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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
[April  i,  1893. 
It  iB  very  interesting  to  hear  from  our  corres- 
pondent about  the  Irrigation  experiment  of  Messrs. 
Akbar  Brothers  on  the  side  of  the  Mahaoya.  We 
have  no  doubt  it  has  proved  a very  profitable 
investment  for  these  enterprising  proprietors  utilise 
their  steam  engine  for  timber  Bawing  machinery 
when  in  the  wet  season,  it  is  not  required  to 
drive  the  pumps.  We  are  only  surprised  that  their 
example  has  not  been  more  freely  followed  in  the 
dry  Maba-oya  district,  by  the  owners  of  properties 
bordering  on  the  river. 
The  coconut  palm  is  a wonderful  plant  and 
it  has  evidently  found  a home  in  the  South-west 
maritime  belt  of  Ceylon  which  it  loves  as  dearly 
as  any  spot  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  The  original 
habitat  of  this  palm,  according  to  Deoandolle,  must 
have  been  in  the  Eastern  Archipelago,  whenoe 
nuts  no  doubt  floated  to  the  Pacifio  islands  on 
the  one  side,  and  to  Ceylon,  Madagascar,  and 
Afrioa  on  the  other.  Be  that  as  it  may,  not  very 
muoh  progress  was  made  in  spreading  the  culti- 
vation of  the  palm  in  this  island  before  the 
advent  of  the  Dutoh  ; for  we  know  that  even  the 
seaside  strip  of  palms  between  Colombo  and 
Kalutara  was  first  planted  about  140  years  ago 
under  the  direotion  of  a Dutoh  Governor  who 
levied  Kajakariya  on  the  adjacent  villagers,  that 
is,  foroed  them  eaoh  to  plant  up  a portion 
of  what  had  been  previously  waste  land,  for 
their  own  eventual  good.  The  great  exten- 
sion of  planting  in  Jaffna,  Batticaloa  and 
about  Madampe  and  Calpentyn  has  all  been 
within  British  times  ; while  the  vast  planting 
industry  which  has  spread  inland  from  Negombo 
up  the  Valley  of  the  Mahoya,  had  its  commence- 
ment quite  within  the  present  generation  or  from 
the  “ Sixties”  onwards.  Coconut  cultivation  is  now 
about  the  most  important  as  it  is  the  most 
stable  of  agricultural  industries  in  the  island, 
and  we  may  expeot  under  the  present  stimulus 
of  high  prioes  for  the  produoe,  a considerable 
extension  of  planting.  But  the  difficulty  now  is 
to  procure  first-olass  suitable  land.  Very  little  of 
thb  description  remains,  we  suppose,  in  the  Western 
Provinoe  ? Wherever  there  is  any,  Government 
Bhould  have  no  hesitation  in  hurrying  it  into 
the  market ; for  whatever  may  be  said  about 
tea,  the  planting  with  palms  is  in  every 
sense,  better  for  the  island  and  iis  people,  than  the 
maintenance  of  the  forest-  Perhaps  the  only  exten- 
sive reserve  that  is  gradually  but  surely  being 
enoroaohed  on  for  oooonut  estates  is  that  along- 
side the  ooach  road  between  Chilaw  and  Put- 
talam.  Already  a considerable  area  north  of  the 
Deduru-oya — soon  to  be  spanned  by  a permanent 
bridge— has  been  taken  up  and  planted,  and 
before  many  years  elapse,  we  may  expeot  to  find 
a continuous  grove  of  palms  all  the  way  from  the 
Deduru-oya  to  Puttalam.  Although  the  region  is 
an  exceptionally  dry  one,  the  soil  is  one  in  which 
the  palm  seems  to  flourish,  and  not  many  feet 
down  there  is  a moiBt  stratum  whioh  helps  to 
keep  vegetation  in  heart  even  through  a prolonged 
drought.  Where  else  in  the  island,  we  would  ask, 
is  there  any  considerable  area  of  Crown  land 
suitable  for  coeounts?  Of  course,  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  tanks  and  also  of  the 
Btreams  or  rivers  in  the  North-Central  Pro- 
vince can  be  planted,  as  indeed  muoh  has 
already  been  cultivated  there  under  Mr.  levers’ 
foBtering  direotion.  In  Tamankaduwa  and  all  along 
the  lowoountry  course  of  the  Mahaveliganga,  the 
palm  ought  to  prosper ; and  there  must  also  be 
unoocupied  traota  very  suitable  for  oooonuts  on 
the  banks  of  the  large  rivers  running  through 
the  Southern  Provinoe  ? If  the  Agents  and  Assistant 
Agents,  in  conjunction  with  the  Surveyor-General, 
were  asked  at  this  time  to  give  a rough  estimate 
of  the  area  of  Crown  land  in  each  distriot  and 
province  that  they  considered  suitable  for  oooonut 
cultivation,  the  return  oould  not  fail  to  exoite  interest 
and  to  be  of  considerable  practical  service. 
VARIOUS  NOTES. 
The  Genebal  Soabciiy  of  Ivoby  is  said  to  have 
induoed  various  firms  in  Sheffield  to  lay  in  a quiet 
stock  of  that  commodity.  In  one  cellar  alone,  in 
that  town,  ivory  is  stored  away  to  the  value  of 
£20,000.  It  is  also  said  that  to  supply  a single 
Sheffield  firm  with  ivory,  the  annual  produoe  of  800 
elephants  was  required,  a few  years  sinoe.  But  this 
demand  has  grown  to  suoh  proportions  that  the 
same  firm  now  have  need  of  the  tusks  of  1,280 
elephants  per  annum.  If  this  sort  of  thing  continues 
the  elephants  will  soon  have  to  follow  the  example  of 
the  unicorn  and  become  extinct.— Invention,  Feb.  28. 
A New  Indu=tby. — A curious  industry  notioed  at 
some  length  in  Mr.  J.  L.  Kipling’s  memorandum 
on  industrial  occupations  has  sprung  up  of  late 
years  in  the  Punjab.  Large  quantities  of  kerosine 
oil  are  imported  from  Russia  and  Amerioa,  and  tin 
oases  when  empty  are  sold  at  a cheap  rate.  They 
are  eagerly  purchased  by  the  Punjab  whitesmith, 
always  a Mahomedan,  who  manufactures  from  them 
a variety  of  artioles,  useful  and  ornamental,  in- 
cluding lanterns,  despatch  boxes,  bird  cages,  water- 
ing oans,  lampe,  oans  for  the  growing  manufacture 
of  jams  and  preserves  in  the  hills,  kettles  and 
jewel  boxes  for  Native  ladies.  Packing  east's  arriv- 
ing  from  Europe  are  frequently  lined  with  tin,  and 
these  are  also  used  for  the  same  purposes.  The 
industry  in  tin  is  likely,  in  Mr.  Kipling’s  opinion, 
to  undergo  considerable  expansion  There  is  already 
a flourishing  firm  in  Mooltan  whioh  imports  the 
best  qualities  of  tin,  and  turns  out  a variety  of 
jappened  despatch  boxes  and  other  wears;  whioh 
for  finish  and  price  could  challenge  comparison 
with  European  artioles.— Pioneer. 
Coffee  Pbospects.— Much  as  a return  to  lower 
prices  is  to  be  desired  in  the  interests  of  the  home 
trade,  it  is  feared  that  prices  will  continue  to  raDge 
high  for  some  time  to  come,  and  buyers  must  be  pre- 
pared for  the  worst  if  they  do  not  wish  to  be  placed 
altogether  in  a disadvantageous  position.  Although 
stocks  iu  Europe  are  believed  to  be  much  heavier  than 
they  were  in  February  last,  a circumstance  like  this  is 
of  little  moment  when  weighed  against  the  probabi- 
lity—yea,  almost  certainty — of  failing  supplies  through 
a deficieLcy,  in  the  world’s  orops  ; and  while  the  dis- 
parity between  the  quantities  produced  and  those  con- 
sumed exists,  no  relief  from  the  present  strained 
situation  of  the  article  can  reasonably  be  expected. 
What  renders  the  maintenance  of  stiff  rates  for  coffee 
an  almost  foregone  conclusion  is  the  faot  that  the 
production  generally  is  contracting  rather  than  ex- 
panding, ai  d the  scaroity  complained  of  is  more  the 
result  of  a prolonged  absence  of  supply  than  of  any 
sudden  or  marked  increase  of  demand.  The  latter,  if 
too  brisk  or  extensive,  might  be  kept  under  efficient 
control,  and  so  moderated  as  to  bring  it  within  neces- 
sary bounds;  but  over  the  aggregate  supplies  from 
different  oouatries  no  influence  can  be  exercised 
beyond  that  of  repeatedly  advancing  quotations  for 
the  berry,  and,  when  these  fail  to  attraoc  the  requisite 
shipments  hither,  there  is  no  help  for  it  but  to  pay 
the  utmost  money  for  the  best  assortment  that  can 
be  got.  In  times  of  dearth,  great  inconvenience  and 
difficulty  are  experienced,  and  that,  too,  for  a whole 
season  or  more,  as  the  coffee  plant  requires  several 
years  before  it  is  fairly  matured  and  capable  of  bear- 
ing any  amount  of  berries  ; and  let  it  be  as  eagerly  and 
urgently  wanted  as  may  be,  its  cultivation  is  one  that 
is  always  tardy,  and  whioh  oannot  in  the  least  be 
hurried. — Grocer. 
