Cultivation in Ceylon 39 



practise is for drains to be cut as nearly as 

 possible at right angles to the slope of the 

 land, irrespective of the lines of the coco-nut 

 trees. The earth should be formed into a 

 bank on the lower side, so as to increase the 

 capacity of the drain to catch water. They 

 should not be of one continuous length, as, 

 unless they are traced and cut absolutely level, 

 the arrested water will find an outlet at the 

 lowest point, and the remedy will prove worse 

 than the disorder it was meant to cure. The 

 drains should be cut in sections about 25 ft., 

 leaving intervals of about 18 in. betw.een the 

 sections. The bottom of the drain should be 

 so made that the water from one section should 

 not find its way into another. The ends of 

 the drain should be slightly rounded to prevent 

 the water flowing out. 



" These drains can be gradually filled up with 

 husks, coco-nut branches, and weeds, and 

 when quite full, must be covered over and new 

 ones should be cut. Another benefit of these 

 drains is that they help toward the aeration 

 of the soil. Drains are useful on flat land as 

 wejl, whatever the texture of the soil. They 

 can be used as receptacles for the husks and 

 branches, which, in decaying, enrich the soil. 

 In such places the drains should be wide and 

 shallow, so that a large surface may be en- 

 riched with humus. Here, too, new drains 

 should replace those that are filled up and 

 covered over. 



