July i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



35 



of Messrs. Vine and Primo to those already mentioned, 

 as able executive officers who have done good servico in this 

 branch. Mr. Mosse remarks on the "very indolent "character 

 of the natives of the East, in sleeping so much during the 

 daytime; but in respect of rice cultivation, I cannot forget 

 a discussion in the time of Sir Hercules Robinson, when 

 the late Mr. James Alwis and the Hon. Mr. Dias, now 

 Judge of the .Supreme Court, both Sinhalese of high family, 

 conclusively demonstrated that the Europeaus were liable 

 to misjudge the Sinhales-, who took their siestas under 

 trees and in their huts, while the colonists au.l their coolies 

 were at work, because these men often worked iu their 

 houses or fields, and watched their crops for a great part 

 of the night, which is, indeed, the favourite time for work- 

 ing or travelling with many natives. As regards " the sub- 

 division of property," referred to by Mr. Mosse, the illus- 

 trations he gives are moderate when contrasted with some 

 known in our courts of law, where the evils of this system 

 have been shown by a claim for as low as the 2,520th part 

 of 10 coconut trees ! Next Mr. Mosse mentions that " no 

 machinery " is used in agricultural operations in Ceylon. 

 Well, it is right to mention that experiments have been 

 made from time to time in this direction, audi remember 

 the trouble taken by Mr. Elliott, c. c. s., when in charge of 

 the Matara district, and how he got some of the Sinhalese 

 farmers interested in ploughs, winnowers, and threshing 

 machines, but, I fear, without their use being permanently 

 continued. In conversation, the other day, with Mr. James 

 Howard, M. p. (headof the great Bedford agricultural machine 

 manufactory) I found that, after considerable attention, 

 his firm had * found India a very promising field for 

 the introduction of implements ; but Mr. Robertson, of 

 the Madras Agricultural Department, has successfully in- 

 troduced Norwegian ploughs and some other improve- 

 ments. Wheu travelling in the United States, through 

 the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, a few weeks ago, 

 I was much shuck with the one-horse, or rather one- 

 mule, ploughs and other implements used by the negros 

 in cultivating their little farms, the soil being very light, 

 and I have no doubt that the present energetic Director 

 of Public Instruction in Ceylon (Mr. Green, c. c. s.l, 

 who is taking a warm interest iu agricultural improve- 

 ments, will gain more from America than Europe in 

 the way of suitable agricultural implements for the natives. 

 I am glad to see Mr. Mosse emphasising the fact that 

 a much lower water-rate is paid by cultivators in Cey- 

 lon than in Iudia, as misapprehension has existed on this 

 point ; but at the same time the rice crops on the Indian 

 continent are far heavier — as I will show hy-aud-bye — 

 than in our island. Mr. Mosse, however, makes out too 

 good a case in his figures when he takes credit not only 

 for 116,000 rupees paid water-rate, but tor 246,000 rupees 

 not paid, but still due. I suspect a good deal of the 

 latter will have to be struck off hy the Government. 

 And now, having offered these corrections, I would guard 

 against certain wrong " inferences " which a stranger, 

 unacquainted with Ceylon and its industries, its climate 

 and soil, might he led into from perusing Mr. Mosse's 

 Paper. I do not hlame Mr. Mosse in the least ; he has 

 kept strictly to his subject of irrigation ; but, as this is 

 the first Paper on Ceylon which has heen read at an 

 Institute meeting for a long time, and as the present 

 is peculiarly a time when the resources and industries 

 of our island ought to be understood, I hope I may be 

 pardoned for criticising, and perhaps travelling a little 

 beyond the bounds of Mr. Mosse's Paper: — (1) It must 

 not be supposed by outsiders that, although Mr. Mosse 

 alludes f° no failures or mistakes, none have been 

 made in the construction and restoration of irrigation 

 works in Ceylon during the last thirty years. 

 Mistakes of policy, engineering blunders, great ex- 

 cess of expenditure over estimates, have not been 

 unknown to us in Ceylon, as a study ofrofhcial papers will 

 show. At the opening of his paper, Mr. Mosse alluded to 

 vast irrigation works being formed in ancient days, " to 

 enrich the lands of Buddhist temples." He might have safely 

 added that many of the big tanks bad for their raison d'etre 

 the exaltation of the name and fame of the despotic kings 

 who were able by a word to compel thousands of their sub- 

 jects to labour on them for months, and perhaps years. 



* The " but " which follows suggests the idea that a 

 " not " has been omitted here. — Ed. 



Now this natural craving after notoriety among men wield- 

 ing authority has, in the opinion of the c demists and in- 

 telligent independent natives of Ceylon, not been unknown 

 among our English Governors, colonial secretaries and engi- 

 neers— (hear, hear, and laughter) — often anxious to leave 

 their mark on the island by something more prominent 

 than village sluices or channels — namely, the restoration of 

 cut- (ir other of the big old tanks — without duly weighing 

 the cost, or the absence of the conditions in surrounding 

 population, able and willing to do justice to the water supply 

 so provided. Sir Hercules Robinson laid down the sound 

 test — "Will it pay?"— in reference to works proposed out 

 of the public revenue, and Sir William Gregory, as a rule, 

 followed his example ; but there are a few big irrigation 

 works of able Governors since 1856 which can scarcely be 

 said to have answered expectations, and on which at this 

 moment most people in Oeylon believe public revenue was 

 prematurely expended. A splendid tank surrounded by 

 desirable land may be situated in the midst of an almost 

 depopulated country, and when the work is done the people 

 do not come forward to possess, occupy and utilize. Colo- 

 nization schemes fail ; a limited company collapses, and 

 the lesson would seem to be in respect of similar gigantic 

 undertakings, Festina lente. Mr. Mosse quotes with approval 

 Mr. Churchill's report on the Manaar district, where, un- 

 doubtedly, there is scope for the expenditure of a great 

 deal of money on irrigation works and their restoration ; 

 but caution is very necessary in such a case. Sir Arthur 

 Gordon, as mentioned, has gone in already for a big scheme 

 in the "Kalawewa," and we colonists and the intelligent 

 native taxpayers all hope, rather than fully believe, it may 

 Drove as financially successful as Mr. J. F. Dickson, Mr. 

 Fisher, and the other officers concerned, are so sanguine in 

 anticipating. On the other hand, to the restoration of ordi- 

 nary village sluices, channels and tanks, which can at once 

 be utilized by the people, the unofficial public of Oeylon 

 have ever given the utmost countenance and support, 

 through the press, public bodies, and the Legislative Council. 

 (2) The second wrong " inference" which might be drawn 

 from Mr. Mosse's paper is that rice cultivation in Ceylon is 

 a very profitable industry for the Sinhalese and Tamils. In 

 reality, it is doubtful whether under the most favourable 

 conditions of irrigation, cheap labour and transport, a good 

 market, and light taxation, possible in Ceylon, our culti- 

 vators can compete with their brethren on the extensive rich 

 alluvial plains of India and Iiurmah iu the production of 

 rice. Sir C. P. Layard, the most experienced living member 

 of the Ceylon Civil Service, has written on this point : — 

 " The cultivation of paddy (rice) is the least profitable pur- 

 suit to which a native can apply himself. It is persevered 

 in from habit, and because the value of time and labour 

 never enters into his calculation. Besides this, agriculture 

 is, in the opinion of a Sinhalese, the most honourable of 

 callings." The average yield per acre of rice in India must 

 be from four to eight times that for Ceylon ; of the lesson 

 to be learned from this fact I will treat later on. (3) It 

 might be erroneously supposed that Mr. Mosse attributes 

 the increase of population in Ceylon, the improvement of 

 the people, and the enhanced prosperity of the colony 

 generally, to be dependent on the restoration and construc- 

 tion of irrigation works. Now the one great fact which 

 explains the advance and prosperity of Oeylon and the vast 

 bulk of its people during the last 30 to 40 years is found, not 

 in " irrigation," but in the rise of the planting enter- 

 prise, conducted by Europeans and natives alike. To the 

 coffee, palm-tree, and cinnamon industries, but especially 

 to coflFee, is directly due the marvellous advance of this 

 colony — a fact which has been admitted over and over 

 again by successive Governors, who have drawn from this 

 source the surplus revenue they were enabled to spend 

 with so much benefit iu the poor, sparsely-populated native 

 districts referred to by the two previous speakers. (4) 

 It might be inferred that the Government of Ceylon ought 

 specially to aim at making Ceylon independent of India 

 in respect of the rice supply required by its urban and 

 immigrant population, As well, in my opinion, might 

 Great Britain hope to become independent of fote'ign 

 grain. No doubt two millions sterling for seven million 

 bushels of rice is a heavy payment for Ceylon to make 

 to India in a year of planting prosperity; but if, as I 

 believe, the rice can be bought more cheaply than it can 

 be produced at home, it is surely wiser iu Oeylon to go 



