June i, 1894.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
849 
CEYLON PLANTEES AS PIONEERS IN 
NEW LANDS : 
CAPITAL LEAVING CEYLON. 
It is the manifest dcsliny of this central island-co- 
iQuy — the beet Bohool in the world for tropical agii- 
oulturists— to Bee i(s planters go forth to try their 
fortune in other lands. North Borneo or " New 
Ceylon," the Straits Settlements planting districts 
and Travancore district in Souiheni India owe 
their very origin and rise into importance to 
Ceylon ; end what has been done there, is like ly 
to be effeoted perhaps with greater BUOoesB in 
other lands. We hear that at present, there is a 
very eppreoiable outflow o£ planting capital from 
Ceylon. The objeot is to invest it in coffee and 
coconut land. For the former, we fear the Ceylon 
Government cannot offer any very tempting area ; 
but for coconuts, it is not right that euoh Ceylon 
capitalists as we have, should be forced to lock 
to the Straits Settlements or Eastern Archipelago. 
There must be a good deal more of Crown land 
in the Chilaw and Puttalam districts well worth 
planting with the palm, which ought at once to 
be offered for sale in order, if posaiblp, to at raot 
and retain surplus money in the island. 
But we have today to refer to a f?reat Coffee 
enterpriEe started and fostered mt;inly under 
Cevlon auspices and that not on British territory, 
but in Netherlands India. How Mr. D. Fair- 
weather in the first instar ce oama to fix on the 
East rn division of Java as the best place in 
which to invt-Bt for coffee planting, involves one 
of the most romantic stories of travel and ex- 
ploration over told of a Ceylon planter. Mr 
Fairweatber started from Ceylon in 1891 to visit 
and explore " Ibea " (of which we have recently 
been writing so freely), He made his way via 
Aden and Zanzibar to Mombasa, secured the good 
offices of Mr- Commissioner Berkeley and his Deputy 
Mr J K. W. Pigott (formerly of Matale); organized 
a 'caravan and penetrated— all by himself so far 
ae Europeans are concerned,— as far as Uganda and 
the great inland sea Victoria Nyanza. He had 
Stanley's "boy" Salley with him, and travelled into 
the heart of Africa and back in safety at a 
cost of £600 without finding any warrant to 
take up planting land in the then unsettled 
state of the country and backward state of 
transport. He saw coffee growing or running wild in 
some parts ; tobacco of fine growth being trampled 
under feet near numerous native villages; wide areas 
nnder bananas; splendid timba-ed country and 
elevated forest land and when the Eailway and 
Good Government arrive— as they are now bound 
to do speedily— Mr. Fairweatber has no doubt of 
a BDlendid planting (ulure for a large portion of 
Ibea The marvel is that our enterpruiug 
Covlon pioneer passed through unscathed : the 
fever developed after he returned to Zanzibar 
—where he lay stricken for many weeks ; but 
he recovered to travel over Mauritius and a great 
nart of Madagascar and then in doepair of getting 
awav otherwise, he became a passenger in a sugar 
baraue to New Zealai.d, and thence faoding his 
^ay through the ^uslrahan Colonies, he at length 
rftme to Jfl-Va. . , , 
All this is no ooubt an old story to many 
Cevlon readers ; but it may well boar recapitula- 
tion at Ibis time. Indeed, it is an experienoe that 
atands out prominently in our planting anuals of 
its kind • and we may «cll be proud of the planter 
who Bpe'ids 18 months, many hundreds of £'b, arid 
risks his life in order to find the best region in 
which to invc8t Un- CoUceaArabica: How, at length, 
the MesBre. Fairweatber with Mr. J. H. Btarey and 
a Java Firm secured 3,000 aorea ol fine land in East 
Java and how now there are GOO acres under cultiva- 
tion with splendid coffee which at a year old ia 
almost a man's height, are results which can only 
be mentioned today. Mr. J. H. .Starey has just 
returned from a visit to this Glen Falloch planta- 
tion and property, and we understand ho is moat 
thoroughly satisfied with the appearance and pros- 
pects. Mr, Turing Mackenzie, whom many friends 
will remember in Ceylon, is the chief manager, and 
he has Aesistants both English and Dutch. Mr, 
Starey has kindly promised to grant an interview 
lo our report! r so soon as the hurry of the mail 
ia over, from which we have no doubt many 
interesting particulars will be gleaned. We wero 
led to believe that labour would be a difficulty, 
but Mr. Fairweatber assures us that so far this 
is not ihe case, for although the wsgos at 60 
cents of a guilder (gold standard) is about double 
the rate in Ceylon, yet the work ia well done and 
profitable. The plantation is situated about 40 
miles from the port of shipment ; and there is no 
dread of tflxat.on, seeing that the only n:aterial 
Ic.vv by the Duch Government will be 2 per cent 
on the value of the produce, a very moderate tax. 
Are we to rejoice over, or regret such planting 
development in other regions by Ceylon men and 
to Eome extent Cfylon capital? Our feelings are 
no doubt a little mixed; but we cannot but re- 
joice in every sign of true enterprise, extended 
industry and of the subjugation of jung'e to the 
wants of man. For the Ceylon Government, there 
is striking lesson in the circumstance that Java 
as wtll as the tra t^ are drawing on Cejlon. 
Our authorities undoubtedly want waking up. 
They should put waste Crown land fit for coco- 
nuts friiely into the mark' t and they ought to 
rejoice in the fact of private enterprise being 
ready to connect Colombo by railway alorg our 
Noitli-west i.oast with Ineiia, A Railway through 
the Obiiaw and PuttHlam dit-tricls would speedily 
lead to the development of a va^t additional area 
under the coconut and palmyra palms. 
ENTOMOLOGY A3 EMPLOYMENT FOR 
WOMEN. 
Women and children have a special aptitude 
for entomological inquiries. They have the curio- 
sity, the patience, the eyesigh', and the memory 
for the purpose. Anywheie one woman in ten, 
and one child in ten, with fair opportunity and 
enooutagement, will acquire a very large mastery 
of the insect world. Even as it is, without any 
encouragement, a village lad vitl often surprise 
the pareon, and his own employer too, by hia 
familiarity with the numerous creatures coming 
daily across his path or his field of vision. 
Whether it will ever be found practicable lo 
substitute economic entomology for the long divi- 
sion sums now used lo tie village lads to the 
desk the whole summer afternoon ue^iends on 
the ppriod to elapse bifore common sense resumes 
its old place in eluoation. But nothing would 
be easier, if onlyteach.rs can bo found with the 
requisite obaervation aud industry.— London Time.i. 
PROSPECTS IN NORTH BORNEO. 
We are glad to hear that accounts from North 
Borneo are altogether more cheering. Tobacco 
prospects are improviug and the low oxohango is 
^really in faviur of planters. The cable just laid 
oonneetiug Labuan with Siugapore and by and bye 
with I'hihii will bj ii ^icut beuefil to the oouutry, 
as a small branch cable connects Labuan wiih 
Borneo, anel it ia intended to carry on a laud liuo 
to Bandakan. 
