96 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
[Aug. ], 1899. 
(^(^)paJSUT OIL A>!D COPRA. 
rpjjp section devoted to Coconuts in the Kelani 
Y9,i,v;y Commissioner'f? Report contairs without doubt 
rome vtihiable information on the subject, but our 
attention has been drawn to certain averages which 
are apparently contradictory e g , that 1,<J00 nuts is a 
sa'e average of the number required to produce one 
candy (5(50 lb. or 5 cwt.) of copra, and copra contains 
'2-3id oil and J poonao : while 36 nuts is a safe average 
to calculate for a gallon of oil. And further that accor- 
ding to the usual calculation 2 nuts=l lb. copra. Now 
adopting these figures, as one correspondent points out, 
we arrive at curious results. On the basis that 1,000 
iiuts will give a candy of copra, we find that 3,000 nuts 
should give 15 cwt. copra, and that this ought to pro- 
duce 10 cwt. oil and 5 cwt. poonao. But then 15 cwt. 
copra=l,680 lb., which at two nuts to the lb. would 
require 3,3tiO nuts for its production. Again, if 30 nuts 
are required for one gallon oil, the number required 
for 10 cwt. (125 gallons) would be d.iiOO nuts- So that 
we thus have as a result of the calculation based on 
the above averages the unsatisfactory recult that 10 
cwt. of oil would require 3,000, or 3,3C0 or 4,500 
nuts (as the case might be). 
Another calculation gives an acre yielding 3,000 nuts 
as producing only 6 cwt. oil and 3 cwt. poonac, which 
is put down as equivalent to (not 9 cwt. but) 144 to 
15 cwt. copra. But how is the difference accounted for? 
Putting aside these figures for the present, we should 
like to know v»'hat test is adopted in the trade for 
ascertaining the percentage of oil in purchased copra, 
or is it merely judged " by the eye ? " 
Turning to Mr. Cochran's Manual of Chemical Ana- 
lysis, we find that the percentage of oil in copra may 
vary from 63 to 70 per cent, and the moisture from 2 
to 7 per cent. If there is no means of judging of these 
variations in a practical way, and if copra ia bought 
by weight, there is surely ample opportunity for finess- 
ing on the part of sellers. — Agricultural Magazine. 
[We suppose the process is one of "give and take" 
as it is in so many departments of marketable produce — 
somemenlike Mr. George Hedges in the case of ' native 
coffee,' have an instinctive faculty or long-trained ex- 
perience to aid them in discovering the true value of 
what is offered. — But what is tiie use of arguing over so 
variable a quantity as a coconut: 1,000 of one size v\ill 
give 560 lb. of copra, while it may require 1,600 of 
smaller nuts to do the same. — Ed. T.A.} 
THE FOOUHOW TEA TKADE. 
Foochow, May 27. — Business in the new seasons tea 
commenced on the 23rd inst. (following some early 
shipments of Pakling Congou as usual and a few 
contract chops of Panyong) and buying has gone on 
steadily since. The settlements to date are reported 
at 40,000 half-chests Congou and 3 COO chests Flowery 
Pekoe. The " Glaucus" calling in today for brick 
tea will also take about 1,100 tons of the new leaf for 
London. The " Glenshiel" is advertised to clear on 
the 2nd prox., the " Ceylon" a week later, and the 
"Kintuck" about the ISoli. There is a rumour that 
the " Uava" is to call on the 29th inst., but she has 
not yet been circulated. The " Stobberg" is to take 
the berth for Havre and Hamburg. 
We learn that on the openingpf theportof San-tu-ao 
it was intended that the teas of the Panyong and 
Paklum districts should be brought to this market by 
steamers, but that the dissatisfaction and discontent 
of the small army of natives hitherto employed in 
carrying the tea to Foochow was so great that the 
new method of conveyance had to be aban'?oned for 
the time being at any rate. Tho tea could not be 
left there to lose its market while a settlement with 
these good people was being come to and so the teamen 
had to give in, but no doubt swrne arrangement 
will be made later on. The noticci given to the car- 
riers was probably too short and it was only natural 
that they kicked at being suddenly deprived of their 
livelihood.-— £c/io, 
CEYLON TEA AT SYDNEY. 
Messrs. Alfred Harvey and Co. offered a catalogue 
of 758 Ceylons on account of Dalgety and Co., Ltd., 
of which "they sold 048. Price teas sold at fair current 
rates, deruand being btrong for lower grades. Low to 
fair broken Pekoes, aUhough a i^hade easier in price, 
were really unaltered, taking quality into con.>-ideratiou. 
Finer grades were nt glected, and passed in. Pekoe 
Souchongs realised from 7jd to 8d, Pekoes bjd, and 
broken Pekoes 8jd to lOd. 
Messrs. H W. Carey and Co. offered an assorted 
catalogue of China, Ceylon, and Indian tea?, under 
instructions from Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., and 
other importers, at the Exchange yesterday afternoon. 
For the bulk of tlie Ceyhujs, which consisted of high- 
grade Orange Pekoes, biddings were mnch below 
vendors' limits to be accepted ; for the Chinas and 
Indians also vendors' limits could only be partially 
compassed, but, ia the ^^ce of cabled advices from 
producing centres, holders were not prepared to 
sacrifice. 150 Ceylons changed hands under the 
hammer at yd to lOJd per lb., and 150 China Con- 
gous at C|d to Gid per lb. in bond. — Sydney Daily 
Telegraph, May 27." 
THE INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION. 
A meeting of the General Commitee of the Indian 
Tea Association was held at the Royal Exchange 
Buildings, Calcutta, last week. There were present: 
— Messrs. H S Ashton, H C Begg, W Brown, R 
Magor, G A Orniiston, M R Quin, A Tocher, 11 R 
Toynbee, and T Traill. On the motion of Mr. Begg, 
Mr. Ashton was unanimously elected Chairman of 
the Association for the year 1899 1900. Mr. Ashton, 
having taken the chair, proposed that Mr. Begg be 
elected Vice-Chairmau for the year. This was seconded 
by Mr. Tocher, and was carried unanimously. 
Ocean Feeights. — The average rate obtained by the 
Conference during the last four years from Calcutta was 
27s 6d per ton net, while the average rate from Colombo 
for about the same period was 23s which, in the 
opinion of the Conference, showed that the figures 
of comparison as between the two ports, which had 
been adopted by the Association, were fallacious. 
It was also impossible, with any fairness to compare 
the ratea of freight from Colombo with those from 
Calcutta on a mileage basis. Moreover, Col'^mbo 
was one of the cheapest, and Calcutta one of the 
dearest, ports in the world, and rates of freight on 
tea from any part of the world must be assimilated 
to the current general rate in that particular 
locality. The Conference consequently declined to 
make any change in the existing rates. The General 
Committee discussed this letter to some length. It 
was decided to await further information as to what 
action the Committee of the Association in London 
proposed to take in the matter, and meanwhile, to 
circirlate the papers to the members of the Committee 
for further consideration. 
One Pound Draft Allowance of Tea Sale^. — 
With his letter of the 28th April, Mr. Tye forwarded 
copies of a joint circular issued in London by the 
Indian Tea, Association and the Ceylon Association, 
asking support to a proposal to abolish the 1 lb. draft 
allowance on teas sold at public auction in London. 
This circular had been reprinted in Calcutta and 
issued to all members of the Association. The pro- 
posal was strongly supported by the General Com- 
mittee, and a number of favourable replies had been 
received. These were to be forwarded to London in 
due course. It svas understood that support had 
been received in Loudon to the extent of 83,880,5001b. 
of Indinn, and 29,702,0001b. of Ceylon, tea up to the 
time of writing. 
The Pakis Exhibition. — Considered (1) letter of 
21st ultimo for the Hony. Secy. "Nilgiri Planters' 
Association, asking whether a coffee room could be 
run in connection with the proposed Indian tea room 
at the Paris Exhibition, and the probable expense of 
so doing ; (2) letter of the 26th ultimo from the 
Secretary, United Planters' Association of Southern 
