M THE TROPICAL 
quantities. For a supplenietitary cultivation the 
growiag of camplior for leaf plucking is to be 
reconiineaded. 
The Citronella iudusfci y is still in a depressed 
condition, and showed a faliinj; off about 15 per 
cent. _ The continual adulteration of this oil with 
kerosine and other clieap oils, ^\llich are difficult 
to detect, has lowered the value of tliis oil, and 
the price, about 9d. per pound, does not make this 
cultivation Eufficiently remunerative. Until by 
means of putting sound oil on the market a cleau 
name is obtained for the Ceylon artic'c ; it cannot 
be hoped that the best prices, often Is. 3d. can be 
obtained. There is a large demand for this oil, if 
pure, bnt there are various substitutes which 
oafi be employed if the article fulls below a certain 
standard. 
Ctconutt are receiving more attention from 
planters, both European and Native; and the cul- 
tivation of this useful palm has generally improved. 
The exports of coconut oil and poonac have in- 
creased, of copra a little ilecreased, and the coconuts 
exported ^Yho!e is also less than 1901. The prices 
of all the various marketable produce of the 
coconut plam have been maintained. Advice has 
been given as to the value of Mimosa podica, 
»he feniitive plant, as a uitrogenou?* manure dug 
in ; the roots of the plant usually contain a high 
proportion of the module.« caused by bacteria whicli 
produce nitrogen, and experiments with this plant 
are so far most encouraging. The area under 
coconut cultivntion has been considerably in- 
creased, and a considerable selection of seed nuts 
is being practised in Uiany cases. 
The export of Cinchona bark has fallen con- 
•iderably. Some small areas have been planted. 
The prices f»r cinchona have not been tn- 
couragiug- Until tome efforts are made to improve 
the quality of cineliona planted by graftintf and 
•election, as has been so successfully done in 
Java, this Industry will not be sufficiently remuner- 
ative to attract planters. 
The production of Tea all over the Island has 
increased slightly, and the proportion of green tea 
has more than doubled, some 4.000,000 lb having 
bee« Bjade, The prices have been slightly lower, 
6§d. being the average price, against 7d. in 1901 ; 
but this is not due to any falling oft in the 
quality of the tea produced, but to the condition of 
the home market, which was rather over-burdened 
with •locks. Though the weather, •specially 
during the latter part of the year, has been most 
unfavourable, for both the health of the tea bush 
and the production of leaf; tea estates have not 
suffered to any special degree from disease. "Gray 
Blight" has been active in various parts, but not 
•o much as seemed probable from the climatic 
conditions. More cases of root disease have been 
recorded, but this is no doubt due to the fact that 
planters now recognise the cause of the death 
of the bushes, and not that this evil is on the 
increase. Very little, if any, tea has been planted, 
and the prospects of the industry seem generally 
hopeful. 
"Shot-hole Borer" and Helopeltis, and later in 
the J ear the Lobster Moth did some damage, but 
the advice of the Government Entomologist was 
sought, and means have been taken to combat all 
of these pests. 
Coffee production remains about the same, the 
•lijjht increase being due to a lather better yield 
than usual. The leaf diseas* shows no sign of 
AGRICULTURIST. [July 1, 1903. 
abating, and will not do so while there is all over 
the Island suificient coffee for it to continue an 
active existence. The only hope of being able to 
again grow coffee with remunerative profits lies 
in an exiinclioa of all the coffee plants in the 
Island, an almost impossible and unpractieable 
event. Tne table of the Jast ten years' produc- 
tion does not show the aesceut from the experts 
of the prosperous duys of coffee some thirty years 
ago, when more than 1,000,000 cwt. were produced 
and exported, or a hundred times the present 
output. 
The coadition of Gacao in the Island is pros- 
perous, but not without an element of dan- 
ger. The crops have been plentiful, and 
show an increased production of nearly 20 
per cent. Not much of this is due to new 
cacao coming into bearing ; it is chiefiy 
owing to improved crops on the majority of 
estates. The abnormal rainfall in the cacao 
district! (about 25 per cent above the average) has 
been in favour of the spread of the canker fungus, 
and on marjy estates the position in regard to 
freedom from canker is very little, if any, belter 
than last year. The estates where the remedial 
and pievsutive work has been carried out ener- 
getically are rapidly being freed from the disease, 
bub inese estates are only a small minority. The 
largeness of the crop has in many places prevented 
the crusade against canker being carried on effec- 
tively, as the amount of labour available for this 
woi k was less, extra labour being needed to get in 
the crop. The cost of curing was also increased 
by the absence of sunny weather, during which 
the cacao can be dried in the open at less cost and 
with better results than in the drying-house. 
A note of warning is needed that no planters get 
a lalse sense of security owing to the reduction 
to some extent of the ravages of the canker. The 
disease is still a menace to the profitable cultiva- 
tion of cacao, and should bo seriously and unitedly 
dealt with, A considerable sum of money spent 
in effectually ridding an estate of the disease as 
»«on as possible, ia a better investment than a half- 
hearted battle, and probably unsuccessful, spread 
over a long series of years. The prices of cacao 
have not been encouraging ; this is due to the 
fact that the old Ceylon red cacao bean with a 
brown break and a bright external colour is novr 
not easy to get pure. A seiies of observations in 
different estates show that even in fields of isolated 
red cacao 40 to 50 per cent, of the pods contain 
seeds of the " Forastero," or purple bean variety, 
in varying proportions from only one or two 
purple seeds in a pod to 50 per cent or more. 
More attention to the selection of heavy bearing 
trees— i.e.. that year after year crop heavily— and 
keeping e-states in a healthy condition are the 
most important directions iu which progress can 
be made in the profiiable cultivation of this valu- 
able product. 
There are now more than 8,000 acres of Carda- 
moms under cultivation in Ceylon. The quantity 
produced has increased during 1902 by about 10 
per cent., owing in a great measure to the 
abundant rainfall in all the cardamom districts. 
The prices do not improve. The most hopeful 
direction for progress with this ptoduct is in dis- 
covering the conditions which favour the fertilisa- 
tion of the flowers and so inducing an increase of 
fruit. No serious disease has affected cardamom 
plants, though a careful watch should be kept for 
