232 
tHP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1889. 
this first beginning of tea by a native gentleman 
in that part of the country, will be pretty certain 
to lead on to further cultivation more especially 
with reference to the local consumption of tea among 
the people who can no longer get coffee. 
Climbing to the top of a hill on this estate, I 
had a delightful peep at Kekanadure tank between 
two or three miles distant. Framed in by the wide 
expanses of unbroken forest covering its water- 
shed, the glistening waters of Kekanadure from 
my vantage point, presented an enchanting picture, 
none the less attractive for the recollection that 
its waters were even more useful than ornamental. 
Unfortunately these waters run dry sometimes 
when most required, the watershed not being 
sufficiently favoured with feeding streams to keep 
up the water supply in dry weather. 
Driving back to Matara, by a different route I 
passed alongside some of the long and wide expanses 
of paddy-fields fed by the tank, and saw a little of the 
cultivation for which Matara district is most famous. 
The continuous wet weather of late had seriously 
imperilled paddy prospects in some of the divisions 
of Matara. It was satisfactory to learn that the 
break now experienced had just come in time, and 
that the change to " fine " would mean a great 
deal to the good of the cultivators. 
The cultivation of citronella grass in Matara dis- 
trict some years ago rapidly ran up from 2,000 to 
8,000 acres ; but it is now generally neglected, the 
prices being so low for the oil and adulteration 
with water and kerosene having done much mis- 
chief. It seems that the test usually applied for 
adulteration is useless if a little coconut oil be 
mixed with the citronella, and it is said that the 
natives who first found this out, made a heap of 
money 1 
Several patches of cotton I saw in the district 
looked promising, and at the Show, as already men- 
tioned, there were a number of samples from different 
parts of the district. In connection with cultivation 
generally in the district, I cannot avoid giving the 
following extract from Mr. Elliott's Administration 
Keport for 1867 — the earliest he penned on the 
Matara district : — 
The Dutch had extensive plantations of Areca- 
nuts and Cinnamon in this District, and a list of the 
gardens planted with the former fills quite a large 
folio, which I recently discovered amongst the old 
records of the Department. I am not aware when 
these lauds were disposed of ; most probably, before 
the arrival of the English, as the monopoly was re- 
linquished in 1790 ; but the Matara Cinnamon gardens 
were not sold till 1833 and 1834. Surveys of these, 
and duplicate title deeds for other lands previously 
sold, exist in the Kachcheri ; but during the wild 
speculation in land which marked the few years before 
and after 1840, only one European appears to have in- 
vested his money in Crown land in the Matara District, 
viz., Mr. Craig, who purchased 1,472 acres at 6s per 
acre in 1842. There are other applications on record, 
but I cannot trace if any sales followed. Of course I 
do not by this imply that this district was not the scene 
of any further European enterprize ; on the contrary, 
Mr. Talbot purchased and cultivated one or two exten- 
sive Cinnamon gardens, which have since passed into 
Native hands, and are now planted with Coconuts and 
Citronella, besides a Coffee estate which he opened and 
still holds in Morawak Korale. 
In another instance, the flat lands lying on the eastern 
bank of the Polwatte river, were chosen to form a 
Sugar estate, and parehased from the Native holders at 
an exorbitant rate ; but success did not attend the 
speculation, and the proprietors appear soon to have 
abandoned tho project, re-selling the ground to the 
original owners at a considerable loss, They seem 
however to have gone to work cautiously, as no ruins 
of buildings on a largfl scale, or disjecta membra of now 
worthless machinery, remain, as at other places, to 
mark the scene, to attest the folly or to perpetuate the 
remembrance of the injudicious extravagance, which 
characterized the speculations of the period. No such 
consolation however exists as regards Paraduwa, 
chosen by Lord Elphinstoue as the site of another 
sugar estate. Here an extensive Factory and valuable 
Machinery, with the latest and most expensive im- 
provements, including three or four Steam Engines, 
were erected, sums varying from 50 to 100,000 pounds 
are said to have been spent, but fortune, though 
courted with unbouuded liberality, hung back, and the 
long-sought-for success never came. The estate then 
fell into Native hands, but was rented by some en- 
thusiasts from Australia, who made extensive planta- 
tions of plantain trees for th9 sake of the fibre, but 
with no better result. Citronella was then tried on a 
smaller scale, but was not persevered in. During the 
past year the whole estate and machinery were pur- 
chased at Fiscal's sale for £2,000, by a Ohetty ; who 
has most wisely for himself sold off everything movable, 
to the very tiles on the buildings, for whatever they 
would fetch, the fittings being, to facilitate matters, un- 
screwed, and sold separately to suit enterprising Moor 
dealers in Brass aud Copper, while the machinery thus 
rendered still less valuable, scarcely brought the price 
of old Iron. The melancholy reminiscence this sight 
induced was confined to the few English who attended 
the sale, the vendor or buyers on the other hand seem- 
ing rather to eDjoy the ruin they were completing, 
" proud in their office to destroy." 
Mr. Baumgartner has given special attention to 
agricultural matters since he took j charge of 
Matara in August 1886 and his several Reports contain 
much useful information bearing on tae extending 
cultivation he has witnessed and encouraged in grain, 
fruit, vegetables, citronella and tea. 
■ * 
PLANTING IN PERAK : DEATH OF AN 
EX-CEYLON RESIDENT. 
(FKOII AN OLD CEYLON PLANTEE.) 
I wish when next you wander that you would 
come and see this rich and lovely country, the 
future busy scene of coffee planting, which un- 
doubtedly is to be a success here, and I hope the 
day is not far distant when we shall have a number 
of Ceylon men here busily employed in caring for 
the " Old King " and reminding one of the good 
old days when he was really monarch in Ceylon. 
It is only a matter of time, however, I feel sure. 
Another Ceylon man has passed away — poor Henry 
Liddell. He was doing well here, when he was 
suddenly taken ill (when actively employed at 
Selama) and taken to Penang, where he died on 
the evening of the 17th ult. I shsll be obliged 
if you will put an obituary notice of his death in 
your paper, that his people at home and friends in 
Ceylon may have an opportunity of knowing of his 
death. With best wishes and trusting that you and 
all your Ceylon folks are well. John Cock is hale 
and hearty and Charlie Wight is flourishing. All 
we want are a few Ceylon planters with a little 
" siller " to join us, and while making their own 
fortunes make Perak better known. 
Tree Struck by Lightning, — A correspondent of 
Nature says, that ''■ During the recent thunderstorms a 
large Elm tree was struck by lightning in a private 
park at Dulwich, but the only visible effects were 
linear interrupted grooves about three-quarters of an 
inch deep, extending down one side of the tree to the 
ground, where two or three depressions, some 3 inches 
deep were found. The bark is scooped out as clearly 
as if done with a gouge, and the intervals are from 
1 to 2 feet in length, while the grooves, themselves 
are from 1 to 3 feet in length. The grooves are now 
filled with mildew, which, I take it, indicates the 
death of the adjacent bark. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
