132 HAPPY INDIA 



by the landowners, thus forcing the tenants to sell their 

 rice in order to get money to pay their rent and so diminish- 

 ing the supply of food available for the cultivators. The 

 increase in the population of the towns and consequent 

 increased demand for food causes the price to rise. 



The want of manure prevents the cultivators from raising 

 larger crops per acre, and so coping with the increased demand 

 for food to supply both men and cattle in abundance. 



Numerous river channels which sixty years ago abounded 

 with fish are now blocked with silt and vegetation. 



The construction of railways on a low level involved the 

 maintenance of high and strong river embankments to 

 protect the railways from destruction by floods, and as a 

 result the annual flooding of the plain was prevented. When 

 the river spread over the plain on the flooded land it had 

 such a very slight velocity that it could not carry the mud, 

 which was therefore deposited, enriching the soil. The clear 

 water then ran off by the river channels, keeping these clear 

 and fit for the fish which abounded. The soil was thus 

 impoverished, owing to the embankments which prevented 

 the floods which enriched and kept the escape water channels 

 clear. The scarcity and high price of food of all kinds 

 weakened the village people, causing them to yield to the 

 infection of malaria, which in consequence increased in 

 amount and virulence. The demand for land for grain 

 growing also makes it difficult to make or maintain planta- 

 tions where trees could be grown to supply wood for fuel 

 (and shelter for cattle), consequently the cowdung is used 

 for fuel instead of being used for manure. 



A great deal of experience has been gained as to how 

 to exterminate mosquitoes on the " india-rubber " 

 plantations in the Malay Peninsula. On some estates 

 the utmost care has been taken to close or remove 

 every possible place where the mosquitoes might 

 breed. The hoof-marks of an ox might form a place 

 which would hold water ; a little trickling rivulet of 

 pure water is a place where they like to breed ; this 



