236 



[September, 1912. 



Province. 



Western 

 Sabaragamuwa 

 Central 

 Uva 



Southern 

 North- Western 

 North-Central 

 Eastern 

 Northern 



Total. 



Western 

 Sabaragamuwa 

 Central 

 Uva 



Southern 



North-Western 



North-Central 



Eastern 



Northern 



Total 



Average Production 



in 000 Bushels Paddy. 



1852-6 1862-6 





ion*} 7 



. 941 



855 



1,685 



1,775 





DUO 



884 



1,465 



11-98 



1052 



1242 



1,440 





iUD 



610 



644 



. 966 



909 



1536 



2.023 



. 967 



955 



1387 



2,114 



70 



90 



470 



670 



. 272 



590 



696 



1,430 



. 720 



680 



715 



733 



. 5,717 



6.072 



9,225 



12,294 



Portio 



n due to 



Balance due to 



Irrigation. 



other causes. 



1888-92 1903-07 



1888-92 



1903-07 



21 



47 



720 



784 





45 



304 



840 



44 



235 



614 



651 



. 335 



767 



235 



290 



30 



739 



3yo 



408 



. 400 



600 







. 424 



1158 









120 



*5 



tl07 



. 1,254 



3,711 



2,254 



2.866 



Total measure 

 aver. I852=6.t 



1888-92 1903-07 



741 



304 



654 



570 

 420 

 400 

 424 

 *5 



831 

 885 



1057 

 1147 

 600 

 1158 

 13 



3,508 



6.577 



Irrigated 

 area. 



1906. 



4720 

 4432 

 61991 

 7354/ 

 38,588 

 104,919 

 56,905 

 56,852 

 15,493 



295,462 



From this comparative table it appears that by the last year of the 

 grain tax (1892) there had been an increase in production of 3£ millions 

 bushels paddy ; of which l j millions was due to irrigation and 2£ millions 

 contributed by non-irrigated districts. By 1907 the average increase had 

 reached nearly 6 6 millions of which 3'7 are due to irrigation and 2 9 from 

 non-irrigated lands. 



In the latter, the addition in the last 15 years (1893-1907) was only 

 714, 000 bushels paddy, exclusive of the Jaffna district, where there was a 

 reduction of 102,000 bushels, making the net increase 612,000, of which 

 465,000 were contributed by Kegalle district alone. There has been no 

 expenditure at all on irrigation works in this district where ordinarily the 

 rainfall is heavy and the crops are usually fair ; but when it is mode- 

 rate the yield is much larger. This has been the case during the last few 

 years, but the production has not exceeded that of 1882 and 1883 under 

 similar climatic conditions. 



The Provinces Compared. 



In the Western province, there was an increase of 741,000 or 78% 

 prior to 1892 in which year the crops were 2'2 millions bushels paddy, 

 thanks to a heavy rainfall (130") and this has not since been equalled, 



* Decrease. 



t Includes lands benefitted by village tanks exclusive of Giant's Tank 

 scheme and other works not completed at end of 1906. Owing to this the 

 total differs from that given in General Irrigation return attached to 

 Director's report of 1906. 



