Dec. i; i386;j ^m TROPICAL AGKiCULTtlRlST; 



iC:4 



the yards were opened, and give the result in the 

 annexed statcnient marked C. The Iresh fish of the 

 previous season has been left out, as it was uever 

 weighed. The quantity cured this season is also given 

 for the purposes of Compailsoli. I'he trifling loss to 

 Government is more than Compensated by the large 

 amount of nutritious food manufactured for the bene- 

 fit of those who, living inl.iud, have not the means 

 of getting it except in a preserved condition. In a 

 separate column will be found the number of boats 

 engaged during the two seasons. Below -will be found 

 a statement showing to what District the dried fish 

 has been sent. The quantity shipped to Colombo 

 was by the European Company, while the native 

 enrers sent theirs principally to markets in Uva, 

 where good prices were realized. 



Abstract of Fish-curing Operations in the Hamban- 



tota Yard, from October 16th, 1635, to April 15th, 1886. 



Number of appHcations ... ... 1,153 



Description of Fish •. cwt. )b. 



Laggo ... ... 241 81 



Lawayo ... ... 196 70 



Paraw ... ... 39 38 



Toru ... ... 41 50 



Kalamiyo ... ... 275 11 



Other kinds ... ... 412 8 



Fish removed 

 Salt issued 



Total ... 1,207 2■^ 



855 00 



279 70 



E. cts. 



Eato per cwt. 80 



Eeceipts ... ... 223 80 



As far as I can ascertain, the cost of curing fish 

 is Kll"31 a cwt., and may be analysed tlius : — 



R. CtF. 



Cost of fresh fish, per cwt. . . 2 75 



Cost of cooly labour in cleaning . . 75 



Cost of 40 lb. salt 







Multiplied by 



77 

 3 



R. 11 81 

 One cwt. of fish when dried is reduced to one-third 

 its former weight, and the result must, therefore, be 

 multiplied by 3, making Ellai as the prime cost of 

 one cwt. of dried fish. All native curers send their 

 tish to the markets along the Badulla-road, such as 

 "NVellawapa, Koslanda, &c., where the prices range 

 from 1U5 to K20 per cwt., and often as high as R;!0 ; 

 after deducting R 1 per cwt. for cost of transport, 

 the curer reaps a profit of from R3 to R4 per cwt.; 

 where the fisherman is his own curer, the profits to 

 him are double. 



Colombo is not a good market at present, as it 

 has to compete with foreign importations, which tend 

 to keep down prices. 



Fresh fisli, as well as salt, is a favourite food 

 With the Sinhalese, and where there is a full de- 

 mand for unsalted fish, there is, of course, no 

 motive to induce the fishermen to resort to curing. 

 We are not therefore surprized to learn that one 

 yard failed for reasons thus given by I\Ir. Murray :—• 



A third yard opened at Surijagaliawclla on Nov- 

 ember ITith, has not turned out a success, for rea- 

 SOlis \rthich are easily explained; Though there were 

 a latger number of boats there, and the quantity of 

 lisll catight exceeded that of Hambantota, yet so 

 great was the donand for fresh fish by the dense popul- 

 ation in the neighbourhood, and the prices were so 

 high, that it was impossible for curing to be carried 

 on profitably, and the little that was cured was the 

 surplus remaining when large quantities of fish were 

 caught. There is little hope, therefore, of anything 

 being done there, unless curers specially engage boats 

 T)n their own account. 



There is ample scope for the extension of the iishr 

 curing industry where tish ia plentiful and popu- 

 lation scanty, as the following extract Irom Mr, 

 JlavenBcroft's report shews ;— 



•s^^^smt'ii'matimm 



It was my desire to visit the MuUaittivu District 

 in the early part of the year, and to have conferred, 

 on the spot, with the Government Agcut of tho 

 Nortllern Province on the subject of the establish- 

 ment of fish-curing yards in that District, to wJiich 

 fi shermen from the west coast of the Island resort 

 in considerable numbers for the purpose of catching 

 and preserving fish, of which the supply is abundaul, 

 during the south-west monsoon. In many respcils 

 this District offers special advantages for tish-curing. 

 Fish are, as I have already said, abimdant, aud even 

 under existing circumstances fishermen arc attracted 

 to the District from the other side of tho Island. 

 With a very sparse resident poi)ulation there is a 

 very limited demand for fresh fish; aud if facilities 

 could be given that would enable the fishermen to 

 pr« serve a greatly increased qnantity of fish, without 

 the expenditure of a larger amount of capital than 

 is now yenrly invested iu the business, it is not un- 

 reasonable to anticipate that the industry of fish- 

 curing on this part of the coast would be greatly 

 developed, to the advantage, not alone of the fisher- 

 men, but also of the people of the Island generally 

 Owing, however, to the many other calls on my 

 time, I was prevented from carrying out my inten- 

 tion of visiting MuUaittivu, but I trust it may be 

 within my power ere long to visit not only that 

 District, but also the neighbourhood of liatticaloa, 

 where the business of fish-curing is, I am informed, 

 carried on to a considerable extent, both by local fisher- 

 men and also by men from the west coast of the 

 Island, and where there are places — no it is reported 

 by officers who have served in, and who are thoroughly 

 acquainted with the District — at which fish-curing 

 yards might be established with every prospect of 

 success. 



At Trincomaiee, assisted by the Assistant Govern- 

 ment Agent, ]\Ir. Keid, I made careful in(juiries, in 

 order to ascertain whether it would be advisable to 

 recommend the opening of a yard or yards in tho 

 neighbourhood of that place; but although I found 

 and questioned fishermen from the west coast, tem- 

 porarily located at Trincomaiee, it did not appear 

 to me that there was sufELcient reason to suppose that 

 if a yard were opened, it would meet with a reason- 

 able amount ef success. 



In conclusion, I would say, although it is perhaps 

 hardly necessary for me to do so, as it is self-evident 

 that, however well suited a locality may appear to 

 be for the successful working of a fish curing yard, 

 from the fact that the supply of fish is abundant, that 

 fishermen are available, and that there is little or 

 no resident population, the results must greatly de- 

 pend on the interest taken in the undertaking by 

 the local officers of Government. Without careful 

 and well-organised supervision and attention to details, 

 and the exercise of the strictest economy compatible 

 with efficiency, by the Eevenue OflBcer8,fhe scheme 

 although it may benefit the fishermen, and to some 

 even to a considerable extent, the people of the 

 country by placing within their reach a largtr supply 

 of preserved fish, carnot be expected to pay its way 

 as, under favourable circumstances, judging from the 

 experience gained in India, it may reasonably be eJi- 

 pectedtodoif carefully supervised. 



MR. GOW'S TEA WITHEKEK ; 

 THE RESULTING TEA SAMPLES,- 

 To judge by the samples put before us, WC 

 think Mr. Gow may well be congratulated 

 on the tea turned out by his new process — a 

 process on which he has been experimenting, 

 and gradually perfecting for some thirteen 

 years. We have received five qualities ;- -Pekoe 

 Souchong 30 per cent ; Pekoe 31 per cent ; Brokoii 

 Pekoe 21 per cent ; Orange Pekoe 12 per cent ; 

 Pekoe Pust 3 per cent ; and the reports of fouf 



