September i, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



!jf2I 



I have purposely worked out my figures, so far, iu days' 

 labor aud grain, in keeping with native modes of es- 

 timating agricultural outlay. Iu addressiu^i a European 

 audience, it is necessary to attach money equivalents to 

 these results, based on the value of labor iu each locality. 



In South Batticaloa, the ordinary rate of pay on the 

 coconut estates is IS cents per diem, and the hire of an 

 agricultural laborer is a niarakal of paddy per diem, which 

 generally changes hands at about the same rate. The 

 road commutation tax in both Batticaloa and Matara is 

 Rljin lieu of six days' labor. In neither district is there 

 any special demand for labor except for paddy cultiv- 

 ation Twenty-five cents a ilay is therefore an exceptional 

 wage, and a very outside value of time in the local labor 

 market of both districts. 



In my opinion the most unfavorable view that can be 

 taken of the situation is that paddy can be grown in 

 Ueylon for 31h cents a bushel, and that it is probable 

 "a liu-ge proportion is raiseil at a cost of 25 cents (six- 

 pence) a bushelj while it can be sold nearly everywhere 

 for at least a rupee, leaving a profit of 75 cents per 

 bushel to meet interest on capital invested, &c. 



Turning to India again for a moment, I find that the 

 average selling price of paddy in the Madras Presidency 

 has been 94 cents per bushel during 1881 and 1SS2 a'-ainst 

 fii cents for the three years previous to the famine. To 

 this, on grain coming to Ceylon, has to be added Customs 

 duties amounting on both sides to 26 cents per bushel 

 besides freight and other charges. So th.at it is not sur- 

 prising the price of paddy is generally Rl-50 in the .Jaffna 

 market, where alone Indian grain comes into competition 

 with the surplus production of the Batticaloa district, 

 aud that surplus comes burthened with charges for trans- 

 port of over 50 per cent on the cost of production. In 

 tly3 Colombo bazaar Indian paddy generally sells at E 1 37^ per 

 bushel, and the Customs valuation for statistical purposes 

 has for some years been Eli. 



This brings me to the consideration of the cost of bring- 

 ing Ceylon paddy to market. In Matara not nearly enough 

 is yet grown to meet the demand of the resident popul- 

 ation, and consequently there is a market on the spot. 



In Batticaloa, on the other hand, an exce.ss over local 

 requirements is produced even in unfavourable years, and 

 in 1883 over 350,000 bushels were exported to Jaffna 

 coastwise, besides what was sent inland to BaduUa and 

 Bintenna, of which no account can be obtained. As 

 Jaffna ordinarily absorbs an annual import of about 000,000 

 bushels of paddy, th. re is still a considerable margin 

 iu this market, so long as Batticaloa can undersell Indian 

 paddy, as it does now. 



Batticaloa is further favoured by possessing cheap trans- 

 port to this market, owing to the facilities offered by the 

 extensive backwaters, which are such prominent features on 

 this side of the island ; and the fortunate circumstance 

 that both harvests fall within the period when commun- 

 ication with Jaffna by sea is ea.sy and rapid. A consider- 

 able number of native ves.sels engage in the trade, especi- 

 ally during the continuance of the south-west monsoon, 

 and paddy can consequently be transported from the 

 threshiug-fioors in the fields to any sea-port market in the 

 Jaffna peninsula for about 20 cents per bushel. 



A grower of paddy in Batticaloa can therefore, in my 

 opinion, put his paddy into the Jaffna market for about 

 50 cents a bushel, and secure a profit of about 75 cents 

 a bushel, possibly a little more. 



In Matara the extent of waste land is now very small, 

 and as there is considerable wealth in the district, fields 

 in favourable localities fetch fancy prices, running to as 

 much as R200 to 112.50 per acre. 



In Batticaloa the circumstances are very different and 

 the .supply of land is still iu exce.ss of the demand. For 

 a limited extent situate in a central locality, an alluvial 

 well-watered plain known as the Karewagupalam, tlie value 

 rivals if it does not exceed that for the best lands in 

 Matara; but the usual price for ordinary paddy land in 

 cultivation is E30 to R.50 per acre, and at this rate a large 

 proportion of the fields could be piu-chased. Waste land in 

 this district can be prociu-eil at RIO per acre and survey 

 fees, payable iu tour monthly instalments. As the Bat- 

 ticaloa lands when sold are covered wi(h jungle, after 

 cutting out any timber available, purchasers hand over 

 the property for a couple of years to persons who undertake 



to clear and cultivate it, taking as remuneration the crops 

 grown during the interval ; no ground share is claimed, 

 and the owner advances seed and maintenance paddy 

 which are repayable but without interest. An expenditure 

 of about RIO in cash is required to put up the dams 

 and ridges, which are frequently of larger dimensions 

 tlian is usual in the Sinhalese districts. It is difficult to say 

 what the total cost of aswedumizing comes to in money, 

 but, so far as I can judge, it is not more than E30 per 

 acre, a portion of which is generally recouped by the timber. 



The ta.sk I .set myself is now finished, and I trust it will 

 be considered that I have shown paildy can be locally 

 grown, with the aid of irrigation, more economically than 

 it can be imi)orted. I have endeavoured to give a 

 truthful fair epitome of the information I have drawn 

 from the lips of all classes, cbicfiy the practical field- 

 workers with whom I have been brought more directly in 

 contact during the past two years, especially in the Batti- 

 caloa district. As regards expenses of cultivation, my 

 enquiries are more tlian corroborated by the outside and 

 independent testimony of others to which I have already 

 referred. 



The only point which is really open to discussion is the 

 rate of yield. This I have purposely kept low, I believe 

 below the tr,ith, and I appeal to the gentlemen who have 

 experience in such matters, if I have not been most moder- 

 ate in basing my calcuUtious upon a yield iu irrigated 

 lauds, which would in the Sinhalese districts be spoken 

 of as v.arying from 10- to 15-fold and of 7- to lO-fold in 

 the localities where 3J bushels to the acre are sown. 



I have selected for the investigation of this question 

 two districts in which the construction of irrigation works 

 has introduced a considerable element of certainty in the 

 cultivation of paddy, and it is practicable to judge re- 

 sults by pecuniary tests in nccordaneo with European 

 ideas. AVheu a reliable water supply is absent, and paddy 

 growing depends on the rainfall, it is probably liable to 

 more vicissitudes than any other branch of agriculture 

 in the island, perhaps in the world. It would be a waste 

 of time to consider its pecuniary capabilities under such 

 conditions. But fortunately the rainfall in some parts of 

 the island, and in the more populous districts, is well dis- 

 tributed, ami paddy cultivation is carried on with results 

 only second to those ensured by irrigation. Where such 

 favorable circumstances are wantiug, there is really only 

 one remedy, and that may be summed up in the single word 

 "Irrigation." I know no other of equal efficacy. Improved 

 modes of cultivation, new implements, and fresh seed 

 are all of secondary importance. Where neces.sary make 

 the water sui)ply tolerably secure, and we may and caa 

 rival India, if we do not do .so already, in the economical 

 production of paddy, though it may be a long day before 

 we can entirely overtake the local demand. Still the fact 

 remains that while jjaddy cannot apparently be imported 

 into Ceylon for nuich under El.V per bushel, we can 

 produce it in the island for one-third this sum at the 

 very outside. 



Hon. P. 11am.\ Nathan opened the discussion by 

 statins; that the qu^atiou Mr. Elliott had set himself 

 to solve was whether Ceylou could grow rice so as 

 to underaell the Indian article in the local market, 

 and he had not only answered that qnestion in the 

 affirmative, but had shown a prolit of 75 per cent 

 for Ibe cultivation. This was for the Matara and 

 B'tticaloa districts, where Mr. Elliott had spoken 

 of crops as high as .So to 70 bushels per acre. Mr. 

 Elliott had worked out the cost of cultivation and 

 put it at El.'i per acre. Now there was a very great 

 divereity of opinion on these subjects, more particularly 

 as to the yield of rice in crop, and this was shown 

 by the report of the Irrigation and Paddy Commission 

 of 18C7 — on which were Sir I!. Morgan, Col. Fyers, 

 Messrs. Parsons, Alwia, Wise, &c.— who eaid, 

 among other things : — 



The Committee have had under their con.sideration the 

 returns of the quantity of paddy ja-oduccd in tlie various 

 districts ofthe island: these data shew that the supposed 

 average yield of ten-fold is rarely olitaineel, the produce 

 usually ranging from three or four-fold to about eight-fold, 

 whilst in other Eastern countries the return ranges be- 

 tween twenty and fifty-fold. The return in Ceylon during 



