302 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June i, 1904. 



Of the things that linger in my memory, the library of Cin- 

 galese sacred literature is most prominent. There are hun- 

 dreds of volumes, the leaves of the books being strips of fiber 

 from the Tallipot palm, the letters being etched into the sur- 

 face and then filled with ink. They are beautifully bound in 

 gold and silver, and ornamented with jewels. There was also 

 an image of the god, three feel high, of solid gold, as well as 

 one carved out of a single block of crystal some 10 inches in 

 height. Then there was copper, ivory, silver, and gold carving 

 and filagree work that would look just as well in America, but 

 there were too many around. I did not see the Sacred Tooth, 

 which is carefully guarded, and needs an order from the gover- 

 nor before one is permitted to view it. The true believers are 

 sure that it once was a part of Buddha's dental equipment, 

 while the scientists say it belonged to a crocodile. 



I didn't tarry long in Kandy, but took the morning train 

 back to Colombo, as I now had more definite knowledge of the 

 typical plantations, how to reach them, as well as letters to the 

 men in charge. Perhaps as a hint to others I should say that 

 when I left the hotel in Kandy after paying my bill, the follow- 

 ing servants put in a claim for tips : Bedroom man, bath man, 

 head porter, waiter, doorman, 

 gharri driver, the porter who 

 puts your bag into the train, 

 and any other native who can 

 catch your eye. 



It was early in the morning 

 when the writer and Miguel 

 de Silva, the Singalese plant 

 collector at Peradeniya, who 

 was loaned me by Director 

 Willis, entered rickshaws and 

 started for Slave Island sta- 

 tion, on our way to Kalutara. 

 For some distance the railroad 

 follows the sea coast, disclos- 

 ing the beautiful villas of 

 Europeans, native fishing vil- 

 lages, and the blue sea itself. 

 According to custom, Miguel 

 rode with the natives, and I, 

 in the car reserved for the 

 whites, was not able to ques 

 tion him as I had planned. A 

 friendly planter, however, did 

 explain that the land over which we were passing was very val- 

 uable, through the palms which grew upon it that were used in 

 the production of the native liquor, " arrak." He said also that 

 the ownership of these palms was most complex, one tree often 

 being owned jointly by as many as five natives. I had noticed 

 that many of them had a wattle of reeds braided about the 

 stem some 6 feet from the ground, and was amused to learn 

 that this was to guard against thieves. It seems that the night 

 climber cannot surmount this apparently flimsy barrier, nor re- 

 move it without making such a crackling that the owner is 

 awakened sufficiently to remonstrate — usually with a knife. 



Arriving at Kalutara, Miguel appeared, and with a command- 

 ing gesture secured a coolie to carry my bag, and we wended 

 our way to the Rest House for breakfast. As the day was 

 already a scorcher, its broad verandas, square rooms, and 

 cement floors gave one an impression of coolness which was 

 truly grateful. Here I had " early tea," consisting of " papaya " 

 (the luscious fruit of the paw paw tree), ham and eggs, bread, 

 butter, and coffee — an excellent meal, the whole charge for 

 which was I believe, 1 rupee. 



FICUS BENQALENSIS"— BANYAN TREE. 

 [In the main street at Ivalatura.] 



After breakfast (I would say " early tea ") we secured a 

 gharii, drawn by a horse that must have been a survival of the 

 Portugese occupation, so ancient was he, and started off for 

 Tabeuwana, 5 miles away, where was another rest house. One 

 advantage of the horse over the automobile, and the slow horse 

 over the fast one, is that it allows one to take in the beauties of 

 the scenery to a greater degree. The languid creature to which 

 I had intrusted myself gave me ample chance to enjoy the cin- 

 namon groves, the cocoanut plantations, and the paddy fields. 

 Besides this, I was interested in the natives, and when we 

 meandered slowly through a village with the houses close to 

 the road, and smelling like a fish glue factory that had soured 

 over night, I simply held my nose, but kept my eyes wide open 

 — and saw much that is not set down here. We tarried at the 

 Rest House at Tabeuwana only long enough for noon break- 

 fast and then pushed on for Culloden, which, by the way, is in 

 Neboda, or at least that is the nearest postoffice. The roads 

 were good, as all in Ceylon are, and there are some 4000 miles 

 of them, but the scenery began to show a decided change. The 

 country became more hilly, great masses of black gneiss show- 

 ing out through the luxuriant foliage. Finally, we ascended a 



long hill, turned into a tea 

 plantation and, leaving the 

 gharri, followed a winding 

 pathway to a pretty bunga- 

 low situated where it com- 

 manded a view of much of the 

 surrounding country and even 

 gave a glimpse of the sea in 

 the far distance. Here I was 

 met and welcomed by Mr. R. 

 W. Harrison, and a neighbor, 

 Mr. J. T. Withers, of Clontarf. 

 It was really too hot just 

 then to start out to view the 

 rubber, so we sat in huge 

 planters' chairs that have 

 broad shelf like arms that ex- 

 tend far out in front, and ar- 

 ranged so that the lounger 

 can have his feet as high as 

 his head, and talked planting 

 experiences. 



Culloden is, of course, pri- 

 marily a tea estate, beautifully 

 1 over it, and not a weed to be 

 Indeed, the weeding 

 It is 



laid out with fine gravel roads a 

 seen at any time in all of its broad acres 

 of crops in Ceylon has been reduced to an exact science, 

 all done by contract, and costs thousands of pounds a year, but 

 it effectually stops the danger from fire that an occasional cut- 

 ting of the weeds invites. 



Mr. Harrison, the manager at Culloden, is perhaps the best 

 equipped rubber planter in the island, either from the planting 

 or gathering standpoint. While he is in direct charge of Cul- 

 loden estate, which will this year produce about 10,500 pounds 

 of Para rubber, he also has supervision over the following 

 estates : Heatherly, which will produce 3500 pounds ; Tudugala, 

 6000 pounds; Yatupauwa and Edengoda, 5000 pounds. Thus 

 it will be seen that fully one-half of the Ceylon Para of this 

 year's crop passes through his hands, and in visiting him I was 

 sure to be at the center of the rubber planting interest. It 

 might be well to remember also that this 25,000 pounds an- 

 nually, with a decided increase each year, comes from about 

 20,000 trees that on an average are 8 years old. 



[TO B? CONTINUED.! 



