2<)4 



THE TROPTCAt AGRTCTTLTtTRTST. 



[OCTOBEK I, 1884, 



opium eating can be or ought to be put down by 

 force, any more than alcohol-drinking. Opium is the 

 Chinaman's, or rather the Mo goliuu's, substitute for 

 spirituous stimulants Both do terrible haim when 

 takeu to excess, and, in the cases of par'icular con 

 stitutions, bur. for the disuse of or repression of excess 

 in each, we cmnot trust to Government action. To 

 quote again : — 



The Chinaman, like men of other races, insi.'ts upon 

 indulging in some stimulant or narcotic, and he has 

 choosen opium. He is by no means the teetotaller 

 which he is credited to be. Temperance societies exist 

 in China. Still the Chinaman generally does not in- 

 dulge in beer or wine — a great debarrent being the cost 

 when delivered from Europe — and his aamshu is a weakly 

 subterfuge. The vice which it pleases him to indulge 

 in is, therefore, opium. We have not yet succeeded 

 in introducing temperance, far less abstinence, into Eng- 

 land. And you may as soon expect the average Briton 

 to give up his beer or spirits as the Chinaman bis pipe 

 In neither case cau you make man moral by Act of 

 Parliament. No reform, I feel certain, is likely to come 

 from the mandarinate, who are nearly without excep- 

 tion slaves to the habit, while the few free from it are 

 powerless against it. It must come, if ever it does, by 

 social reform, from the people themselves. The import 

 of Indian opium by our Government is said by the 

 missionaries to create a source of considerable difficulty 

 in their relations with the Chinese. If not altogether a 

 sincere belief with Chinamen, it is at least a highly con- 

 venient argument, and much used by them, tliat we are 

 largely responsible for the prevalence of the habit ; and 

 not only ihe officials and literati, but not a few foreigners 

 even, have done their best to foster the idea. True or 

 not true, the charge is one difficult to meet so long as 

 Government preserves its present attitude with regard 

 to Indian opium. Having in view the fads brought 

 forward in this letter — though of opinion that the sup- 

 pression of the Indian opium traffic will not stop nor 

 even diminish it* use — 1 think Government should take 

 aleps to discontinue it, and replace it by some other 

 means of revenue. It can hardly be called a creditable 

 source of revenue. From the practical 6nancial as apart 

 from the moral or sentimental aspect, it is advisable to 

 examine the question and seek some means of replac- 

 ing it. If no such steps be taken, Government will 

 have lost the opportunity of carrying p measure, of pro- 

 gress — an act of self-respect, as well as expediency — for 

 the import of Indian opium into China is doomed. 



With the opium revenue failing and threatened with 

 extinction, the imports of piece goods in a most un- 

 satisfactory state, tea and silk dec-reusing each year in 

 value, and a balance of trade close on £3,0u0,000, surely 

 there is reason to consider well the conditions of our 

 trade with China. 



Yes : and we have no doubt, that, amongst other 

 matters, the disturbance and perhaps temporary ruin 

 of commerce which is still po vast, by the warlike 

 action of Frauce, will be properly considered and 

 represented. As for the opium trade, we need not 

 say how little we should regret it, were the Chinese, 

 in lieu of the diug, to resort mote largely 10 their 

 own harmless and beneficial stimulant (te 1) and to 

 quinine as a remedy ugainst swamp agues and debility. 

 Deplorable as the condition of the millions of China 

 now is, we cannot but believe that for them there 

 is a great and bright future, to hasten which even 

 the wickednesses and the horrois of war can be made 

 subservient by the Greater Ruler who educes good 

 out of evil. 



NATIVE AGRICULTURE. 

 We had the pleasure yesterday of witnessing, and taking 

 part in, some experiments with light English ploughs. 

 From yesterday's interesting experiments the Swedish 

 pbugh was absent, but there were several light English 

 ploughs of similar construction, from Howard Brothers of 

 Bedford, imported by Messrs. W. H. Davies & Co., which 1 



they are able to supply, if a large order is secured for 

 them, at prices ranging from R12 to R18 each, according 

 to weight and construction. The scene of Yesterday's ex- 

 periment was Audanduwana, a village about 8 or 9 miles 

 from Negombo on the old Chilaw road. 



The experiments commenced about 9 o'clock and lasted over 

 an hour— two of Howard Bros.' small, iron, single-handle 

 ploughs with wooden pole attached taking one large bed, 

 and four of the country ploughs an adioining, but easier, 

 because less clayey bed, of a large range of fields, on which 

 no water was visible, save a small puddle in which the 

 buffaloes refreshed themselves after their exertion. 

 About a hundred people of. the cultivator and trader 

 classes, and some well to do proprietors, Sinhalese and 

 Tamil, watched the experiments, and, following the 

 ploughs, wereahle to see that, while the English ploughs 

 completely turned over the soil, about 10 inches broad and 

 5 to 7 inches deep, the native ploughs only left a furrow 

 2 or three inches wide and 2 to 3 inches deep. The spaces 

 between the furrows were untouched by the latter, while 

 the former, although worked along only one-fourth the 

 number of lines, turned up or loosened the whole soil. 



Some of those present evidently thought it was their duty 

 to be in opposition, and did not see the good of any change; 

 they were content with their old ploughs; their fields 

 yielded them enough for their wants ; the new ploughs cut 

 too deep and would give their buffaloes trouble ; I hey were 

 too poor to buy new ploughs, and so forth. Their objec- 

 tions were met good-humouredly one by one, and the ad- 

 vantages pressed on them of increasing the yield of then- 

 fields, of giving the paddy plant more soil to feed on, of 

 reaching the roots of the grass .-o that when exposed and 

 submerged they might rot and make manure, instead of 

 choking the coin by their vigorous growth of association 

 and co-operation in the use of ploughs and cattle. We were 

 very far from sanguine of any good the ploughing match 

 had done in overcoming ignorance and prejudice ; but we 

 were agreeably surprized in a few minutes. The oppos- 

 ition speakers evidently only represented themselves ; those 

 who were silent had not been unobservant of the fairness 

 of the experiment and of the controversy, for the headmen 

 were specially asked to take no part in it lest their ac- 

 quiescence might be thought to have been purchased by 

 official pressure. Applications were registered for no less 

 thau 14 ploughs — a good morning's work, we should say. 

 Although it is of the greatest importance that Village 

 Councils should be encouraged to buy ploughs, and hire or 

 lend them to the people, the example of private proprietors, 

 who alter having paid for the ploughs are sure to use 

 them, is likely to be more effectual in overcoming the 

 prejudices of their neighbours, while the results in better 

 crops will, we hope, lead to the extensive adoption of 

 these ploughs. They are adapted not only for paddy, hut 

 for coconut land as well, and Mr. Gabriel Croos of 

 Negombo, with characteristic energy, is setting an excel- 

 lent example in using them on his estates. — "Examiner.' 



CEYLON PLANTING NEWS. 



2nd -ept. ISS-l. 

 The change of weather drserves a word. How 

 grateful the raiu is, and how welcome ! Still the 

 monsoon is keeping up its mild character ; no need 

 to knock off work in our part of the country, such 

 a thing as wash unknown, and the coolies agifating 

 only in a mild way for new cumblies. Everything 

 is lookmg refreshed, and the promise and bnd cf 

 renewed life is manifest in every bush and tree. 

 One peculiarity of the long drought which I noticed 

 was the frequent visits (rom troops of monkeys. I 

 have not seen them hereabouts for many years, but 

 lately, when the weather was dry and a little red 

 coffee about, «e have had them by the fifties, doing 

 their best to reduce the large European stocks of 

 coffee, and alas ! also our proiits. It is bad enough 

 to see the ground littered thick with deud leaves 

 brought down by the fungus ; but the addition o 

 Colour, although desirable enough in an artistic point 

 of view, does not commend itself to the planter. 

 when the dash of brightness is obtained in the form 

 of empty skin* oi the ripe berry. 



