AND THE MALAY STATES 41 



that had matured more slowly had produced latex as good and abundant 

 as had the others. The Castilloa had proved itself more tender than 

 he could wish, and the general sentiment among the planters was that 

 it would not be as profitable a venture. Speaking of rainfall at Pera- 

 deniya, they could always reckon upon ninety inches quite well distrib- 

 uted. Labor, of course, is very cheap, ten cents a day being the regular 

 wage, shelter being furnished, but not food or clothing. 



As an incident to this visit, I walked over the gardens, by well-kept 

 roads, shaded by magnificent trees, and visited the "hot house" for 

 orchids. As there is also a tea factory near the gardens, Mr. Willis 



RUBBER TREES KILLED BY FLOOD. 



[Part of a Forest Department Hcvea plantation in a valley sub- 

 ject to flood, showing the way in which the flooded trees died.] 



was good enough to take me through that, and show me every process, 

 the plucking, withering, rolling, drying, sorting, and packing, all of 

 which was most interesting. After taking leave of Director Willis and 

 his good wife, Mr. and Mrs. Carruthers, and all who had made my stay 

 so pleasant, I took the train for Kandy, four miles away, where I planned 

 to spend the afternoon with a steamer friend, and do a bit of sightseeing. 

 As I waited for the train, I was conscious of careful inspection on the 

 part of a man near me. He was a nice, well-fed, self-satisfied old gentle- 

 man, who sat by my side in one of the three cane-seated chairs that 

 stand on the depot platform for the use of the white patrons of the rail- 

 road. 



