398 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1882. 



attempt on his remcval to Galle. At Baddegama, a Bengal in- 

 diL'o nlantir put down an acre of Otaheitau cane obtained from 

 Mauritius along with his indigo (which proved a failure) and his 

 estate being iini-thased by Mr. Winter in 1840, the latter turned 

 1 13 attention to sugar, which grew most luxuriantly. In the Cen- 

 tral Province, Mr. Tytler was employed to plant sugar in Dum- 

 bura for Messrs. Acldand and Boyd in 1837-40 and the Peradeniya 

 sugar estate of Messrs. B.ariug Bros, was opened in 1340. West 

 Indian and Mauritius planters engaged iu the industry with plenty 

 of experience and capital, chiefly in the neighbonrhood of Galle. 

 as well as of Negombo and even of Kandy; and between the 

 years 1812 and 1846, the following large sugar plantations were 

 formed in the Southern Province at a great expenditure of money : — 

 OoJagaraa on the Gintara river, 30 miles from Galle, by the 

 B^iron Delmar. Hahangam on the road to Matara, 12 miles from 

 G lUe, by the Baron Delmar. Telicada on the Gintara river, 9 

 miles' from Galle, by Messrs. Faulkner, a Liverpool house. Kohila 

 Wagiu-a, on the Ambalaugoda lake, distant 18 miles from Galle, 

 by Messrs. Tindall and Co. Paradoowa, on the Matara river, by 

 Lord Elphinstone. Wilpita, on the Matara river, by Mr. Greg. 

 Mr. Robert Craig who made a fortune in coffee growing in Kadu- 

 ganawa, lost it all iu trying to produce sugar near Galle. 



In addition to these, small plantations were opend near the 

 Gintara by Mr. A. Orr and at Waterakka by Mr. Palmer, but 

 the result was again disastrous, and it was iinally proved that, 

 while the cane will grow most luxuriantly, the climate is too 

 moist to permit of the sap crystallizing or yielding a sufficiency 

 of produce save in the form of raw canes. One by one ivithm 

 from iive to ten years the larger estates were abandoned and sold 

 at a heavy sacrifice ; Telicada, Shandon, cost Messrs. Faulkner 

 £3fi000 and was sold by them in 1852 to M. Montclar for 

 f.SSO, and he again sold off the land in small lots. There 

 were' several sugar yjlantations also formed in Ihe Western 

 Province ; — at Dalloopatge'dera, between Negombo and Kurunegala, 

 commenced by Mr. Elliott, and purchased by Mr, G. Fraser, 

 an experienced West Indian sugar planter ; and at Kntukanda, 

 Dambawiuna and Etgala or Perth ; but in every case save the last, 

 coconuts speedily took the place of the cane. In 18G0, the only 

 places where any systematic cane-growing was still attempted 

 were at Paradoowa (Lord Elphinstone's, managed by Messrs. Mac 

 Gregor and Hume), Baddegama (Messrs. Winter); Etgala or Perth 

 near Panadura (belonging' to Bombay Piu-sees, and managed by 

 Mr Gay); and Peradeniya, near Kandy (Mes-srs. Barmg Bros, 

 ma'nnt'ed by Mr. Vallance). Within a few years however, 

 Paradoowa was sold to Moormen who parted with it to Mr. J. 

 W. Home, who started there his first speculation in Ceylon, a 

 grand garden of bananas or plantains, the fruit and fibre of 

 which were to make the euterprizing cultivator's fortune, until 

 a great flood came and swept all the trees and his hopes away. 

 Perth has "been converted into a coconut plantation. Peradeniya 

 sugar-land has been gradually sold in lots, and Badilegame alone re- 

 mains with a small acreage under cane, * the cultivation and manu- 

 facture of which are combined with several other industries, more 

 particularly essential oils from cinnamon and lemon grass. The 

 natives manufacture great quantities of " jaggery" sugar for local 

 use f om their palm trees, chiefly the kitnl CCaiyota urens) and 

 palmyra, and they have also the sugarcane very freely growing 

 in their gardens, which adds to the means of subsistence very 

 considerably, a favorite accompaniment for a Sinhalese pedes- 

 trian ou a journey being a stick of sugarcane over his shoulders, 

 at which he munches occasionally as he trudges along. It the 

 natives paid more attention to the growth of cane especially in the 

 Southern Province, and allowed it to be manufactured at a 

 Emopean mill, a good deal of course sugar might still be obtained 

 for the local market. There are probably a few thousand acres 

 still under sugarcane chiefly in native gardens. The annual im- 

 port of sugar into Ceylon are now equal to:— candy and refined 

 5,6013 cwt. valued at £67.023; unrefined 13,701 cwt. at £20,5.^2; 

 and palm and jaggery sugar (from India, better made probably 

 than in Ceylon,) at £4,182. 



Of cane .sugar the world's production is given at 2,140,000 tons 

 —of which one-third is raised in Cuba ; one-sixth in Puerto P.ico, 

 and the rest of the West Indies (British, Danish, and Dutch) ; 

 200,000 tons in Java; 170,000 in Brazil; 130,000 iu Manila ; 120,OU0 

 in China; 100,000 in Mauritius, and the same in Martinique and 

 and Guadaloupe; Louisiana 75,000 ; Peru5O,CO0; Egypt 40,u00, also 

 Central America and Mexico ; lleunion 30,000 : British India and 

 Straits 30,000 1; Honolulu 10,000 and Australia (Queensland and 

 Kew South Wales) 5,000 tons.- Nearly a million tons are con- 

 sumed in the United Kingdom, and rather more ou the Continent 

 of Emope; in North America 7.50,000 tons; in Central and South 

 Am.rica 160,000; West Indies 50,000; Africa 50,000; Australasia 

 100,000 tons; Asia 1^ million tons. 



Iu the Madras Pre-sideucy — chiefly Bellary and Ganjam— there 

 are 30,o00 acres under sugarcane. 



A scries of practical papers on sugar cultivation appeared in the 

 Ccyluii Observer of 1841 from the pen of Josias Lambert, Esq., F.G.S. 



SINHALESE LABOUR FOR QUEEXSlAND. 

 Tlic following 13 an extract from the Bundaberg 

 conesiionjence of the Queenslandd- : — 



In about a dozen places around here sugar-mills .ire 



* In Ihe latest Government Blue Book lour sugar Uiilis are still 

 cixirted from the Southern Province, but we duulit if tliey are 

 used, unless it be the one at Baddagama.— Cojipileks. 



t The tigures for India must be far below the mark considering 

 how lar^c'ly sugar enters into the food of the Hindoos.— Ed.] 



being erected as fast as labour and materi:xl will permit- 

 Avoca is nearly finished, Fairymead is fast approaching 

 completion ; whilst in the Wongarra Scrub much 

 headway is being made. The canu on the whole looks 

 splendid, only in low-lying situations showing any 

 sion of being affected by the few frost? we have bad. 

 Towards the coast the youngest cane is aa green as a 

 leek, giving promise of huge returns. The refinery and 

 pipes leading thereto will be ready to commence opera- 

 tions early next month. Many Polynesian labourers 

 are needed to fill up the gaps that will be ma^le by ex- 

 pireeboys in August. Where they are to come from is 

 a serious difficulty. Messrs. Nott Bros., of Winder- 

 mere, are not going to trust to chance, but have taken 

 time by the forelock by treating for 100 Sinhalese, 

 which will arrive by the incoming mail-steamer. It is 

 their intention to obtain regular supplies of these 

 labourers for themselves and others, The planters are 

 much pleased with Messrs. Nott'a action in thus helping 

 them out of a most unfortunate dilemma. It is only 

 those who live in sugar districts north of Brisbane, 

 who can form any idea of the value of reliable labour 

 in developing this important industry. Even with all 

 the outcry against Polynesians, it is almost impossible 

 to get anything done by white labour ; to get necessary 

 work done in a hurry is out of the question. Every 

 branch of skilled artisans hern ia crowded with work, 

 anil numerous annoying delays and losses occur in con- 

 sequence. 



In an article on " Pacific Island Labour " in the 

 Qneenslander, we have tlie reas'm more fully given 

 why the sugar Planters of Northern Queensland are 

 indenting on Ceylon for Labour : — 



What causes have led to the shortness of the supply 

 of islanders? The islands are not deimpulated. They 

 arc better known than they were. Trade with the 

 islands from both Sydney and Melbourne has increased. 

 Whence then this difficulty? The 17,000 islanders 

 which at various times have been introduced into 

 Queensland represent a very small proportion of the 

 island population. Of these nearly 10 000, up to the 

 end of 1880, had been returned to their island homes 

 Having become acquainted with us and our ways 

 having served their apprenticeship on our plantations 

 it was supposed that these return labourers would act. 

 as missionaries of this industry, that having acquired 

 a knowledge of the world they would induce their 

 friends and relations to cast in their lot with us, and 

 thus rise above the simple savagery of their native 

 homes. It must be admitted that there are some 

 grounds for disappointment. The natives do not flock 

 to our recruiting vessels, as it might by some per- 

 haps be expected that they would. Too frequently 

 the every reverse of this is the c.ise. Agents are not 

 tml'requently killed. The recruits which are obtained 

 are often weak and undersized — mere youths — whose 

 services are of no great value to tlioir island superiors. 

 What are the causes of our compantive failure iu 

 dealing with these interesting people ? It must be 

 admitted, we fear, that we have not made the best 

 of our opportunities. They have taken their boxes to 

 their islands. These contained a few slop clothes which 

 would soon wear out, some useful tools occasionally, 

 axes, adzes, and saws, and there was invariably a 

 f;uu, a Snider rifle, and ammunition. And now it is 

 quite a common thing for boats apprcaohing some of 

 ti ese islands to be fired at indiscriminately. 



NITRIFICATION IN SOILS AND COFFEE 

 CULTURE. 



No more burning of weeds but rather the digging 

 of them into the soil on coffee plautations with the 

 adililion of lime and all the prunings that can be 

 availed of, should henceforward be the order of the 

 day. It is evident that a great deal more must be 



