DBCBMBBR v jl911.] 



501 



Edible Products. 



of the natives of certain sections of the 

 islands, and the work is all done by 

 hand. 



France is the be&t customer for these 

 hats, and in 1909 took 227,603, valued at 

 $73,327 out of a total exported of 440,842 

 valued at $142,480. The Payne- Aldrich 

 Bill provided for the free admission of 

 Philippine products into the United 

 States, and opened up a new market 

 there for these hats, and in 1910 there 

 were exported to that country 176,938, 

 where in the preceding year there had 

 been but 12,169. The total exports in 

 1910 increased to 600,486 hats, value 

 $276,309. 



As the hats are very favourably receiv- 

 ed wherever introduced aud are com- 

 paratively cheap.the industry is one that 

 will probably experience a steady 

 growth. The material for their manu- 

 facture is found in almost every section, 

 and as the demand increases the in- 

 dustry will doubtless be more generally 

 introduced among the people, thus add- 

 ing in a substantial way to their earning 

 capacity- The making of these hats 

 does not interfere in any way with the 

 agricultural pursuits of those who are 

 engaged in the work, as the women and 

 children devote their spare time to it. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



PADDY CULTIVATION IN CEYLON 

 DURING THE X1XTH CENTURY. 



By E. Elliott. 



(Continued from page 397.) 



The Third Period, 1857, saw the 

 Renaissance op Paddy Culti- 

 vation in Ceylon. 



The credit for this is primarily due 

 to one man, John Bailey (son of a 

 former Archdeacon of Colombo), who 

 entered the Civil Service on 1st January, 

 1848, and became in March, 1854, Assist- 

 ant Agent of Badulla vice Philip Bray- 

 brooke, appointed Principal Assistant 

 Colonial Secretary. 



Others, whose names should be men- 

 tioned in this connection, are Woodford 

 Birch aud Oswald Brodie, while Adams 

 and Churchill accompanied Bailey in the 

 exploration of the Ellehara canal ;* their 

 reporf of which attracted Sir H. Ward's 



* Adams was originally a planter who, in the 

 outbreak of the .Rebellion in 1848, rode across 

 country to Trincomalie with orders for the 

 garrison to march to Kandy. For this service 

 he was appointed to the P. W. Department, 

 and acted as Assistant Agent of Matale and 

 Itinerating Magistrate. He spoke Sinhalese 

 well aud was a famous hill climber. 



Churchill (an Engineer by profession, came out 

 to the Survey Department, but resigned and 

 turned planter) was the scientific member of 

 the exploring party. He used in after years to 

 relate the difficulty they had in obtaining local 

 information. One day they came on and 

 captured two "wild men," one of whom was 

 most garrulous, but the other remained silent, 

 and on being pressed as to his companion's 

 statements, exclaimed " Gajagal palane boru," 

 (elephantine rock-splitting liesl" He shortly 

 after joined tke, P.W.D. and eventually became 

 Director, 



attention, but led to no practical results, 

 owing to the absence of population in 

 that part of the island. 



In 1855 Bailey wrote a most striking 

 and weighty report on the irrigation 

 works of Uva, beginning, "The present 

 condition may be summed up in a few 

 words. The greater number are utterly 

 ruined and all are dilapidated." And 

 again, when writing on commutation in 

 1855, says : " I have turned my attention 

 much to it and to agricultural matters 

 generally," and adds with becoming 

 modesty, " my views may be wrong, and 

 I do not presume that 1 have sketched 

 anything new or original. Of course, if 

 my suggestions meet with approval, I 

 shall have the satisfaction of feeling I 

 have contributed to the good of the 

 people over whom I have been placed." 

 Sentiments that shew the spirit of Tur- 

 nour had descended to him. 



One of his successors, Mr. Sharpe, calls 

 him "the originator of almost all that 

 has been done in our time for the regener- 

 ation of Uva." But he deserves credit 

 for far more than this ; for the renais- 

 sance of paddy cultivation throughout 

 the island is due to his familiarity with 

 its wants at the time and his knowledge 

 of Sinhalese modes of working. These 

 convinced him that the most pressing 

 want was the restoration of the old 

 communal customs (which had shared 

 the fate of Rajakariya) for securing 

 co-operation in agricultural operations 

 and the maintenance of minor works 

 capable of execution by the cultivators 

 themselves ; as well as the power of the 

 well-disposed majority to coerce the 

 recalcitrant minority when necessary 

 for the purpose through the ancient 

 Gangsabawa or Village Council. 



The Village Council is a very old East- 

 ern tribunal, and existed throughout 



