THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. 1, 1900. 
have nothing to do with any Cocoa that shows the 
least sign of becoming *' wormy," and not to alienate 
such a good customer is in itself worthy of all the 
attention that can be given to the matter. 
The Government not being buyers this week, and 
the trade still being reluctant to buy publicly, no 
Cocoa Sales were held to-day ; however, from all reports 
this has been by no means an idle fortnight, over 
7,000 bags are reported as having changed hands, 
besides " several hundred '' bags, particulars of which 
were not published. The following figures will show 
the rate at which Cocoa is going into consumption 
during October— 1899-1898. 
» Imported ... 1,163 tons ... 1,273 tons. 
Delivered ... 2,127 ,, ... 1,806 tons. 
So that this year the deliveries during October alone 
exceeded the Imports by 964 tons, against only 503 
tons last year. 
On seeing the rate of increase in the consumption 
of Europe one is not surprised at the rapidity with 
which cocoa is being taken up ; here are the figures 
showing the increase in the consumption during the 
last five years. 
England consnmed 15,530 tons in 1898-99, against 
10,445 tons in 1894-95, increase about 50 % ; Prance 
ooDBumed 17,230 tons in 1898-99, against 14,630 tons 
in 1894-95, increase about 20 %; Germany consumed 
18,656 tons in 1898-99, against 9,447 tons in 1894 97, 
increase about 100 % ; Holland consumed in 1898-99; 
15,132 tons, against 8,664 tons in 1894-95, increase 
about 80 % ; and even Spain, hard up as she is, con- 
sumed 6,424 tons this year, against 4,481 tons in 1897-98. 
Mr. Edward Kynaston sums up the position -very 
accurately when he says : — " The home consumption 
of Cocoa as indicated by the Board of Trade returns, 
continues to show a steady expansion. On the Con- 
tinent also the consumption is known to be extend- 
ing, and the large production everywhere has met 
with a ready outlet, and has not entailed any undue 
accumulation of stocks. We shall commence next year 
with reasonable stocks, and if it is quite possible, 
crops do not turn out phenomenally large, as they 
have done this season, present prices, satisfactory as 
they are, may well become subject to a further increase. 
A cold winter following two mild ones will make a 
great difference in the consumption of Cocoa as a 
beverage, and estate owners may look forward with 
confidence to the coming season. 
The following are the stocks at the undermentioned 
ports :— 
1898. 1899. 
London 108,313 bags .. 97,618 bags 
Liverpool 1,735 „ .. 2,733 
Havre 95,729 „ .. 123,209 ,, 
The Havre stock includes 23,107 bags of Trinidade. 
•—Port of Spain Oazette. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Thh Earth Onion.— B»th the Geographical 
Jturnal and he Scottish Geographical Magazine 
for October publish Sir John Murray's presiden- 
tial address on Oceanography, delivered to the 
Geographical section of the British Association, 
says Review of Reviews. From the results it 
appears that considerably more than half of t 
sea-floor lies at a depth exceeding; 2,000 fatho : 
or over two geographical miles. A good deal o f 
geology is packed up in the following paragraph 
and its homely comparisons : — 
When we regard our globe with the mind's eye, 
it appears at the present time to be formed of con- 
centric spheres, very like, and still very unlike, the 
euccessive coats of an onion. Within is situated the 
rast nucleus or centrosphere ; surrounding this is what 
may be called the tektoaphcra, a shell of materials in a 
Btate bordering on fusion, upon which rests and creeps 
the lithosplicre. Then follow hydrosphere and atmos- 
phere, with the included biosphere. To the interaction 
of these six geospheres, through energy derived from 
internal and external sources, "may be referred all 
the existin^^ superficial phenomena of the planet. 
Tea Planting in the Matale Valley— 
has long been known to be very profitable 
and several favoured estates have, in some 
years, run the far-famed Gampola Valley 
premier plantation very close in respect of 
yield. JVlr. H. Storey, of Warakamure, has in 
this way placed on record in our '* Hand- 
book and Directory" that he has got up 
9931b. and 1,066 lb. per acre of made tea, 
irithotit nmnura—n wonderful result. In 
answer to an appeal, Mr. Storey has now 
supplied our contemporary witli a full return 
for 8 years— curiously enough since manui'- 
iiig set in. the yield has fallen, owing to 
unfavourable seasons with droughts : — 
Plucking Yield per 
Year. A\er'ge. Acre. Eainfall. Reuiarkt>, 
1892 80 (i88 76-90, 
18913 194 (595 .59-78 
1894 194 702 00-89 
1895 I94j- 812 87-24 f 
1896 198 99 104-06 
1897 204^ 1066 98-95/ 
1898 206 720 64-31 manured 60 ac. 
1899 213 !K)7 88-31 „ other 
60 acres* 
The very serious droughts of 1898did a great deal 
of damage to crop and to the tea also, and it has 
taken the wliole of the last year, with very careful 
treatment, to bring the tea round again. I am 
glad to be able to say, however, that now 
I have never seen the tea looking better. A 
very unusual drought during the height of 
the S. W. monsoon last year, and a very 
unsatisfactory December, affected my yield con- 
siderably as I had confidently expected 1,000 
lb. per acre. Two of my neighbours run me very 
close in yield, and I believe several other estates, 
north of Matale, can show very fine yield returns. 
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