Jan 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
501 
We have not spaoe for detaMa bat quote Mr. North, 
cote'a conclusions ; — " The results, then, at which wa 
must ai'i'ive are, thut ngr icnltui-al salt is a most ener- 
getic nbsoi-bent of ammonia, both in virtue of its 
chloride of sodium and of its soluble lime-sa't, and 
that the proportion of the latter especially, most 
powerfully >'ff-jcts its action, but that at th ^ same 
time i'a asrency does not seem to be altogether a per- 
manent ono ; it will collect the ammonia, but it is 
qne>itionable whether it can retain it for any great 
length of time, because in the very decompositions 
which happen in onler to render the ammonia more 
stable, salts »re formsd which have a direct tendency 
to liberate ammonia from its nnre fixed combinations. 
It moy, however, retain it quite long enough for 
Bgriciiltural purposes, if the young plants are there 
ready to receive it. Its state of gradual liberation 
may be for them the most advantageous possible ; and 
to this conclusion all esperiments on a large scale 
app' :ar most obviously to tend. It is described as an 
excellent check to the too forcing power of guano; 
and from M Barral's experiment we see that it eitlier 
prevents the too rapid eremacausis of the latter, or 
stores up the ammoni:v as it is formed. As a manure 
for growing crops, all experience and a'l theoretical 
considerations therefore show it tT be most valuable ; 
bat when employed to mix with manure heap^ which 
have to stand for considerable periods of time, theory 
would pronounce, as practice has in many cases done, 
that its power of retaining ammonia under thoso 
ciror.mitancea is at the be-it doubtful." 
CEYLON COOLY TIN TICKET "SYSTEM : 
THE AMENDED REGULATIONS. 
{Copy ) 
General 5 (F-O-Cii cnlar No. 6(j8-2i. 
From the Hon. the Govenimfnt Auent, W. P., 
to the Chairman, Planters' Association, Kaudy. 
D.iteil Colombo Deeemlx r, 1902. 
Subject; - (Amended tin ticket regulations.) 
R.;terriii<( to your No. 
Sir, — I have the honour to enclose for your 
information a co|)y of the amended reo;niations 
under the Tin Ticket Sy-tem, and to state tliab 
Estate Superinten'lents, who wisli to have copies 
of the same, Ciin obtain them on application to the 
Kachcheri of your District— I am, Sir, your 
ohodier.t Servant, A. M. Galrraith, for Govern- 
iiient Agent. 
[Printed at the request of the Secretary of the 
The attention of Superintendent of estates is in- 
vited to the followinu; anienrled lieLcnlations : — 
1. It is neccfisary tliat each immigrant cooly 
should have a tin Licket. The letter and number 
on that ticket supply all the information tliat is 
required to t7i,a?>/c ■ he Superintendent at Ilagama 
to forward the cooly to tlie estate. Either one 
ticket n)ay be en to each indiviilual cooly on his 
departure to enable him lo return, or a supply 
tnan be given to kauganies who are going to the 
coast to bring coolie.s. 
•2. In point of fact the system is simply one by 
w hich coolies are forwarded .-.s packnges of goods, 
the till ticket being the address. By its means 
a cooly iraveUiyig from Tiiticoiiu,' Tataparai, 
Toudi, Ainniapatam or Paumben is delivered at 
the railway station nearest to his estate without 
the necessity for his expending a cent on his ivay. 
All iiis expense-3 are borne by Government and 
recovered subsequently from the estate to which 
he goe.s, through the local Kacbcheri. Individual 
numbers as well as estate numbers are entered oa 
lUe tickets, thus : 270 17 in circle. 
I' the " '7" is entered on the ohefk roU it will 
give va'uahle information a-i to the identity of the 
person who ))re8ents the tickets. 
.3 All esta es must, he registered at the local 
KacIicheM, wh"re a number will be as-'ij.'ned to 
eacli e-tate, and tin tieksts will be issued if re- 
quired. Tin tickets are supplied at R2',50 per 
hundred, stain ued willi the district letter and 
estate number, and consecutive individual num- 
bers. 
Even if no tin tickets are required, registra- 
tion of the estate is necessary to enable the 
Superintendent to issug certifiextes tor coolie.'i 
travelling within the Island. These certificates 
mu-t be on the form issued by the Railway 
Depaitnient, 
4. In the case of large estates, so many numbers 
should be allotted to each Kangany. These iium- 
hers being enti'red on the hill from the Kiclicheri, 
it wiil l)e seen at once to which fCangany thecooiies 
belonged. Cate should be taken to issue the 
numbers consecutively. All tin tickets issued 
siiould be collected on the arrival of the coolies 
on the estate, checking the individual numbers and 
keeping them un ier lock and key. 
5. Immigrant coolies who haverecived advances 
can still pay tiieir expenses on the journey, but 
they can no longer obtxin cheap cooly rates by 
rail and steamer, except on the production of tin 
.tickets. 
6. All coolies holding tin tickets will bs des- 
patched by the 6 a.m. train on the morning of the 
second day after their arrival at Ragama. Thu«, 
coolies who arrive on Mond.av will be de-ipatchecl 
by the morning train on Wednesday, Tues lay's 
arrivals on Thurslrty, and so on. If, ho»'ever, 
the e-'tate is so far from a telegraph .station that 
the K i.tigany has not time to meet Wednesday's 
train after the receipt of a telegram despafohi.-d 
from Rig una on Monday afternoon, the Superiu- 
tendent of the estate sliould wiite to the Superin- 
tendent of the, Cooly Camps at Ra<rama, stating 
th ; numbei' of days' detention th it is necessary; 
these instructions will be carried out. Thus, if the 
Superintendent is satisfied that he carmot meet 
Monday's arrivals before Thursday, oreven Friday, 
the c >olies will be desijatche I on the day n nied. 
The telegram will be in one of the following 
forms , 
"5, 2, 1, Saturday, 42, Ri,masamy, second," or 
"1 woman, 2 children, Saturday, 42, Kamasamy, 
second." 
The first of these means that five men, two 
women, and one child are being forwarded ou 
Saturday ; " 42 " is rhs first indiviilual number 
on their tickets : " Rainasamy " is the name of 
their Kangany ; and " second " is the number 
of the division, in the case of large estates, to 
which they belong. The secotid form is used 
when there are only men aud women, men and 
children, or women and children in the gang. 
The day mentioned will be that of departure 
from the camp, and therefore that of arrival at 
the railwaif staiion. Kanganies who go to meet 
coolies should have one of the estate tickets. 
Each cooly, will of course, have a similar ticket 
and the letter and number of the estate will be 
entered on the railway ticket, so that the Station 
Master can point out to the Kangany the 
coolies who belong to him. If the coolies, whose 
departure from Kagama has been telegraplied, 
do not arrive by their proper train, the Snperiu- 
