Feb. 1 1894.1 Tttfi TROPICAL AGRlCULtURlSl'. 
549 
in contrast with the previoaa nine years. But 
we Buppose the figures summing up the Eiport 
table in the weekly Price Current this tima may 
be taken to represent the results for the past 
year. There is nothing so s'art ng as our con- 
temporary made out the other aay through a 
mlLtaka of his in addition of only 10 mi lion 
additional pounds o( tea I The aotual total ex- 
port is given at 84,387,656 lb.— an advance of no 
less than 13 million lb. ou the return for 1892 I 
The estimate of the Planters' Assooiatioa was far 
below the result ; and it looki rather as if 
henceforward with tea we may have something like 
alternate crops, an experience which, if established, 
would lead us to expect in 1894, but. a limited 
increase on last year's fi;^urjs. Thus for 1890 
we got close on 47 million lb.; for 1891 over 68J 
tnilliOQ lo.; for 1892 only a fraction over 7i 
million lb. Judging by analogy, we might expect 
the eiport for 1894 to be under 90 milhou lb. Xhe 
figurjB for the paso tea years may be given as 
follows :— 
Tea, 
lb. 
Total Exports from 1st Jan. to 
Dec. 3l8t 1893...8J,387,656 
TBEB PLANTING. 
To the Editor Indian Enginem'. 
Sir,— In hard soil mix)d witu frmble rock it is 
foand ihat iho growth ol the tamarind trte i» retarded 
wliou pita ol tiie ordinary dimeusiou ol 3' oy 3 ' i>y 3' 
•re u.'<e i. 
I wi h to produce a sort of inverted crater by the 
exp otioa of gunpowder— how is this tcasiblts ? A 
ktai' suaped ireuch rouud ibeor.ari;e hole woul ■ give 
po nts of least resist^ince — aau iutt rmeuiato pillars 
would beletc. Tlie toots woul . re .Uily tiud theic *ay 
thruagh the galianea of looacne i boil, oi-d wat<.r 
chattiO:) or earilieDwaru vesBeio buried rouud tiie 
treuob would tend to dr»w out tuo rojtu. I chou d 
be gi»d t-j rcctive auy biuts or be iulormej ot 
any practical oouk oa thu subject. 
Bo AD ATE^UE. 
COCONUT AND CINNAMON CULTIVATION 
DUKIiSG 1893: ALSO CACAO, PiiFPliJK, 
KUBBKK, &,c., IN TH^ JS EG UMBO 
DlSTiUCr. 
(By a Practical Planter.) 
A few notes oa the weather and the progress of 
cinnaiaon and coconut cultivation in Kadiraue in 
particular, as well as oth r induairies in the Negombo 
dibtrict generally, during la'JS : — 
Weather — Darinf^ tuo drat half of the year the 
weather was favourable, the rai-fail having been 
above the average and well distributed over the 
period. From July to October it was very dry : the 
alter month was exceptionally so, with only 3-52 inches 
of rain as ai<aindt an average for H years of 1366 
inches. NovemUer was wetter than usual but in 
December the weather was normal. At the monsoon 
burst in April severe thunderstorms were ex,ierienocd 
which did cousiaerable damage to coconut trees. Un 
one plautaoiou alone as mauy as :U of the palms 
wore lost that mouiU from tue etfeutd of lightuiug. 
^^cU wiia sUfiQ aotdwoithy foi a bea.v^ fall of ma oa 
Do 
do 
do 
1892..71,1 )3,657 
Do 
do 
do 
189i.. 68,274,420 
Do 
do 
do 
1890.. .46,901,554 
Do 
do 
do 
1889..34,U48,' 85 
Do 
do 
do 
1888.. 24,381,296 
Do 
do 
do 
1887... 13,800.545 
Do 
do 
do 
1886.. 0411.137 
Do 
do 
do 
1885.. 4,411,578 
Do 
do 
do 
1884.. 2,403,095 
Do 
do 
do 
1883.. I,641,8i0 
the 21st-22nd, which ganged 6.65 inches: this was the 
greatest quantity registered in any 24 hours in the 
period un ler review. Appended are the figures of rain- 
fall for the twelvemonths with the means f >r the cor- 
responding periods daring the last 8 years contrasted: — 
Rainfall in 1893 : Inches Months Dtleans luring 
Number of Days 8 years 
5 2-17 January 210 
7 3-53 February 2-80 
11 7-43 March 3-27 
12 13-44 April 1216 
19 8 22 iv.ay 11 -71 
12 6-95 June 677 
4 1-70 July 318 
6 1-21 August 1'65 
4 1-21 September 4-70 
12 3-52 October 1366 
21 17-42 November 11'27 
5 310 December 4-56 
118 
77-83 
69-90 
CINNAMON. 
The deficient rainfall in 1892, which resulted last 
season (May '92- April '93) in one of the smallest 
crops on record, has also had a disastrous effect on 
the outturn for the current season, the growth of the 
bushes having been seriously affected, t 'rop prospects 
have) been rendered still more unfavourable owing 
to harvesting operations having been hindered by 
insufficient rain in the latter part (July-Get.) of the 
Malta JUosama (May-Get.) It is therefore likely that 
the crop of 1893-94 also will be below the average. 
The Colombo market price lor the spice averaged 
about 39 cents per lb. as compared with about 35 cents 
in the previous year. Owing to the persistent low 
price 01 the bark whichnot very long ago sold locally 
for a rupee and more per lb., cinnamon has lost 
favour with the villagers and in those coconut gar- 
dens, which in the days of high prices were planted 
up wit'i the fragrant laurel to the detriment of the 
exi ting palms, the worK of uprooting it had gradually 
gone on for years till it r ceived an impetus in the 
extraordinary advance in he price of cocouuts at the 
latter end of last year. Scarcely any cinnamon is 
now to be teen in the villages where it had been 
planted in every available spot, up to the very 
threshold of the dwelli gs. In the Negombo di-trict 
generally, even ou som- of the larger high class estates 
whose spice has a reputation in the London market — 
cinnamon has been, and is being superseded by coco- 
nuts wherever the soil is considered suitable for the 
latter, and the acreage under the former has 
decreased year by year. Despite this fact there 
has been an euurmous increase, withm the last 
dozen years, in the quantity of bark exported 
as sho^n by the following figures taken from the 
Table of Exp rts of eylon i'rodnce, compiled by 
the Chamber of Commerce. 
QUANTITY OF CINNAMON EXPOBTED FROK 
COLOMBO AND GALLE. 
In 1882 
„ 1892 
„ 1893 
The increase is due, 
the cultivation in other places 
Southern Province whure the 
Quill lb 
1 587.019 
1,947,538 
1,995,257 
of course, 
Chips lb. 
422,915 
615,155 
667,155 
to extension of 
especinlly in the 
annual return in 
virgin soil is said to be as large as 250 to 3ii0 lb. 
per ac e, while the yield in the wellnif^h exhausted 
sandy soils of Kadiraue and Ekeli is only ahout 
75 to 100 lb. 
The export of cinnamon is now more freely 
distributed than it was some years back; the direct 
shipments to the Continent of Europe (Germany 
especially) in 1893 having been as large as 1,265,949 lb. 
while there were appreciable quantities shipped to 
America, the Far East, India, and Australia. 
COCONUTS. 
The year under notice was favourable. The crop 
was generally satisfactory and the price exceptionally 
good. 
Tue in luptry of p-eparingd -siocatsd O" c 't uta lor con- 
feoii'inery, which fir.'.t be^au i t U..iom o U ider 
Ejr pS'n nuspioe", ri-pidiy caught on »ud ex t n ed 
ti otb«r poiutB, the d9v«io^iaeat i« (wof«>I« beiog 
