mc. 1, 1902.] THE TKOPICAti AGRICULTURIST. 
407 
years ago. It ia primitive; and farmers move from 
the highlands to the lowlands and vice versa with the 
seasons. The necessity for irrigation ia accentuated 
by the fact that the rainfall ia uncertain and erratic. 
Water must be stored during the season of heavy 
rainfall, for cse when the seasons are dry. Mr. 
Willoocks has experience of irrigation in India and 
in Egypt, and speaks of the "immense benefits" derived 
from irrigation in those countries. He makes a 
novel suggestion to raise the necessarj' funds for 
irrigation works. The mine-owners should be com- 
pelled by laud to devd.te a percentage of their profits 
towards the execution of irrigation works, so that 
when the mines are exhausted, the country may not 
drop from the " height of prosperity to the depths 
of poverty " 1 
BKTEL CULTIVATION 
is carried on all over the island, but on a large 
scale, only in certain villages. Along over the main 
line of railway, the bulk of the traffic in betel leaves, 
is from Mahara and Henaratgoda. Why tFiis is so, 
I cannot say. It may be that the soil of these 
villages ia peculiarly suited for its cultivation. It 
is known to be a very paying crop, and a small plot 
of land planted with these vines is known to yield 
quite a respectable income. I doubt, however, whether 
the local yield cm equal the reported yield in the 
Madras Presidency, which is said to be at the end 
of the first year R30 per acre per mensem. The 
vines in the island are trained on dead wood and 
are closely planted. In Madras, they are trained 
on " Katnru Murnnga " trees, which are fiist planted 
on the land. The vipes are evidently very carefully 
tended and cultivated in India, for it is said that 
they receive half-yearly supplies of annual revenue 
and the delicate Tines are fed with milk ! In the island, 
the only manure used is, I believe, the leaves of 
the " K&ppetiya." 
"THE PROPER METHOD OF PLANTING TREES" 
is a very nsefnl and instructive article. It is written 
by Mr. A. Despeissis, of AVeatern Australia and refers 
to the planting of orchards. However, there are 
many hints in it which will be useful to all classes 
of planters in the island. Holes should be wide 
enough to admit of the spread of the roots— the 
wider the better. Coconut planters take special note 
of this, especially those planting on sliS soils. A 
very good method of securing wide holes, is to fill 
them by cutting the surface soil all round them. 
By this means, a S in. by 3 in. hole nearly doubles 
itself. Whejre the sub-soil ia stiff, it is said the holes 
should not be deeper than the free surface soil, else 
the hole acts as a hasin for the retention of water 
and the roots of the plants rot and they die. One 
of the most troublesome of planting operations, is to 
plant in straight lines. It is difficult enough to line 
straight, but in cutting and filling the holes, the 
pegs are displaced and in planting, subsequently, the 
fines are hopelessly destroyed. A method is suggested 
for placing a plant exactly where the peg was, whichj 
unfortunately, will Bot be found practicable on tea 
plantations, except at a prohibitive cost. The zig- 
zagging of the lines of a tea estate, are not very 
apparent owing to the formation of the bushes, but 
breaks in the lines of 
COCONUT 
trees, are an ahomination and an eye-sore. The 
method suggested is to take a long narrow plant and cut 
a V shaped notch in the centre and at each end. Place 
the plant on the ground with the peg at the centre 
notch. Drive pegs deep into the ground at each 
notoh at the^ends of the plant, remove the centre 
"leg and out'Ahe hole to the required dimensions. 
(Vhen planting, place the plant ou the ground so 
that the notches at the ends will fit into the pegs 
on the ground, and place the plant where the centre 
notch is, which will be the exact spot where the 
living peg was originally. All this may be slow 
and teaious, but it will ensure good work, and 
^faAtevei ia 'worth doing, is worth doing well, 
For a hard impenetrable soil, aa ia occasionally 
met with on the cabook hillocka of 
COCONUT PLANTATIONS, 
it is suggested that the bottom of the hole 
should be shattered with dynamite or blasting 
powder, devices are formed which permits of the 
free passage of water and of rooti. An 
idea is very prevalent amongst coconut plant- 
ers, that placing the plants deep down 
in the holes is the perfection of planting. The 
evils of this system are seen in seasons of wet, when 
it becomes necessary to remove the plants from the 
holes, and plant them outside, to prevent their 
dyin;? off. My system has always been to fill up 
the holes to within oue-foot at the outside from the 
surface, however deep they may have been cut. 
This writer deprecates deep planting for the same 
reasons that I hold. 
According to a lecture by Mr Orpen, the head of 
the Agricultural Department at Rhodesia, the 
CHENA CROPS 
in that country are similar to those in Indii and 
Ceylon. The crops are 
INDIAN CORN, KURAKKAN 
and what is called Jcambu in India. The first is 
consumed in the form of meal converted into porridge 
or bread and beer. For long journeys, the corn is 
parched or " apiung." In this form, it ia called 
" porri " here and is always to be seen rendered by 
" kidala," or parched gram, women. The " sprung " 
corn ground aud mixed with a little salt forms the 
rations of native soldiers on the ward. In a six 
weeks' march against Laogabalele in 1873, the native 
soldiera were provided with the meal of parched corn 
and were able to perform the march succeaafuUy on 
this nutritious diet. 
" KURAKKAN " 
is supposed to be the most nitrogenous of farina- 
ceous grains. The natives consider it more nutritious 
and satisfying than other grain. The same opinion 
obtains in the Wannie and other interior districts of 
this Island. A villager will, by preference, have a 
meal of kurakkan to one of rice. It is more satis- 
fyiog, possibly owing to its indigestibility. He saya 
he can go for a whole day on a meal of kurakkan, 
while before half-a-day is over, be grows hungry 
on a meal of rice. It ia eaten in the form of 
" pittu " with scraped coconut, or boilt and made 
into large pills, dipped into curry gravy and 
pushed down the throat. Mixed with honey, it is 
made into " halapa." Ceylon has not as yet devel- 
oped a trade in the export of its fruit. Perhapa 
time will help in the development of this trade, 
and a few notes on the packing of fruit for export, 
will be useful. The first requisite for the successful 
transit of fruit is careful picking. Frnit should not 
be allowed to drop on the ground and be injured. 
They should not be packed immediately after picking, 
but should be laid out for a few days to "harden" 
and for the superfluous moisture of the skin to dry up. 
In transit, cold chambers destroy the flavour. Cool, 
ventilated chambers are necessary. It is best that 
each layer of fruit should have a separate chamber, 
or in large cases, such as barrels, the lower layers 
of frnit, have to bear the weight of every thing 
above them. Valuable and large fruit, should have 
a compartment for each. Mangoes for export should 
nOt be picked ripe, but when " full " aud ripening 
flurirg transit. 

GU,VTE.MALA COFFEB CROP DESTROYED. --A 
San Francisco firm which is interested in the coffee 
business in Guatemala has received a cablegran:, 
states Router, from its representative in that 
country statins; that the entire coffee zone has 
been destroyed by the recent volcanic disturbances, 
and that enormous lo.sses have been sustaineti. 
The eruption of Santa Maria continues. The 
coffee plantations are buried beneath several feet 
of sand and ds\\^3.— Westminster Pudgct, Oct, 31, 
