THEE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXXII. COLOMBO, FEBRUAKY 15th, 1909, No. 2. 



Improvement of Agriculture in Ceylon. 



As we are leaving the colony in the 

 middle of February, and shall be away 

 for a year, we have thought it well to 

 put down some of the opinions at which 

 we have arrived upon this question, and 

 to complete the symposium by a paper 

 by Mr. Schrader. which appeared in the 

 "Independent," and which is worthy of 

 careful consideration. 



While away we hope to visit Agricul- 

 tural Colleges, Experiment Stations, etc.. 

 in Egypt, Italy, Austria, Germany, 

 Britain, the United States, and Canada, 



and may be able to write occasional 

 articles upon them for the T. A. In case 

 of anyone wishing to write as regards 

 any subject they may desire enquired 

 into, an address which will always find 

 us will be— Gonville and Caius College, 

 Cambridge. 



We hope also, while on leave, to find 

 time to write the bulk of an elementary 

 treatise upon Nature Study, and the 

 outlines of Agricultural practice, for use 

 in Ceylon Schools. 



Agriculture in Ceylon and its Improvement. 



By J, C. Willis. 



Ceylon agriculture may be sharply 

 marked off into two classes— estate 

 agriculture and peasant agriculture. 

 There are great differences between 

 these in efficiency and result, and oue 

 is liable hastily to generalise, and say 

 that it is all owing to the superior 

 industry and intelligence of the Euro- 



peans who manage the bulk of the 

 former. That this is not entirely the 

 explanation, however much truth 

 there may be in it, may be seen 

 by omitting the European altogether 

 and comparing the native capitalist 

 or estate agriculture with that of the 

 villager. 



