November, 1909.] 



444 



Miscellaneous. 



"9. On the following days demon- 

 strations were given on newly opened 

 land. This, too, was an entire success, 

 as the ploughs cut through the roots 

 without difficulty. The Pony plough 

 was also tried. 



" 10. I was unfortunately unable to b e 

 present at the Ambalantota demon- 

 stration. I am afraid that this may ac- 

 count for the fact that the people did 

 not respond in the same way in which 

 the Tissa people responded ; they require 

 to be talked to and reasoned with a 

 good deal before they will see the advant- 

 ages of an innovation. Only one man 

 agreed to try the ploughs. He is taking 

 five ploughs, and will plough 40 acres. I 

 afterwards sent for a Vidane Arachchi, 

 and induced him to undertake to plough 

 a similar extent. 



"11. I was present at the demonstration 

 at Ranna. The people here readily ad- 

 mitted the good work done by the 

 ploughs, but the fact that they are ac- 

 customed to the native plough militates 

 against a successful introduction of any 

 other. Their chief objection is the strain 

 upon the bulls, and the fact that the 

 ploughs are right-handed. I succeeded, 

 however, in persuding them to invest in 

 twenty ploughs as an experiment. 



" 12. I wasnot able to go on to Tangalla 

 for the experiments there, and I have 

 not yet received a report from the 

 Mudaliyar, 



" 13. In conclusion, the most important 

 places aie the Walawe scheme and Tissa- 

 maharama, as I consider that the future 

 prosperity of these places depends to a 

 great extent on the introduction of the 

 plough. Not much can be expected this 

 year from Walawe, as cultivation begins 

 in the middle of September. I propose 

 to concentrate my efforts on Tissa, where 

 the demonstrations were almost entirely 

 successful. Cultivation for maha begins 

 on October 1 and lasts for two months. 

 If the success is to continue, it is then 

 that the most strenuous efforts will have 

 to be made to prevent the cultivators 

 becoming discouraged when the practi- 

 cal difficulties of untrained men and 

 bulls become apparent. I should find it 

 of the greatest service if the Society 

 could send me one of their instructors 

 to remain at Tissa during the period of 

 cultivation. 



"14. I am afraid that this report has 

 run to great length, but a detailed des- 

 cription of the experiment might I 

 thought be of interest to you. 



■'15. I have to thank the Society and 

 their instructors for the great help 

 which they have given to me. If the 

 experiment is successful, it will be due 



almost entirely to the ability and 

 enthusiasm of the instructors. They 

 had, I am afraid, to put up with no 

 little inconvenience, but they worked 

 throughout with energy and cheerful- 

 ness. 



L. S. Woolf, 

 Assistant Government Agent." 



" Hambantota Kachcheri, 

 August 19/20, 1909." 



A subsequent communication from the 

 Assistant Government Agent transmits 

 a letter from the Mudaliyar of West 

 Giruwa pattu, who reports that a very 

 successful demonstration was held at 

 Tangalla, and a number of people induced 

 to purchase improved ploughs. 



In a letter dated August 14, from the 

 Government Agent of the Eastern 

 Province, the Society was asked to send 

 a few ploughs of a suitable type with a 

 view to showing their utility. The 

 matter was said to be " very urgent, as 

 the death of buffaloes from rinderpest 

 up to the 31st ultimo amounted 16,948." 



Arrangements were at once made for 

 carrying out as far as possible a similar 

 programme to that gone through at 

 Hambantota, and Mr. Chelliah, who had 

 just returned from the Southern 

 Province, was deputed to proceed to 

 Batticaloa and co-operate with Mr. 

 Breckenridge in carrying out the demon- 

 stration. 



A " Meston " plough has also been sent 

 to Mr. W. R. Bibile, Ratemahatmaya, for 

 a demonstration in Uva. The Ratema- 

 hatmaya refers to the gloomy prospect 

 before the cultivators, as the result of 

 the great loss of buffaloes through 

 rinderpest. 



At the request of the Government 

 Agent a series of ploughing demonstra- 

 tions is being arranged to take place at 

 various centres in the North- Western 

 Province. Mr. Molegode, Agricultural 

 Instructor, will be deputed for this work 

 from October 1. 



On September 10 I visited Mitiyagoda 

 and inspected a paddy field in which 

 cultivation by transplanting seedlings 

 from a nursery had been done. The 

 following are a few particulars gathered 

 on the spot. Eight measures of seed were 

 used for raising the seedlings for plant- 

 ing an acre 9 in. by 9 in. The field re- 

 ceived a dressing of a manure mixture 

 consisting chiefly of fish refuse procured 

 from Ambalangoda, bone dust, and 

 wood ashes. Owing to the absence of 

 rain at the proper time for planting, 

 the operation had uufortunately to be 

 delayed for fifteen days ; later on the 



