282 



Slatistica.l Observations on the Vurragherries, [April 



choaked the weeds, I was unable to determine. Their fields of wheat, 

 bailey, and cumboo (a very inferior sort is in use), were all full 

 of weeds, the crops thin, and the quality of the grain inferior in propor- 

 tion. Garlic is the staple production, and is raised in great quantities. 

 It is tended with much care, the fields are well ploughed and manured, 

 and not a weed to be seen : the returns seem very great, and, judging 

 from the size of the bulbs only, of excellent quality. 



This fact is sufficient to prove the fitness of the soil for the produc- 

 tion of grain of the first quality, if a little more care was bestowed on 

 its culture. This they do not think it worth, because they say " we can- 

 not sell it, and what is the use of taking so much trouble with what we 

 have to eat ourselves." Owing to this neglect the wheat and barley 

 are of the worst description, rice, from their own account of it, equally 

 bad, but of it I saw none, and can form no opinion of my own. 



Their cultivation, equally with that on the plains, is much influenced 

 by the seasons, being successful or otherwise, according as they have 

 rain. Captain Ward mentions, with due encomiums, the ingenuity with 

 which artificial canals are conducted to irrigate their terraced fields ; but 

 these unfortunately can only be of use, so long as the streams from 

 which they derive their supply of water continue to flow. It does not 

 seem ever to have occurred to the constructors of these canals to form 

 reservoirs in which to lay up a supply of water against a drought ; 

 though, so far as my unpractised eye in such matters enable me to 

 judge, many might be formed at no great cost, and prove of the greatest 

 value to the inhabitants. It is true, that, to form such substantial struc- 

 tures, might require more skill than they possess, and prove too expen- 

 sive for the poverty-stricken natives; but, until some such contrivance is 

 had recourse to, it must ever prove difficult to guard against scarcities, 

 in a country where the deep slopes of the rock has so strong a tendency 

 to drain off the moisture of the thin coating of soil with what it is cover- 

 ed. These droughts, indeed, to a greater or less extent, seem of fre- 

 quent occurrence, because in all enquiries respecting the productive- 

 ness of the soil and supplies of food, the answer invariably commenced 

 with the postulate— 'if the rains are good, then we have good crops and 

 plenty of food ; if not we are not so well supplied.' 



The natural productions of the country are sufficiently varied to give 

 us reason to put a high estimate on its probable capabilities. In the 

 course of about 15 days I collected little short of 500 species of plant?, 

 and without any attempt on my part to preserve specimens of all the 

 plants in flower or fruit at this season; many being rejected mere- 

 ly because I was not in want of specimens. It did not in 

 short occur to me at the time, which it has since, to compare 

 the vegetable productions of these hills with the recorded ones 

 of the country generally. This I greatly regret, as I think, were 

 a somewhat perfect collection formed, it would be found to con- 



