November i, 1890 . 1 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
343 
1889 90 (about) ... 405,429 
1890-91 (Est.) ... 400,000 
We trust then that the season just entered on may be 
a busy and prosperous one for both European planters 
and native agriculturists and miner?. 
STAPLE EXPOKTS FOR THE OLD 
COMMERCIAL SEASON. 
We have now had our monthly export tables 
eorteoted at the. Customs up to the end of September 
as follows : — 
1889. 
Coffee Plan* 
Coffee Native. 
Coffee- Libs- 
Months. 
tation. cAvt, 
cwt. 
rian cwt- 
January 
10,941 
1,863 
19 
February 
12,263 
1,861 
72 
March 
4,567 
799 
Go 
April 
1,313 
1,582 
97 
May 
1,215 
852 
70 
June 
4,139 
807 
113 
July 
7,533 
25 
51 
August 
11,608 
181 
GO 
September 
2,917 
131 
85 
October 
2 415 
121 
« 
November 
5,066 
2BS 
13 
December 
... 
12,010 
142 
21 
1890 
77,207 
8,097 
707 
.January 
19,867 
966 
258 
February 
16,615 
131 
82 
March 
10,403 
666 
497 
April 
1,578 
3,056 
1,380 
401 
May 
726 
734 
Juue 
4,803 
524 
255 
July 
6,797 
2.56 
194 
August 
4,324 
42 
207 
S opteinljer 
1,920 
314 
87 
1889. 
Tea. 
Cocoa. 
Cinchona, 
Mouths 
lb. 
cwt* 
Ib 
January 
Febniar 
March 
April 
May 
.Tune 
July 
August 
Soptoinbor 
October 
No vein bar 
December 
1890. 
January 
Februar.v 
Marcli 
-April 
May 
June 
July 
August 
September 
V, 06.0, 041 
2,089,0! 
3,522,929 ' 
2,0:\l,0S2i; 
3,O00,6uS 
3,08.5 857 
2,7o2,241J 
2,729, 904 .t 
V, 01,1 47 
3,030,324 
2,01 5,628 
2,847,234 
33,7-52,012 
3,293 325 
3,1-56,583 
3.407.883 
4,122,827 
4,791, -586 
4,990,417 
5,256,538 
3.400.075 
2.044.883 
3,915 
2,328 
1,733 
.540 
227 
1,130 
1,210 
1,553 
412 
45 
271 
5,262 
18,629 
3,905 
2,1 11 
1,937 
1,333 
900 
6:13 
1.077 
097 
83 
1,076,700 
634,106 
813,34.5 
1,020.177 
827,733 
559,196 
-365,7-58 
1,035,154 
659, c77 
675, .318 
735,903 
715,562 
9,325,728 
620,311 
711,815 
796,090 
690,921 
874,650 
017,942 
653,982 
978.702 
010,847 
oeptemuei t. , ' 
Although there has always been a dieevepancy between 
the CuAoms and Chamber’s reckonings, it is of in- 
terest to see how the additions work out from Oct. 
188(1 to Sept. 1890 in the above tables. Here are the 
Results ; — 
Exports by Customs monthly report. 
Tt'A .. 1 st Oct. ’89 to 30th Sept. 90=43,804,233 lb. 
Cocoa 
Cinchona Bask „ 
COFFKE; 
Plantation 
NaMve 
LUieriau 
90,104 
5,436 
2,757 
18.208 cwt. 
8,086,243 lb. 
98,297 cwt. 
In all these oa=cs save Cinoliona Bark, the Customs 
returns show higher figures than the Chamber’s 
relmns, for the exports. 
in the prejudice of the native cultivators, which will 
require a long course of practical demou'tration to 
overcome. The price has been brought clown to at- 
moBt the lowest possible limit, the means of repairing 
the simple implements manufactured by Messrs. ,J, & 
F. Howard are provided, aud the amount of work 
(lone is excellent. 
The Sai lapet Plough is a very good aud useful 
implement, but when tried against Messrs. Howard’s 
Sinhalese Plough is found wanting, as testified by 
Mr. G. S. M’illiams, the then Government Agent, 
Kurunegala, wlio prefers the latter by reason of its 
extreme lightness and its capacity for cutting a better 
furrow. In South India a lighter plough has been in- 
troduced by Messrs. Ma'sey efe Co , of Calicut, and 
tried in a variety of districts with partial success. The 
Collector of South Aroot in reporting on these says he 
considers that their price is the great objection to the 
introduction of improved ploughs, aud ruggests that 
either Government should manufacture ploughs and 
tell them at cest price, or train local artisans in 
sechiiical schools to manufacture efficient and at the 
same time cheap ploughs. He a ludes al'o to the 
act that the ryot does not as yet appreciate the value of 
time, which is a great factor in estimating the value 
off improved ploughs ; it is cheapness that attract 
them. 
Practically the .same difficulties have cropped up in 
all places ; the cultivator fear.s, or pretends to fear, that 
the improved ploughs are too heavy for bis cattle ; 
the prices aslc d, though perhaps low enough in them- 
selves for the articles offered, appear high to a villager 
who ordinarily spends but little cash on tho purchase 
of a plough ; the novelty of the implement renders 
the local smiths doubtful of ’heir power to r pair the 
plouslis ; these men also discourage their introductiou 
from fear of losing their customary payment.s for 
repairs ; and finally, to.) often, much is b-th expected 
or exacted from the ploughs, and disappointment 
follows. 
The Director of Public lustruotion in O^ylon is do- 
ing much good work in endeavours to popuIarl.se im- 
proved light ploughs amongst the natives, and now 
that the cultivation of cotton and tobacco in being 
taken in baud by European plant“rs, more attention 
may be given to the ploughs manufactured by Messrs. 
Howards. 
As regards the native’s objection to English ploughs, 
and his ignoring the grea'. gain in the saving of lime 
by their use, it would bo w'ell to point out to him in 
what way the value of time saved becomes an important 
factor in the c ilculatiou as against cost. Th * cultivator 
knows well enough how often scarcity of pi ughi g 
cattle from murrain or siekiie -s amongst the vibage 
herds, hb ders work in the field, losii-g half the time 
required for ploughing, and so caua ng the sowing 
to be too late, to the loss of many a field of un- 
sown faddy ; whereas had the work been put through 
quickly, the whole extent of tillage might have been 
accomplished within the time of the r.^infall. It too 
often happens that cattle cannot be hired for any 
sum, so great is the demand at ploughing time. Then 
it is that an improved implement doing the work 
in hslf the usual time, would be of iolinite value, 
aud amply repay the cost. AVe feel confident that 
if this advantage of the improved English plough 
over the ordinary village implement were impre>sed 
on the cultivators’ attention, it would be more gene- 
rally adopted then is now Ihe case. In .South India 
many hundreds of light English pattern plough are 
being worked with alvantage, jot at one time in 
no part of the Bast was the prejudice against them 
stronger than in the Indian Beniusul:). — Ceylon 
Adrertiser. 
o 
LIGHT I’LOLUillS FOR CEYLON 
Trials of various kinds of bullock ploughs for use 
iu India ami Ceylon have taken place with more or 
less succos.s, and at the present moment further reports 
on their use are looked for. The obstacles to their 
use are well known, aud some, if not all, of those have 
been overcome ; tlicro is one, however, encountered 
TOB.VCCO COMPANIES AND TOBACCO 
SOIL. 
The eagerness with which capitalists and planters 
a-e taking up th eultivAion and prepiratiou of 
tobacco ill Ceylon and elsewhere, is almost equal to 
b at Avilh which others are iuvesting in nuriferoua 
