19 
These two citrus trees are so much hatidicappel by scale insects (mostly lecanium 
ed viride) that the crop obtained 13 negligible except at elevations above 1000 feet where the 
S, SI scale insect are kept under control by uwoural parasites. (Oepnalospo inm leciuu) Citrus at'tis 
lie j ; is a very hardy plant growing in red stiff laterite soil where no other crops are at present grown, 
in It is said to be resistant to the cauker disease while lime trees are very susceptible. A disease 
is has broken out on both these citrus trees which look very much like cauker disease and speci¬ 
mens have been sent to the authorities in England and in S. Africa for identification The 
| presence of this disease of fungus or bacterial origin tmes for to strengthen ths view held lonj; 
ago by this Department as to the possibility of our citrus trees being suffering fr > n pasts 
other than scale insects. 
At Mt, Sebert the planting of citrus mitis or bigarado is sfci ! 1 goin ' on. A visit was made 
during the year to the estate in question and the bigarade trees, now 4 years old, looked 
wonderfully free from disease as anticipated. These trees will soon come into bearing although 
the soil in which they grow is of the mo3t inferior grade. Nothing like the number of trees 
stated to have been set out were found but only 950 trees 8 to 10 feet high instead of 5000 
and over 2000 young seedlings. There are many other islands in the archipelago where one 
of the t wo citrus trees can be grown on a great scale and only capital is necessary to develop 
the manufacture ot citrate of lime. 
FIBRES. 
Coir is made on a small scale at Ause Aux Pins but only 780 kilogs were exported during 
the year to Mauritius. This industry, like all others, is handicapped by the present shortage 
of freight and capital. A planter at N. East Bay started a Mauritius hemp fibre factory lu¬ 
ring the j ear. So purchased a fiore extract ug dig duns (Eng ish. I 1 ad ;* it up a water 
wheel to get tne necessary pjsver xor driving the machine. Mauy pans oi cue uew installa¬ 
tion were made locally by the planter himself including the water wh el but the industry has 
not yet emerged from the experimental stage. Besides Mauritius hemp (Fourcroya gigantoa) 
there are many plants of Agave Sisalana (Sisal fibre) already set out in Make. In the 
outlying coral islands full of guano deposits but where the land is formed of ancient reefs 
gisal has been also set out on a great scale. These outlying islands are far mire suitable for 
the cultivation of sisal than Mahe owing to the mountainous nature of this latter island aud 
the difficulties in the transport of leaves resulting therefrom. In the flat outlying islands 
trolleys can be made to run all over the plantations at a cheap cost. One hundred leaves 
wei<»hii3» over 2 owt viald on-v 2 lbs of fibre The nuesfi/vi of Van«wort is therefore o 8 oar 1 - 
w jk — # 
mount importance. Shortage of fresh water in the outlying islands will go far to handicap 
this new industry in Seychelles. 
MEALS. 
Very little starch and meals are manufactured for local use and not for export. Banina 
meal from plantains called locally Bananes St Jacques and Milgache is manufactured at 
Silhouette ou a small scale. The bananas are sliced, the cores -are removed by means of a 
wooden knife and the dried slices ground by a special grating machine of the Miison 
Alexandre, Bd. Voltaire Paris. The yield in meal is 20o/o skin included. Bananas slicss are 
also made and exported but they are found to be badly attacked by weevils. 
A little starch is made from Cassava (Manihot utilissima) ; breadfruit (Astocirpus incisa) ; 
Arrowroot (Maranta arundinaeea); Tavoio (T cbCCiX pinnati fida) and Indian arro wroot (Amorpho 
phallus campanulatus), but most of these starches are used for laundry purposes. 
Maize meal from ripe corn is also made by hand machine but determinating machines 
are not used and the flours do not keep owing to the oily nature of the germs left in them. 
The drying of maize, as already stated, is essential if the culture of that csreal is extended 
to feed the population in time of war. 
Tannias, eddoes, dasheens, (Arouilles) ; yams (Cambares) are- not yet turned into edible 
meals. 
CHAPTER X. 
FISHERIES. 
The exports from the Outlying Islands are :— 
Salt fish 
ks 18,445 
declared value Rs 
4,632.80 
Calipee 
„ 8,610 
yy 
3,307.50 
Trepang 
„ 1,200 
yy 
390.00 
Shark fins 
„ 757*500 
yy 
605.90 
Tortoise shell 
„ 515-250 
9) 
yy 
12,425.00 
Green turtle shell 
„ 107.000 
yy 
yy 
53.00 
Guano 
tons 2,019-787 
yy 
yy 
60,779.42 
Total Rs 
82,193.42 
All the above articles, except guano, are produced in spare time by the few inhabitants 
©f the Outlying Islands. Many islands and, the submerged reefs banks, are still awaiting 
development. Guano was exported to Mauritius and Reunion only, freight being unobtain¬ 
able for the European market. 
