I 



THE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXXIX, COLOMBO, DECEMBER 15th, 1912, No. 6. 



VILLAGE INDUSTRIES. 



PADDY AND PARA. 



In the last issue of the Tropical Agriculturist Mr. Wickramaratuadrew 

 attention to the enormous fortunes that are being made from rubber 

 planting. Comparing the profit from an acre of land under Paddy with 

 that of an acre under Para the calculations work out at about 700 per cent, 

 in favour of rubber. There are no doubt many reasons of a domestic 

 character which prohibit the native land-owner from abandoning the 

 cultivation of Paddy and with these we have no concern, it being 

 our business, that is the business of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, to 

 draw the attention of members to circumstances which may enable them 

 to make two blades of grass grow where only one grows now. That, 

 indeed, is the object of Scientific Agriculture. If it will not stand such a 

 test, a system, no matter how learnedly elaborated, cannot claim to be 

 scientific. 



We suppose the fact will not be disputed that large areas of paddy 

 land in the rubber zone could be drained and put under Para, and that 

 when the trees come into bearing profits might be expected to be very 

 much greater than they were with paddy. At the same time the labour 

 would certainly be much less arduous. 



Apart from domestic considerations to which we have referred, the 

 two difficulties in the way are, as indicated by our correspondent : 



(1) The possession of land by more than one owner and the difficulty 

 of getting all to agree to any new departure from existing customs. 



(2) The lack of capital on the part of the villager to keep himself and 

 his family provided with food and other necessaries of life and to cultivate 

 and maintain his rubber land for five or six years until it begins to 

 yield a return. 



As to the first, much would depend upon whether one owner could be 

 found possessing the necessary interest and influence to induce his fellow 

 owners to fall into line with him; and in very many cases it is probable 

 that some would arise to give a lead. The second difficulty, namely, 



