No. 5. — 1850.] SUGAR MANUFACTURE. 233 



as to what is put into the pots to precipitate the feculencies 

 and prevent fermentation. For drinking purposes alone it 

 is taken without anything being put into the pots, the main 

 point being then of course to get it to ferment as soon as 

 possible, when, if taken for instance at six o'clock in the 

 morning, it is sourish early in the afternoon, in which 

 state it is drunk in considerable quantities, and is very- 

 intoxicating. For this purpose it is taken from the tree 

 twice a day, the morning's toddy being drunk in the 

 afternoon, and the evening's at night. Limed toddy can 

 however be kept till three or four o'clock p.m. without 

 •change. The fermented toddy is sold regularly in licensed 

 taverns,- — taverns which I need hardly say are perfect foci 

 of idleness and vice, gambling, &c. No one can tap his 

 own tree to get the pure sweet toddy, were he inclined to 

 drink it, without paying one pound a year to the u toddy 

 renter." There is no tax however on taking it for making 

 jaggery or sugar, under certain restrictions, i. e., with an 

 infusion of bark or lime, which of course are supposed to 

 render it undrinkable. This is as it should be, and with 

 such a law we can work with tolerable freedom. Perhaps, 

 however, the sugar manufacturer might be allowed by special 

 license to take it without bark or lime, if he found he could 

 make a purer article without them. 



For jaggery the best method is to put some pounded 

 bark into the pots (mutti). This bark is called 

 tampalam paddai in Tamil, and hal-potu in Sinhalese. 

 It is highly astringent, and the effects of its tannin is to 

 coagulate and precipitate a white pasty sediment, and 

 thereby prevent fermentation. This sediment is thrown 

 away as worthless, but there is also some sediment found in 

 the fermented toddy pots, which is used as a yeast for 

 raising wheaten bread. Lime also is a powerful agent, as 

 better not to use it, since it acts too strongly on the sugar 



