Jan. I, 1894 ] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
our troublei, but land and looal transport are cheap 
SDd silver is in our favour. Eight dollars to the 
pound is now the exchange and with Liberian 
ooffee at 37 to 40 dollars per piou), we have a 
fair prospeot before ua oi doing well. I hope to 
plant 80 to 100 acres each year and to get Arabian 
ooiiee on the higher land. But I would like to see 
some Ceylon men invest a little money here, and 
invest it in person. The Government is willing to 
sell land at very low prices to immediate planters 
(to which end some free grants have lately been 
made) and that is a good set off to the difficul- 
ties in planting in a newly-opened country, There 
is plenty of sport to be had in the way of sambur 
and wild cattle and also rhino ; elephants are 
barred, as we have not many and they may be 
useful some day. 
You will be glad to hear our tobacco estates are 
thriving and more fields are to be opened on all 
the estates next year, 1894. 
Wishing Oeylon a prosperous New Year. — I am 
yours sincerely, 
HENKY WALKEB 
OTTERS IX CEYLON 
Hanwella, Dee. 12. 
DEiB Sir,— With reference to your note rc " Otters 
in Oeylon" they are often seen in Ihekada Barawa 
forest swamp at Hanwella. This forest is one 
extensive swamp of about 1,500 acres, almost all 
being submerged even during very ordinary floods 
in the Kelaniganga. In dry weather when there 
ia no water over the place, these amphibious 
carnivorous animals flock into the stream which 
runs through the forest. These and "Kabaragoyas" 
very freely interfere with the increase of our fresh 
water fish which abounds in Barawa. 
Once I came across a dam and two cubs and 
managed to get hold of the latter, I had them 
with me for sometime and then presented them to 
a friend in Colombo to be eentto Australia. I know 
that dogs and jackals hunt otters] at low water in 
lagoons and streams— hence their increase is 
Bomewhat checked, G.E.A. 
HIGH AVEEACIE PEICES FOR TEA: MR, 
BECK COEEECTION. 
Henfold, Lindula, Dec, 15, 
Dear Sir.,— It has been stated that I have said 
that I shall not be content until I have raised 
Henfold prices to an average of Is 6d. I have 
never said this ; but I should have no objection 
to the average named with my present large yield 
per acre, and I should be still more glad if many 
others shared my good fortune. I do not think, 
however, such an average can be obtained except 
by fine plucking, and what we are trying for is 
the happy medium between the highest obtainable 
price and the largest obtainable yield. — Yours faith- 
fully, GEO. BECK. 
MOSliUITO BLIGHT IN TEA. 
Deo. 15. 
Dear Sib,— I write iu the hope that the planting 
member will put a question in Council with regard 
to the Government forcing people whose gardens 
are attacked by mosquito blight to send an official 
notice to the nearest Kachcheri and take reasonable 
means to exterminate the pest. 
The alarming inoreaee of Mdopelli--^ during the 
last 18 months shows that unless active measures 
are taken to stamp it out as recommended by the 
Director of the Botanical Gardens, it will do (or 
|«a (01 certain jata 9I tea) wba( leaf dieease bae 
done for coffee, and not only this but it will 
spread to cacao gardens all over the island with 
ruinous consequences to our most promising product; 
The difference between Ilcmileia vastatrix on 
coffee and HelopeHis in tea and cacao is that 
while the former was beyond human control the 
latter by prompt and concerted action can 
be kept in perfect check; if not eradicated. 
When we find in countries where locusts 
are common, laws forcing all the inhabitants 
to join in their general destruction, — when we find 
in Britain and other countries laws relating to 
cattle diScEses by which the owners of herds in 
which disease appears and who fail to notify such 
outbreak to the authorities at once, are liable to 
ciiminal prosecution and the animals are 
slaughtered in every case and farms proclaimed 
publicly as infected and when we find (in Trini- 
dad I think) a coconut beetle law whereby the 
owner of any coconut tree attacked by beetles is 
bound to notify such attack and destroy the tree 
and larvae at once, — I do not think it is too much 
to ask Government to pass a law which shall 
present the further spread of helopeltis as it 
as has disastrously attacked thousands of acres 
of tea in Ceylon already. I was told of one estate 
of small area where it has practically been 
eradicated lately and on which no fewer lhaa 
150,000 mosquitos were destroyed, and the estate 
a very fine one is flushing as well as ever. But 
what induces me more than anything to address 
you now is another phase in the question that 
has just come to my notice. 
1 refer to gardens owned by high caete Bud- 
dhists who bblieye it is a sin to take life and who 
will not willingly permit its being done. 
Such gardens are scattered all over the low 
country and in Dolosbage and some of the other up- 
country districts, and if no steps are taken and taken 
promptly they will be simple breeding grounds for 
Helopeltis which will attack and destroy flush 
in all directions on estates in the vicinity of the 
gardens. 
The matter was brought to my notice by a super- 
intendent who started catching mosquitoes with hia 
pluokers and paid them by the number they 
caught. The first day some of the high caste 
Sinhalese women refused to catch them on the 
ground that it would be taking life and one of 
ihem (whose husband owns a plot of tea) said 
she would not destroy life evsn if she got ElO 
a head for the work. 
This was discouraging, but next day matters 
were worse, when the whole of the Sinhalese 
refused to catch the insects, leaving the Tamils 
alone to do the work. They had apparently been 
talked to after work and the sin they were 
committing pointed out to them. 
I went over myself and tried all I could do 
to point out the stupidity of their action, es- 
pecially as some of ihem have plots of tea 
of their own, but nothing would induce them 
to listen to (what I thought was) reason. 
I even went as far as to point out that on 
sundry ocoaEions I had seen them busily employed 
hunting for insect life in each other's heaue. but 
it was wasted breath as they said they always 
let them go which accounts for their numbers in 
Ceylon perhaps ! — Yours faithfully, L.D, 
OTTERS IN CEYLON ; TRAPPED BY 
THE SCOEE : STALKING A^D 
SHOOTLXG CARP FOR OTTER I 
Nuwaro Eliya, Deo. 16. 
DEAR.'iiB,— I notice iu one of your recent issues yea 
Asls for Boma informatiou about Otters io Cd; Iodj 
