846 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[June  r,  1897. 
The  quality  varies;  the  coca  grown  iu  a dry  soil  is 
I'etter  than  that  cultivated  iu  damp  localities,  lilce 
that  from  Chuquillanqui,  which,  although  reaching 
three  or  four  feet  iu  height,  has  not  the  same 
strength  and  properties  as  that  from  Callancas  and 
Huayobamba.  There  are  about  eighty  small  coca 
planters  in  Las  Pampas  and  Callancas;  over  one 
hundred  in  Compin,  and  scarcely  twenty  in 
Chuquillanqui ; it  is  but  a few  years  ago  that  the 
cultivation  of  the  plant  has  been  introduced  in  those 
places,  and  therefore  too  recently  for  its  full  deve- 
lopment.— El  Comercia,  La  Paz. — Oil  Paint  and  Drug 
Beporter. 
^ 
COCONUT  OIL. 
This,  the  staple  oil  of  the  Colony,  is  in  very  small 
demand  at  jiresent,  and  no  sales  can  be  made 
locally  beyond  what  will  satisfy  a somewhat 
limited  demand  from  India,  the  Straits  and  China. 
The  present  depiession  is  mainly,  if  not  entirely, 
brought  about  by  exceptionally  abundant  sup- 
plies of  tallow  in  Europe  and  America — the 
chief  competition  with  coconut  oil  in  the  manu- 
facture of  soa]i,  candles  ivc.,  and  the  outlook  is 
anything  but  reasiiring  to  holders  of  coconut  oil. 
The  stock  of  tallow  in  London  under  last  ad- 
vices was  d2,2M  casks,  against  1.5,71(5  and'20,GoO 
casks  respectively  at  same  period  of  1S9(5  and 
1895.  Spot  iniccs  in  London  of  cocoinit  oil  and 
tallow  in  April  of  1895-7  were  : 
1895 
Ceylon 
Coconut  Oil  ■ 
- £23-  5 
1896 
do 
- 22-15 
1897 
do 
- 22-  0 
1895 
Tallow 
(good  mutton)  - 
- 23-  0 
1896 
do 
- 19-15 
1897 
do 
- 19-  5 
It  will  be  noticed  at  once  that  while  the  price 
for  tallow  has  receded  £3-15  per  ton,  Ceylon 
coconut  oil  only  shews  a decline  of  .£1-5  per  ton. 
This  is  mainly  due  to  exceptionally  small  stocks 
of  coconut  oil  being  held  in  London  of  late 
years,  not  exceeding  on  a average  (5(10  tons, 
and  if  any  important  quantity  was  shi])ped  to 
the  United  Kingdom,  prices  would  in  all  likely 
hood  run  down  almost  to  a par  with  those  for 
tallow.  As  we  go  to  press  telegraj)hic  advices 
duote  coconut  oil  on  spot  nominal  £21-10,  no 
sales  and  prices  tending  downwards.  f)nly  once 
within  the  last  ten  years  has  the  spot  price  of 
coconut  oil  in  London  been  lower  than  it  is  at 
present,  this  was  in  October  1892  when  the  price 
was  £21-5. 
Oui  exports  of  coconut  oil  (taken  from  Ceylon 
Uhamber  of  Commerce  returns)  to  India  the 
ytraits  and  China  were  : 
6,2(50  tons  in  • 189(5 
1,859  „ - 1895 
I, 407  ,,  - 1894 
7,663  ,,  ■ 1893 
against  exports  to  Europe  and  America  of 
10,650  tons  in  - 1896 
1(5,74()  ,,  - 1895 
22,8(J9  ,,  - 1894 
II, 717  ,,  - 1893 
The  Eastern  markets  (especially  Calcutta)  are 
very  important  ones  as  the  foregoing  figures  show  ; 
yet  it  is  to  Euro])e  and  America  that  we  must 
.still  look  for  the  chief  ofltake  of  coconut  oil, 
and  so  long  as  competing  products,  such  as  tallow 
and  palm  oil,  are  in  abiimiant  supply  there,  so 
lorn'  we  fear,  must  we  look  for  a weak  market 
au(.r  low  lu’ices  on  tins  side. 
It  is  true  that  the  manufacture  of  desiccated 
coconut  is  increasing  steadily,  and  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  exports  for  1896  are  2,000,()00  lb. 
in  excess  of  the.se  for  1894,  but  the  consumption 
of  coconuts  which  this  increase  represents,  is 
not  of  sullicient  importance  to  tell  on  ihe  market 
tor  copra  when  oil  is  depressed  in  the  main  con- 
suming countries  through  successful  competition  of 
other  oils  and  greases.  So  far  as  we  can  see  relief 
is  not  likely  to  he  forthcoming  in  ihe  near  future, 
if  tallow  continues  to  How  into  the  consuming 
markets  in  such  qualities  as  to  prevent  any  aj>- 
preciable  diminution  of  stocks.  Growers  of  coconuts 
must  therefore,  we  fear,  be  ])repared  to  receive  on 
tlie  average  lower  prices  in  1897  than  they  have  been 
accustomed  to  receive  in  recent  years. 
EULKING  OF  TEA. 
(From  Our  London  Letter.) 
London,  April  9. 
THE  CEYLON  AS.SOCIATION  IN  LONDON  AND 
THE  INDIAN  TEA  AS.SOCIATIO.N  (LONDON) 
have  this  week  been  called  upon  once  more  to 
deal  with  comi)laints  of  the  indill'erent 
(SULKING  OK  TEA 
ottered  for  public  sa'e— in  many  instances  the 
entire  ab.sence  of  bulking.  The  loudest  com- 
plaint came  to  the  Ceylon  and  Indian  Associa 
tions  Liirongh  the  Loudon  Tea  llrokers’  Associa- 
tion from  the  London  "Wholesale  Tea  Dealers. - 
The  Committee  of  the  Tea  Dealers’  Association 
passed  a resolution  which  stated  that  the  require- 
ments of  the  clause  in  the  public  sale  condi- 
tions which  declared  that  “ these  teas  have 
been  inspected,  and  bulked  (if  necessary)”  had 
not  been  carried  out  in  a great  many  cases. 
The  Committee  added  that  they  must  insist  on 
this  condition  being  faithfully  observed,  and 
that  in  the  event  of  any  jiaivel  not  having 
been  Imlked  in  the  Indian  Warehouse  a state- 
ment to  the  ed’ect  that  it  had  been  bulked  in 
India  and  Ceylon,  and  inspected  in  London, 
should  be  inserted  in  the  catalogue.  The  Tea 
Brokers’  Association  sent  this  resolution  on  to 
the  Ceylon  A.ssociation  in  London,  and  the 
Indian  Association.  Mr.  W.  G.  Price,  the  Secre- 
tary to  the  Tea  Brokers,  also  received  a letter 
on  the  subject  from  Messrs.  J.  Tetley  and  Com- 
pany, who  stated  that  they  had  had  many  com- 
jilaints  of  great  irregulariiy  in  the  bulking  of 
Ceylon  tea,  and  i|UOted,  from  a letter  written 
by  one  of  their  agents  wjiich  said  that  irregulari- 
ties had  been  of  “such  frei)ucnt  cccunence  as 
to  call  for  inqicrativo  action  on  the  jiart  of  the 
wholesale  trade.”  “Ntdhing,”  the  letter  went  on 
to  say,  “ can  lie  more  destructive  of  conlidence 
in  the  merchant,  or  create  a greater  feeling  of 
insecurity  in  the  mind  of  the  buyer,  than  a false 
.sample — wdiich,  in  plain  English,  is  what  care- 
lc.ss  or  neglected  bulking  amounts,  to.”  Mr.  T. 
-I.  Lipton  goes  farther  than  this,  for  he  has 
circularised  the  buying-over  workers,  vowing 
that  he  will,  in  future,  decline  to  look  at  any 
“ bought-ovei's  ” unless  the  teas  are  guaranteed 
as  having  been  bulked  in  Lomton,  and 
asking  that  no  s.tmples  shall  he  suhmitted 
of  teas  that  arc  not  thus  guaranteed. 
A meeting  of  the  Te,a  and  Produce  Committee 
of  tlie  Ceylon  Association  was  held  on  Monday 
to  consider  the  matter,  the  members  present  being 
Messr.s.  J.  Hamilton,  W.  Herbert  Anderson,  W. 
J.  Thompson,  '1'.  Stretch,  F.  H.  M.  Corbet,  A. 
L.  IliitchisoM,  .1.  L.  Shiuid,  W.  M.  Leake,  G. 
W liitc,  A.  Ih'ooke,  A.  G.  Stanton,  S.  J.  Wilson 
ami  C.  J.  Scott.  It  was  decided  “to  invite  the 
