348 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November t, 1888. 
birds becoming so fat that the result of their 
consumption was a bilious household. But we 
learned sufficient from our experiment to show 
us that if the system we tried were adopted with 
common poultry for a week or two before being 
sent to market, we should see in our bazaars very 
different specimens of poultry to that we are 
accustomed to behold. There is no doubt that the 
native farmers would readily act on such a hint 
were the wire-netting for enclosing small runs 
readily available to them at a small price. This 
can be bought in quantity at an almost nominal 
cost, and its distribution by the Government 
Agents, if judiciously made, might act as a great 
incentive to the farmers in outlying districts. The 
late Mr. Dyke of Jaffna did much towards effec- 
ting improvement in many agricultural matters in 
the north. At his own expense he purchased the 
finest stud bulls procurable, and the effect of the 
services of these — given gratuitously — is very visible 
in the finer class of cattle possessed by a good many 
farmers in the Northern Province. 
But this sort of thing ought not to be left to private 
enterprize, or individual geuerosity altogether. 
The expense that was undertaken by Mr. Dyke 
should be borne by the Government, which in 
in a colony like this has, as we have said, duties 
towards the larger sections of the population it rules 
over, which are not incumbent on the Governments 
of more advanced countries. The expense certainly 
of the maintenance of small model Poultry Farms 
at each Assistant Agent's station, to be directed by 
such officer, would be quite inconsiderable, while 
their results would soon be beneficially visible, not 
only in the improvement of our bazaar supplies 
but in the condition of the native farmers. Every 
egg distributed from improved stock would con- 
tribute towards such a result by the introduction 
of a stronger strain into our native poultry yards. 
The outlay would be a minimum and the result 
it a maximum of good. It would, however, we 
feel sure, be a paying conoern were some enter- 
prizing natives to buy up the poultry from native 
growers and submit them to the form of temporary 
restraint and feeding we have alluded to, before 
sending them to the public markets. A stall always 
stocked with well-fed poultry would soon attract 
all the European custom, and this would readily 
pay the slightly enhanced price which could be 
justifiably demanded for improved supply. A pro- 
tection would be afforded both to the seller and 
the buyer if a system of sale by weight of poultry 
could be established. At present, whether our birds 
be skinny, or as nearly approaching to good con- 
dition as is ever observable among them, we pay 
pretty much the same price for them. A dis- 
crimination insisted upon by the comptrollers of 
domestic households would soon tend to the im- 
provement we desire to see effected, and were 
this seconded by some effort on the part of 
Government, a very much to be desired change 
might soon be brought about. 
The freer use of incubators would certainly tend 
to aid the effecting of such a change. Our London 
Letter but recently drew attention to a specially 
useful form of these introduced by the wellknown 
Mr. Christy, the large drug importer of London. 
Here each model poultry farm, — which we have 
suggested should be established under the control 
of every Agent of Government,— might be supplied 
with some of these. The natives would soon appre- 
ciate their effect in the ready multiplication of 
increase, as well as the freedom from the liability 
of the egg to be destroyed by vermin which now 
contributes so greatly to reduce the output of native 
poultry rearers. The introduction of small poultry 
farms would be the thin end of the wedge, which 
when driven further home by carefully measured 
degrees, would do much to bring about that im- 
provement in the condition of the rural population 
of Ceylon which it is the prime duty of their rulers 
to try and effect. 
PEAEL FISHEBIES OFF CEYLON, TUTI- 
COEIN, AND BOBNEO. 
Capt. Donnan, Inspecting Officer of Pearl Fisheries, 
goes off to the pearl banks on Monday morning in the 
barque " Sultan Iskander," to see if he can find any 
more of the oysters that were carried away from the 
Cheval in December last : which, however, he hardly 
expects to do, but still it is worth while making 
the search. After thoroughly searching in the 
vicinity of the Cheval, Capt. Donnan means to go 
down to the new bank off Dutch Bay, to see if the 
oysters that were on it in abundance this time 
last year have escaped the current which cleared 
the Cheval. If so he will lift and wash a sample, 
as it is just possible they may prove fit for fishing 
in March next. After examining the bank off Dutch 
Bay, Capt. Donnan means to run down to Chilaw and 
have a look at the banks in that neighbourhood : so 
that our worthy inspecting officer has work enough 
cut out to keep him away till the end of November. 
We trust his health may stand it all. 
We hear that a big fishery is expected at Tuticorin 
next March, but it will be finally settled by the result 
of the inspection which Capt. Phipps will make within 
the next month. If we in Ceylon should have a 
fishery too at Dutch Bay, we may wonder which 
side would attract the most boats, divers, and 
merchants. One or the other would be bound 
to suffer some loss in consequence of the at- 
traction of the favourite fishery. 
While on the subject of pearls and pearl fisheries, 
we may mention that we received the other day 
some seed pearls sent from North Borneo. We 
should like to know the kind of oysters from 
which they were got, although, marketably, these 
tiny seed pearls are of little or no value. The 
oysters fished for them must be far too young. The 
North Borneo authorities meditate an experi- 
ment in transporting and acclimatizing Cey- 
lon pearl oysters. But, before doing so, it 
would be necessary in the first place to try some 
experiments as to the best way of keeping oysters 
alive a sufficient time to cover the voyage from 
our banks to Borneo. We rather think this would 
be found a difficult matter. 
THE LEBANON TEA FACTOBY 
is likely when complete to be one of the most 
noteworthy in the country. Mr. Dickson has just 
added to the group of estates served by this factory, 
the estate of Battagalla, so that the Lebanon group 
altogether will now cover i,488 acres, of which 960 
are planted with tea. To drive his machinery, Mr. 
Dickson commands a river which sends into his 
watercourse enough to drive a 60 horse-power 
turbine. In the factory there are, Kinmond's 
and Richardson's, a Barber No. 1 and Jackson's 
Excelsior as well as Universal rollers. Mr. Dickson 
is well pleased with Kinmond's and Barber's for 
use with the first roll, transferring the leaf thence 
to the Excelsior and Universal to finish off. In 
this way, he considers time is saved and better work 
done. The factory includes Jackson's Victoria and 
Venetian Driers, a Eureka Sifter, and the turbine 
also drives a circular saw. There is now to 
be added one of Greig's Witherers ereoted 
under this Engineer's personal supervision 
