Feb. 1, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRlCtJLTUillST. 
565 
To the Editor. 
CEYLOxX PRODUCE KV THE LONDON 
MARKKT, 
London, E C, J ui. 7. 
Dear Sirs,— The following information may be 
of interest to numerous readers of your Journal :~ 
Copra.- This week has been one in which selieis 
80 to spenk have the upper hand, but as is always 
the case, is has been a difficult thing to induce 
crushers to pay the advancing rates. Even in 
Hamburg today, buyers weie 5s to 7s 6 I per ton 
under what we have actually sold at in other mar- 
kets. Business was done iu Malabar Copiaearly 
in the week at £16 5s and today £l6 10s has been 
paid with further sellers at £16 123 6d for Ceylon 
(in comparison with Malabar) £16. is the full price, 
but there are no .'tellers thereat, the reason— we 
lielieve— being the fact that Russian operators in 
Ceylon are buying up as much Copra as possible 
on the spot. Consequently sellers are not inclined 
to offer unless at a premium in price. The position 
is strong, and as we write we fully expect that our 
markets will advance to the Ceylon price. 
Cocoa.— The first sales of the New Year consisted 
of 8,361 bags, of which 1,49."} bags were Ceylon. 
The market ruled steady, although the demand 
was very slow. It is not to be wondered at. com- 
ing so soon after the usual business stock-taking 
and the holHays. What was sold consisted of Good 
smalls at 56s '6d, ordinary 55s, fair 62s 6d to 63^, 
pood 653 to 73i per cwt. Native at 49s to 50s. 
The special demand for Ceylon has not yecsetin 
as purchasers wait until the new crop is well re- 
presented. Some of our best marks will not be 
here for a few weeks, bnt in time. 
Coir Yarn.— We have done a very fair business 
lately and find buyers anxious to purchase the 
better qualities and marks at full prices. The 
business is confined to narrow channels so that 
shippers who are careful in their selection and up- 
keep of standard quality particularly score in secur- 
ing a large share of the business going. 
Cardamoms.— Today's sales went off at steady 
rates, although there was more enquiry for Jlie bet- 
ter qualities. Home trade buyers had limited orders 
but there were very fair orders from distant buyers. 
About 317 cases were offered today but only about 
half sold, the best offered realising 2s 4d per lb. 
for good bold. 
Tea.—- Therowas good coajpetition in the Ceylon 
market, particularly for really fine tea which was 
scarce. For the time of the year the quality was 
generally fairly good. Pekoe soncbonKs were well 
competed for. Perhaps in some instances pekoes at 
B^d per lb were good buying values. The quan- 
tity offered comprised 29,875 packages of Ceylon, 
Rubber.— Supplies from Ceylon so tar have 
been small but all have been sold at good prices. 
The quality is nice and equal to any coming to 
the market, 1 here is room for further cniiivaiion 
and for much larger jupplies here, where the 
consumption is increasing. In S India we have 
supplied large quantities of seed and no doubt 
in a tew years' time, moderate supplies will be 
forthcoming. We believe in the cultivation of 
rubber from a plantei's point of view, ns a paying 
article. I'lanters in that part of the world will do 
well to eludy tiie Ceylon preparation. 
GiNGKR — Our spot markets are very flat ; a 
large arrival businc-o has been done with S India, 
the present value of rough washed being 258 to 
26f ci f, although we have done a larce propoi. 
tion of the business at considerably higher prices 
during the last few months. 
Kapok — Regular supplies come from S India, 
and a large bnsines^s has been done at prices 
ranging from 3d to 5d per lb. In small quantities 
it is obtainable in Ceylon. 
Coca Leaves. — The supply has fallen off lately, 
particularly for well curved leaves. The price for 
good green today is l82d perlb. — Yours faithfully, 
p.pro. JOHN HADDON & Co., 
W, A. 
CEYLON TEA IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 
London, 8th Jan, 1904. 
Dear Sir, — The tea figures published by 
the Board of Trade fire alwf.ys interesting 
at the close of the year. Those bearing on 
consumption generally, ;iud those of Ceylon 
particularly are now especially interesting. 
Those of consumption generally show the 
effect of the grievous burden of the 50 per 
cent additional duty imposed in 1901, eg.. 
Consumption (in United Kingdom) which had 
been increasing at about 7 million lb, a 
year, viz: — 1898 ... 235 millions. 
1899 ... 242 
1900 ... 249 
1901 ... 256 „ 
had the increase turned at once into a 
decrease of 2 million lb. by the additional 
duty, a decrease we have not much recovered 
from even yet. This extra duty may or may 
not have been necessary; but undoubtedly 
the cost of the Boer War fell heavily on the 
Ceylon and Indian Planter, and it was a 
hard measure, a grievous wrong, to take 
of? the registration duty on corn before giving 
any relief at all to the tea industry. The 
next point of interest in the Board of Trade 
figures is the lamentable way in which the 
home consumption has been transferred 
from Ceylon to teas of other countries. 
Since 1901 Ceylon decreased ... 12 millions lb, 
British Indiaincreased 3 ,, ,, 
Other countries ,, 9 ,, ,, 
Ceylon which had possession of the biggest 
racirket of the world, a market which takes 
half of the whole world's tea production is 
now losing its place in it, Ceylon taxed 
itself Od per 100 lb to increase its outlets. 
India now taxes itself 2d. Java and China 
apparently leave trade to its natural course. 
Surely therp iu one lestou to be learnt from 
this and to be remembered. — Yours faithfully, 
ALEX. BROOKE, 
CAMPHOR CULTURE AND PRP^PARATION. 
Palghat, Jan. 11. 
Dear Sir, — Will yon kindly give me any infor- 
mation at your disposal regarding Camphor, viz,, 
where 1 could get either reliable seed or plants, 
and if the latter whether they would carry as far. 
say, 36 hours from Tulicorin. I remember when I 
was in Travancore that we got some very expensive 
seed (I forget where from) and so far as I know 
not a single plant grew from it, it was said after- 
wards that the seed had been tuiiUJ before 
we got It. 
