520 Coco -nuts The Consols of the East 



itself a decided advantage. Again, holes 

 blasted with dynamite remained open for a 

 considerable period, whereas those made by 

 coolie labour, once planted over, and packed 

 tight by the filling-in process, resembled the 

 surrounding soil in its hard primeval state. As 

 for the cost against coolie labour, the use of 

 dynamite in the manner advised served to 

 prove that a greater area could be covered by 

 four coolies using dynamite in the quantities 

 recommended, than by treble that number of 

 coolies with ordinary hand labour. In remov- 

 ing or reducing ant heaps, smashing boulders 

 or blasting tree stumps, dynamite as against 

 coolie labour was altogether more economical. 

 (See Ceylon Observer and Tilttts of Ceylon.) 

 This has been fully demonstrated on two 

 estates. By the help of dynamite ant heaps 

 were destroyed at a cost of about 1 5 cents to 

 25 cents, a heap, whilst by other existing 

 methods it would have cost about 1 50 cents 

 (R.i. 50, or 2s.). 



Critics of the use of explosives in agricultural 

 pursuits do not always seem to understand 

 the main advantages of aerating and breaking 

 up the subsoil by means of this modern adjunct 

 to agricultural aids. One of these advantages, 

 by no means the least and perhaps the 

 greatest, is to overcome the serious disadvan- 

 tages of coolie labour, with its lack of physical 

 energy and enduring strength ; in such cases 

 the use of explosives is most welcome, as the 



