the District of Noowerahalaioiya. 161 



round the enclosure, form a toleraby good fence. The seed is 

 sown broad cast, and then covered slightly by aid of that 

 useful implement, the mamotie. A man can sow and cover 

 about a seer of koorakan seed in a day. It rarely occurs 

 that more than two crops are taken from one chena ; after 

 the last of these has been removed, the jungle is allowed to 

 grow up and is not again cut till after the lapse of from five 

 to fifteen years. It is evident that this system must prove 

 most destructive to timber, as new land is cleared every 

 year. 



In these chenas various other plants, such as millet, &c. ; 

 as also varieties of gram, &c, are cultivated. One of the most 

 useful of these so called fine grains, is the thalla of the Sin- 

 ghalese, (Sesame. Sesamum Orientate?) which yields an oil used 

 for lamps and in medicines. The price of the seed is about 

 a penny per seer, and large quanties are sold to Tavuium 

 people from the low country, and to dealers at Trincomalie 

 and Higgolle (Matelle.) The people are fond of cultivating 

 this plant, and if an English merchant would make arrange™ 

 ments for purchasing it here, or at the neighbouring ports, 

 the cultivation might be increased to a great extent. 



Cotton is also grown in chenas, the seed being placed 

 in the ground along with that of koorakan, which grows 

 faster, and is removed ere the cotton has approached maturity. 

 The extents of such lands are always estimated by the quan- 

 tity of seed koorakan required ; and about four seers of 

 cotton seed are sown with one of koorakan. The cotton is 

 sown about October, before the monsoon rains set in ; the 

 pods begin to burst in about eight months ; and during the 

 three following months the produce is gradually removed. If 

 the plant be cut down at the close of the season, fresh shoots 

 appear, and a second crop equal to the first is obtained, if the 

 soil be good. From certain memoranda., collected by a pre- 



1858,] 



Y 



