Edible Products. 



[November, 1911. 



big crops known as Maha in the Sinha- 

 lese and Munmari in the Tamil districts 

 (sown in the second half of the previous 

 year and harvested ia the early months 

 of the current one), and the Yala (or 

 Karavelama) sown and harvested with- 

 in the first eight months of the calendar 

 year, under which the entire figures for 

 both crops are credited in the Blue Book 

 returns. 



Unfortunately, I have only access to 

 one rainfall return for a long period, 

 namely, that in Ferguson's invaluable 

 directory, but, though this is for 

 Colombo alone, it may I think be accept- 

 ed as typical of the weather generally, 

 which prevailed throughout the island 

 in each period ; and as the fall is given 

 by months, I have been able to recast 

 it on the foregoing lines. 1 have also 

 found a return of the early rainfall 

 at Mullaittivu, in the Vanny manual, 

 which will serve to show if the Colombo 

 return is approximately correct for the 

 Eastern side of the Island in any year. 

 I find, too, from the diagrams attached 

 to Sir J. Keane's report (LV. 1905) that 

 the average falls during the N.-E. mon- 

 soon at Colombo and Batticaloa are 

 very nearly the same, but a month 

 earlier on the Western coast, the 

 heaviest at Colombo in October, and in 

 November at Batticaloa and Trin- 

 comalie. 



Working on these lines, I have framed 

 a return showing the total average 

 sown in the whole island in each year, 

 the gross estimated production of paddy, 

 the rainfall for each agricultural twelve 

 months ending on 30th April and the com- 

 parative strength of each monsoon, as 

 well as the fall in each little monsoon, 

 a governing influence in the cultivation 

 of the later Yala crops in the Sinhalese 

 districts. 



An examination of the progress and 

 development which this table discloses 

 will be presently discussed, and here I 

 only purpose considering it in reference 

 to the climatic influences which have 

 conduced to this happy result. First, 

 I would point out how it justifies the 

 official returns and accounts for vari- 

 ations in the figures which have been 

 taken as indicating untrustworthiness. 



Thus a small crop of 1873 is fully 

 accounted for by the very short rainfall 

 (62"), the failure of the S.W.* and a 



* The abbreviations are to be read as 

 follows: — S.W., South-West monsoon; N.E., 

 North-East monsoon; V. H., very heavy, H., 

 heavy ; G., good ; M., moderate ; L., light ; F., 

 failure ; B.P., Bushels of Paddy. 



moderate N.E. monsoon; while the 

 bumper crop of the seventies wa9 in 

 1878, when the total fall was 114" 

 with a good S.W. and a V.H., N.E. But 

 though the fall of the next year was still 

 heavier (151"), the monsoon conditions 

 were somewhat reversed (S.W., V.H. 

 and N.E., M.) Consequently the sow- 

 ing and crop were both extensive and 

 very good in all the Sinhalese districts, 

 except the North- Western and North- 

 Central Provinces, where, and in the 

 Northern and Eastern Provinces there 

 was a reduction of 50,000 acres in the ex- 

 tent sown ; and poor crops in the Tamil 

 districts, but better in the other two pro- 

 vinces, thanks to an early and heavy 

 little monsoon in April, which admitted 

 doubtless of some cultivation for Yala. 



1 have found the table most useful in 

 the preparation of this paper, and have 

 myself learnt several lessons from it, 

 which though of small use to me now, 

 may prove of value to those now or 

 hereafter entrusted with the care of the 

 interests I have in the past watched 

 and loved so well. 



Thus it discloses that it is a reasonable 

 and seasonable and not a " ranting tant- 

 ing" fall (such as the proverbial Scotch 

 Divine deprecated) of over 100 inches, 

 which produces the best crops ; and that 

 these were not always got off the most 

 extensive sowings. For instance, the 

 largest crop of the eighties (just under 

 ten millions B.P.) were got off a sowing 

 of 585,000 acres, with a rainfall of 90" 

 (S.W., V.H. and N.E., H.,) while in 1887 

 a fall of 103 inches (S.W., G. and N. 

 E,, M.) only secured a crop of 8 millions. 

 Making every allowance for the increase 

 in the arable area, another gratifying 

 fact disclosed by this table is that the 

 cultivation of paddy seems to be getting 

 less and less dependent on the Clerk of the 

 Weather, and that irrigation is telling, 

 though of course there are exceptional 

 years when the rainfall is largely deficient 

 or badly distributed. This is especially 

 the case in the Districts largely depend- 

 ent on the N.E. monsoon, and where the 

 chief irrigation works are situated. 

 Thus, in the Eastern Province the area 

 cultivated for 1905-6 was over 77,000 

 acres, only 12£ % below the maximum 

 (88,000 in 1901) consequent on the heavy 

 rain (25J inches) in September and 

 October, 1905, but the young crops were 

 so largely destroyed by the drought* 

 in the following November, (5 inches 

 instead of usual 12), and December 

 (0*48 instead of usual 13) that the out- 

 turn was 47 % less. 



* A considerable area in the Eastern Pro- 

 vince is cultivated for the Munmari crop 

 so entirely dependent in the direct rainfall. 



