May 1, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
760 
COCONUT CULTIVATION IN CEYLON 
AND FIJI. 
Mr. Edward McCarthy, - an experienced 
coconut planter now of the Rajakadaluwa 
dijstrict, Chilaw, sends >is a very instructive 
and useful letter in reference to the bearing 
powers of the coconut palm and the foolish- 
ness of drawing deductions from the ex- 
periefice of one or tsvo trees, or again of 
supposing that all small nuts are to come 
to maturitj',— or that, once again, a head of 
100 or more small nuts will give more oil or 
copra than one of 50 to 60 large, fully- 
liiatured nuts. All these qualifications indi- 
cate the directions in which, alone, sound 
comparisons can he made. Mr. Tarte of Fiji 
and any other planter proud of his prolific 
palms, must not only tell us of the number 
of nuts per tree and of trees per acre; but 
also the weight of the nuts, of the re- 
sulting copra, or oil, per acre. Then indeed 
■hall we be in a position to institute a fair 
comparison with the best plantations in 
Ueylon. 
MATALE PLANTEES" CASE FOR THE 
COCOA THEFTS COMMISSION. 
(Extracted. ) 
Cocoa stealing has contiuued in a greater or 
less degree ever since CoGoa came generally into 
bearing some 14 or 17 years ago, the question of 
degree coinciding with the variation in prices, thu3 
from 1889—189.3 prices were at their higliesS and 
stealing was rife, so that after considerable .agita- 
tion a Commii-sion was granted in 1895. But in 
thenieaniime in 1S94 prices fell until Cocoa was 
almost unsaleable and thefts al-o fell away, figures 
and data had not been collected so that wlien the 
Commission sat after a year in viliich there was 
little or no theft, there was no proper evidence to 
place before it, and although men were prepared to 
swear that they had suffered severely from thefts 
some 16 months previously, they had to admit 
that at the present time they were not suffering 
in that way. Sufficient stress not being laid on the 
fact that they were not robbed because it was 
hardly worth anyone's- while to rob them. A record 
of thefts had not been kept and the fact of the 
absence of specified case?, was held by the Com- 
mission of 1895 to prove that a sufficient case had 
not been est.iblished. A Trial of rural folicewas 
however recommended and failing that, a Receivers 
Ordinance was to be cried. Tlie rural police was 
given a fair trial. The cost of them is small, planters 
had every reason to adopt this form of protection 
if it was'found eflicacious, but ib was not so. Such 
success as was attained was due to the personal 
influence biouf<ht to bear on the headmen by the 
Government Agent and his assistant. This is of 
course so far satisfactory, but itis not law and past 
experience has taught us that individual effort is 
not the proper thing to rely on in such a case. 
We may mention that in all reports on rural 
police, the cost of Estate Watchmen is ignored 
whereas the cost of them was vory considerable ; 
on oiie Group which came under the system, being 
about R500 per month. 
We have to point on - that the As.sistant C^overn- 
raent Agent of Matale-after two years' experience 
of cocoa stealing, and of the active management of 
rurii police, pronounces himt^elf at the < iid of 1901, 
in the most unqualified way as in favour of s|)ecial 
legislature, taking the form of a Keeeivor.- Ordiiijuice, 
|)lus certain restrictions on cccoa groweis. 'J'hi;< 
paragraph was framed into a resolution which was 
brought before the Planters' AsRociation of Ceylon 
by the Chairman of I he Matale 1 lanteis' A.ssocia- 
tion, and carried unanimously : — 
SPECIAL LEGISLATtON FOR CACAO STKAUNG. 
'' We, the undersigned, are of opiniou that the laiv, 
B8 it now stands, is not Bu6Bcieut for the protection of 
Cacao-proprietors. We would, therefore, respectfully 
suggest some amendment of the Pratdial Products 
Ordinance, which, while continuing to make the 
possession of Green Cacao without a satisfactory 
account of such possession an offence, might also 
provide against the dishonest possession of liipe and 
Cured Cacao. We should also bs grateful for any 
protection against receivers " which ihe Government 
may be disposed to "grant." 
This embodies tlie deniand< '.A hotli Eurofiean 
and Native planters. It is well known that natives 
suffer severely, and often pick' th°ir c ooa betore 
it is ripe to save it from the!;. I'cstimony as to 
a specified case of this can be given ! y Mr J B 
Tennant, Mr Lyall, and the \s.-isiaut Government 
Agent of Matale. 
There are in Matale 7,000 acres of European 
Estate cocoa in bearing. As to the acreage of 
native owned cocoa, there is some uncertainty. It 
is given by the ' Assistant Government Agent of 
Matale as 2,200 acres, there is no Government 
record of tiie native acreage in bearing. According 
to Government figures there would he l,-500 acres of 
native owned cocoa in bearins./-, aiul :'C(!ording to 
the planters' estimate there wuuld be 1,000. The 
Matale cocoa is despatched by the Railway, 
and from figures very kindly given us by the 
General Manager, C.G.K., we obtain the follow- 
ing results : — 
1902 — Despatched by Europeans from Matale, Uku- 
wella and Malvern Stations cwts 11,46-5, to which we 
add cwt 1,137 sold by Europeans to Natives, making a 
total of cwt 12,602, giving an average of cwt 1 80 per 
acre on European Estates. Owts. 
Despatched by natives from the same stations 4,366 
Less purchased from Europeans 1,137 
3,229 
Giving an average on Government figures of 2'1.5 per 
acre, and on Planters' figures of cwts 3'1 per acre. 
We wish to say that European owned cocoa is 
easily distinguished by the nan'.es of the Estates be- 
ing m.arked on the bags and by its being consigned 
to well-known firms in Colombo, European owned 
cocoa is nob forwarded by any Native Age-icy 
at the Stations mentioned. The native gardens 
taking a liberal estimate, may perhaps have been 
cwts. 1,500, leaving . cwts. I,7i9 totally unac- 
counted for. — And this is a year when the Rural 
Police system has been worked for all it is worth. 
When Cocoa Planters Hrst approached Govern- 
ment on this subject, their case was dismissed 
by the then Colonial Secretary by the curt 
remark that cocoa could afford t« pay for its own 
watching. Such an utterance shows ignorance 
of the subject. C^ coa Planters do not and rever 
have asked Government to relieve them of tlie 
duty of watching their Estates, what they do ask 
is that the law should 
NOT ALLOW UNDOUBTED THIKVFS TO ESCAPE. 
On another occasion one of iiis watchmen was .<tab- 
bed, and bis gun stolen. Many other instiuices 
could be added, Mr Martin has tried Rural Police 
