Feb.  i,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
20  feet,  givirg  » water  surface  of  3,300  aores,  a con- 
tour of  nearly  32  miles,  and  a capacity  of 
close  upon  2,000,000.000  cubic  feet.  By  raising  the 
by-wash  another  five  feet  the  quantity  retained 
can  be  increased  by  over  50  per  cent.  It  can  irrigate 
23,000  acres,  and  if  enlarged  could  do  so  through  the 
longest  drought  ever  experienced  in  its  neighbourhood. 
It  feeds  eighty  tanks  and  commands  a largo  area  of 
country.  Such  works  as  these  may  be  taken  as  illus- 
trative of  the  soope  and  character  of  the  engineering 
ability  of  the  ancient  Sinhalese  end  of  the  present  D-- 
partment,  which  has  in  Mr.  M'Bride  a highly  com- 
petent chief,  whose  name  is  already  asseoiated  with  a 
reform  of  the  system  of  macadamised  road-makiDg  by 
which  50  per  cent  bas  been  saved  to  the  State,  and  the 
reputation  of  the  island  for  the  exoellence  of  its  high- 
ways fully  maintained.  Much,  however,  remains  to  be 
done  before  the  work  of  restoration  is  completed.  Mr. 
Grinlinton  considers  that  £600,000  would  finish  all 
the  schemes  that  are  at  present  called  for,  but  this 
would  probably  prove  to  be  under  the  mark.  Mr.  ViDe, 
the  able  engineer  in  charge  of  the  chief  province 
speaks  of  a native  oanal,  40  feet  wide  and  40  feet  in 
depth,  of  wbioh  he  has  traced  the  oourse,  and  it  would 
require  but  a few  works  of  this  class  to  be  added  to 
increase  the  present  estimate. 
under -estimates  and  miscalculations. 
It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  Ceylon  bas  proved  an 
exception  to  the  universal  rule  that  experience  has 
to  be  paid  for  in  the  inauguration  of  any  new  en- 
terprise. The  history  of  its  engineering  discovers 
miscalculation,  such  as  that  with  regard  to  the  oapacity 
of  Tissamabarama,  which  proved  to  be  but  one-fii'th 
of  the  estimate.  The  surveys  at  Adicbchikalu  were 
so  faulty  that  the  progress  of  the  undertaking  was 
stopped  altogether.  The  Elahera  canal  by  no  means 
realised  expectations,  while  more  than  onoe  the  Gover- 
nor bas  had  to  complain  of  the  under  estimu'e  of 
the  cost  of  works  in  one  part,  or  the  indifferent 
exeention  of  in  another  part.  Sir  William  Gregory, 
speaking  upon  this  point  in  1874,  said,  “I  cannot 
•ttaoh  blame  to  any  person  connected  with  these 
works  for  these  insufficient  estima'es.  I blame  the 
system.  The  great  objeot  of  the  then  Government 
was  to  get  irrigation  set  on  foot  without  delay.” 
There  has  been  the  same  anxiety  in  Viotoria, 
hut  the  errors  discovered  pertain  less  to  the 
works  than  to  the  purposes  to  whioh  they  were 
limited. 
LIBERAL  CONCESSION  BT  GOVERNMENT. 
Neither  is  it  to  be  assumed  that  the  great  works 
constructed  have  been  immediately  successful.  As 
a matter  of  fact  in  every  ease  the  utilisation  of  the 
supply  provided  has  been  gradual.  • Reoognising 
this  the  Government  has  made  liberal  concessions  to 
those  commmenoing  to  irrigate.  It  charges  no  rates 
for  foar  years,  foregoeB  interest  for  ten  years,  and 
nukes  free  grin  s in  connection  with  small  tank 
construction.  It  the  natives  construct  the  earth- 
work of  a tank  the  Government  gives  them  gratis 
a ma60Dry  bj-waeh,  or  spill  water  as  it  is 
termed,  and  an  outlet  of  cement  pipes.  These 
concessions  are  greatly  appreciated  by  the  inhabi- 
tants, especially  the  last,  one  officer  reporting 
that  in  the  Matile  district  during  1888-89,  while 
the  Government  expenditure  was  £1,295  that,  of 
the  native*  in  labour  was  worth  £1,998.  Up  to 
1889  the  earthwork  done  by  them  in  this 
way  amounted  to  over  6,000,000  cubio  yards. 
Yet  even  with  these  concessions,  those  who  are  most 
satisfied  with  the  policy  pursued  consider  that  time 
most  be  allowed  in  every  instance  for  the  development 
of  every  considt  table  work.  Several  of  those  now  clas- 
sed as  successes  were  held  to  be  failures  for  some 
time  after  their  completion,  and  one  distriot  controller 
goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  twenty  years  is  necessary 
to  determine  the  true  value  of  each  great  scheme. 
Impatient  critics  in  Australia  are  not  likely  to  be  per- 
suaded by  him  to  hold  their  peace  for  such  a pro- 
tracted term. 
So  many  of  the  Oeylon  works  are  restorations  that 
the  sums  expended  occasionally  appear 
DISPROPORTIONATE  TO  THE  RESULTS, 
obtained,  since  no  allowance  is  made  as 
in  Madras  for  the  value  of  the  original  work  embodied 
in  the  rtw  scheme.  Then  the  expenses  of  maintenance 
re  quire  to  be  deduoted  from  the  annual  totals,  so  that 
the  total  capital  invested,  and  upon  which 
interest  should  be  earned,  can  be  roughly  set 
down,  mskiDg  allowance  for  all  kinds  of  outlay, 
at  £600, dOO,  for  which  100,000  acres  ere  being  per- 
manently watered.  This  is  a high  rate  per  acre; 
higher  than  that  of  the  Victorian  authorised  scheme* 
and  national  works,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  labour 
can  be  obtained  for  a wage  of  fewer  pence  per  day 
than  we  pay  shillings.  The  explanation  is  that  rice 
is  a thirsty  crop,  requiring  according  to  Mr.  J.  It. 
Mosse,  M,  Inst,  O.  E , late  director  of  public  works, 
a cubic  yard  of  water  to  every  square  yard  of  ground, 
or  thrice  as  muoh  ss  is  like.y  to  be  required  in  Aus- 
tralia. This  of  course,  increases  the  acreage  cost 
proportioned. 
LABOUR  IN  CEYLON. 
is  not  merely  cheap,  but  in  many  respects  good 
also.  The  present  head  of  the  Irrigation  De- 
partment considers  that  for  either  earthwork  or 
stonebreaking  the  Tamil  is  equal  to  the  European. 
Bnt  tho  labour  bas  its  peculiarities.  It  is  not  males 
only  who  are  employed ; whole  families  work  to- 
gether. On  the  roads,  in  the  rice  fields,  or  in  the  planta- 
tion, the  women  are  side  by  side  with  the  men,  taking 
the  lighter  share  of  severe  exertion  but  bearing  most  of 
the  burdens.  Children,  so  soon  as  they  are  able,  work 
with  tl  eir  parents.  None  of  them  are  violent  in  their  ex- 
ertions, but  their  efforts  are  sustained,  and  are  con- 
tinued  in  most  oases,  with  little  intermission,  from 
dawn  till  dusk. 
OTHER  CONDITIONS 
are  equally  novel  to  ns  and  render  00m. 
parisots  unprofitable.  Communal  labour  is  fre- 
quent and  there  is  a good  deal  of  communal  pro- 
prietorship among  the  villages.  Inheritances  of  real 
estate  are  often,  on  the  French  method,  divided 
equally  among  children,  and  joint  partnership  be- 
oome*  so  complicated  that  a suit  has  been  con- 
ducted in  the  courts  in  which  the  subjeot  of  litiga- 
tion was  the  2-520th  part  of  ten  coconut  trees. 
Machinery  is  unkn  wd,  except  the  rudost  kind  of 
water  lifters,  and  the  implements  of  agriculture  are 
of  the  simplest.  The  native  is  a stolid  conservative 
in  opinions  and  practices,  arid  though  thus  evi- 
dencing the  limited  range  of  his  ideas  cannot  be 
condemned  altogether  for  his  adherence  to  tradi- 
tional practices.  He  knows  what  just  saits  his 
present  style  of  living,  and  has  no  ambition 
to  alter  its  general  character.  If  he  pos- 
sesses sufficient  for  the  day  he  is  contented 
and  prefers  to  obtain  that  sufficiency  in  a time-hon- 
oured way,  rather  than  venture  upon  a change  that 
jromises  a better  return  to  greater  perseverance. 
UNUSED  TANKS. 
Irrigation  has  therefore  in  Ceylon  a series  of  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  its  progress,  owing  to  the  inherent 
conservatism  of  the  irrigators.  Some  fine  tanks  con- 
structed by  the  Government,  notably  those  in  the 
western  districts,  Magalawewa,  Galg&muwa  and  Maha- 
uswewa,  have  remained  for  some  time  unutilised 
because  the  Sinhalese  decline  to  leave  their  present 
homep,  which  are  at  a little  distance,  in  order  to  take 
advantage  of  the  storage.  Fortunately  the  Tamils  are 
more  enterprising,  and  the  force  of  tbeir  example 
operates,  though  slowly,  upon  their  neighbours. 
Another  and  greater  difficulty  arises  from  indol 
lence  and  greed.  Even  rice, 'though  an  amphibious 
plant,  may  be  overwatered,  and  partly  from  oare- 
lessness  and  partly  from  the  desire  to  take  all 
the  water  they  can,  many  of  the  Sinhalese  drown 
rather  than  irrigate  their  crops  and  suffer  ao- 
cordingly.  The  low  yields  often  oomplained  of,  arise 
as  much  from  bad  farming  as  from  any  other  cause, 
for  when  skill  and  caution  in  the  use  of  water  go 
together,  the  best  irrigators  obtain  twenty  fold  and 
thirty  fold,  The  silt  in  the  low  country  is  a vaJtj* 
