45^ 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jam. t, 1894. 
THE VANNI— DRY GRAIN CULTIVATION. 
Dry Grain cultivation generally means, chenaiuK, 
and on the evils of chenaing («) all who are most cn itled 
to speak on the subject are agreed. It is demoraliz- 
ing to the cultivators, bncauso as long as they can 
obtain large retums of grain, even though of inferior 
kind, with the minimum of trouble, they will en- 
gage in no other kind of cultivation, and it is also 
most wasteful, destroying good forest and causing an 
enormous waste of good material, and, at the same 
time, ruining the soil. It may be said that where 
dry grain cultivation is much practised the cul- 
tiviition of paddy diminishes in a corresponding degree 
But where there is a failure of the paddy crop 
or no paddy can bo cultivated for want of water, 
or where, as at Putukkudiyiruppu in 1875-187U, 
Kome time elapses before land can be brought into 
a fit state for paddy cultivation and the people 
have no means of support in the meanwhile, chona 
cultivation under proper restrictions (i) lias to be 
tolerated ('•), but it should be confined to lands that 
a An ndaiyar (Molpattu south and cast) says '• if 
pemiasion to clear clienas wore restricted much ad- 
vantage would result of the increase in the cultivation 
of iiaddy lauds which would ensue." Diary of 19th 
September, 18(J4. 
Another udaiyar (Putukkudiyiruppu) stated to Mr. 
Dyke that the systiin of cbi-na cultivation was "very 
peniicious in destroying youn^ valualilo trees an<l pre- 
venting the owners of paddy lielils getting labour 
for cultivation." 'Jth September, 1«;VJ. 
Mr. Fowler says, " Tlie more 1 see of this district 
the more firmly I am convinced that chena cultivation 
has been the main cause of the poverty and disease 
which have prevented the district from even partiallj- 
regaining its former prosperity." (Adin. lieporl 
And again, "The Varakkudi system seems to me to 
have gvown out of the attempts of the paddy land 
owners to protect themselves against the evils of 
chena cultivation. Unless some such an agreement is 
made the labourer will whenever lie gets the chance, 
cultivate a chena for himself and the paddy land is 
left uncultivated and the tank neglected with the re- 
sults to be seen in every direction. I believe that 
ch»nas should be entirely forbidden whenever an acre 
of available paddy laiul remains uncultivated. It is 
true that when a failure of crop occurs some of tho 
land owners are among the first to cry out for cheaas 
but that is in order to escape the burden of suj^jorting 
then- Varakkudis till the next harvest, overlooking- the 
fact that thej' will get no harvest without labourers." 
(Adm. Report 188G.) Sec also Mi-. Ellis' Adm. Kepoj-t 
1880; Vincent's Porest Keport, Sess. Papers 18S2, 
page 379. For an account of the Varakkiidi system 
see the chapter on " Labom-." 
b The rules as to cheuas in force in the Northern 
Province under the Forests Ordinance will be found 
at the end of the chapter. 
c The Mudaliyars state that ' ' the cultivation of dry 
grain is verj' important to the people. There are 
many who have no paddy laud and no means of 
cultivating the paddy lauds of others, no cattle, Ac, 
and who cannot procure employment under those who 
have paddy lauds." Diary of Mr. Dyke 26th August, 
1843. 
Other reasons given to Mr. Dyke whj- dry grain 
cultivation could not be altogether prevented were 
that in the wet season, with the fields sown and the 
tank full there was, as regards many villages, no place 
free of jungle to which the village cattle, buffaloes 
and black cattle coxdd be driven to pasture but the 
old chenas, .and (2) the want of a supply of clu (gingellj') 
would be much felt. (15th September 1859.) This 
was before the day of village clearings. 
At the beginning of the British administration th« 
e-vils of chenaing do not seem to have been realized. 
The collector reports in 1808 as if it were a subject 
for regret that the rain during the summer months 
of that year caused a diminution in the cultivation 
of natcherry by preventing the burning of the woods. — 
Diary .of December, 20th, 1847. 
have already been subjected to the prooMB within 
recent years. 
The dry grains eultivatod are kurakkau, vuraka 
and gingelly. The jungle is clearod in April, May, 
or June; in Jidy or August when high wind* are 
prevalent it is burnt. 
The land is not ploughed, it is not alwayn turned 
up with the mamotty even. Sometimes it in merely 
scored or scratched with a sort of pomted stick. 
For varaku cultivation a very small mauotty 
(illuppau) about 2 inches wide by 3 long, is used 
to cover tho grain when sown. 
Another kmd of mamotty larger than this, about 
4 uiches by 0 is used in kurakkan ajid gin^elly 
cultivation for hoeing. It is known as the maiitn 
kottukkiru iiifinvcddi. 
There are two kinds of kurakkan known as 
liiincha or ilam, i.t., ''soft,'' and kal or I'rt/i, /.<-., 
"hard" kurakkan. 
The former is sown between September and 
Xovember and ripens in 3 months and the latter 
is sown in October or Xovember and reaped in 
February or March. 
Varaku puiitcum iinliaceuiu is sown in August 
and September in new cheuas and in October in 
old chenas. It is reaped in February or March. 
Most of the varaku produced in the district is 
grown at Putukudiyiruppu where it forms the chief 
food of the people. Ellu or gingelly ( fsamum nidicum ) 
is sown in March or April and ripens in June or July. 
There is a great demand for gingolly principally for oil. 
Chena paddy (//a iicllu) which is sown in August 
or September before the rains, and ripens in two or 
three months, is sometimes grown at Tanynuttu and 
in Melpattu North. 
For the cultivation of this cheiui paddy the jangle 
is cut in April and burnt about June. It is generally 
sown in low ground and therefore the jungle must 
bo burnt when there is no rain to make this low 
ground damp. 
Swiii ipanicum miliare-. Sin., mineri) is some- 
times cultivated in small quantities in pulavu* like 
gingelly. 
Ptii/aru or green gram (yv^Kf.vfo/M* mumjo; Sin., rui/'n 
etu) is sometimes sown with kurakkan and vajaka 
in small plots of ground on ant hills and along the 
fences. Kollu or i/rani {dolirjtos bijiurus) is also sown 
at the same time with kurakkan and varaku. 
Varaku lands are cultivated for three successive 
years and are called by different names according 
to the year. Thus the first year they are called 
1. Putttkkadii (new jungle). 
2. PuIahLadu or pulavu (tilled land). 
3. Kurujntddi . 
Kurakkau is cultivated for two years successively. 
The laud has the same names. 
It is said that thirty years must elapse before 
the jungle can be cultivated for a second period. 
As to the comparative fertility of putukkadu and 
pulakkudii Mr. Flanderka remarks "it is stated 
that pulacu cultivation yields a better crop than 
putukkadu. This is contrary to my impressions 
but that there are some grounds for the assertion 
appears from a statement subsequently made by the 
udaiyar of Karunavalpattu that •'putukkadu under 
favourable circumstances j'ields a better crop than 
pulavu cultivation, but insects more generally infest 
the former and consequently the ciop frequently 
suffers much damage." (a) 
In the Wanny (meaning the Vavuniya District 
and the inland pattus of the MuUaittivu District) 
putukkadu is stated to yield a better produce than 
pulavus and more grain has to be sown in 
the latter than in the foi-mer. The proportion was 
said to be putukkadu 6 seers, pulavu 7 seers, but 
a 18th May, 1848. 
