CHAPTER XXXII. 

 CALENDARS FOR CEYLON 



FOR JAFFNA AND NORTHERN PROVINCE :- 

 BY S. CHELLIAH, AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTOR, JAFFNA. 



January. Average rainfall 2'I5 in. Gather in the crop of different 

 kinds of yams. Plant tobacco seedlings, also chillies and brinjals. Plan- 

 tains are generally planted out this month, also the Betel creeper. The 

 latter is the staple cultivation in the west of Jaffna. 



February. Average rainfall 1*31 in. Gather in paddy crops. Sow 

 dry grains, such as gingelly, kurrakan, peas, kollu, etc., soon after the main 

 crops are gathered. Lift Palmyra kilangu (germinated seedlings), which are 

 used as a vegetable. Water tobacco gardens and disbud ("sucker") the 

 plants. 



March. Average rainfall "93 in. Gather paddy crops and plough 

 vacant paddy fields. The season for extracting the juice from Palmyra palms 

 is from now to the end of May. This cultivation forms an important industry 

 among the lower classes of the people. Manioc (cassava) roots are now 

 lifted and dried to be used as food stuff. 



April. Average rainfall 2'35 in. Brinjals and chillies are now planted. 

 This is the time for planting out coconut plants. Gather dry grains sown in 

 February. Gather and cure tobacco crops all over the North. Gathering and 

 drying of chillies must be done now ; also ploughing and manuring paddy 

 fields. Planting out Betel is also done this month. 



May. Average rainfall 2X)I in. This is the time for sowing the dry 

 grain called "Tennai" (Italian millet), after the harvest of tobacco, also for 

 planting manioc (cassava) cuttings and different kinds of yams. 



June. Average rainfall 79 in. Watering dry-grain plants in gardens 

 will now be necessary, this being the dry season ; it is also the fruit season in 

 Jaffna. Plucking arecanuts will be continued to the end of December. This 

 is the time land owners make arrangements to have their garden lands 

 cultivated with tobacco on lease. 



July. Average rainfall '87 in. Reaping of dry grains sown in May will 

 now proceed, also planting of betel, onions, etc. Palmyra fruit season begins, 

 and continues to the end of September, during which time this forms a great 

 relief to the poor as an article of food. 



August. Average rainfall 1*44 in. Sowing of paddy in fields, also 

 sowing and transplanting of kurrakan in gardens may be done this month 



