and the extracted oil usually reaches the market 

 in Hankow about the middle of winter. It is 

 used by the Chinese as a cooking oil, and costs 

 in the market from thirty-o:io shillings to thirty- 

 three shillings per picul of 133& pounds. Han- 

 kow's exports of this oil to loreign countries 

 and Chinese ports inJ1909 were valued at £6,500, 

 and during 1910 at £17,300. 



