THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. i, 1894. 
wooderrnl. In 1891 the qunotity of df'sioeated cooo- 
nutB exported was 1,416,330 lb., io 1892 3,849,724 lb. 
aad io 1893 the export rraobtd oe^rly 6^ miliiju lb. 
equivalent to sb^uily^ millioa Qut« ! I'be lucre ~ebd 
demwd for nuta resulted in keen competiti'iD espe- 
cially in tbr districts from which the sevt-ral (a^tones 
drew their supply, and lathe latter part of 1892 the 
prioe in the N'-gombo district rose frim 1131 to RU 
per tboasand. At the bogiauiog of 1893 the best uatt 
wre sblliog for the unpreoeddDtedly high rate of 
B50 per mule, bat by the end of June th» pric i bad 
gradually tleolined to B36. There wis a Siigbt a iva cu 
ainae tae year closing with ihe qu >t«tioa at K37- The 
•Terage prioe for the year wa^ K4U'50 as compaiod 
with 38°25 in 1892. It ia feared, however, tbat tbc 
high average of 1b93 will not be maiQC&ined aB the 
trade in desiooated coconatB would appear to have 
been already overdone. The smaller lactorics 
have now cease 1 work, while the larger om-s are 
testrioting their output. 
As stated before, under the headiog of Cinnamon, 
the cultivation of ooconutH is being cxteaded on all 
■ides and aveiy avjiiUble piuoe of land is being pla'itcd 
np with it, while neglected gardens are being taken 
in hand and improved under the stimulus of hi^h 
prioes. The several iudasines in the products of tt>c 
palm have developed in a remarkable way. There 
are now in the oisirict at least two oil mills with 
bydraulio machinery, driven by steam power, beside s 
a number of ebekous worked by cittle and band, 2 
desicoating faoturies. and G or 7 coir hbre milh. 
CACAO. 
Experiment! in this district bave proved that cacao 
of the hardier variety known aa Foratjtero could he 
profitably grown witn cocanuts wherever the soil is 
saitable, provided the trtei are given buffioient xpuce, 
bat the advisability of cultivating valuable new plants, 
either separately or iutermixed with the oli'.or pro- 
ducts, does not seem to be racogniued by even the more 
intelligent of our weatlhy nttive laud owaen. 
PEPPER 
grows well in several parti of the district and 
Its caltivation is eminently suited to the villager from 
whom, however, it does not Ksnerally receive the 
attention which it deserves. Except in poor light 
sand and low marshy land, pepper will grow iu 
nearly every description of soil and almom every 
jak, mango and areka tree, and probahly foreat tree, 
in the several villages might ba made t) support 
ekch a profitable vine. 
INDIARDBBEB 
of the Ceara kind has alsj been tried here, but it 
has proved a failure. It is a hardy tree and flou- 
rishes in oomp tiatirely poor soil justifying nil that 
has been said of its quick babit ot growth, but its 
oaoutohoao-yielding capabilities have iieeu mach ex- 
aggerated. Theyil.'Idof milk is toosmsll to make its 
oultivation profitable at the existing price of rubber. 
CATU-B. 
Ezoept from about August to October, when the 
Oatufal pastarage was scantv and somewhat parcbe i 
up, owing to want of raio, the cattla were generally 
well off lor fod ler. There was no epizootic disease 
of any kind during the year. The last epidemic 
Was aa outbreak of foot and mouth disease in May- 
Jaue 1892. 
VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 
Mb. Lloyd is bailding a fine factory on the 
Western Darjeeling Tea Estate, which will eoou be 
ready to contain the new eleotrioal apparatus, which 
is to take the place of the old fashioned steam 
machinery usually in vogue on most gardens 
Managers will await with interest news of its work- 
ing capabilities. If it is satisfactory, it is not 
unlikely that electrical machinery will be employed 
on other new gardens, as the necessity for a factory 
erises. Certainly, there is no reason why electricity 
should not be employed in tea factories ; as well as 
in other factories however, time will show the 
eaaoesa of the Western Ddrjeeliog Tea estate 
YQQtnie.'T'Indian Plantm' Qas^tte, Oeoi 23i 
Sugar Fbee of CijisTomh Duty in the United 
Stales IB good uewy fur tiupioai planters, beoauss 
cheap sugar is alwa)s a help to a largi-.r cobsump- 
tion of tea, coffee, and cocoa. 
The FiaE at ^ew Pebaueniva Factobv.— 
We bad hoped to hear that ihc rumjur which 
reached us on January 8.h uj to the factory 
being burnt down was exaggerated, but it Las 
unfortunately turned out to be too true. It 
is same saiisfaotion to kuow thai the place was 
insured— we trust fully — and if we m g it bs 
allowed to point ''the moral whiob aio.os ih« 
tale " of this ooourrenoe we wjuld urge upciu ail 
proprietors the advisability of seriously consider- 
ing whether they shjuld not at ooce take sie^is 
to fliiuilarly safe-guard ihemse vei. This we think 
they might easily do with the co-operation of 
traders by forming a Mutual Fire aod Marine 
Insurance Company for the island. They would 
thus not only be providing against a coutiagcooy 
which may happen at aoy moment, but doing a 
public benefit by encouragaig the reteution of 
money within the colony which otherwise finds its 
way elsewhere. 
The " I-ndfan Fokestbb" has the following con- 
leLt»: No. 12— Dec.;mb<r. 1893 — I.— O iginal Arti- 
cles and Traus'atioas : A T ur iu Jiunaar, No. C. 
S lerotia io a White Art.' Ne»t, The Oamphor in- 
dus'ry in Formtisa (traiisUtion frum the Qerman). 
II.— Correapondeuce : Te.-t ox w<.od'. Ulier rotn 
W. H. L. quoted into Tropical Agriculturist, L«ual 
dutv o> A'sintai ce and lufonuato , le i<t Irom B. 
H. B. P., A Toar in Jauusar, letter irjm ET B. F^r- 
oandtz. III. — Official Papers an i ImeiLg. n^e: The 
new draft Ruhs egirdm^ ti< ttl meot an < iho po-i- 
tioos of Rrvenue and Forent Officers. IV. — Bevinw : 
The beginniogs of the Royal Botanic Gar ten atCil- 
cu'la, Report on Oanal Plantatiouo, N.-W. P. f >r the 
yearending 3lBt March 1892. V.— Shikar ai d Tiavel : 
' A m«n-eater' by G. li. T. with an introdaetiuo by 
A W. Peet. VI. — Ex racts Xo'ei aa.i Qaeri.:s : T e 
Adiroudaok Pa'k, Worlu's Fair Notri, Jipnueae Oam- 
phor. VII.— Timbi r and Produce Irale: Churohil ; 
and Smh's Cironlar, Nivnmbfr 5th, 1893, Market 
Rates of Produce. VIII. — Extracts from Official 
Gazettes. 
China and Ceylon Teas —We call attention 
to au interesting letter givea on page boi fiom ine 
Shanghai Daily News, whioh ooutains a gjod deal 
of plain speaking aoout the quality ui China 
tea and the local burdens on the same. J'Ue 
informatian is of special value to us with reference 
to the possibility of a revival of the China trade 
to the United Kingdom shoull exchange tooiinue 
favourable. Wo are told how •' large contignmeatd" 
of China tea have been shut out of New Turk a3 
unfit for human food. Tais is news to us, and 
exaot partioulara of this experience to be 
obtbined, no doubt, in New York, sboald form 
a splendid advertisement for the ciean y-pre- 
partil, pure Ceylon teas. In fact muoo use 
mi(ihc be made ot "K.a" ' s letter altogether 
and its frank admissions, in this conn ction. Of 
course, the object of " K. B. " is to g t part of 
the 30 per cent of Chinese official exactions on tea 
remitted : we suppose this levy may be cousidered 
as equal to at least 2 i alb., a rale which may 
be considered eqaivalent to the exchange t>d vantage 
recently, if not at present, held by China over 
Ceylon teas.— It is not Lk-,ly that there wil. ba 
any reduction of the ofiloiai levies this year at 
any rate. The news of Russian buyers leaving 
Fooohovf in disgust is hopeful for Cejlon if true : 
we only wish they would come to Colombo 
instead. Russia is only second in importance, as 
a new ooantry fo; oQi; teae^ tQ AQQiiosi 
