840 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1, 1900. 
From euquiries that I have made, I now learn 
that there are many of those now connected 
with the Ceylon Association who have rnade 
arrangements, l;y which i hey and, (or) the Firms 
or Companies with which they are connec- 
ted, get, either directly, or indirectly advantages 
out of the charges levied by the members of 
the Tea Clearing House, which are denied to 
importers generally. 
This being so, it is not surprising that there 
is not the same energy displayed in carrying 
on the agitation for the reduction in rates, which 
would otherwise be the case. 
I learn that even the wholly inadequate reduc- 
tion of 5 per cent, has not yet been agreed to, 
althoutj;h strongly supported by the Joint Dock 
Committee. 
This disposes of your reference to the " great in- 
fluence undoubtedly exercised over the proceedings 
of the Tea Clearing House" by tlie Joint Dock 
Committee. 
It would seem tliat the collective votes cf a 
number of comparatively small wharves, is quite 
capable of rendering nugatory the efforts of the 
Joint Dock C >'amittee to do, what I am assured 
they are wishful to do, viz : make a substantial re- 
duction in ihe charges on Tea. 
The Tea Clearing House is, no doubt, a very 
powerful body, and may consi(ler that the Importers 
are at their mercy, but in the end, I believe, that 
they will hnd it politic to agree to a thorough re- 
vision of the rates; if they do not do so, I and those 
associated wit li me, who I feel sure will be sup- 
ported by the Planters generally, will not rest until 
a strong effort is made to break up the " ring " for 
good and all. — Yours faithful ly, (Signed) -p.p. DUN- 
CAN W. H. Skrine, Thornton A. Williams. 
London and India Docks Joint Committee, Cutler 
Street Warehouses, 10th April. 
Dear Me. Williams, — In my letter of the 5th 
instant, I omitted to mention that some months 
since the Docks Joint Co.iimittee brought the 
question of Tea Warehousing Charges befoie the 
Tea Clearing House Committee, and proposed a re- 
duction therein, which they continued 
steadily to presp, iinLil their efforts bave now been 
attended with partial success, — Yonv faithfully. 
(Signed) J. Greenway. 
Thornton A. Williams, Esq., 27 Mincing Lane. 
COCONUTS, OR COPRA? 
Hanwella, April 29. 
Sib,— The following figures taken from last 
year's record.s of the estate I am on, (20 miles 
from Colombo), may be of some use to your 
correspondent "(xoiya." 
Excepting a few thousand nuts, the whole 
crop was sold in copra. The average price 
obtained for the year was R41"13 per candy, 
1,1.38 nuts having been required to the weight. 
The cost of curing the crop, including husk- 
ing and burning of husks, was Rl"62 per 
l,OuO, which added to the cost of transport, 
gave a net proceed of R32'40 per 1,000 nuts 
on the estate. I may add that I have begun 
this year under better auspices, having ob- 
tajiii'il so far R3.5'28 net. 
Instates where nuts are easily disposed of, 
enjoying competition amongst buyers, need 
not make copra, but others less favourably 
situated, will find considerable advantage in 
welling their produce cured. 
It is time the growers should co-operate 
and endeavour to improve on the system, so 
far followed, in offering their copra to the 
buyers, which if organized will secure a full 
market value for their produce and their 
labour thereon. Z. 
COCONUT CULTIVATION. 
Hanwella, April 20. 
Sib, — Coconut planters must be grateful to 
Mr. Cochran for his scientific observations — and 
having supplied these with important information, 
showing what their produce removes from the soil, and 
what some of them, (unfortunately not all) return 
to it in different forms and proportion of fertilizers. 
Mr. Jardine contributes most useful and practical 
advice — which derived as it is from experience, and 
known success, nobody should hesitate to follow. 
In the Observer s editorial of the 6th instant, com- 
ments have been made upon the considerable diversity 
in returns from manuring — and the desirability of 
experiments being made to see to what extent the 
bearing could be increased by manuring. This could 
be done with a small patch or particular field, but 
not over a large area — unless it is on an estate — 
properly treated from its infancy — and otherwise 
a model one— besides manuring. 
It is beyond doubt that the coconut like almost every 
other product cannot be successfully cultivated with- 
out the use of fertilizers — but this is no reason why it 
should be considered imperative that it must be 
arithmetically and scientifically proportioned, to entitle 
us to a sure and abundant crop. The results of 
manuring must certainly vary with different growers 
— though they might follow the same prescriptions in 
form and quantity and this difference will be due to 
the composition of dilierent soils — irrespective of 
fertility and moisture available. A great deal will also 
be due to jat and the modus operanJi at the start, and 
not a little to the system followed in the application 
of the fertilizer. 
In the case of a modern plantation — the cautious 
planter will have been in the first instance careful in 
the selection of the land, and with the nuts for 
planting— so that the results of his labors to fol- 
low — cannot be disappointing. It is not so with 
old plantations more or less neglected. Here the 
cultivator is supposed to vastly increase his average 
crop, even to the extent of making a certainty of it — 
by manuring. Undoubtedly this must tend to an 
improvement, but time must be allowed and a more 
liberal system of manuring followed for satisfactory 
results. 
Mr. Jardine properly points out we must not only 
manure for fruit, but leaves, stem, and roots as well, 
and what a quantity some neglected trees will re- 
quire, before they can spare any for fruit 1 
Very frequently on old plantations we come across 
some very bad patches of soil, where little or no 
cultivation is possible, as the growth and spreading 
of roots are obstructed by stone, cabook, or laterite. 
The trees ia such soil — others of bad jat, — those with 
their trunks damaged, and barren ones : — on such 
little improvement can be effected by manuring, 
consequently this must tell on the average crop of 
the estate. 
I agree with Mr. Jardine and doubt the existence 
of estates on which the trees yield an average of 90 
nuts per tree. Should there be any, I do not believe 
that the owners of such estates are better off than 
those getting only 50 to 60, when the size of their 
respective nuts are considered in the out-turn of the 
number of nuts to the candy of copra. This is 
another point Mr. Cochran should consider in the 
making of his tables. 
Now that we are supposed to know the manurial 
ingredients required for the coconut, it will be useful 
to learn the different opinions respecting the system 
of application to be followed. This in my point of 
view being the most important. 
