INTRODUCTION. VII 
of boulders to be dodged cleverly, in which case he 
has only to satisfy himself that he has made the best 
of it. 
NOTE ON ESTATE DRAINS. 
There is no part of Ceylon not subject to deluges 
of rain, in which I have known above two inches 
fall in one hour, while the most absorbent soil can- 
not take in one half of that quantity. In its natural 
state the soil is protected by a wilderness of indigen- 
ous growth that strews the surface with fallen leaves 
and twigs, and it is bound by a felt of intertwined 
roots that retards the flow of the superfluous water, 
and refuses to deliver up a particle of the soil, so 
that such part of the rainfallas cannot be absorbed 
flows off as clear and pure as when it left the clouds 
(so far as the eye can detect). Inthe process of culti- 
vation, we cut down and burn the indigenous growth, 
whether the result of ten years or of ten centuries 
of nature's dominion. We thus throw the surface 
open to the action of a tropical sun ; we weed out 
all the plants with which nature endeavours to re- 
clothe the land; we dig holes and leave the loose 
earth on the surface: in fact all our acts of culti- 
vation tend to facilitate the flow of the superfiuous 
rainfall, and to supply it with disengaged soil to 
carry to the nearest watercourse. The first heavy 
rain sweeps away all the wealth of ashes resulting 
from our burning ; every succeeding shower too heavy 
to be immediately absorbed ; takes away a part of our 
soil, and after a longer or shorter period all our soil 
proper; has left us, and our cultivated plant exists, 
but has ceased to grow, ona rain-beaten, sun-baked 
subsoil, mechanically and chemically unfit for the 
production of any plant of economical value. 
Various plans have been tried to prevent this waste 
of soil on inclined surfaces, 7 such as terracing, and 
wash holes; but the plan that plain practical 
commonsense has taken is to make surface drains 
at such distances apart, that they will catch the 
superfluous water, and carry it away, before itaccu- 
mulates intoa body sufficient to move the locse sur- 
face soil; wash holes and terracing, with all their 
