CH. IV] CROPS AND METHODS OF PEASANT AGRICULTURE 163 



no means yet the case in the tropics. We must first learn all 

 the facts that village agriculturists, planters, and others have 

 learnt, and then use these as a basis for further work. Not 

 merely must we learn the facts, but we must find out the 

 " why " of them. Why, for instance, does the Sinhalese villager 

 manure betel-pepper only with the leaves of Groton lacciferum, 

 and refuse to employ another manure apparently as good or 

 better ? He himself does not know, but we must find out, and 

 perhaps in so doing we shall find some valuable knowledge 

 throwing light on other problems as well as on manuring. 



To deal in order with the points in which improvement is 

 required, the first is the variety of crops cultivated. There is 

 a want of variety in village cultivations, and " new products " 

 are desirable in many places, to avoid the risk of having too 

 many eggs in one basket, to lessen the risk of epidemic disease, 

 and to increase the variety of products available in the local 

 market, and thus help in raising the general standard of living. 

 But to introduce and establish these new products involves 

 many considerations. They must be shown to grow well in the 

 district, to be easy of cultivation, and to yield greater profit or 

 better food than those things that are already in cultivation 

 there, or at least as much. There must also be a reliable 

 market for them. In effect therefore, each product wants full 

 and careful experiment in each district. To have an Experi- 

 mental Garden in each district is almost beyond possibility; 

 the cost would be too large in comparison with the result to 

 be hoped for. But an Experimental Garden on a scale suited 

 to each village can easily be provided in the schools, and the 

 school garden scheme outlined in another chapter is recom- 

 mended on this ground alone, apart from other advantages. 

 A preliminary investigation is required to find out exactly 

 what products are already cultivated in the district, and then 

 the garden should be supplied with others not yet familiar to 

 the local villagers. In this way it can be tested whether the 

 particular plants will grow well in that district, and what kind 

 of market or domestic use there is for the produce. The 

 villagers will see the plants for themselves, and be able to get 

 a few for trial, and gradually those that prove desirable will 



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