268 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUEISt [Oct. 1, 1902. 
We concluded that the place would have to do. 
The landlord had notice of our coming ; he was 
an old Cingalese gentleman of venerable appear- 
ance, and received us with much ceremony. 
A PALAVER FOR A LEASK. 
Two wooden chairs were placed for us under a 
banyan tree and some bottles of beer procured 
from somewhere brought forward for our refresh- 
ment ; but as these had stood for some time in a 
temperature of over lOQ degree the beverage was 
flit, warm, and undrinkable. We accepted some 
arrack, guaranteed to be sixty years old ; it was a 
liquor resembling curacoa with an aftertaste of 
coconut. Grouped behind our host stood the grey- 
beards from the village ; all the male population 
of the neighbourhood squatted round in a wide 
half-circle ; the females were not en evidence, but 
a sustained giggling in the bushes, and the oc- 
casional glimpse of a bright-coloured garment, 
revealed their presence. 
Proceedings opened witli a speech from our 
prospective landlord who began by asking a 
favour. His nephew, educated at a mission school, 
desired a post as clerk in the Kachcheri (Govern- 
ment offices), The young man was brought for- 
ward and salaamed profoundly. I promised to use 
niy influence in this direction, and referred to the 
object of our visit ; we wanted a lease of the land 
and dwelling-house for a term of years — how 
much ? At this there was quite an outcry ; the 
day was young, and tomorrow would bring 
another day. Why hurry ? It surely would be 
an honour and blessing to the village if the Mahat- 
mayas took the place ; tiiey could live there for 
ever and a day without fee or payment ; but the 
owner was a poor man, what would we offer? 
It wasgood land, the best in the island, and the 
house walls were so thick that an elephant, or a 
drove of elephants for that matter, could not push 
them down — such mangoes and bananas were 
never grown elsewhere. These remarks were 
not addressed directly to us, but shouted 
from one to the other with much noise and gesti- 
culation. Some individual made an assertion, 
and this would be taken up and repeated ia 
chorus all round the circle. A wild-looking man, 
with hair tangled to his shoulders, jumped about 
like a marionette, relating, amid much excite- 
ment, a story about his cow. It appeared that 
the animal had strayed into this Garden of Eden 
about which we were in treaty and was lost for 
some days. It returned to the bosom of his family 
so fat that no one could recognize it. Two of 
this man's comrades beat their naked breasts 
and tore their hair, declaring that their friend 
spoke the truth. The cow was wellnigh bursting 
its hide with fatness. At this juncture I rose 
to a point of order and suggested that the meeting 
should now disperse, leaving the landowner, two 
of his friends, and ourselves as a Committee to 
determine the point at issue. This brought the 
crowd up with a sharp turn, the noise w-as 
hushed, and they departed. 
METHODS OF COMPUTINQ RENTAL. 
The native method of estimating rental of 
coconut land is somewhat primitive. Records of 
the estate for the past hundred years were pro- 
duced written in Cingalese characters on palm 
leaves, and the number of nuts averaged ; it was 
then cheerfully proposed that we should pay an 
annual rent equal to double that value. It was 
no easy task to persuade them that this demand 
^ Vfts oareasonable ; in. letting the place they 
would be at no expense in collecting crop and so 
on. We offered half the rent. After another 
visit a few days later we got a lease on this basis, 
and entered into occupation. 
First of all the bungalow was made habitable 
with a new rcof and a clean cowd-ung floor ; the 
fallen trees were useful in propping up the 
verandah ; two camp beds, some furniture, and a 
few kitchen utensils bought in Colombo com- 
pleted our household equipment. We then turned 
out attention to the plantation. All jungle 
growth was cut down, the land irrigated and 
manured, and fresh saplings planted in place of 
those coconut trees which had fallen. We cal- 
culated that the yield of nuts would be increased 
fourfold in a few years. Then agreements for 
supplies of wood were negotiatad with neighbour- 
ing owners of forest land ; we bought some 
bullocks and waggons, and engaged a gang of 
coolies ; the wood was carted each day, cut in 
lengths, corded, sent to the depot, and piled i^ 
the yard, ready to be put on board the railway 
engines. Then a bright idea occurred to me. It 
was ever thus. I was always brimming over with 
bright ideas, which when tried in the balance, 
were generally found wanting, so far as pecuniary 
advantage to ourselves was concerned. Many pas- 
senger boats called at Colombo— P. & O,, British 
India, Orient, and Messageries Maritimes ; occa- 
sionally two or three would be lying in the har- 
bour at the same time. We would raise chickens 
and sell them on board. Two incubators were 
purchased ; it was easy to keep up the required 
temperature during the day in the sweltering heat 
of Veyangoda ; at night the lamps wanted a little 
care. 
OUR POULTRY YARD. 
Our bungalow had soon so large a feathered popu • 
lation that there was scarcely room to turn. 
Turkeys, geese, ducks, and chickens, we reared 
them all and they roosted all over the 
place. Having raised our fowls, the next 
step was to dispose of them, and this 
part of the business proved more difficult than 
I had expected. The chief stewards on board 
the ships willingly accepted our hospitality in the 
shape of tiffin, or dinner, at the Grand Oriental 
Hotel. Champagne is expensive ; it takes ofif the 
profit on a small deal, and they were not liberal with 
orders. We had scarcely taken into account the 
ice chambers with which .all these big liners are 
provided. My first sight of one of these was a 
revelation, rows and rows of ptarmigan, larks, 
ortolans— everything was there, to say nothing of 
tons of beef and mutton. On my last visit.I 
bought two English pheasants from the steward of 
a P. & O. boat. I gave a good price for these, 
and took two men home with me to help eat them. 
The pheasants were delivered to the appu (head 
servant) with many injunctions as to careful 
cooking and so forth. We sat down to dinner ex- 
pectant— " Shot in old England, my boy "; .soup 
was served, then an entree. Our cook was a dab 
on entrees, but it was well not to inquire too 
closely into their composition, and then came beef, 
the same tough old beef. " Appu," 1 said, " where 
are those birds I gave you this afternoon ?" 
" Master had birds I bring in just now ; master 
eat plenty, and say very good." It was too true : 
the cook had cut the pheasants into small pieces, 
and served them up as " salmi " of juugle-fowl. 
In connection with our poultry-raising experiment, 
an aunt of roine in Somevsefcshire forwarded ^ 
