Jan. 1, 1900.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
ESTIMATE OF THE WORLD'S PEODUCE OF NUTMEGS.* 
IN TONS (1000 K.G.) 
I. Netherl. East- 1815 1817-19 1820-29 1830-39 1840-49 1850-59 1860 1865-74 1875-84 1885-94 
Indies. 
% of 
lotal. 
Bandagroup 
241 
195 
244 
220 
297 
317 
536 
470 
580 
600 
0 1 * 
Moluccas 
3 
12 
12 
45 
62 
70 
140 
160 
10-— 
Celebes 
48 
180 
150 
9-4 
Sumatra 
— 
50 
50 
20 
15 
37 
43 
150 
240 
340 
19-6 
Java ... 
. 

30 
30 
60 
80 
4-9 
Total Neth. East 
Indies 
241 
245 
297 
252 
324 
399 
671 
768 
1200 
1304 
81-3 
II. Others. .. 
Penang 
Singapore 
— 
— 
— 
26 
86 
15 
263 
120 
391 
200 

140 
j- 200 
12-5 
eylon 
25 
West-Indies 
10 
10 
100 
6-2 
Total Outside 
Neth. E. Indies 
20 
101 
383 
591 
10 
175 
300 
18-7 
Total World's 
Produce 
241 
245 
297 
278 
425 
782 
1262 
778 
1375 
1604 
100 % 
• According to statistical data 
GOOD AND BAD YEARS ALTERNATING. 
Banda-Crop : According to Valeutija the total 
produce reached in 1634, 666,747 lb. (Amsterdam) 
nutmegs and 183,720 lb. mace, During the de- 
cade 1662 — 72 the yearly produce is estimated : 
458,951 lb. nutmegs and 117,229 lb. mace. In 1710 
Siberg puts it at 704,000 lb. nutmegs and 176,000 
lb. mace. In 1778 the total produce sinks as low 
as 30,000 lb, nutmegs on account of a disatrous 
gale. The years 1785 — 1792 give poor results 
22,459 lb. nutmegs and 7,504 lb. mace. In 1809 
Daendels shows better results again 350,000 lb. 
(first estimate) 475,000 lb. (final estimate) nutmegs. 
In 1816 volcanic eruptions bring the figures 
according to Dr. Bleeker down to 127,289 lb. 
nutmegs and 31,809 lb. mace. The following years 
show better results. Especially 1860 proved a 
very good year, the produce being then estimated 
at 1,072,765 lb. nutmegs and 275,586 lb. mace. 
In 1867 the yield is only half of that in I860. 
The next years show rather abundant crops and 
especially 1876 with 1,341,000 lb. nutmegs and 
382,000 lb. mace. But in 1878 on account of 
excessive drought the crop is vevy poor once more, 
the yield being 464,000 lb. nutmegs and 164,000 
lb. mace. Noxt year the results are much better, 
and 1881 is again a year with a very large crop 
1,322,000 lb. nutmegs. In the following years 
the crop is good and repeatedly (1887, 1888) even 
abundant. In 1889 the crop is poor again 566,000 
lb. nutmegs ; whilst from the years after that up to 
1895, that of 1893 beats the record with the large 
crop of 1,400,000 lb. nutmegs and 352,000 lb. mace. 
The fact that good and bad years alternate at 
unforeseen intervals on accouQt of drought or 
territorial (volcanic) disturbances, is shown by the 
foregoing list of figures. 
{To he continued.) 
compiled by Dr. Warburg. 
THE GOLD MINES OF INDIA. 
It was stated in a previous number of British. Indian 
Commerce that coal and iron were not, by any means, 
the only minerals which abunded in India. The next 
to them in practical valae is gold, and as the India 
Government has finally decided to adopt a gold cur- 
rency and standard, the Indian gold mining induatry 
has acquired greatly increased importance. At what 
historical period the searching for gold was first at- 
tempted in India is a matter of some interest. The 
gathering of this precious metal at and near the 
surface was doubtless began in India, as in other 
countries, at a very early period. It was stated by 
Mr. S. U. Syed Ali Birgrami, a distinguished native 
metallurgist, in his essay on the " Iron Industry," 
that a human skull was found, in the Wundli Gold 
Mine in the Deccan, 210 feet below the surface. 
The ancient native miners in India did like the 
Romans in Spain, most skilfully work out the surface 
gold, but were stopped from going deeper by the 
influx of water. In the recently published book on 
"The Gold Mines of the "World," written by Mr. 
J. H, Curie, who has visited nearly all the mines of 
every country, the author says : " In regard to India, 
several of the world's greatest mines are found here." 
This is very high testimony. As the mines in India 
which are now being chiefly worked are those of 
Mysore, some of which have proved to be extraor- 
dinorily prolific, and those in the Nizam's territories, 
namely, Wundali and Raichore, Mr. Crule appears 
to have been greatly impressed with their richness. 
The former working of the Mysore mines was doubt- 
less profitably carried on by Tippoo Sultan and bis 
predecessors who, it has been historically recorded, 
had a vast accamnlatioa of golden treasure which 
had been extracted from the Mysore mines when he 
ruled the country. A great portion of the treasure 
doubtless fell into the hands of his captors when he 
was defeated by the English forces. These mines 
were probably then worked by slaves, but up to abont 
1870-71 they appear to have laid dormant or nearly 
so. Previous to that time there were always native 
searchers for gold, in and near the Wynaad. There 
were the "Fanoirs" and "Kornmbars," two native 
