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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 1884, 



ing ground. Let any one look at Peradeniya and its 

 surrounding^^, and say whether there is anything about 

 the soil that would strike the attention as rich, black 

 free soil. A crumbled h.ilf-burnt brick would be about as 

 likely to grow sugar, and yet fsugar at one time did pay 

 there. Probably the only inducement for sugar to grow 

 where it ilid formerly was the extra abundance of moist- 

 ure in the climate, and at Peradeniya an occasional 

 flood from the river, over certain portions of the estate. 

 But what enabled the sugar to grow as cane was the 

 very thing that prevented the secretion of saccharine 

 matter. This argument applies more or less to Kahitara, 

 Baddegania, and the other places in the Southern Pro- 

 vince, according to their situation. If any one can find 

 a rich plot of soil in that direction, the probabilit y is it 

 would grow sugar well. It being just 23 years since I 

 visited ]Jaddegama, my recollection fails me as to the 

 details of soil, but, except may-be along the banks of the 

 river, I don't think much can be said of richness of soil, 

 and still it is made to pay. But where our rich tracts 

 of land, suita.ble for sugar, lie in Ceylon is away down by 

 Dambulla, Polanaruwa, and the Bay of Oottiar. The lay of 

 the land is perfect, and the appearance of the soil superb, 

 easy communication with cart-roads, or navigation by the 

 Mahawelliganga to Triucomalee. Here are thousands and 

 thousands of acres of land available, with all conditions of 

 the situation favourable, only awaiting the plough and the 

 cane. If sugarcane be made, has been made, and is being 

 made, to pay on the wretched cabook and gravel of the 

 west coast, how much more should it be remunerative in 

 the East, and East Central portions of the island. Now 

 comes the question of climate. In regard to heat, no ap- 

 jirehension need be felt as to an insuthciency of caloric ; 

 there will be plenty of that. Then we come to rainfall. 

 If I am not much mistaken, the registration of rain shows 

 a fall of about oO inches on an average all over the low- 

 country on that side of the island, and that principally 

 falls in the months of the north-east monsoon. Now is 50 

 inches sufBcient, and can canes stand 9 mouths' comparative 

 drought ? Cane grows wonderfully well, and is abundantly 

 remunerative in Queensland where they have 9 months* 

 drought, and a rainfall of 50 inches is miknown in 

 any part of Australia. A AVest Indian planter, 

 told me a day or two ago that 9 months' drought would 

 do no barm if soil and climate were otherwise favor- 

 able. In Fiji I understand the same thing is experienced. 

 We may then pretty well consider it settled that the rainfall 

 is sufhc;ient, and sufficiently well distributed for sugar ; 

 but then suppose it is not; we come to the question of 

 irrigation. And here we shall find that, apart from cert 

 ain fields along the banks of the Mahawelliganga periodic- 

 ally overflowed by floods, and which may, or may not, 

 be suited for the cultivation in consequence, the great [ 

 river comes down in flood, with abundauce of fertilizing 

 matter in the water, all through the south monsoon, when 

 it is dry in the east part of the island. Here we have 1 

 one of the most wonderfully beneficent provisions ever 

 known, by which nature provides abuntlant water supply 

 in the hot dry weather in an otherwise waterless country. 

 It is astonishing to come across a great river bank full 

 with flood water, rolling down millions and millions of tons of | 

 water and soil from the hills through a hundred and fifty : 

 miles of dry country, sometimes with the leaves lying ( 

 on the ground, and the trees bare as it is in the 

 winter at home. Hitherto this extraordinary provision ( 

 of nature has been entirely neglected, not an anicut, not 

 a pump, not a canal, nor an engine. This valuable, in- 

 calculably valuable, water-supply is utterly wasted and has I 

 been, for any thing we know, since Ceylon was an in- I 

 habitable island. We have one tradition, however, con- ' 

 cerniug the branching mouth of the river, called Virgil 

 Oya. This was said to have been caused by one of the 

 kings cutting a channel for irrigation purposes, and a 1 

 flood in the river breaking through all restraints opened 

 a channel for itself all the way to the sea. Be this as it 

 may, there is an unlimited supply of water at little cost, 

 and if irrigation of sugar will pay anywhere in the ' 

 world, other condiitons being similar there can be 

 no possible reason why it should not |jay better 

 here than any where else. I say •* better," because ' 

 of the facility of working and cheapness of labour supply. I 

 Irrigation of sugar cane is being practised in Manritiua, ' 



ftnd p?Eb*S8 some of your cortespoudenk may let wt 



know the result. I think we may conclude that there is 

 a sufficiency of rainfall, and backed up by facihty in ir- 

 rigation, as well as (we may add) for water communi- 

 cation, such as does not occur in other sugar-producing 

 countries of the known world. The third question, 

 " Labour supply," may be answered in half-a-dozen words. 

 Ceylon is the only country in the world which commands 

 j a plentiful supply of cheap labour. There can be no more 

 difhculty in securing labour for sugar than for coffee or 

 tea or any other product. 



If, as suggested abore, a suitable, tract of country can 

 be found in the west, or in the south, indigenous labour 

 ! can be obtained by men who understand the Sing- 

 I halese, in any number, at 16 to 20 cents a day 

 I 25 cents would be high pay. In other situations, Tamils 

 at an average of 30 cents, would flock in by thousands. 

 ! The supply of labour need not trouble any speculator. 

 Here then we have soil, climate, and labo"ur, suitable, 

 I if pesple vrill only go to the right place to look for 

 ! it. We want a practical Queensland, or Fiji planter, 

 I to select the laud, with an experienced Ceylou 

 : man to point out the advantages and disadvantages 

 I of each position, and there is little doubt that 

 j it would be made a paying business. It must 

 ; not be forgotten that, not only have iliscoveries been 

 ' made in the machinery which enables a greater propor- 

 I tion of the saccharine matter to be extracted, but, what 

 I is more important, experience has been gained of differ- 

 ' ent kinds of cane as specially adapted for special soil 

 ; and situation. In former <lays, a planter had to be con- 

 I tent with whatever cane he could get, and that might 

 or might not, be suitable for his position. Now the sugar 

 I industry has gained experience and can tell him from 

 practical cultivation that Honolulu cane will be best, or 

 white, or red, or any one or more of a dozen dilTerent 

 ! varieties. He would not have to work in the dark as 

 I men did thirty years ago, and gain or lose according to 

 I luck. No, with the right man aud the right cane in the 

 j right place, sugar should do as well in Ceylon as any- 

 I where else in the world. It is hardly necessary to add 

 ; that, on elevated portions of the estate, in wide belts 

 ; separating fields, cococuits would eventually prove an un- 

 failing source of profit, and go a long way towards prevent- 

 ing the spread of disease, or insect pests, which seem by 

 : some fixed law of nature to follow extended cultivation 



of any one product over large unbroken areas. D. E. 

 i -^ 



Gutta-percha. — A writer in Ganleninr/ lUnstratcd uses 

 thin gutta-percha in his grafting operations. Pieces about 

 two inches long sijuare are put in hot water, and placed 

 around the graft. He likes it better than the common 

 mixture for the purpose. 



Destruction of White Ants. — A portion of one of the 

 yards at the sheep quarantine, Indooroopilly, was attacked 

 and partially eaten away by the white ant. The quarantine 

 keeper, Beck, poured a bucketful of liquid from the sheep dip 

 on one of the posts, and, noticing that the ants dropped dead 

 immediately on coming in contact with the liquid, he apphed 

 it to all the posts and rails that had been attacked. A con- 

 siderable number of weeks have since elap.sed, and today I 

 examined the fencing and found it perfectly free from the 

 ants. The liquid used in the dip is Little's chemical fluid, 

 mixed in water in the proportion of one of the fluid to 100 

 parts of water. The price of the fluid, wholesale, is only Ss. 

 6d. per gallon, so that if it is found to be effective, there can 

 scarcely be found a cheaper remedy. — I am, su:, &c., P. R. 

 Gordon. — Qneenslandtr. 



How TO Make a Teak Nor.sert. — I see some one 

 in thj "Observer " inquiring how to make a nursery 

 of teak seeds. The svstem adopted in the Government 

 teak forest near Calicut is to make nursery beds in the 

 ordinary manner. The seed is laid on the top of these 

 beds, which are then covered over with grass or leaves, 

 these again being covered with light boughs to keep 

 the grass or leaves from being blown away. If neces- 

 sary, light bamboos can he strapped across to keep 

 everything in its place. In the-^^e plantations Mr. 

 Laurie's transjdiinters have been used with great success 

 in removing valuable treeplants. The teak-*rees there 

 are planted in th<" lirst instance 6j feet by (i.^ feet 

 apart — practically 1,000 trees to the acre. — Arbor.— 

 Cor, Local "Times," 



