STANDARD PRODUCTS OF CEYLON 481 



of little value for copra. The Dwarf Coconut bears fruit when only two or three 

 feet high, and the nuts are small in proportion. Needle Coconut is a distinct 

 variety with a large triangular fruit, the nut having a sharp point at one end ; 

 it is cultivated in the Xicobar Islands. Maldivc Coconut is characterized by a 

 small, almost spherical iruit ; while the Edible-husked Coconut is furnished with 

 a husk which, when tender, is fleshy and of a sweetish acid taste. 



Rice ; Goyan, S. (Oryza saliva. Gramineae). Rice is the 

 staple food of the native population of tropical Asia, where the 

 plant is indigenous, and has been extensively cultivated from time 

 immemorial. Its cultivation has in recent times spread to other 

 tropical and sub-tropical countries, as the warmer parts of South 



RICE HARVEST IN CEYLOX, 



Men and women cutting the crop with sickles. 



America, West Indies, etc. The Rice plant is an annual grass, 

 growing, according to variety and soil, from 2 ft; to 4 ft. in height, and 

 its grain is considered to furnish the human race with a larger 

 proportion of food than any other plant of the vegetable kingdom. 

 The area under rice cultivation in Burma is estimated at 

 137 million acres, the export of the grain amounting to nearly 

 15 million pounds sterling. 



There are numerous varieties, which come under two main 

 types, (1) common or aquatic rice, and (2) hill rice. The former 

 kind requires marshy or irrigated land and a hot climate (up to 

 about 3,000 ft., in valleys), while the latter may be grown on dry 

 land, and thrives up to about 4,000 ft. For the aquatic rice, 

 a sandy loam, overlying a clayey subsoil (to prevent the water 



