Nov. 1, 1898.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
311 
COCONUT PLANTING IN THE 
EASTERN PROVINCE. 
We had a very favourable account the other 
day from that veteran Surveyor and keen obser- 
ver, Mr, O'Dowd, senior, of the new coconut 
plantinfi district around Tivukovil, in wliich so 
njany planting capitalists have recently invested. 
He thinks the soil equal to any already planted 
with coconuts in the Eastern Province ; and when 
the palms come into bearing, it is pointed out that 
sea-transport will be very convenient. Meantime 
in the more northern districts of the Province, there 
are considerable extensions under way. Mr. 
Carey has instructions to plant up 300 acres of 
the reserves on the well-known Ouchterlony group 
of estates. These estates were recently valued for 
the proprietors by Mr. C. E. H. Symons ; but the 
decision thereon was not to sell, but to extend 
cultivation. High exchange will, of course, react 
adversely on coconut as on tea estates ; but 
there is not the large outlay for factories and 
machinery to encounter in the case of the former. 
Still, it may be a question, looking at the tropical 
world generally, whether the next cry may not 
be one of "over-production" for the exported 
products of the coconut palm ! Our estimate of 
the area planted, or bought for planting, during 
the past three years in Ceylon, is not less than 
between 40,000 and 50,000 acres taking all the 
provinces into account. There is, however, the per- 
manently large home consumption of the palm 
products to console, at least, native proprietors of 
estates ; and we may hope to see new uses for 
coir and perhaps an extended demand for copra, 
tor oil and for desiccated coconut, spring up. 
THE JAVA QUININE FACTORY. 
Mr. Van Prehn, who has the technical control of 
the Bandoeng quinine factory in Java, has addressed 
a letter from the Hague (where he has been staying 
duriug a part of his sojonrn in Europe) to the direc- 
tor and board of the Company owning the factory, 
protesting against the treatment he has received. 
Hia letter throws light on recent events in Java, arid 
will be taken by some as another piece of evidence in 
support of the theory that the Dutch cinchona plan- 
ters will never be able to agree on a scheme for their 
common protection. Whilst Mr. Van Prehn has been 
in Europe trying to come to an arrangement with 
the German quinine makers his conduct in other res- 
pects has been severely criticised in Java. We will 
gite extracts from his letter, which will reveal the 
state of affairs between the various parties. 
Mr. Van Pkeun says ; — 
I was affected in a most painful manner on learn- 
ing the nuraeious complaints and reproaches cast at 
me insinuating that I had acted, and was still acting, 
in opposition to the true interests of the Bandoeng 
quinine manufactory. On numerious occasions, ilr. 
Van Heeckeren, in consultation with myself, drew up 
sundry draft contracts and distributed them amongst 
the cultivators of cinchona bark ; according to the 
terms of these contracts, the latter were iuvited to 
38 
undertake to deliver yearly a certain quantity of 
cinchona bark to the Bandoeng quinine manufactory 
for the purpose of having quinine manufactured 
therefrom. 
The producers, however, fouud they could not agree 
to the terms of [the last] contract, and consequently 
we do not receive a single offer. Many of them 
were unwilling to agree that these quinine should be 
consigned to a firm nominated by the IJandosng quinine 
maiiuf.ictory without any consultation on its part as 
to the wishes of the owners of the quinine. I was, 
moreover, unable to agree to the compulsory obliga- 
tions which it was souglit to impose upon the planters. 
Besides these, there were several other conditions 
which did not suit the interests of the producers. 
As a rule the sale outright of the raw material was 
preferred to the manufacturing of the same against 
payment of a stipulated price, with settlement at 
the end of the working year. Even the offer of an 
advance of 8 florins per kilo, of sulphate of quinine 
had no attraction for them. Many would have nothing 
to say to an advance, and demanded earlier and 
quicker settlements. That several planters accepted 
this advance was entirely owing to my efforts. I 
saw that it would happen that many planters after 
the first trial consignment would send no more cinchona 
bark to our factory, especially when a rise in the 
price of the bark clearly showed that the sale in 
the form of bark in Amasterdam was to a consider- 
able degree more profitable than the manufacture 
in Baudoeng with subsequent delayed settlements. 
Besides all this, reports were circulated that others 
proposed lo establish factories to compete with the 
Bandoeng manufactory and which would buy the birk. 
I allude to the Pengnleogan manufactory, which 
declared that it had a million florins disposable where- 
with to buy bark, and pay for the same on the spot. 
Another project was that of Mr, Van Meeverden, 
who was already in correspondence with, and in nego- 
tiation v/ith Mr. Henny, of Batavia, with the idea of 
BUILDING A QUININE MANUFACTOEY, 
and of buying the bark. Dnder these circumstances 
our Bandoeng manufactory, with its scheme of manu» 
factoring for a stipulated resompenoe, could not con* 
tinue to exist. 
The scheme was a source of unceasing remonstrance 
and complaint ; first one about a difference in weigh- 
ing the bark, then another about the result of the 
analysis, and yet another about the time of settling 
and the pecuniary circumstances. For example, pro- 
ducers who had given in their bark when the price 
was G cents were not very well pleased with a final 
settlement on the basis of a lower average price Ac, 
(fee. The scheme when in operation was both un- 
satisfactory to the manufactory, and aroused dissatis- 
faction and complaints with the producers. I thought, 
and I am convinced, that I acted in the interests of 
the manufactory when I made, with a few favourably- 
inclined and independent planters, arrangements 
which enjoyed their favourable consideration. 
I will refer to a paraorapli which can be read in 
the circular of Messrs. Kerkhoven aud DdVries: — 
" Three-fourths of the cinchona produced by Java will 
go in the usual manner to Europe aud be manu- 
factured there into quinine for the consumption 
of Europe, America and Africa. The remaining fourth 
part will be mauufactured in Java for consumption 
in Asia and Australia, &c." When one of the Messrs. 
Kerkhoven asked me what I wanted for myself, I 
replied that I did not stipulate for anything for my- 
self, and I only solicited their co-operation in order 
to save the shareholders in the Bandojng quinine 
manufactory from loss and injury. I have chosen to 
enlarge thus upon this matter, because a fourth part 
of the early production of cinchona bark in 7ava 
represents twice as much quinine as the factory 
can at the present time turn out in a year. 
Thus, I succeeded in rendering all competition on the 
part of others in Java impossible, because during the 
period the factories were in course of construction there 
would be no oocasiou to buy any bark, and at the 
