382 
THE TROPICAL AGRICLLTURIST, 
[Dec. I, 1897 . 
country ranges from 90 inches at Galle, 88 at 
Colombo, G 8 at Negombo to 54 at Chilaw. The 
temperature in Cochin ranges from 80° to 90° Fahr. ; 
whilst on the sea coast in Ceylon the ther- 
mometer averages only about 79 at Galle ami 
Puttalam and 80 degrees at Colombo. In both 
particulars there is t.ierefore a considerable excess 
over Ceylon. 
“ The cultivation of the coconut palm for nut- 
production and coiii'a-making, so far as these 
terms are ai>plicable to Ceylon, is much intlu- 
enced by the ciiaracter of the natives of the two 
countries. The Sinhalese are not a painstaking- 
people ; the natives of .South India are more in- 
telligent and will take very mucli more trouble in 
all the work of their hands. Xo doubt the 
natives of both countries recognise the good old 
proverb, that ‘ the coconut tree likes to hear 
the people talk,’ and the good effect of burning 
the dry fallen leaves underneath them to des- 
troy injurious insects. Tlie Indian ‘ prunes ' 
his trees : that is, he cuts away the old stalks 
wliicli liave home nuts. For cultivation a very 
simple process is piactiseil, viz , breaking up the 
soil about the roots generally into little heaps, 
into which are brought the ashes of burnt leaves, 
at the time when the immediate advent of the 
monsoon is apprehended. Both these simple 
processes increase the yield of nuts, so that in 
ordinary years there is a bunch of ripe fruit, 
often of 12 nut.? to be gathered every month. 
“The making of copra |s a careful operation in 
India; and far otherwise in Ceylon. The nuts when 
opened are not placed on the bare ground in the sun 
or exposed to a fire ; but clean mats are put down 
to which the women attend, taking them in at 
night or covering them over on the approach of 
rain. The pressing of the oil by the checku is 
the same in both countries* ; but even in this 
part of the process the Indian is the superior in 
oleanly methods. 
.“These few hints are given for what 
they are worth. It is not supposed our native 
friends in Ceylon will change their methods ; but 
European proprietors and superintendents of 
coconut plantations by accepting these recom- 
mendations may increase the produce of their 
trees and improve the quality and value of their 
oil. Sometimes a red tint is observable in the 
oil. This arises from too long delay between 
the gathering from the tree and the conversion 
of the kernel into copra by exposure to the 
sun ; especially when the nuts in tlieir husks are 
piled in heaps in the open air, geimination having 
commenced witliiii the shell. These should be 
carefully avoided, germinating nuts being dis 
carded. What is desired is a clear colourless oil 
when linally pumped into the casks for shipment, 
to jirooure a white solid sample when offered for 
sale in London or at the Continental Pons.” 
Vve now return to the inacticfil question with 
which we oiiened. Surely, we may say we 
have as e'ood coconut palms in Ceylon as on 
the Cochin coast ; as good soil and a climate 
equally favour, 'iblc at least in the disiricts North 
of Cidoml.io (and in Battiealoa and Jafl’na?); 
and if this be granted what is to hinder equally 
g)od copra being prejiared here? It seems tons 
that the ex))lanation must be found in the 
greater care exercised by the natiies of Cochin 
in their handling .and drying of (he copra— a 
fact that is testiiied to by both our mercantile 
* We suppose there are European oil-preparing 
mills at Cochin as at Colombo? — Ed. T.A. 
correspondents, and that it should be quite possi- 
ble, say in the Maravila and Chilaw districts, 
if not in the Negombo district— to prejiare with a 
little extra care, copra equal to that of Cochin. 
For instance, not only can Negombo, Mara- 
vila and Chilaw (including Kajakad.aluwa) boast 
of most luxuriant palms growing in fine soil ; 
but even Cochin can scarcely show a much larger 
number of dry sunny d.ays during which copra 
might be prepared. We lind that the meteoro- 
logical record for the several centres of coconut 
cultivation in Ceylon runs as follows ; — 
Average annual total : 
Name of 
Rain- 
Rainy 
Dry 
Side of 
Station 
fall : 
days ; 
days; 
Ceylon. 
Colombo 
88-52 
171 
194 
We.,t 
Heneratgoda 
93-84 
t48 
217 
West-inland 
Kalutara 
86-03 
151 
214 
South-West 
Galle 
91-47 
206 
1.59 
South 
Matara 
68-26 
19 
266 
South 
Negombo 
67-11 
98 
267 
West 
Chilaw ( Horakclle) 
65-45 
92 
273 
North-West 
,, (Raiakadaluwa) 51i 
106 
259 
North-West 
Puttalam 
46-36 
78 
287 
North-West 
Kalawewa 
50-14 
76 
289 
North-Central 
Kurunegala 
84-12 
168 
197 
Central (low- 
country) 
Jaffna 
47-68 
72 
293 
North 
Batticaloa 
54-85 
101 
264 
East 
From the above we would specially select the Ne- 
gombo, Chilaw, Kurunegala, .latlna and Battica- 
loa districts and ask, for what reason — if suffi- 
cient manual care be taken— as good and at- 
tractive copra cannot be pre[)ared from the co- 
conuts in each of these as in i*ochin ? We have 
heaid, indeed, of plantation copra from Batticaloa 
being pronounced very superior to ordinary Cey- 
lon. Is this an established fact ? If there is no 
other remedy, would it not pay on some of our 
plantations to import some natives of Cochin ac- 
customed to manipulate the coconut kernels for 
copra in that State ? 
We await the opinions, or experiments of practi- 
cfil planters in the districts referred to, from 
whom we shall be glad to hear on the subject ; 
for surely, if increased care in preparation 
increase the price of a great part of Ceylon oil 
even ten or twenty, much more by thirty-six 
per cent., there is ample reward awaiting the 
experiment. One point may be raised as to the 
greater proportion of stearine in Cochin coconut 
oil ; if (ihis be due to soil, we should have to 
get samples from Cochin to analyse and com- 
pare with our Ceylon coconut soils* ; but we 
cannot believe there can he much difference in 
this respect between the best of our West 
Coast and the Coast of Cochin. The difference 
is most likely to arise from the more careful 
cultivation of the palm, the plucking of ripe 
nuts only, and the watchful manipuhation, as 
already described, of tiie kernels to secure the 
best copra. All thi.s should be within the 
reach of coconut estate proprietors in Ceylon, 
at least in some of the districts we have selected 
as :uo...t allied to Cochin in climate and soil. 
CEYLON VS. COCHIN COPEA. 
On the subject of (lie above article 
we have drawn u[) the following questions and 
circulated them among authorities in Colombo 
who have not alrea<!y given us their o]iinions : - 
The first set of answeis to reach us, is from 
Messr.s. Volkart Brothers, and this firm with 
*■ There is a valuable chapter of analyses for 
“ Cocomits ” (soils, nuts, oil, &c.), in Cochran’s 
“ Coylon Manual of Chemical Analyses.” — E d. T.A. 
