550 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. I, 1898. 
various parts of the Islard, the comparative stag- 
cation in exports may cause some surprise ; but 
the local consumption, especially of rope, must 
be immense ; and herein consists alike the value 
of our chief Palm and its safety, that the home 
demand for its products is continually growing 
and that their circulation adds to the health 
and industry of the community. The United 
Kingdom continue to be our largest customer 
for Yarn ami Fibre, taking away about ivo- 
thirds of the total exports; but of 11,732 cwt. 
of Kope exported, no less than 11,486 cwt. found 
their way to Singapore. 
Of the other lowcountry products, the next 
in importance to Coconuts is Cinnamon ; and that 
has shown a steady develojnnent for some years 
now. We have long regarded the increased pro- 
duction of the spice, which is so closely identi- 
fied with the very name of the Island, with 
much the same feeling with which we con- 
templated the growing output of cinchona, 
after receding prices had reduced the protils 
from it to a minimum, and indeed wiped them 
out almost entirely ; but the increasing output of 
cinnamon the past four or five years has not 
caused the usual uneasiness. Prices, which had 
run down seriously through over-production, 
began to look up since 1893, and the larger 
exports, which have been stimulated by the 
better prices, have not led to a fall. It is reason- 
able to believe that the demand which has con- 
tinued notwithstanding growing suiiplies, is a 
real demand and has not been createil for specu- 
lative purposes. Yet, growers who contem- 
plate extensions would do w'ell to note that the 
last three years have shown larger exports than 
were ever before recorded ; that in 1897 both 
Quilled Cinnamon and Chips have separately 
show'll the largest quantity ever exported ; 
and that a spice is a luxury on the ad- 
vancing demand for which the same reliance 
cannot be placed as on that for articles of diet 
and necessaries of life. On the other hand, 
enquiries have reached the Colony about Cinna* 
mon from London which indicate faith in its 
luture— one English capitalist wanting to invest 
£1,000 in any Ceylon Company Limited for the 
production of Cinnamon ! A satisfactory feature, 
too, apart from the maintenance of juices in the 
face of grow’ing supplies, is that Cinnamon counts 
almost every nation among its importers ; but 
the fact that less than one-half of our produc- 
tion is now taken l y the United Kingdom, 
shows how the Suez Canal has diverted trade 
from London. 
The exports of Plumbago have been fairly 
satisfactory and so have pi ices ; but' higher prices 
have ruled before now, and it there be a rever- 
sion to them, there is no reason to .suppose that 
we 'shall not be able to send away more than 
the' 357,257 cwt. we did last year, of whieh the 
United Kingdom took 159,675, America 88,810 
or about one half the previous year’s supply, 
and (lermany 63,518. The figures show a falling- 
ofl in the trade in Ebony (due, no doubt, to 
the gradual exhaustion of the supply); in Sapan 
wood (in which there ought to bo expinsion, if 
the value of the tiee on boundaries is duly ap- 
preciated) ; in Palmyra fibre (in the collection 
of which much destructive work has been done); 
and in Kilul Fibre, which ought to .‘how better 
figures. Cinnamon Oil shows a considerable in- 
crease, and is capable of fuither expansion. So 
also with Citroi;ella Oil, which is much in de- 
mand now for jierfumery and about the differ- 
ent-qualities of which t)a;c are great dis- 
putes in the chemical world at present. Con- 
sidering the scarcity of money during the 
larger part of last year, and the interruption 
to trade with India, caused by the plague and 
famine, there is every reason to be satisfied with 
the position of Native Products, in which, how- 
ever, we hope to record more substantial progress 
during the present year. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Rubber— says Messrs. S. Figgis & Co.— has 
been a capital market at advancing piiccs, which 
are 3d to 4d per lb. higher than a year ago for 
mediums. Supply reduced from Zanzibar, in- 
creased from Borneo and Penang. 
The Ceylon Tea Corporation Limited.— 
We direct attention to a report in our daily 
issue, and Troinml AfiricuUnrUt, of an extra- 
ordinary meeting of the shareholders in this 
Company and to an interesting statement by 
the Chairman, full of praise of Doteloya and 
Penylan estates; but not much reference is 
made to the other ])roperties of the Coi poration. 
Ceylon Land and Produce Company.— The 
report of the proceedings at the annual meeting 
of this Company — see our daily and Tropical 
Agriculturist — makes pleasant reading in view 
of the contitiued prosperity of the Company. The 
Acting Chaii inan (Mr. Wilson being in Ceylon, 
was able to give a good deal of information 
about cacao, which is of special interest at this 
time. The present Company seem to be very 
fortunate with this product ; but not ro with 
Liberian coffee, which is not regarded with favour. 
The Ceylon Prospecting Syndicate 
Limited. — In our Daily and Tropical Agri- 
culturist we give a report of the pro- 
ceedings at the annual meeting of this Com- 
pany last month. As will be seen from the 
speech of the Chairman (Mr. A. W. Lawder) the 
Syndicate are now in possession in Ceylon of 
191 acres of free hold properly which is reported 
to be good gemming land and in order that their 
work may be prosecuted vigorously and on a 
large scale they have had plant manufactured 
for dealing with the alluvial gravels of the 
island in a manner hitherto unknown lo- 
cally. Capt. Pilkington, who followed the 
Chairman, spoke in a most hopeful n aimer of the 
jiossibilities of the eemming industry here, the 
position of the Company being all the more 
favourable, in his opinion, that they had the sole 
right of using Mr. Lockhart’s machinery in the 
island. Several of the shareholders wlm took 
part in the proceedings expressed themselves in 
terms which must have been very gratifying to 
the directois in regard to the wisdom of carrying 
on operations on an extensive scale and as to the 
suitability of the plant ; and Mr F. L. Shand 
gave the meeting the benefit of his experience 
in gem-mining in the neighbourhood of the Com- 
pany’s jiroperty. He alluded to the “ Golden 
Grove,” “ Everton” and “ Ranweltenna” proper- 
ties and expressed his belief that the rich gem- 
bearing gravel which existed there, extended 
over the Company’s land — the ilium of which he 
valued at 10s per ton. The Managing Director 
produced convincing proof of the value of the land 
owned by the Company in a case of sapphires of a 
quality very scarce in the market and commanding 
splendid prices. It was his experience that valuable 
gems were constantly being found in ground 
adjacent to the recognised gem-iuts. The jiro- 
ceedings altogether are of a very interesting 
and proniising character, 
