Sept, 1. 1 899. J THE TROPICAL AGRinULTURIfeT. 173 
seed ; but we can only trace one sni'viving 
plant, also with " kapok," and of this there 
are some handsome rows of trees. 
THE CHANGE. 
The change in the appearance of the coco- 
palms and other trees in 34 years, since our last 
visit, is very great. In 1895 even, a planter 
then resident in the district, we now hear, 
declared that Toynbee was only fit for a fire- 
stick, with its 'beetles and weeds ! This 
gentleman ought to see it now. Another 
younger man, after a short time in the 
district has been spreading reports that it 
is no good for coconuts as trees die out be- 
fore getting to maturity. We have been xin- 
able during the present visit to trace any 
cases of the kind even on Mr. Miller's neglected 
place. As regards the district, as a whole, no 
doubt, the building of the 
DEDUBUOYA BRIDGE 
has had its effect in development since 1895, 
We can recall the inconveniences and occa- 
sional dangers of the old ferry, between 
1888 and 189-1:. But this development is not 
confined to Rajakadixluwa, but extends 
right along the road to Batuluoya and even 
to Puttalani. Given a light 2^-feet gauge 
railway, and there is no question that very 
soon after its opening, a continuous scene 
of prosperous cultivation such as now marks 
the region from Negombo to Chilaw, would 
cover the whole 30 miles from 
THE DEDUBUOYA TO PUTTALAM. 
Whether we may see cultivation arise along- 
side the broad-gauge Northern line in 
a certain number of years is a hard ques- 
tion to answer— at least for 50 out of the 80 
miles between Kurunegala and Anuradha- 
pura, if we are to judge by what planters, 
surveyors, I'oad-officers and sportsmen tell 
us. However, for the first time in its Rail- 
way policy, the Government has chosen to 
leave the line of population and traffic and 
to construct a line through poor, un- 
occupied country,— the responsibility of 
this course is mainly with the local author- 
ities while that of the broad-gauge em- 
ployed rests with Mr. Chamberlain. The 
Colombo and Puttalam 2i-feet line (in con- 
nection with the Kelani Valley line) when 
it comes in the early part of the next 
century(?) will be foixnd one of the most 
successful Railway Extensions in Ceylon and 
will help to make up for financial deficiencies 
elsewhere. 
THE CLIMATE OP BAJAKADALUWA 
is undoubtedly a dry and hot one : ,a rain- 
gauge has only just been established on 
Toynbee ; but the estimate is of an average 
annual fall of about 60 inches, but this is 
aided by the moist character of m\xch of 
the subsoil. The temperature can be very 
considerable ; but the hot season is not 
unhealthy, — that is reserved for the land- 
wind (malarial) months of November and 
December. 
Speaking of the great benefit to the local 
villagers which the employment afforded by 
a new series of plantations confers, we are 
reminded of the great similar benefit de- 
rived from the establishment of 
23 
DESICCATING MILLS 
in our rural districts. To Messrs. Vavasseur 
& Co., the Colony is indebted for first intro- 
ducing this new manufacture and industry, 
as also, we believe, for pioneering with the 
shipment of bristle and palmyra palm fibre, 
and of whole coconuts on a large scale from 
Ceylon. Their Colombo Mills was the first 
and largest for desiccating purposes and they 
have now established Mills at Lunuwila on 
the North of the Mahaoya, giving employ- 
ment to some 1,200 men, women and 
children; and spending money amongst them, 
which is changing the face of the villages 
and their surroxmdings (where the people 
keep from arrack drinking). Then this is true 
also of the 
OBIENT COMPANY 
with its Veyangoda Mills, and now with its 
second venture so far North as Hoi'rekelly; 
while the Ceylon Tea Plantations Company 
has its Mills at Hunupitiya, near Negombo. 
Altogether, we may suppose some 6,000 
natives to be dii-ectly interested in these 
ventures : besides the large indirect nimiber 
engaged in carting, buying nuts, etc., etc. 
All success to our Ceylon Desiccating 
Mills. 
_ 
CACAO SOILS. 
ANALYSES FOR TRINIDAD AND CEYLON. 
We are greatly indebted to Mr. Cochran for 
sending us remarks on certain Analyses of Cacao 
Soils which have reached us from Trinidail, and 
still more tor supplementing these with analyses 
of certain Ceylon Cacao Soils. Professor Carniody 
in Trinidad, after analysing no fewer than 23 
samples, had a difliculty in making u)) his mind 
about them, so that Mr. Cochran may be panloned 
if he is not dogmatic about the results in the two 
cases on which he has worked. Still, there 
are certain well-marked features which appear 
prominently and we feel sure Mr. Cochran's 
paper will be read with interest by all our cacao 
planters : — 
I have now pleasure in sending you a few remarks 
on the analyses of cacao-soils made at the Gov- 
ernment Laboratory, Trinidad, and published in 
the "Proceedings of the Agricultural Society" 
which you were good enough to send me recently. 
These .ire analyses of soils said to be of average 
fertility. It may be well, therefore, first to refer 
to another set of eight analyses of cacao soils from 
various parts of the West Indies made at the 
Goverimient Laboratory, in the year 1897 ; as 
these, we were told, weie types of really fertile 
cacao-soils. The report on them was to the effect 
that, "as a rule, these fertile cacao-soils are 
rich in nitrogen, and contain a somewhat high 
amount of potash, of which a relatively high 
proportion was found to be soluble in 1 per cent 
citric acid solution, whilst the proportion of 
phosphoric anhydride seems to be of leaser im- 
portance. They can, we consider, be safely re- 
garded as leliable types of the composition of 
really fertile cacao soils," In another part of the 
report it was stated " we are led to the conclu- 
sion that a good cacao soil should be one capable 
of yielding to the tree in the course of years a 
somewhat high proportion of the important consti- 
tuents of plant good without exhaustion, and 
also capable of rapidly rendering again available 
