Feb. I, 1898.] 
I'HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
549 
Estate Supplies. — Prices in general have been 
steady. Tea Lead became dearer as the year closed 
and is likely to continue dear for some time. 
Tea Chests have been in ample supply and prices 
■»vere much lower on the average last year than was 
the case in 1896. 
Metals. — A large and steady business has 
been done in iron and other metals. Prices of 
bar-iron at home were a little dearer, but the 
variation has not been great. Hardware has 
been imported steadily, but business in this is 
of a hand-to-mouth character. 
Spirits. — The bazaar trade in Sjurits has been 
a large one, but it is questionable if this trade 
is in a healthy condition. More than one dealer 
has failed to meet his engagements during the 
past year, and the readiness with Avhich con- 
tinental e.xporters shipped cheap liquors for sale 
on consignment, wilt no doubt be lessened w hen 
returns are received. The following figures for 
the first 10 months of 1897 and 1896 are interest- 
ing 
10 Months 10 Months 
1897. 
1896. 
1 2,113 
1.420 
Cases Brandy 
V 1,939 
4,114 
,, Gin 
J 6,592 
5,386 
„ Whisky 
Entered for Home 
Consumption 
The taste for gin is apparently on the de- 
crea.se, whereas both brandy and whisky show 
ncreascd demands. 
Kick. — The year 1897 will be memorable as 
a year of dear rice in Ceylon. Soolye rice at 
the beginning of the year was worth R9'50 per 
bag wliereas in Se]itember the price had gone 
up to KIO'50 per bag. Other qualities of rice 
weie correspondingly dear. As the year closed, 
however, jtrires gave way considerbaly (about 112 
per. bag) and with a large crop in Bengal and 
Burma, we may look for a continuance of 
cheap rice for some time. Some fear was held 
of a ])Oor crop in Southern India, but recent rains 
liave dispelled anj' fear of short supplies in that 
district. 
Coal. — Indian Coal continues to be imported 
in largely increasing quantities, to the exclusion 
of English and Australian Coal. Cheapne.«a is 
the. gieat point in Indian Coal, and the quality 
of output is on the average better than in foinier 
years. It may be noted that Indian Coal is 
being laigely used by local mills in place of 
firewood which has become scarce and dear. 
Local consumers can obtain supplies of good Indian 
Coal from K14 to K15 at the Wharf. 
OUR STAPLE EXPORTS FOR TEN "kEARS 
AND DISTRIBUTION FOR 1896 AND 1897 : 
NATIVE PRODUCTS. 
On page 5.S9 we dealt with the figures 
relating to the Exportation and Distii- 
bution ot the principal products of the Coconut 
palm, and showed that the steady development 
of business, from year to year, had evidently 
been hindered by the low prices and slack de- 
mand ruling for Coconut Oil. In contrasting 
the smaller shipments of Oil last year with the 
figures for 1894 and 1892, we remarked that, had 
the i>rices been better and the demand brisker, 
there wa.s no reason why we should not have ex- 
ported as much Oil as in 1892, with perhaps a 
slight reduction in some of the other products. 
careful analysis of the figures shows that 
the last qualification requires revision, as the 
excess in Oil-exports of 1892 represents a far 
larger number of Nuts than is represented by 
the development of business in Desiccated Pro- 
duce and in Nuts in the shell ; w bile in Copra, 
too, 1892 beat last year. The result is that the 
shipments of produce in 1892 show an excess, 
calculated in Nuts, of about 48^ million Nuts, 
over the exports ot 1897. So that, so far from 
there having been an advance, there has been 
an actual falling-oil' ! The figures are instructive, 
and not the less so because they were unsuspected, 
and we place them for the two years, as re- 
presented by Nuts, side by side to facilitate com- 
parison : — 
Exports in 
1892. 
Nuts. 
Oil .. .. 275,488,5(0 
Desiccated . . 11,549,172 
Ripe Nuts .. 9,717.386 
Copra . . 30,148,160 
326,903,218 
The above figures are based on the calculation 
that a cwt. of Oil is equal, on an average, to 
500 nuts; alb. of Desiccated kernel to 3 nuts ; 
and a lb. of Copia to 2 nuts ; and they show 
diminished expoits in 1897 to the extent of 
48,450,730 nuts as com]>ared with five years ago 1 
The Island’s production haviig decidedly grown 
in that period, the shrinkage in exports inust 
be referied to a slack demand, leading to a fall 
in prices which resulted in the retention for 
home consumpiion of a larger pioportion than 
ever of the coconuts produced in the Island ; 
and home consumution represents an enormous 
quantity which it is most difficult to calculate 
accurately. 
We have not included the exports of Poonac 
in the above calculation, as Poonac is, in a 
sense, a waste luoduct, the outturn of which de- 
pends on the outturn of Oil— every cwt. of 
Copia yielding 2-3rds the weight of Oil anti 
l-3rd of Poonac; but the inclusion of the 
figures will not avoid the general conclusion. 
Tn correspondence with larger exports of Oil 
than in 1895 and 1896, last ye.ar .shows more 
Poonac sent away ; but we never rejoice at the 
growth in exports of a substance, every pound 
0/ which is needed in the Island for the feed- 
ing of stock, and for incrca.sing the productive- 
ness of the soil. So long, however, as the juices 
now ruling are maintained— averaging about R80 
per ton— only working and milch cattle, owned 
liy the well to-do or the more enlightened classes 
will be fed with the stuff; and it is rot sur- 
prising that nearly 200, ( CO cw t. of Poonac were 
exported. Our largest customeis were Belgium 
a«d Germany, which took over 90,000 cw't. each 
the United Kingdom being content with 4,84^ 
cwt, Italy and Australia being the only other 
countries, which took this product in small quanti- 
ties. It is said to enter largely into the pro- 
duction of special cattle food ; but whether it is 
given to stock as imported into other countries 
or " made up” in atti active foi ms, it is curious 
that we should be sending away any cattle food 
at all, while importing from India immense 
quantities of gingelly poonac, cotton seed, cattleoid 
and bovinia, which are regarded with moie or 
less favour by different people for cart-cattle and 
milkers. The other minor products of the Coco- 
nut palm are rope, yarn, and fibre,— in all of 
which a fair average business was done, 
the exports of every one of them having 
been exceeded once or oftener during the 
decade. Looking to the large number of 
small Coir Mills w'hich have been erected in 
Exports in 
1897. 
Nuts. 
204,800,000 
36,163,356 
13,610,608 
23,878,624 
278,452,488 
