310 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



Jaffna District, except occasionally in Punakari and Kar- 

 achchi. The cultivation generally depends entirely upon 

 rain,* and in consequence there is usually only one 

 cultivation of paddy in the year.f 



Sowing takes place in August — September. There is no 

 fall of rain at this season : the fields are sown dry (puluti- 

 vitaippu ), and the seed then remains in the ground without 

 germinating until the preliminary rains of the North-East 

 monsoon begin to fall. 



On the auspicious day, which, according to the rules 

 above-quoted, can never be a Tuesday, the land-owner or his 

 son prepares a small quantity of raw rice from the paddy 

 which he had stored up for seed, and sends it to the village 

 temple to be boiled and offered to the deity to whom the 

 temple is dedicated. Milk, young cocoanuts, betel, camp- 

 hor, and benzoin, and all the other accompaniments of a 

 ponkal are sent with the rice. 



At the lucky hour a handful of seed-paddy and a mamoty 

 are taken to the field, and after splitting a cocoanut to 

 Pillaiyar, facing towards the norths the land-owner sows 

 the seed, and hoes it in with the mamoty ; and in this oper- 

 ation he is assisted by his servants. The sowing is thus 

 inaugurated. 



Heaping takes place in the month Tai (January — Feb- 



* Fields of which the cultivation depends entirely upon rain are 

 called ifi/r@)siJ<T/fl (mdndvdri fields). Mdndvdri is a corruption of vdnd 

 vdri =" sky-water." 



•f There are three cultivations in the year, viz., (1) sireoQu^&ia 

 (kdlapoham ) = " the regular crop," which is chiefly of paddy sown in 

 August — September, and harvested in February — March. Varaku, chdmi, 

 and other dry grains are also cultivated. (2) ^jpiQutr glu ( chirupokam ) 

 — " the little crop," of peas (payaru), &c, and near tanks quick- ripening 

 paddy, sown in February — March, and over within two months. (3) 

 @<sa)L-.C]QuiTSLh (idaippokam) = " middle crop," of chillies, onions, 

 &c; and in Tenmiradchi and Pachchilaippalli, (if there is enough water 

 in the tanks,) of paddy, which is sown at the end of April and reaped 

 in June. 



| Vide ante, p. 307, note. * 



