COPFEE. 



41 



Sufficient extent has not jet been giyen to enable it to be decided 

 in wliat district of Continental India it may be most advan- 

 tageously cultivated. It is in tlie fine island of Ceylon, however, 

 that coffee- culture has made the most rapid progress. 



It is an important fact that the supply of coffee from Ceylon, 

 even at the present moment, and irrespective of land abeady 

 planted but not yet come into full bearing, is in excess of the 

 whole consumption of G-reat Britain, and the planter is thus com- 

 pelled to carry the siu'plus to continental markets. The exports 

 of coffee from Ceylon have been rather stationary the past three 

 years, averaging about 300,000 cwt. In the sixteen years ending 

 with 1851, Ceylon had exported 130,083 tons of coffee ! 



The present produce of the various coffee-growing countries in 

 the world, may be set down at the following figures : 



SOUTH -4>a) CEXTRAX AMERICA, 



Millions of lbs. 



Costa Eica ..... 9 

 La Guavra and Porto Cabello . . .35 



Brazil \ . . . . .302 



British West Indies .... 8 

 French and Dutch. West Indies . . 7 



Cuba and Porto Ptico . . , .30 



St. Domingo ..... 33i 



ASIA AXD THE EAST. 



Java ...... 140 



The Philippine Isles .... 3 



Celebes . . . . . 1| 



Sumatra . . . . .5 



Ceylon . . . . .34 



Malabar and Mysore . . . . o 



Arabia (Mocha) . . . .3 



616 = 275,000 tons. 



This I have computed as accurately as possible from the most 

 recent returns, but it falls much below the actual capabilities of 

 production, even with the trees at bearing, and land already under 

 cultivation ; and also, in a great measure, excludes the local con- 

 sumption in the producing countries. In many quarters there 

 has been a considerable falling off in the production. The British 

 "West Indies, as we have seen, formerly exported 30,000,000 lbs., 

 the Trench and Dutch West Indies 17,000,000, Cuba and Porto 

 Eico 56,000,000, and St. Dommgo, in the last century, 76,000,000. 

 The growth of coffee has been transferred from the T^-^est to the 

 East Indies, and to the South American Continent, where labor 

 is more abundant, certain, and cheap. In the East the increase 

 in production has been enormous and progressive, with, perhaps, 

 the exception of Sumatra, which has fallen off from 15,000,000 lbs. 

 to somewhere about one-thnd of that quantity. 



The following statement may be taken as an approximate esti- 

 mate of the actual consimption of coffee at the present time : — 



Millions of lbs. 

 Great Britain . . , . . .32 



Holland and Belgium . . . . .125 



