«< MONTHLY. t>* 
XX. 
COLOMBO, NOVEMBER 1st, 1900. 
No. 
NATIVE AGRICULTURE IN CEYLON. 
ROPOSALS for lastruction of 
Natives in Improved Modes of 
Cultivation and the Introduc- 
tion of Suitable New Products 
by K. Elliott, late Government 
Agent. Southern Province. 
Precis of PfiorosALs. 
(1.) Separate European interests and leave them 
in hands of Director, Botanic Gardens and staff'. §1-2. 
(2.) Continue care of native interests in Public 
Instruction Department. §3,4,9-10. 
(3), Natives ready to follow example and adopt 
new process or products, if shewn to pay (instance 
given). § 5. 
(4.) Duty of Government to shew the way by plant- 
ing model market gardens, in villages throughout the 
Island, and working them by trained gardeners. § 6-7' 
(5.) These men to be ignorant of English and to 
be drawn from the districts to which they will return 
after training, and required to open gardens on certain 
terms of remuneration for a limited period. § 8, 13, 14' 
15, 16, 17, IS. 
(6.) Training to be done at Governm^-.it rxn°nse 
at Agricultural School, but all instruction lo ba 
given in Vernacular, and supplemented by a year's 
practical work on a farm on a line of rail not far 
from Colombo. §9,1^. 
(7 ) Produce of farm to be sold at a stall in the 
public market, and it is believed it would be self- 
supporting after first year, as all the labour is to 
be supplied by students. § 12. 
(8.) Seeds of a l kinds to be provided at Agri- 
cultural School, and given freely to the gardeners. 
(9.) Instruction to include breeding of poultry 
making of butter, and ghee, diseases of cattle and 
castration, &c, 
(10.) Instruction in Paddy to be confined to culti- 
vation of experimental plots at the central farm, 
to test suitability of seeds, manures, ifec. Subsequent 
distribution to be through Government Agents or 
gardeners, but do cost of cultivation to be charge- 
able to (iovernment. Other proposals for en- 
couragement of the extension of paddy cultivation. 
(U.) Cost of Scheme ; immediate outlay to be 
raised from 1110,000, (present cost of Agricultural 
School) to R20,000 and ultimately to R30,000 exclusive 
of cost of providing farm and buildings. 
The Commission which has recently reported on 
the proposed department of agriculture has undoubt- 
edly failed to enunciate a practical scheme, and this I 
think is largely due to its not recognising at the 
very outset that what is suitable and probably re- 
quired in the interests of agriculture as carried on 
by Europeans and other capitalists on a large 
scale, is not wanted for the humbler native cultivator 
of praedial products, 
As regards what may be called European 
agriculture, it seems as if its requirements had been 
already fairly met by the recent additions of a 
Chemist, a Mycologist, and an Entomologist, and it 
may be left to Government in consultation with the 
Planters' Association to consider if this should be 
turned into a department with the Director of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens as the recognised head, which 
he now is to all practical purposes I believe. 
As regards native agriculturists, the interference 
of these scientists is not required and is indeed to 
be deprecated, though their services would doubtlesa 
be available to advise in special cases, such for in- 
stance as an invasion of insects or extraordinary 
pests. 
The object of this paper is to put forward a 
moderate scheme exclusively dealing with the 
interests of native cultivators working on a smal} 
scale. 
