f r ii j±: 
ONTHLY. 
Vol. III. 
COLOMBO, OCTOTiKR tST, if 
[No. 4. 
IP CULTIVATION OF NEW PRODUCTS: 
THROUGH MAT ALE EAST AND LAGGALA : 
Annatto Dyh-tlanx and Abeoanut Cultivation — 
Twenty Years Ago in MataM East. 
(Continued from paije 210.) 
Crystal Hill estate, close to, that ia four miles 
out of, the town of Matalo, is one of the most 
interesting places to the visitor that we know of 
in the country. We commend it to the notice of 
the Governor, the Lieut. -Governor, and the Director 
of the Botanic Gardens. Should His Excellency 
or His Honor --one or both —visit the approach- 
ing Matale Exhibition, the Assistant Agent 
could scarcely do better than drive his dis- 
tinguished guests up to Crystal Hill in order 
to show at a glance an epitome of the in- 
telligent efforts made by European planters in his 
district, who have passed through the coffee crisis, to 
cultivate new products other than the one (tea) 
now universally run after. To Mr. A. G. K. Borron 
belongs tho credit of planting up a comparatively 
extensive and valuable plantation without a single tea 
or cinchona, any more than a coffoe, bush. We find 
Oil Crystal Hill n good deal of cacao, some pepper 
and a variety of experimental products ; but the 
chief features are two products not often seen 
on a European's plantation in Ceylon. On 
Crystal Hill, there is a continuous expanse 
of annatto or arnotto, tho famous dye-plant, 
tho handsome leaves of the big bushes, almost 
trees, contrasting with tho bunches of rooe- 
colourcd flowers and still moro with tho reddish- 
brown, heart-shaped fruit which predominated on 
the occasion of our visit, so that away up the 
hillsides there was a show of colour never before 
equalled in our experience in Ceylon. A oacao " walk " 
with rioh ripe pods no doubt presents a splendid 
blazo of dark red : but the pods as a rule arc hidden 
under the luxuriant green vegetation, whereas in the 
case of the arnotto tho fruit is borno up aloft and 
in such clusters as overpower the rest of tho bush, 
and leavo the impression of one grand expanso of 
colour. Single bushes of arnotto in flowor and 
fruit are a familiar sight in Colombo gardens, and 
from these some idea can bo formed — though a 
very inadequate one — of what a wholo hillside 
covered at regular intervals with such bushes in 
grand luxuriance and full orop, should look like. 
To acquaint our readers more clearly with the 
plant wo spoak of, wo quote from tho "Dictionary 
of botany " as follows : - 
" Bixa. A name applied by the Indians of Darien 
to the plant producing the Arnotta of commerce, and 
adopted by botanists for the genus of Flaeourtiacea, to 
which it belongs. There are four species known, all 
of them natives of tropical America, aud forming 
small trees, with entire leaves marked with numerous 
pellucid dots. Their flowers are produced in large 
bunches at the ends of the young branches ; and have 
a calyx consisting of five sepals, which alternate with 
five wart-like swellings on tho stalk, and likewise with 
the five petals ; numerous long free stamens, and a long 
stylo terminating in a two-lobed stigma. Their fruit 
has a dry prickly husk, which splits into two pieces, 
each bearing numerous seeds attached in a perpendi- 
cular row on their iuside. 
" IS. Orcllana is a small tree growing about twenty or 
thirty feet high, having broad heart-shaped poin ted 
leaves, aud bunches of rose-coloured flowers. Its fruit 
is heart-shaped, rather more than an inch long, of a 
reddish-brown colour, and covered with stiff prickles. 
The seeds have a thin coating of rod waxy pulp, which 
forms the substance called Arnotta ; it is separated by 
throwing the freshly-gathered seeds into a tub of 
water, and stirring them until the red matter is de- 
tached , when it is strained off and evoporated to tho 
consistency of putty. In thisstate it is made up into 
rolls and wrapped in leaves, and is then known as 
(lag or roll arnotta ; but when more thoroughly dried, 
it is made into cakes and called cake arnotta. In 
South America arnotta is greatly used by the Caribs 
and other tribes of Indians for painting their bodies: 
paint being almost their only article of clothing. In 
this country it is used for colouring cheese, inferior 
chocolates, &c. ; and by the Dutch for colouring butter. 
[I is also used by the silk-dyers; and by varuish- 
makers for imparting a rich oraugo tint to some kind 
of varnish." 
The crop of bright red seed from the pods, which 
are opened by women and children in tho field, 
is not a bulky one, nor is the value largo in pro- 
portion to weight as compared with other and 
more popular products. But Mr. Borron (with his 
intelligent Superintendent, Mr. Van Starrex) has 
given special attention to the preparation and finds 
encouragement to go on ; although one cannot help 
thinking that as in the case of " croton oil seed,' 
a few more plantations of the size of Crystal Hill 
would effectually swamp the arnotto market with 
their crops. Meanlimo the cultivation on Crystal 
Hill is a picturo in itself and well-worthy of official 
notice. The total export from Ceylon in 1887 of 
" arnotto seed " is given in our Handbook at 
:sr.l.J cwt. and of Bixa Dye 17$ cwt. From French 
Guiana, the annual exports are said to equal 10,000 
cut ; from Guadeloupe 15,000 cwt. and from Jamaica 
3,000 cwt. 
Tho other feature on Crystal Hill which at onco ar- 
rostsattcntion are tho rows of well-grown aroca-paltUH, 
some of thorn 6 to 0 years old, graceful in form, 
