THIS  I’ROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[bEPT.  2,  li>95. 
j6o 
increase  in  tlie  output  of  Tea.  AVe  have  sent  away 
already  more  thanol  million  Ih.,  of  tea,  as  against 
4o  million,  42  million  and  40  million  lb.,  during  the 
first  half  of  the  three  years  preceding.  If  theincrease 
has  been  steady,  and  so  far  gratifying,  it  is  satis- 
factory to  note  that  the  advance  is  no  longer  by 
the  leaps  and  bounds  which  gave  the  w’hole 
Colony  such  [)le.asnre  when  the  industry  was  in 
its  infancy.  We  are  quite  content,  to  let  other 
countries  outshipus  astiiey  may,  that  the  develop- 
ment of  the  industry  shoulil  keej)  pace  with  the 
demand.  For  one  thing,  we  are  not  lagging 
behind;  nor  have  we  come  to  the  end  of  our  tether  ; 
and  the  readiness  with  which  all  the  tea  that 
we  produce  is  taken  up  is  the  best  evidence  that 
we  are  not  going  too  fast.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  would  be  a fatal  mistake,  against  which  we 
have  uttered  more  than  one  note  of  warning, 
to  place  any  restrictions  on  the  reasonable  and 
natural  e.Ktension  of  cultivation.  To  do  so 
while  we  are  doing  our  best  to  find  new  markets 
for  our  teas  and  to  strengthen  our  position  in 
markets  we  have  already  won,  would  be  to 
place  ourselves  in  the  unfortunate  jHisition 
of  not  being  able  promptly  to  respond  to  the  very 
ilemand  we  have  toiled  to  create,  and  to  divert 
caiiital,  as  has  already  been  done,  from 
our  own  shores  to  other  lands.  While  not  re- 
laxing in  the  least  in  the  efforts  which 
have  made  our  teas  known  in  every  civilized 
country  in  the  world,  we  should  see  to  it,  in 
our  own  interest,  that  the  lack  of  Ceylon  tea 
of  any  grade,  would  not  biing  our  rivals  into 
prominence,  and  thus  weaken  our  own  iiosition 
in  any  place  in  which  we  have  gained  a footing. 
While  saying  thus  much,  are  Me  not  justilied 
in  drawing  attention  to  the  lower  average  M-hicli 
our  teas  fetch,  Mcek  after  week,  in  comparison 
w ith  Indians,  and  even  to  the  difference  in  price 
between  our  “stand  out”  teas  and  those  of  our 
big  neighbour?  In  this  connection  mc  Mould 
draw  special  attention  to  the  counsel  containetl 
in  Messrs.  Com',  Wilson  and  Stanton’s  circular, 
M'hich  we  issued  .as  a Supplement  on  last  Tnesd.ay. 
We  cannot  aim  too  strenuously  after  .a  high 
standard,  and  at  the  same  time  strive  to  m.aintain, 
and  even  increase,  the  fei  tility  of  our  .soils  by  theaid 
of  manures  and  l>y  intelligent  cultivation.  We  Mush 
M'e  could  believe  tliat  sufficient  attention  is  being 
paid  to  these  m.atters  throughout  the  country. 
t)f  course,  there  are  honourable  and  striking 
exceptions  ; lint  the  genev.al  rule  seems  still  rather 
too  like  contentment  M itb  things  .as  they  .are. 
The  uncertainty  of  Cocoa  crops  is  exhibite<l  in 
the  figures  before  ns,  Mhich  at  I.S,9(i2  cM’t.  for 
the  half  year,  give  an  adv.ance  of  over  50  per 
cent  on  last  year  s exports,  M'hile  they  arc  short 
of  those  of  IHO.'I  whicli  stood  at  21,324  CM  t.  for 
the  six  months,  the  lignrcs  for  the  same  period 
of  1S02  having  been  12,404  cm  ! . 'J’he  alternatii  c 
hi''  and  little  crops  M hich  characterized  coffee  seem 
iuTm-  to  (listingnish  this  product  ; but  if  the  out- 
Inrn  of  tlic  current  year  should  fall  short  of 
that  ftir  1S!»3,  the  lU'odnccr  Mill  be  entitled  to 
much  symi.athy,  esi»ccially  in  \ icM-  of  the  wii,y 
that  prices  hai'e  tumbled  doM'n.  fetill,  cocoa  is 
a very  useful  string  to  the  planteis  bov. , a.s 
are  .also  Cardamoms  Mhich,  M'ith  an  exiiort  of 
•>13  742  111.,  are  a minor  product  by  no  means 
to  be  despised.  The  figures  for  the  current  year 
are  in  excess  of  those  for  the  three  previous 
years,  .and,  with  the  prices  uom-  ruling,  there  is 
every  enconiagement  for  extensions  into  moist 
and  slnwly  corners  of  ostiites. 
Cinnamon,  despite  reiiorts  of  bad  .seasons  .and 
trouble  M-ith  )>eelcrs,  hohls  up  its  head  hr.avely 
—the  exports  for  the  half-year  of  (593,891  lb.  of 
quilled  bark,  being  in  excess  of  the  figures  for 
the  two  jirevious  years,  though  100,000  less  than 
the  first  .six  months  of  1892  shoM’ed.  In  Chips, 
however,  this  year  distances  the  three  preceding 
years  by  betM'een  130,000  to  140,000  lb.,  so  that 
in  the  total  it  stands  first.  Ibices  too,  .after  a 
long  interval,  .are  continuing  to  be  satisfactory  ; 
and  the  steady  demand  for  the  spice  augurs 
well  for  the  future.  The  mysteries  of  (’oconut 
Oil  are  difficult  to  f.athom.  The  falling-ofl  in 
exports  this  year  of  4(i,(X)0  CM't.,  as  compared  with 
last  year,  .ami  of  .al)ont  107,00(3  cwt.  .as  compared 
with  1892,  brings  1895  almost  on  a line  M'ith  189.3, 
when  146, 112  cwt.  M ere  exported  during  the  first  six 
months  ; but  prices  have  not  lisen  in  sympathy 
M’ith  the  limited  supply.  Can  iC  be  that  the 
.snp))ly  has  shrunk  in  vicM-  of  the  restricted  de- 
mand ? Tlie  seasons  have,  no  doubt,  hail  some- 
thing to  do  M’ith  the  exports  of  Coconut  Oil,  as 
with  those  of  Co}u'a  M-hicli  stands  at  about  one* 
fourth  of  last  year,  one-half  of  1893,  and  one-fifth 
of  1892.  The  dronglits  of  last  year  have  told  on 
(Mconnt  crops,  while  the  Desiccating  Mills  have 
proved  greedy  customers  for  all  the  nuts  produced 
M'ithin  a certain  radius.  The  quantity  of  the 
desiccated  jireparations  Mhicli  have  left  our 
shore.'',  is  returned  at  3,588,915  lb.  or  somcM-liat 
more  than  double  the  Hgures  for  last  year; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  latter  lialf 
of  1894  saM'  a considerable  increase  on  the  first 
half,  and  that  1895  so  far  shoMs  an  advance  of 
only  half  a million  lbs  on  the  figures  for  the 
corresponiling  months  of  1893.  An  increase  of  15 
|»er  cent  in  the  output  of  desiccated  j)rei)arations 
in  tM'o  years  should  be  nothing  remarkable,  if 
thet.aste  for  them  is  groM’ing  ; but  there  .are  mur- 
murs of  over  production  and  leadingtofallingprices. 
“We  fancy  th.at  mills  in  M'hich  iiu.ality  is  studied,  and 
the  ]U’ocesses  arc  carried  on  M’ith  cleanliness  and 
thoroughness,  have  nothing  to  fear.  Of  Coconuts 
M'o  exported  over  5 million — an  average  number  ; 
but  in  IMunibago,  there  is  a falling-oil’  about  5U 
per  cent  as  conqiared  M’ith  1892  and  1893.  This 
year  is  slightly  ahead  of  hast  year,  M'hen  the 
exports  of  the  mineral  Mere  only  F22,582  cMt.; 
but  as  a demand  has  sprung  up,  and  better  prices 
are  said  to  be  ruling,  the  second  half  of  1895  may 
possibly  .see  heavy  ex|>orts.  (.'oir  shoMs  an  increase 
in  rojie,  j’arn  and  fibre,  but  not  anything  much, 
though  tlie  supply  is  believed  to  be  in  excess 
of  l.ic  ilemand  in  London.  The  remaining  minor 
exports  call  for  no  sjtecial  rem.ark  ; but  deer, 
elk  and  sambur  horns  m.ake  ,a  very  small  sIiom- 
M’ith  only  159  cwt. — a natural  result.  Me  suppose, 
of  the  measures  taken  to  check  the  indiscrimi- 
nate slaughter  of  game. 
PLANTING  IN  S UMATK A TOBACCO  c.v. 
COFFEE. 
Dcli-Snmatra,  July  6. 
You  are  quite  right,  Sumatra  would  be  better  than 
German  East  Africa.  But  there  arc.  no  billets  going 
here  as  coffee  is  yet  in  its  infancy  ; and  the  line 
tobacco  prices  I'ealised  for  last  crop  have,  for  the 
present,  rather  thrown  coffee  into  the  shade  again. 
What  is  wanted  is  a moneyed  partner  for  coffee  here.  I 
can  imagine  no  better  investment.  Tobacco  of  course 
is  better  for  those  that  know  it.  But  it  fully  bears 
out  the  old  Duke's  saying — “ A high  rate  of  interest 
means  bad  security.”  The  other  day  I Mas  travelling 
with  a Manager  of  a Tobacco  Co,  whose  operations 
last  year  cost  t35.000.  and  Imlf  of  the  crop  has  just 
brought  in  .t;7(),(XK) ! ! Pro-di-gi-ous  ! ! 1 
I have  just  had  a run  over  to  Perak:  but  only  saw 
th«  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Taipeang.  In  noway 
was  1 favorably  impressed  : but  I am  lu-ejiidiced 
against  the  Peninsula  perhaps. 
Somebody  in  Kandy  has  got  his  hair  off  about  my 
cock-a-doodle-doos  ! 
