534 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb.  i,  1893. 
appreciable.  But  a difference  of  1,847  cwfc.  (or  about 
ten  per  cent  of  tbe  total  export)  in  respect  of 
Cocoa  is  more  serious. 
We  have  now  to  note  especially  that  while  be- 
tween the  extremes  of  tbe  decade,  teahaB  risen  frcm 
1,641,810  to  71,153,667  lb  ; yc-t  the  small  increase 
over  1S91  of  less  than  three  millions  must  be 
deemed  a great  check  on  the  progress  hitherto 
indicated.  But  if  the  return  of  68,274,4201b.  fcr 
1891  be  treated  as  quite  exceptional — as,  in  fact, 
ten  million  lb.  above  what  it  ought  to  have  been, 
— then  we  get  a fairly  regular  outturn  rising  since 
1888  by  10  to  12  million  lb.  annually  and  this 
season  would  then  show  13  in  place  of  3 millions  of  an 
advance.  We  must,  of  course,  await  the  estimate 
of  the  Planters’  Association  before  referring  to  the 
probable  outturn  for  1893  ; but  we  believe  the 
general  current  of  opinion  points  to  a figure  be- 
tween 77  and  83  million  lb.  as  the  anticipated 
official  estimate  for  the  present  year. 
Coffee  need  not  detain  us  long,  the  woeful 
falling-off  of  last  year  making  it  of  less  impor- 
tance than  ever  ; and  yet  how  great  the  encourage- 
ment in  good  prices,  to  revive  this  industry, 
espeoial'y  in  Liberian  Coffee,  in  the  island. 
To  think  that  between  1883  and  1893,  the 
export  of  our  old  staple  should  fall  from 
over  300,000  to  only  43, COO  cwt.  is  very  lamentable 
indeed.  Nor  do  we  get  much  comfort  from  Cocoa, 
seeing  that  while  we  shipped  over  19,000  cwt.  in 
1889,  and  20,532  in  1891,  only  17,327  were  available 
last  year.  If  this  produot  is  to  give  alternate 
crops,  we  ought  to  have  an  export  of  over  22,000 
cwt.  for  1893.  In  Cardamoms  tbe  returns  are 
steadier,  though  the  falling-off  last  year  on  the 
previous  one  was  considerable. 
Turning  to  native  produots,  we  find  Cinnamon 
keeping  up  fairly  well  ; while  the  exports  of  the 
various  produots  of  the  Coconut  palm  show  up 
exceedingly  well,  indicating  indeed  a wonderful 
increase  last  year  in  oil,  copra,  punac,  and  desic- 
cated coconut.  Here  Ib  a summary  of  the  exports 
for  1892  : — 
Shipping 
CoconutoOil  . 
..  cwt. 
Tons. 
...  560,977  equal  to  34,436 
Copra 
• »2 
...  134,590  „ 
11,215 
10,208 
Punao 
...  204,166  „ 
Deeiocated 
Coconut  . 
. lb. 
...3,849,724  „ 
3,849 
Coconuts 
..Number  ..  9,717,386  ,, 
9,717 
Coir  Fibre  . 
..  cwt. 
...  43,445  „ 
7,140 
Do.  Yarn  . 
...  101,375 
13,000 
Do.  Rope  . 
• if 
7,895 
986 
Against  say 
Shipping  tons...  „ 
71,153  shipping  tons  of 
90,561 
tea — so 
that  even  if 
we  add 
for  coffee,  cocoa, 
cinchona 
bark  and  cardamoms — which,  last  year,  we  reckon, 
gave  together  about  8,700  shipping  tons— we  only 
gat  a little  below  80,000  shipping  tons  for  all  the 
produce  of  our  “planting  districts”  in  he  usual 
acceptance  of  the  term,  against  over  90,000  tons  for 
tbe  exported  produce  of  cur  one  leading  palm  and 
leaving  out  of  view  the  enormous  quantity  of  its 
produce  consumed  in  the  island.  Here  we  remark 
that  we  fear  the  trade  in  “ desiccated  coconut  ” like 
so  many  new  things  started  in  Ceylon,  has  been 
overdone;  but  then  we  know  how  impossible  it  is 
to  prevent  competition  having  its  full  swing  when- 
ever there  is  a ohance  of  profit  from  a new  industry, 
in  the  present  day. 
Before  leaving  the  Coconut  Palm,  we  may  attempt 
an  estimate  of  the  value  of  its  produce  exported 
in  1892  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Tea,  Coffee, 
C.'cos,  Circbona  Bark  and  Cardamoms  credited  to 
the  plantations  chiefly  in  European  hands.  Taking 
generally  the  quotations  found  in  the  Chamber’s 
latest  Price  Current,  the  following  is  the  result  — 
Nomirial  averages.  it 
Coconut  Oil.. '550,977  cwt.  at  R.15’50  = 8,540,143 
Copra 134,590  cwt.  at  48  per  candy 
of  560  lb  „ 1,292,064 
Poonao  .204,166  cwt.  at  88-75  perton  „ 905,960 
Df  siccated 
Oocoi  ut...  3 849,724  1b.  at  21c.  per  lh.  „ 808,442 
Coconuts  No.  9,717,386  at  K38  per  1000  „ 369,246 
Coir  Fibre...  43,445  cwt.  at  R6J  - 271,531 
„ Yarn...  101,375  cwt.  at  B9  „ 912,375 
„ Hope...  7,895  cwt.  at  B 9 ,,  71,055 
lvio.  a 1 w.oiy 
Treating  “ Estate  produots  ” in  the  same  way  we 
have  a muoh  more  important  return  : — 
Coffee  Plantation  40,604  cwt.  at  E80  = 3,248,320 
177,730 
407,599 
32,019,145 
1,282,198 
465,637 
Native 
2,539  „ 
at 
70 
Cinchona 
6,793.320  lb 
at 
Oc- 
Tea 
71,153,657  ,, 
at 
loc^ 
Cocoa 
17,327  cwt. 
at  R74 
Cardamoms 
372,510  lb 
at  Rl  25= 
Total  1137,600,629 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  although  the  “ shipping 
tons " of  “ estate  ” produots  worked  out  to  a 
good  deal  less  than  those  represented  by  the 
coconut-palm  exports ; yet  that  in  value  the 
former  represent  a sum  nearly  three  times  larger 
than  is  due  to  coconuts,  even  though  tea  is  very 
moderately  estimated. 
We  now  pass  on  to  Plumbago  and  observe  that 
last  year’s  export  of  426,761  cwt.  showed  a notable 
increase  (26,500  cwt.)  over  that  of  1891,  although 
nearly  50,000  owt.  behind  the  unprecedented  ship- 
ments of  1889.  The  future  of  the  plumbago  in- 
dustry in  Ceylon  is  full  of  interest,  more  espe- 
cially when  the  application  of  European  engineering 
skill  with  steam  engines  and  improved  pumps  to 
seme  of  the  pits,  is  beginning  to  take  effect.  If  the 
improved  working  is  found  to  be  a success  finan- 
cially, we  may  see  quite  a revolution  in  the  in- 
dustry all  over  our  plumbsgo  country.  Meantime 
we  have  yet  to  see  how  far  Travancore  plumbago 
is  to  prove  a rival  to  the  Ceylon  article. 
There  is  not  much  to  Dote  in  respect  of  some 
minor  Exports — Ebony,  Deer  Homs,  t apan  Wood, 
Orehella  Weed,  Kitul  Fibre,  —in  the  Chamber’s 
table.  The  trade  in  Ebony  is  but  a fourth  in 
msgnitude  of  what  it  was  seven  to  ten  years  ago, 
although  last  year  showed  a great  improvement  on 
1891.  On  tbe  other  hand,  Deer  Horns  made  the 
poorest  show  on  record  in  1892;  while  the  export 
of  Sapanvrood  gave  a great  leap  forward  from 
an  average  of  between  2,000  and  3,000  cwt.  to  a 
shipment  of  no  less  than  10,704  cwt.,  only  reached 
befora  in  1883  when  we  sent  10,280  cwt.  Orehella 
Weed — the  lichen  common  in  Ceylon  on  trees  in 
the  stunted  coast  forests  of  the  dry  zone,  on  our 
North  west  coast  chiefly,  and  which  is  used  for 
making  litmus  paper  and  for  dyeing — fell  off  in 
1892  to  120  cwt.  against  774  the  year  before  and 
1,394  cwt.  in  1887.  Kitul  fibre  on  the  other  hand 
gave  a good  return  for  1892  in  2,491  cwt.  against 
1,899  the  previous  year.  There  remain  but  the  two 
Essential  Oils  in  tbe  table  before  us,  namely 
Citron6lla  and  Cinnamon,  Thefoimer  gives  one 
of  the  highest  exportB  on  record,  13J  million 
ounces  in  round  figures  for  1892,  being  only 
exceeded  in  1890  when  over  14|  millions  were 
shipped.  Of  Cinnamon  oil  the  export  106,303  ounces 
was  a good  aeerage,  tbe  ugh  16,500  ounces 
behind  the  shipments  in  1891.  Altogether, 
to  judge  by  tbe  Chamber’s  table,  the  Export 
of  our  Staple  Products  during  last  year  was 
fairly  satisfactory  both  in  volume  and  value. 
