272 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  i,  1892. 
Deducting  726  acres  young  cacao  from  the  total 
area,  3,806=3,080  acres,  averaging  2'04  cwt.  per  acre. 
The  total  quantity  is  about  one-third  of  the  whole 
annual  export  from  the  Island. 
Five  hundred  and  twenty-two  acres  have  been  added 
during  1891  to  the  previous  area,  principally  in  the 
Ukkuwela  District. 
In  its  youth  cacao,  like  many  other  useful  products, 
requires  and  deserves  a good  deal  of  care  and  at- 
tention, and  this  may  be  one  of  the  causes  of  its 
not  being  more  adopted  by  the  villagers ; but  seeing 
the  troubles  are  not  unsurmountable,  that  good  seed 
is  procurable  at  reasonable  rates,  occasionally  given 
gratis  from  the  Kachcheri,  that  the  arts  of  success- 
ful cultivation  are  now  well  understood,  and  that 
good  prices  (R60  a cwt,)  are  obtainable  at  their 
doors  for  quite  inexpensively  and  primitively  cured 
produce,  it  is  well  worth  the  increased  attention  of 
the  villagers,  who  invariably  have,  in  even  the 
poorest  localities,  suitable  space  enough  for  small 
gardens  of  it. 
Tea  they  do  not  at  all,  so  far  as  is  known  to  me, 
affect.  This  is  not  I think,  to  be  regretted ; on  the 
contrary  it  is  well  it  is  so. 
The  original  expenditure  necessary  is  in  most 
oases  prohibitory,  and  even  when  this  is  got  over 
the  lealf  might  not  be  well  enough  manufactured  to 
keep  up  the  reputation  of  Ceylon  tea ; and  I anti- 
cipate that  after  a time  there  would  be  no  sale  for 
the  green  leaf  at  large  factories,  as  their  owners 
would  soon  tire  of  buying  their  own  leaf  mixed 
with  that  of  the  villagers,  which  would  almost 
certainly  be  the  case. 
The  villagers,  however,  male  and  female,  I am  glad 
to  say,  to  the  mutual  benefit  of  themselves  and  the 
planters  come  much  more  readily  than  formerly  to 
pluck,  prune,  hole,  weed,  and  do  all  other  estate 
work  on  the  same  footing,  at  the  same  rates,  and 
same  tasks  as  the  Tamils. 
I am  aware  of  a recent  instance  where  a rather 
intelligent,  elderly  man,  owner  of  some  cattle,  pro- 
prietors of  some  acres  of  land,  and  shareholder  in 
some  small  gardens,  was  most  anxious  to  succeed  a 
Tamil  man  as  tappal  and  beef-box  cooly,  saying  that 
the  constant  employment  and  regular  pay  which 
enabled  the  Tamil  to  “ eat  ” (live)  better  was  having 
a great  effect  on  the  modern  Sinhalese,  who  have 
begun  to  appreciate  the  opportunity  of  “ eating  ” 
(living)  like  the  Tamils  on  estates.  On  some  estates 
the  Sinhalese  are  paid  daily,  weekly  payments  being, 
however,  more  common  at  a fixed  rate  per  lb.  for  tea 
plucking,  which  is  the  fairest  mode  for  all  concerned. 
They  sometimes  come  by  themselves,  singly  or  in 
families,  but  generally  they  are  brought  by  a kangany 
of  their  own  class,  which  is  an  unavoidable  necessity 
under  the  circumstances. 
Were  they  not  so  poor  they  would  probably  be 
better  off  without  kanganies,  but  as  it  is,  the  kan- 
ganies  know  them,  collect  them,  and  advance  them 
small  sums  (for  “selavu”or  “viyadam”),  which  are 
fully  repaid,  they,  not  unfrequently,  being  so  poor 
that  they  have  to  be  advanced  money  the  previous 
day  to  procure  the  meal  of  the  following  day,  otherwise 
they  are  unable  to  come  to  work. 
Coconut  cultivation  does  well  in  Matale,  and  can 
be  profitably  encouraged  and  extended.  It  is  almost 
a native  cultivation  at  present,  but  it  is  being  adopted 
in  suitable  situations  on  several  estates.  Cotton  and 
tobacco  may  be  said  to  have  become  a blank  for  the 
present.  There  are  some  fine  fields  of  tea  in  Matale 
from  which  heavy  crops  of  tobacco  have  been  taken. 
Coffee  (Liberian,  Arabian,  and  Coorg)  is  cultivated, 
but  on  a very  reduced  scale.  The  acreage  has,  however, 
been  added  to  in  1891  by  53  acres. 
The  total  area  is  944  acres,  yielding  1,159  cwt., 
averaging  1'23  cwt.  per  acre. 
Deducting  70  acres  young  coffee  from  the  total 
area,  944  acres  = 874  acres,  averaging  1*32  cwt.  per 
acre. 
The  cultivation  will  most  probably  pay  in  suitable 
positions  and  conditions  of  soil  at  present  rates. 
Cardamoms.— This  cultivation  is  decreasing  rather 
than  extending,  all  suitable  land  for  it  having  been 
fully  planted  years  ago.  The  acreage  under  this  spice 
is  671  acres,  yielding  57,875  lb.,  averaging  86  lb.  per  acre. 
There  are  140  acres  cinchona,  350  acres  anatto, 
and  30  acres  arecanuts  under  cultivation  in  various 
portions  of  Matale  East. 
The  cultivation  statistics  are  compiled  from  returns 
obligingly  supplied  by  fourteen  planters  residing  in 
different  portions  of  the  district. 
Paddy. — The  rainfall  of  1891  is  said  to  have  been 
too  much  for  the  paddy  crops.  Paddy  land  has  shared 
in  the  general  depreciation  of  property  in  recent 
years.  I am  aware  of  a sale  of  5 acres  for  Rl,000. 
A dozen  years  ago  the  same  land  would  have  fetched 
R2.000. 
Timber. — This  is  becoming  a serious  question  in 
Matale,  accessible  places  being  almost  denuded  of 
large  trees.  A deal  of  money  must  have  reached 
native  hands  by  the  sale  of  timber  in  recent  years. 
Not  a seed  or  plant  is  being  put  into  the  ground  for 
future  needs,  and  this  source  of  income  will  very 
soon  utterly  fail  them.  They  have  few  others  to  fall 
back  upon. 
General. — By  this  time  the  beneficial  results  of 
the  Agri-Horticultural  Shows  of  a few  years  ago,  if 
such  are  to  accure,  should  be  becoming  apparent. 
There  is  undoubtedly  an  increased  demand  from  out- 
side for  fruits,  vegetables,  fowls,  and  eggs,  but  I am 
not  aware  that  the  people  of  Matale  have  risen  to 
the  occasion  in  trying  to  produce  either  increased 
quantities  or  improved  qualities  to  any  appreciable 
extent. 
It  might  be  worth  inexpensive  experiment  in  the 
interest  of  the  natives  were  good  eggs  and  fowls 
occasionally  distributed  from  the  Kachcheri,  gratis, 
for  breeding  purposes,  and  were  the  natives  occasion- 
ally encouraged  by  remunerative  rates  to  bring  to 
the  Kachcheries  sample  lots  of  their  best  efforts  in 
fruit  and  vegetable  growing  and  fowl  rearing. 
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