802 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June i, 1889. 
Eice Cultivation in Ceylon. — There is too much 
truth in Mr. W. Jansz's contention that without 
official pressure on the headmen and indeed a mild 
form of "Bajakariya" it is useless expecting 
to improve or extend rice cultivation in Cey- 
lon. It is all very well contending in long- 
winded columns where involved sentences simply 
serve to cloud meaning, that radical fiscal reforms 
would be the salvation of the Ceylon rice-grower. 
In other words, sweep away the food-taxes and 
leave the people alone ? ; — and the result we verily 
believe would be a reduced, in place of extended, 
area under cultivation. At any rate, it is 
a fact that this was the result of granting remis- 
sion of taxation in a certain well-known district. 
But apart from this, everyone knows that the 
alternative to the abolition of the '■' food taxes " 
is a universal land-tax, one of the greatest curses 
whioh could fall on the natives, or the planters, 
of Ceylon. 
Japan and the Cotton Trade.— Now that 
attention to cotton culture in Ceylon has been 
revived, the following details by an Indian contem- 
porary, are interesting : — 
We have already in these columns dealt with the long 
and elaborate report by Mr. Longford, our Vice-Oonsul 
at Tokyo, collating all the facts aud figures in regard 
to the native cotton industry in Japan. The subject, 
however, is of such interest, both to the country gener- 
ally and to Bombay particularly, that it will bear re- 
verting to. Mr, Longford gives seme very curious in- 
formation in regard to the cultivation of the cotton 
plant by the Japanese farmer. Though grown gener- 
ally, cotton is only a secondary crop, the seed being 
sown in narrow trenches between rows of standing 
wheat or barley. The most suitable land for the crop 
is one of saDdy soil, with the admixture of earth and 
sand, about the proportion of two parts earth to one of 
sand. The first manure applied is a combina- 
tion in equal parts of chopped straw ashes, 
green grass, rice bran, and earth from the bottom 
of stagnant pools. This is liberally sprinkled by hand 
along the trenches about ten days before the actual 
sowing takes place. The seed is steeped in water for 
one night before being placed in the ground. It is 
then sown, slightly mixed with straw ashes, the seeds 
being placed at intervals of a few inches, covered with 
earth to the depth of half an inch, and gently trampled 
down by foot. The buds appear above the earth four 
or five days after sowing, and the standing wheat or 
barley is then ripe for the sickle. After this is har- 
vested, the cotton buds are carefully thinned, five or 
six plants being left in each foot of length. There 
are three further manurings, and when the plant 
has reached a height of six or seven inches the 
head is pinched off by the fingers, with the object 
of checking the excessive growth of the stem 
and of directing the strength into the branches, which 
usually number five or six. All minor branches spring- 
ing from these main ones are carefully pruned off 
as they appear, so as to prevent their impeding the 
full growth of the pod. When the pods are fully 
opened the field is constantly watched, and each plant 
is picked the moment it appears fit, the cotton not 
being allowed to fall to the ground as this would 
detract from its value. The cotton is next spread 
out on mats, and allowed to dry and swell in the 
sun for two or three days. The Japanese farmer then, 
as a rule, puts it aside till leisure from other agri- 
tural operations enables him to deal with it. The average 
yield from the best land is about 120 lb. per acre. 
Tobacco Cultivation near Negombo at the 
Beginning of the 18th Century. — The German 
traveller Heydt, who spent some years in Ceylon 
between 1730 and 1740, gives in his book an inter- 
esting account of tobacco cultivation near Negombo. 
After a description of the town and fort of 
Negombo he proceeds : — 
Bound about Negombo moreover there is a very good 
f>nd fruitful stretch of land, and the Hollandish 
soldiers are very willing to be stationed there on ac- 
count of the plentiful supply of all kinds of provisions 
in spite of its being very lonely there, since the garri- 
son is small and there are few European inhabitants 
there. They also cultivate round Negombo all kinds 
of the country fruits (of which the commonest is the 
coco tree), and also a great deal of tobacco, which 
grows in that region very readily and in superabun- 
dance, and is then sent in large quantities to Colombo 
and other adjacent places ; for the natives also use it 
in their Pynariffh [i. e. betel] chewing, and are every- 
where accustomed to smoke it. But in order to do 
this they do not use any pipes, but they simply roll 
up a leif slit in the middle, put one end into their 
mouth, and let the other stick out, and thus they smoke, 
until it begins to burn close to their mouth, when 
they throw it away. It is a clever contrivance, by 
which also the cost of pipes is saved. The Hollandish 
soldiers, in the absence of pipes, also make use of this 
method of smoking. And this is the common custom 
among the Portuguese, who, I believe, were the ones 
to introduce it. This tobacoo is, as compared with 
ours, very light, and in smoking has a powerful drying 
effect: still, in the absence of European or Hollandish 
it is much used by the common folk, such as soldiers 
and sailors, as it can be had much cheaper than the 
latter. It is however of more value in other distant 
places, and is sent as a rarity not only as far as the 
(Jape of Good Hope but even now and then to Hol- 
land to gratify this or that connoisseur. 
It is amusing in these days to read of cheroot 
smoking as a novelty : but, as our readers may 
be aware, the very word cheroot is a corruption of 
the Tamil hiruttu ' rolled.' (See Col. Yule's 
Hobson-Jobson s. v.) 
Coolie difficulties seem gathering in Perak. — 
The collector of Matang reports that seventeen 
coolies have absconded from one estate, owing 
$475, most of them old hands. Two of them 
were re-captured and sentenced to a rattaning. 
None of the Deli (Sumatra) coolies desert. The 
offenders were men picked up locally who got an 
advance and then bolted. The Chinese employers 
of labour are not inclined to contribute very li- 
berally to the Famine Fund, giving as a reason 
the conduct of the Chinese Government in dis- 
couraging emigration to the estates here. From 
a humanitarian point of view says Mr. Welman 
this argument is, perhaps, hardly sound, but ex- 
presses what is felt to be a grievance by the sugar 
planters, who object to the Dutch Colonies being 
favoured at their expense. At Selama there were 
threatenings of trouble in consequence of increased 
hours of labour being demanded ; a compromise, 
however, settled the question. Mr. Brewster, hold- 
ing Court, had the Court-House filled with dis- 
contented coolies complaining of the additional 
hour ; he advised them to return peacefully to work 
but they would not do so, for several days. Subse- 
quently the employers discussed the matter with 
him and agreed only to employ such as would 
work seven hours, all has since gone on quickly. 
This is an advance on the English eight hours 
labour agitation which betokens much cunning on 
the part of the coolies. The Superintendent of the 
Intelligence Department says that during 1888 a 
greater number of coolies absconded than has ever 
yet been recorded ; not one-fifth of those abscon- 
ding have been arrested and the Discharge Ticket 
system has proved no protection. Crimping has 
been carried on with great activity and the men 
have been taken quite out of the colony to Deli, 
Selangor, Tongkah, Kedah and Pahang. There 
are now absconding 6,000 coolies a year and the 
system effects little if any good. Photographing 
coolies has become optional since the end of the 
year ; it was never of any value (so says Mr. Wagner) 
so far as oould be discovered.— S. F. Press, April 11th. 
