Vol. XI. 
COLOMBO, SEPTEMBER ist, 1891. 
[No. 
THE CEYLON PLANTING 
ENTEEPELSE : 
MREAfUNDEEpTEAfANDrOTHER'PRO-^ 
E are now in a position to 
Rive the main results of the 
plantirg returns wbioh have 
heen pnuritig into onr office 
for the past month or six 
weekp, the same being separ- 
ately verified as far as 
Tinpoihle by the estate mercantile agents in 
rnlnraho. Out of a total of 6P7,832 acres returned 
as I'nehided in the plantations of tea, coffee, cacao, 
cnr'^nmomfl and cinchona in the island, not 
quite onehnlf or 333,953 acres are given as 
undfr cultivation. Of this latter area, the total 
under t^a »1one is 237.310— or a« increase of 30,000 
acres of tea in the twelve too«*7w— apart from some 
9,f)00 acres of tea planted along with eofiee, cinchona 
or cacao,— soon we may be sure all to be tea. In 
round numbers therefore and allowing for clearings 
to he planted in the coming North-east monsoon, we 
mav say that the close of 1891 will see 250,000 
acres under tea in this island. Now considering 
the considerable proportion not yet in bearing, 
it is clear that if our total export of tea 
this season is to reach nearer to 70 than 60 million 
lb., the average yield for the distrieta will not be 
much less than 375 lb. per acre; while if the 
quarter million of acres are to give 100 million 
lb. of tea by 1P94 or '5, the average will then haVg 
to be exactly 400 lb. per acre. 
Turning to other 'rroduotp, poor old " Coffea 
Arnbiea" cultivated alone, only shew" 98.899 acres 
for the island, apart from about 17.000 acres of 
coffee with ten, cinchona or cacao, and also apart 
from about 1.800 acres of Liberian coffee. 
Oaoao covers 10,597 acres alone, while over 
4,000 acres more of it is interspersed with coffee or 
tea. Of Oftrdawows ^boutj 5,000 acres atej still 
euitivatgd, the same as jaei v'sar. Of Oiuebona, we 
hive S,062 acres and §38,000 trees separately 
yefurned, apart from ejBohona interspered between 
coffee and tea over 15,680 acres. Altogether 
we may estimate the equivalent of about 
9,000 acres with cinchona or a falHng-ofP in the 
past year of 6,000 acres which have been cleared 
end planted with tea. In June 1890, we put 
the number of cinchona trees over 2 vears old 
growing in the island, at 19 677,000. Now the 
total can not exceed 12 million trees, and 
putting their 'average yield at 1 lb, dry bark per 
tree, that would show that Cevlon has no more than 
12 million lb of " 2 per cent bark " to contribute to 
the world's requirements, and if this is spread 
over say the next three or four years, the 
annual export is likely to fall to 3 or 4 
million lb. If the statistical position of the 
Java cinchona industry could be made equally 
plain, we might expect to see a far more hopeful 
position established in the cinchona bark and 
quinine markets of London and the ContineDt 
oi Europe. 
FUEL CONSUMPTION OF INDIAN 
EAILWAYS. 
According to the recently issued Administration 
Eeport of the Direotor-Oeneral of Indian Railways, 
the consumption of fuel on all railways during 1890 
compares as follows with the consumption during 
1889. 
fWe summarize the figures.! 
English coal 224,776 tons in 1889 and 203.678 in 
1890. Indian coal 583 923 and 641.443, Total coal 
806 923 and 84.'),021. Coke 13,093 and 13,386. Patent 
fuel 24,560 and 18.594. Wood 331,617 and 318,7.S1. 
A note to patent fuel and wood seems to Indicate 
that the figures for 1890 are only approximate. — 
probably below the truth. On the aboye figures 
it is remarked : — 
" The total congumption of co»I during 1890 w»s 
greater by 4-72 per cent, bnt the qnantity of English 
coal decrensed bv 9'43 per cent, while that of Indian 
coal rose by 10"18 per cent. The total conscmption of 
coke increased 'by 2'23 per cent, and tbut of patent 
fuel and wood decreased by 24*29 and 3-88 per cent, 
respectively, 
Australian coal seems to be mixed up with Eng- 
Ush. We need scarcely remind our readers that 
the working of railways in many pnrts of India 
has' the advantr;vf> of Tncnl s 'np'Jes of coal, wli'^h 
is not the case in Ceylon. With us only small 
quantities] of J coal ^are used, mainly on the steep 
