December i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
389 
this is not true with regard to all kinds of paddy— 
in those known as "Nandu-wee" it is about one 
measure less than in the others. 
Here the cost of reducing two bushels of paddy to 
rice is from 30 cents to 37| according to the cheapness 
of labour at the time. 
The price of a bushel of home-grown pacdy is from 
El to 1-50 ; and rice R2-25 to K3. But good seed 
paddy can be sold higher than this. The ordinary 
villagers have no paddy to sell ; and they have no 
money to buy cattle-hones or to pay the taxes, for which 
they borrow money to be paid in paddy at the rate 
of 60 cents a bushel.— I am, yours faithfully, 
0. D. S. 
P. 8. — A list of all kinds of paddy in the island 
known at the present day would be very useful to 
many. I hope one of the prizewinners of the 'Matara, 
Matale, or Kegalla Agricultural Shows will be pleased 
to publish it in your valuable journal with brief in- 
formation as to the time for the growth of each, &c., &c. 
C. D. S. 
No. IV. 
Jaffna, Oct. 26th. 
Dear Sie, — In reference to your queries, tivo 
bushels of good average paddy make one bushel 
of rioe. Ordinary cost of conversion of two bushels 
of paddy into rice amounts to — 
Boiling and drying paddy and fuel . . 24c. 
i. e. The cost of (or value of) two quarts of such rice. 
Pounding and winnowing . . 24 c. 
value of two quarts of same rioe. 
Products of pounding and winnowing two bushels 
paddy, viz. about six quarts rice bran or thowdoo, 
is worth four cents. The husks are generally dis- 
regarded and thrown away as worthless. Jewellers 
occasionally pay a few cents for a bushel, of 
it — but there is not any regular demand. In 
the country the thowdoo is given back to the 
person who issues the paddy for pounding. In the 
town those who consume rice obtained from paddy 
on the spot allow the pounders to take the thowdoo 
— and a quart of rice for each bushel of paddy 
pounded. 
As a general rule, however, paddy is not pounded 
for cash. Boiling and drying are done at home, 
and women who pound out rice for a living, go and 
get paddy from householders, and return half as 
much rioe, less one quart of rice for each bushel of 
paddy pounded out. Thus two bushels paddy 
equal one bushel rice, and two quarts rice is the 
hire for ■pounding out same — boiling and drying 
costs the same as pounding. Hence a person 
giving out two bushels of raw paddy would 
receive back 32 quarts of rice, lens 2 quarts 
for boiling and drying and 2 quarts for pounding 
out, equals balance 2S quarts, equals cost of 
cleaning 4 quarts, equals 48o. — Average value 
of paddy is Rl-50 per bushel except at harvest 
time, i. e. January and February. Then the vassals, 
serfs, retainers, &c, get generally paid in kind 
viz. paddy. The dhoby, barber, blacksmith, 
and frequently the farm labourers as well, have 
their paddy in kind, and proceed to turn it into 
cash, temporarily glutting the market and meeting 
the rapacit.y of the grain dealers, and their creditors. 
Paddy then goes down to BP25 per bushel. 
Home grown and made rice is not generally ex- 
posed for sale exoept at harvest time, but 12c per 
quart may be reckoned as its average value. 
Bice hulled without boiling and drying would 
not, certainly at first, command a ready sale. 
Such rice is described as raw rioe (" patcha 
arisee") by the nativos, and is held by them to 
bo unfit to be eaten boiled. They consider that it 
should be soaked, beaten into flour, the flour baked 
in a pan over a fire (if to be kept) or cooked 
into "hoppers" or sweetmeats, if used fresh. 
I hope I have answered all the questigns. 
The information was obtained from those who 
own fields and use their own paddy and also 
from those who buy paddy and get it pounded 
rather than eat Coast rice, which many natives 
state is unwholesome, having been rendered 
so in husking, and apt to induce bowel com- 
plaints and dysentery. — Yours faithfully, 
OLD RESIDENT. 
There may be slight variations from the fore- 
going owing to local customs in different divi- 
sions, but I think the figures I have given are a 
fair average. 0. B. 
NO. V:— THE EASTERN PROVINCE. 
Trincomalee, Oct. 29th. 
Dear Sie, — I beg to state that two bushels of paddy 
are required to make a bushel of rice, and the cost of 
conversion is about 25c. for each bushel of paddy 
The value of home-grown and home-made paddy 
and rice in the village markets and from peddling 
villagers is R125 and R3 37| respectively. 
I may add that Messrs. O'Grady and Morphew of 
Batticaloa contemplate ordering out a mill for the 
purpose of converting paddy into rice. — I am, vours 
faithfully, LANDOWNER. 
THE BEST TIME TO PLANT COTTON. 
Colombo, Oct. 29th, 1889 
Sir, — It is evident that we are now having the 
interval of fine weather before the setting-in of 
the N.-E. monsoon, and in a week or two there 
will be good planting weather for cotton. There 
have been many experiments made during the 
past six months in growing cotton, and whilst 
many have suooeeded in producing a fine growth 
and staple, others have not achieved the same 
measure of success, partly owing to the fact that 
the season has been about as unfavourable as it 
well could be, owing to the excessive quantity of 
rain that we have had, and partly because the 
seed was kept too long before planting. The 
north-east monsoon is, beyond question, the best 
time in which to plant cotton, and I would urge 
all who have land ready, to plant in November 
when the rains begin. The agents of the Spinning 
and Weaving Co. are advertising seed for sale, 
and as this is a fresh importation from America, it 
having just been received by the last P. & 0. mail- 
steamer, the result can hardly fail to be satisfactory 
to those who plant it. There is also some fresh 
Egyptian seed available, brought by the "Golconda" 
last week. This variety I have found very hardy, 
as well as the New Orleans description. I have 
topped down my bushes twice to a height of 18 
inches to 2 feet, and after two crops they are 
growing up again more vigorously than ever. I 
would therefore recommend planters to prune in 
this manner now before the rains. I am hopeful 
of seeing a large quantity of cotton coming in 
next year, and, my desire that the planting season 
should be taken advantage of to the fullest degree 
is my excuse for trespassing on your space. — I am, 
sir, yours faithfully, W. W. MITCHELL. 
TEA PACKAGES AND " WEIGHING NET." 
Colombo, Oct. 31st, 1889. 
Dear Sir, — The enclosed extract may be of 
service, the information being given in oondensed 
form. Estate owners will 'more than ever require 
to use packages of the evenest possible tares and 
of well-seasoned wood, as a loss in weight on 
latter might easily involve a loss of 1 lb. nearly 
on the tea weights. — Yours faithfully, 
MERCHAN r. 
Our objoct in writing today is to advise you 
