PREFACE Vll 



mention Mr O. P. Austin, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of 

 the United States Treasury Department, Dr Melchior Treub, 

 Director of Agriculture in the Dutch East Indies, Mr Francis 

 Darwin, late Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, Mr I. H. 

 Burkill, Reporter on Economic Products to the Government of 

 India, Mr G. W. Sturgess, Government Veterinary Surgeon, 

 Ceylon, Mr E. E. Green, Entomologist, Mr M. Kelway Bamber, 

 Chemist, and Mr T. Petch, Mycologist, of my own department, 

 and last, but not least, my wife. I am also much beholden for 

 loan of blocks for illustration to the Government of Ceylon, to 

 the Kolonial Wirthschaftliche Komitee of Berlin, to Sir Daniel 

 Morris of the West Indian Agricultural Department, and others. 

 I am much indebted for help to Mr A. E. Shipley. 



JOHN C. WILLIS. 



PERADENIYA, CEYLON, 



December 21, 1908. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



DURING the last few years the various countries of the 

 tropics have been more occupied in establishing depart- 

 ments of agriculture than in considering the principles of the 

 subject, and there has been so little profitable discussion that 

 I have found but few alterations needed in this edition. In 

 especial, I have adhered more strictly to the geographical defini- 

 tion of the tropics, excluding for instance North India. 



The chief criticisms made have been to the effect that India 

 is badly misrepresented. If so, I can but apologise, but as 

 regards indebtedness of the peasantry may refer to Sir Andrew 

 Eraser's recent book, where it is given at a truly, astounding 

 figure, or point to the success of the Cooperative Credit Societies, 

 whose adoption I have preached for the last twelve years. No 

 one can set up India as a model of agricultural efficiency or 



