744 
THE TROPIOAL AGRIOULTURI8T. 
[APRii. I, 1899. 
i]|8»ppointiog. Tobfoeo h&a filled to eeoaie ex. 
peoted high prices, Cottou Ims been found suiUble 
for the dry psrts of tho ooniitry, Annatto and Kapok 
have boon orerdone, Croton-seed is but iittle bettor, 
Cesra rubber bus proved a failure, and Cinnamou remaina 
depressed. Pepper has not yet yielded tho large 
autioipated returns, and Vanilla is oarried on in but 
a few places. Coca fa to be found in one or two 
estates doing so well that the cultivation may possi- 
bly increase. Kola on the other hand is still iu 
the experimental stage. An increased and well-de- 
served attention ia being given to the growing of 
timber and Browood trees, while on some of the 
lower estates coconuts end areoanuta are being 
judioionaly extended. With an ever-growing posseu- 
ger and local demaud ftnit-growing might be carried 
on with advantage on all eatatea enjoying the privilege 
of cheap transport. 
CoooA, 1H91. 
I was last asked to report on cocoa in 1884, when 
it was aufioring from tho want of experience under 
which it was cultivated, and was probably lower in 
esteem than it has been before or amce. The 
acreage tlina cnltivatod, according to the “Ceylon 
Directory," was 10,000 acres, at present it is esti- 
mated by the same authority at 12,000 acres. The 
increase would be a small one if it wore not remem- 
bered that about 1884 and in tlie succeeding years 
a considerable amount of the land planloa was 
either abandoned or passed into other cultivations. 
The fact that tlie crop for 1891 was tho largest 
recorded, indicates that we have profited by experience, 
ami that cocoa ia not goncrally cultivated under 
suitable conditions and in tho soils required by tlio 
product. 
Tlie crop for the past year was 20,000 cwts. 
which indicates that a considerable acreage has still 
to come into bearing, for well-inanogad estates of any 
age are yielding much larger returns per acre than 
these figures indicate, and it would be I think, possible 
to mention cocoa planted on new land, and above nine 
years of ago, tlie yield of wliioh would bear coni- 
? ariHon with what ia reported from the West Indies. 
t is probable, therefore, tliat tho export of Ceylon 
cocoa will increase. During tho past year not only 
was tlio larger crop on record shipped, liiit 
the highest prices on record were obtained ; 
these wore maintained during tho earlier part of 
tlie year, and nntill the .lava crop of some 10,000 
cwt. appeared in the market, and for the first time 
entered into serious competition with Ceylon. The 
cocoa from both countries is apparently of tho same 
variety, and i« cured in tlio same manner ; for sell- 
ing purposes tho two crops may therefore be tukon 
as one, and an unexpected increase of about 50 
per cent of produce being thus thrown on one 
Hoction of the market, a heavier fall than usual 
was estahlishod in the autumn. Notwithstanding 
this, however, prices ore still much higher than 
they were some years ago, and cannot be regarded 
as otherwise than very satisfactory. Tho most im- 
portant point to be considered is, whqroin lies the 
superiority of Ceylon cocoa. It is the opinion of some, 
and amongst them are men whose opinion is entitled 
to the greatest respect, that it ia to be found entirely 
in tlie case which wo take in cultivation and caring, 
ami from tliia it is argued Inforeiitially tliat if the 
same methods are adopted by West India planters, 
tlio superiority of Ceylon cocoa will disappear. It 
is probable that this view is held at home, as at 
present there are no stocks of Ceylon cocoa in 
Ijondoii, and what is purchased passes at onoe into 
oonsumplloii, which ^ows tliat for some reason 
buyers hope for a fall in prices. An examination, 
however of tho different cocoas for sale in “ Tlie 
Dane ” shows tliat the most marked difleroiieo be- 
tween Ceylon and West Indian is not in tlie outside 
and general appearance, but in tho “break," and 
that it ia precisely In proportion to the lightness 
of colour of the “ break ” (or inside of the bean) of 
the Ceylon cocoa that it is valued. 
The break of the West Indian growths, so far as 
I had an opportunity of observing, was invariably 
very dark, brown or purple, which Indicates that the 
cocoa is of the Forastero varieties, and every cocoa 
planter knows that no care in curing or onltivation 
will alter this characteristic. It is urged that Forsis- 
tero cocoa shipped from Ceylon has fetched as good 
prices as those realised by the old Ceylon red, but 
the amount thus shipped has been very small, and it 
is probable that the name of Ceylon helped the sale. 
I believe that I am correct instating that no other 
cocoa known to commerce, excepting probably that 
now shipped from Java, is precisely tho same as the 
old Ceylon rod, that is, that no other cocoa bean shows 
the same creamy white colour when cut in section, 
and therefore no other bean is capable of showing the 
same light coloured “break "which is so much valued 
in ours. My opinion, therefore, is that so long as this 
is the caso, a heavy fail in prices will only be estab- 
lished by increased production. 
Forastero cocoa is now considerably in favour 
with planters, and although its produce will never 
in my opinion bo of tho same value as that of the old 
Ceylon rod, still It has one inestimble advantage, 
viz., that it will prow and thrive when the other 
has failed, and it is therefore very- valuable for 
supplying up clearings and for planting on the poorer 
portions of the fields. Planters need not be afraid of 
using it for these purposes, as the old Ceylon rad 
is 01 such a pronounced variety as to be almost a 
species, and I have never seen or hoard of its show- 
ing the slightest tendency to hybridism. On the 
other hand, Forastero planted with the Ceylon red 
shows a distinct though not universal tendency to 
change or revert to the Ceylon type. Thus the pods of 
a Forastero tree which for the first few crops are green, 
or yellow', will often as tho tree gets older change gra- 
dually to tod the only trace of their original color re- 
maining about the divisionsof thepod, wiiicli are yellow. 
Tliis external change is acoompained by a change in 
tlio bean, tho iimhber of violet or purple beans 
decreasing as the pod turns red, until iu the ond 
only two or three will be found, the rest being very 
pale bine or white. Mr. Hadow of Kina Kellie was 
good enough to send mo some pods from on isolated 
tree on his estate, grown at an elevation of over 
i!,U0(l feet. At first sight I took them to be old Ceylon 
red, the shape, however, resembled the Forastero 
and iu opening them I fonnd in each a few violet 
colored bean, tho remainder being white or nearly 
BO. As |far os the history of the tree could ^ 
traced, it was a Forastero of about 17 years old, and 
Mr. lladow informed me that tho plants raised from 
its seeds showed almost every typo of cocoa with 
which ho was acquainted. There is no doubt that the 
pod had gradually changed to the Ceylon type, and 
tho case is interesting ns it points from the isolation 
of the tree to the change being effected by climate and 
soil. The point ia a very interesting one and worhy of 
the attention of cocoa planters. Jas. R. Maktin 
Jan. 23rd, 1892. 
To the Heoretary, Planters’ Association of Ceylon, 
Kandy. 
• 
THE ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM. 
Prof. Stickonberger, of Cairo, Kgypt, gives in 
Chemiker Zeitung, 87, 1891, an interesting account of 
the present foimatioo of petroleum in the Red Sea, 
the conditions being pcactioally those of a closed sea 
of high salinity and in such a position and snrround- 
ings as to produce a aupertbundanae of animal life 
especially of the lower orders, and not inffloient soa- 
VADgers to remove the dead bodies. Thus the bigli 
temperature pi odneoa very rapid decomposition of the 
latter, which give out large quantities of H. 8. and 
a heavy brown oil. As there is no inflow of mother 
eye or Irino of any kind in any part of the sea, these 
oils are not decomposed. The nnabsorhed dead bodies 
bei g subje-ted to a oontloued intense heat, and in 
an quissoeut body of highly saline water— somotimea 
ooiitsiniiig as much as 73 parts of salt per tbonaand 
—undergo a process wbieh may he considered petro- 
lenm fermentation. 
This oil ia absorbed by ^e porous rooks of the 
shores and coral rtefs, and places are found where i 
