254 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1881. 
guishing characteristics. The Government might well 
consider the advisability of attempting to impart 
some rudimentary knowledge of forestry and the 
distinguishing characteristics of our indigenous trees to 
the Government Forest Eangers. 
For this purpose no scientific boianical training is 
necessary, as the very few technicalities that are 
requisite should be easily mastered, and if they had 
free access to such works as Brown's The Forester, 
Brandis's Forest Flora of India, and Kurz's Forest 
Flora of British Burmah, etc., etc., they would soon 
been to feel an interest in the subject, and the study 
would be taken up more for the sake of the pleasure 
and gratification it, would afford than for the increased 
pay such knowledge — when acquired — might secure. 
Visitors to Singapore would not then be shocked 
by the sight of the grotesque objects on the road- 
sides, now designated tree3, which are periodically 
cut and hacked to suit ihe taste and fancy of some 
Kling coolie, until they have lost all trace of Nature's 
handiwork beyond a few shrivelled leaves at the 
ends of skeletonised, moss and lichen-covered branch- 
lets, which forcibly remind the most casual observer 
that if it be true that " a thing of beauty is a joy 
for ever," there is also a reverse of the quotation. 
Nothing would advance the knowledge of our timber 
trees or create an interest in forestry so much as 
the establishment of a Wood Museum at the Botan- 
ical Gardens, after the style of the Wood Museum 
at Kew. 
The nucleus of such a collection has long since been 
formed— and if a typical collection of our indigenous 
timbers could be got together there, where their 
vertical and transverse sections, their adaptability 
to polishing, the characteristics of their barks, etc., 
could be studied and compared with the growing 
trees in i he grounds, a useful school of forestry would 
be established, and an interesting addition be made to 
the Gardens. 
By fuch a typical collection, intending exhibitors 
at International and Intercolonial Exhibitions would 
be able to systematically name their collections, and 
the most casual observer would always find some- 
thing in it to interest him. 
A CEYLON PLANTER'S COLONY IN THE 
FAR WEST. 
We call special attention to the interesting communi- 
cation from an ex-coffee planter in Minnesota ad- 
dressed to a friend in Ceylon. It describes, graphically 
and instructively, an entirely novel phase of life, in 
the experience of our wandering colonists at least, 
and it also shews how widely Ceylon men have got 
scattered since the depression in coffee commenced in 
1878. We hear of them, from time to time, in the 
Straits, Java, Borneo, Fiji, New Zealand, the differ- 
ent Australian Colonies, South Africa, Brazil, West 
Indies, and now in the Western States of North 
America. Certainly, the Minnesota picture of an in- 
dustrious but cheerful and healthful life* is not the 
least attractive to men not afraid of work, and we 
should not be surprised to find several in our midst, 
now on the lookout for "new fields of enterprise," 
taking their departure for the Far Weit. What a 
lesson there is here for the many in Ceylon who are 
afraid or ashamed to dirty their hands with good 
honest hard work ! Such have, in this Minnesota 
letter, evidence of how contentedly Englishmen, who, 
* News has since come of a terrible tornado sweep- 
ing over Minnesota, destroying life and property. 
one day, may be called to lord it over and direct 
hundreds of servants, coolies and others, doing their 
bidding,- — are found the next, handling the plough for 
themselves and working as hard with their hands as 
if they never had a servant in their livee. Ceylonese 
young men who are directing their thoughts towards 
agriculture as the one likely means of livelihood in 
the future ought to ponder this lesson and lay it 
well to heart : 
Honour and shame from no condilion rise; 
Act well your part — there all the honour lies. 
WHAT CEYLON PLANTERS CAN DO IN THE 
FAR WEST. 
A LITTLE CEYLON COLONY IN MINNESOTA. 
[Matale, July 29th.— I enclose you a letter I have 
just received from my late superintendent, portions 
of which may be of interest to your numerous 
readers and especially to those who would fain seek 
pastures new.] 
May 29th, 1S81, Minnesota, U. S. A. 
I hops things are not such a dazzling blue as they 
were when I left Ceylon. I was only at home for 
four months and got very tired of doing nothing, so cut 
my stick and set out for this "great and enlightened 
country," which, on the whole, I like very well, though 
of course in a new country you don't find every- 
thing ready cut and dried for you, like you do in 
Ceylon, but must make up jour mind to make the 
best of and laugh at every thing that happens. We 
are right on the prairie, and Heron Lake, a small 
village aud our. post town, is about 4 miles distant ; 
.there is also a railway station there, which makes 
transport easy. We are getting quite an English 
colony around, and Ceylon is well represented. There 
are A. B. [tier, of Haloya, Nilambe; Blenkiron, Morawak 
K<>rale; Peto, Rakwana ; Thomson, Haputale ; (expected 
20th June), andmyself besides about 8 other Englishmen. 
The balance is composed of Yankees, Germans, Dutch, 
and Norwegians. I consider it a particularly good 
opening for any youDg fellow with a small capitii], 
who is not afraid or ashamed to work with his own 
hands. Of course, later on we shall manage to em- 
ploy more men and so do less ourselves, but labour 
is exceedingly expensive, and so we just " buckle to" 
and share all work equally with the farm labourers. 
Up at 5 ; water horses, milk cows, and harness i earns. 
Then breakfast; when finished " hitch up," and each 
goes off with his plough and works away until 12, at 
which time dinner. Then plough on till 6'. 30, water 
horses, &c, and home to supper about 7-30- We only 
put in £1,000 each, but if one has capital you need, 
only do the " boss." Living here comparatively no- 
thing, as yon raise everything you consume, with the 
exception of tea, tobacco, aud oil, which you trade 
for your butter and eggs. We are going in chiefly 
for stock i-aising (as this line of farming pays better 
and is less risky than grain), only raising enough 
grain to feed our stock and ourselves. You can pro- 
cure railroad land at $5 per acre in the state it 
was made, but the better way is to purchase improved 
farms from the present settlers at about $S to $10 
per acre. These men are poor. They have previously 
had land (160 acres) granted them, but having no 
capital to commence with, and having gone in for 
expensive machinery for which they never can pay, 
are hopelessly in debt. They are such fools— every petty 
farmer going in for his own machinery instead of 
joining together and getting it. The heat here in 
summer is intense, the thermometer often showing 90 
degrees in the shade ; while in winter the cold is 
equally unbearable, the thermometer sometimes being 
25 to 30 degrees below zero. However, the Ceylon men 
have not suffered and say that they would "never 
have known it except for the thermometer." There 
are still heaps of snow under the manure heaps and 
