January, 1910.] 



53 



Miscellaneous* 



afford welcome relief in every village, 

 where pasturage is at present a scarcity. 



The neglect of paddy cultivation is 

 due, in some parts, to the abnormably 



IRREGULAR RAINFALL 

 in recent years ; but in nearly every 

 district there are fields which might be 

 relied on to give regular crops, if small 

 storage tanks were constructed at the 

 head of each range of fields. Many 

 fields are only occasionally cultivated, 

 only at intervals, for the reason that 

 they are wholly dependent for culti- 

 vation on rain-water, The cost and 

 maintenance of these would be little, 

 and the whole expense of bringing a 

 few acres into permanent cultivation 

 would be reaped in a single season. 

 Other fields which are irrigated by 

 amunu (water courses), where there is 

 an inexhaustible water-supply, yield re- 

 gular crops, and could be cultivated both 

 for yala and maha seasons. 



It is generally believed that the 

 Indebtedness 

 of the paddy-grower is due to the ex- 

 orbitant rate of interest paid for seed 

 paddy. It may be that this is so in some 

 cases, but it is not so in all cases. The 

 customary rate of interest charged is 8 

 lahas for every 10 lahas seed-paddy, 

 viz., 5 lahas as interest, and 3 lahas 

 in addition for wastage called bollehi 

 or '* diyabesma." In lending out paddy 

 for ordinary purposes, for one pela or 

 10 lahas, only 5 lahas paddy is chaVged 

 by the lender, by way of interest, 

 whether the borrowed paddy is returned 

 within a year or both after the lapse 

 of 4 or 5 years. The period of time 

 during which the loan is outstanding 

 makes no difference. The interest is 

 always the same and does not increase 

 by increase of time. 



I should say that the Kaudyans are 

 a very 



LITIGIOUS 



people, they often contract heavy debts 

 for law-suits. Unlike the low-country 

 Sinhalese, the Kandyans are not ex- 

 travagant in dress, food, building houses 

 or marriage festivals. 



But it is obvious that, when an 

 Ande-cultivator is obliged to borrow 

 seed paddy he must also 



INCUR DEBTS 

 to provide for the hire of buffaloes aud 

 men, and for other items connected 

 with cultivation ; he will also in many 

 cases be prompted to borrow sufficient 

 paddy to provide food for himself and 

 his family until his crop is harvested. 

 The poorest Kandyan villager, who 

 possesses nothing beyond his hereditary 

 love of paddy cultivation, often takes 



up the work of a field on the karu 

 ande system {for a Jth share), jointly 

 with the owner, Even if the crop is 

 a good one, he will, after paying off 

 his liabilities, have very little return 

 for his labour. 



The smaller paddy-fields are usually 

 cultivated by the owners themselves, 

 but owners of large fields lease parts 

 of them on the half-share (ande) system. 

 When paddy-fields are let out in this 

 way, the owner takes no share in the 

 labour, nor does he bear any part of 

 the expenses, so that practically he re- 

 ceives as rent half the crop plus the value 

 of the expenses of cidtivation. Here the 

 emcZ^-cultivator runs into debt to carry 

 on the different operations in the field. 



It has been found that the 

 Moorman 



is the greatest pest to the Kandyan 

 villager. He haunts about the whole 

 village, and buys everything he could 

 lay his hands on, at the cheapest rate 

 possible, and sells his purchases to the 

 nearest "town at great profit to himself. 

 What is worse, he lends out money and 

 paddy at exorbitant rate of interest, 

 the poor ignorant villager is easily 

 victimised, with the result that he is 

 obliged in the end to transfer his 

 ancestral property to the rapacious 

 Moorish usurer. 



The operations of the Agricultural 

 Banks in advancing seed paddy and 

 cash to cultivators may be greatly 

 helped forward if 



Instruction 

 in improved methods of cultivation is 

 made freely available. The effect of 

 occasional demonstrations of ploughing 

 with new styles of ploughs, &c, is limited. 

 It ought to be possible to arrange for 

 the systematic cultivation of paddy- 

 fields in convenient centres, where, every 

 operation — from the sowing of nursery 

 plots and transplanting the seedlings 

 to the harvesting of the grain — may be 

 studied. 



As regards the issue of seed paddy 

 aud cash advances, it would perhaps 

 be advisable to stipulate that the loans 

 be made only on the condition that 

 the cultivator adopts all the new 

 methods suggested for the improvement 

 of agriculture. 



The Committee will doubtless insist 

 on local branches being formed, com- 

 posed only of those who are especially 

 qualified as land-owners and those who 

 take a real interest in agriculture. 

 Many of the Minor Headmen can hardly 

 be classed as such. 



Pohath Walauwa, Gampola, 

 19th November, 1909, 



