38? 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [Dlc. i, 189^. 
export two or three milliona over the maximum 
P. A. Estimate by ead of December. Tea is re- 
ported to be liashing splendidly everywliere, aad 
planters are grudging the holidays the coolies like to 
keep at this time. 
Cacao Stkaling, — "We are anxiously looking for- 
ward to the action wiiich will be taken by our 
Planting Represeutativo in Council to lessen this evil. 
The Native Kepresentativos, more especially Mr. 
Pauabokka, wi'l no doubt back up Mr. Kelly, for 
the industrious Native Agriculturist is terribly 
handicapped by the cacao thief who tries his hand 
on other products when the cacao season is over. 
The receiver ought to be got at. 
RiiNi'ALL Daily Returns are sometimes very funny 
reading. For instance Jaffna on the Ith November 
had 1'38 inches of rain in the 24 hours, but the 
numeral sign for weather in the 21 hours is which 
means threatening. I once met a Brother Scot in the 
Kotmale Pass in the midst of a thunderstorm, and 
he ventured the remark that it was "///. e to be shoirertj." 
Of course, he and the Jaffna weather man both hail 
from the North. However, the Matale observer of 
weather on the 7tb, takes a leaf out of the book of 
his Brother in JalFna, and records the figure " J" 
when the rainfall of the last 2i hours was 1'37. I 
suppose the Recording Angels in Dikoya and Nawala- 
piciya have broken tueir rain gauges, for they don't 
give any recjrd of rain in inches on the Ith, and 
report the weather as "i" oy line and dar. The 
Nawalapitiya Angel in fact goes the leugth of record- 
ing the weather as fine or " 1 " on the Ith, Gth, 7th, 
and 8th instant. Every one who lives in that 
damp village knows that to be absurd. 
PLANTING IN THE RATNAPURA 
DISTRICT. 
Eatnai'Vea, 23rd Oct. 1893.-1 have now been 
nearly four months in this obscure corner of the 
earth between five and six miles to the north-west 
of the city of gems. Our climate ia nearly all that 
can be desired for tea. I wish I could say as much 
for our soil. This estate is situate in a valley with 
high steep ridges on either side with a stream in 
the bottom running nearly due north. The whole 
valley is elosely studded with boulders and the banks 
of the stream is broken up with old gem pits at 
every lew yards. Such is the spot on which i have 
lighted on for a home till I am called to my long 
one. The tea field has been leased for some years 
and the lease is not yet lapsed. In the meantime 
we are endeavouring to get it equipped with necessary 
buildings, &c., before taking it over. Our chance of 
success will lie rather in the cheapness of our work- 
ing than in the bulk of our crops or the fineness 
of quality, if we may judge by the prices obtained 
by the lessee. 
Rainfall :— August 7 09 inches, September 7-88 
inches, October to date 14'85 — eleven inches of which 
fell in five days 8th to 12th. 
The North-east opened on the 22nd with a 
shower of 50 cents. 
BAMBOO. 
^Tbe Or'ent is wreathed with bamboo. A consider- 
able proportion of the houses in the E»8t are built 
of btmbjo, and at one season of tha year many thou- 
BEtuds of catiyee ore fed on bamboj. There ia nothing 
else I should find to imposiible to wi^e from my 
memoried picture of the East as bimbjo. It is tbe 
one characteriilic common to all the East. InJigo, 
rice, opium, tea, ootfte, cochineal, gems, epices— they 
all mean the East, lut no one of them meaus the 
entire East. Bamboo is symbolic of aUthoExat. It 
lifts its gracelul feathery heads among tbe cocouut 
trees and ciunamou groves of (JeyLn, it toucbos with 
rare beauty every tew ynrJs of tbe Chinese linds- 
cxpe. It breaks up in'o lovely bits tha fields of ludia. 
It grows at the baee of tbe Himaltyas. It bcfteus 
^j^aia the noft, fair face oi J^g^a. It thrives iu 
Siogapoic, it rang riot in FanaDg. And wooderfally 
deft are (In viriaus mtivea in their use of tbn 
baaib:o. Tbe Chiuamea excel in i'.s tnaoipulat on. 
1 have come boiue, after a sojoura ia the Kaat of 
some yeifs, wi:li aa id ja that tbe (Jhinimea excel 
in almost everyttiiug meoliiuical in wbi^b llity have 
an entirely fa'r cbaice. Tucre are few tbiugs • 
Cbioaraan cam. ot make oat of bamboo : bouses, buxoa 
and ba^k'jtp, furniture, palanq'iiDs, 'rickshaws, bat«, 
thitld^, curriageF, atatl'oldiug, feuct-e, mats, pirtiers; 
those area few of the simpleet u:c) to wbich Cbio- 
Yang pule bambo3. 
Tueic is tiotbitig else io the vegetable kingdom at 
onco BO pliable anj co strung a< baubuo. The finders 
ot Obinese chddren weuva it. Tbe baodi ut ludiuu 
wotneu pluck it. Yet from it is madescaffoldiux, upun 
whiob liiBnd a multitude of Cbiueao workmen. Once 
iu Urin.kjag I aanr tbe t hiuese prcptre for their 
"Saul Eolival." The "Soul Feattvai ' is a auique 
expresaion ot the artistic yearningn of tbia pe.-uliar 
people. It occurs once iu every four years. A temporary 
boure ia built of bamboo, it is lined Kith ehelvta 
of bamboo; on these shelvea are placed pictarts, 
vase J of 11 jwers — iu brief, anything and everythiog that 
marks Cbicesc progress iu the fine arts. The " Soul 
Festival' is tbe Cbiueso World's Ea'r. But a World s 
Fair from which all tbe world is rigorously excluded 
except Cbina. There naa a great deal about tbe 
" boal E^stiva'," I saw that was incomprebeneible 
to me. And a Chinese mystery ia apt to n main a 
Ohicese myetiry, to the most inquiiing Eiropeana. 
They are not pruno to explain themselves to ua. Oue 
tbiiig, bowiv^r, wns cUat to me at tbe " 8oal 
Festival." Ihat cnu thing waa the prepooderauce 
of bambco. Kot only was bamboo an irnportani 
ingredient of tie builJiig, and of half the semi- 
uaelul articles dispUyed, but it was in evideDCe od 
the majoiity of thy potterv, and ia Eaoy of the 
P'.cture5. It was tha saving grace of lha mast hideoas 
carvings. It gave tbe utmost touch of beauty to tbe 
fiLCst ivoriei". 
Bamboo is as light as it is strcng. That makes 
it iuvnluablc for receptacles that mast be carried, 
I uetd often to slop in tbe stie ts of Sbsngbsi to 
buy Oliiiiesp sweetmeats from a '' chow-chow seller" 
who lai u portable booth or cabinet. I womicrcd 
at ihe ease with which be carried it, until one day 
I lilt.d it m;self. It was inexpressibly lixbt. It wui 
mate ot bamboo. The minor (}hiuese brijgea are 
made of bambto. Very quaint and effective tlu-y are. 
i went 10 a Chinese court of ja^^tice. The judges sat 
upon bauibjo cbairj, ab^ui a bamboo table. The 
doors of a Chinese prison are barr^^d with bamboo 
lattice-work. Tte shields of the Cbtccse sJdiersare 
made cf bamboo. Of bimboo .are made ihe flutes 
of tbe Chinese musicia is. Tbe Chinese poulterer 
caT.es across bii shoulder a straight bamboo rod, 
aud 0 3 it are hung bis feathery wares. Tbe ciptive 
soug-birdi of China chirp their s:id music behind tbo 
birj of bamboo Cigef. The Chinese woman who 
toidles from her window to sse jour strange pale 
European face leans over a bimboo balcony. 1 
hal some boxes made io Sinagaporii (Singapore is 
lull of Chinese), and in Hoagauug, I asad to ^paod 
buurs watching their manufacture from the almofit 
green bamboo. 'rbe.Cninese are uuiivalled io thorouijh- 
uess and in exacti-ess. I drew a plan of a rather 
iLtcicate box for a Chinaman in Singapore. 1 got a 
tape measure and showed him the uimens one I 
wi-hed. We bargained, as to the price, on our 
fidgers. The day on which it should be oompktid 
was determined in tbe same way. On the day agreed 
upon, John arrived with my box. He had palded 
and liaed it with silk, as I iiad shown bim, the com- 
partment for ray wigs; he had lined the litile place 
for " make-up" wi.h tin ; my armour fi'.lei into its 
place to a nicety. Iu brief, he had done everythiog 
txictly as I had indicated. Not fr^m one cf my 
many instructions had be deviated by a bair's breadth. 
And yet I bad ouly shown him on a piece ot puper. 
I bad toli bim nothing. We ware equally ignorant 
each of the other's laugua^e. I paid tiim the esaot 
sum a°;rcud upon, aud hu said " Ouia-obio," and went 
»way very ogni^ntedly. That is a gbaracterUtic 9{ 
