226 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1889. 
piece goods and European articles been developed 
by the circulation of money on the plantations. 
A merchant leaving for Europe would be always 
accompanied to the Wharf by his brother merchants. 
Intercourse with Europeans was then almost 
entirely by 
SAILING SHIPS ; 
merchandise and produce coming and going in the 
same way. Mr. Wm. Tindali of l/ondon and Scar- 
borough was the owner of nearly all the Tessels 
which traded with Ceylon ; their Commanders being 
well-known men well received everywhere. Any 
DUO who wished to use the Overland Route organ- 
ised by Waghorn, would go up to Bombay by our 
little mail-steamer " Seaforth," going on by Indian 
Navy steamer to Suez, and thence in a very rough 
way across the desert to Cairo and to Alexandria and 
onwards. Our Overland Mails came in and went 
cut once a montli. During the monsoon ihey were 
brought down by Dak from Bombay. In the North- 
East monsoon they came by the Colonial steamer 
"Seaforth" from I3ombay. The arrival of the 
ENGLISH MAIL 
was a very exciting thing; for it happened moatly' 
that the outward mail had to be despatched in a 
matter of hours after. Perhaps there is no European 
now living in Ceylon who remembers the arrival of 
the mail announcing the birth of JJ.R.H. the 
Prince of Wales and the Breach promotion in 1841. On 
that occasion after the steamer was signalled, Civiliauc, 
Military and Mercantile men were at the Wharf 
awaiting the Captain of the steamer to land. 
When he came, he announced to the recipients 
themselves their new honours. That gentleman after 
a prosperous career as a merchant in Colombo is 
now at a good old age, living near London. The 
passage of the mail was then about a month — pos- 
sibly more — for when Capt. Ingledew, the Pioneer of 
the P. & O. Company, brought letters to Galle in the 
steamer ''India" in 30 days, it was considered a 
great feat. Since that time the large and powerful 
steamers of the P. & O. and British India Company, 
besides many other modern lines, with the opening 
of the Suez Canal, have reduced the time occupied in 
transit and expenses of travelling to about half of 
what they were np to as late as 1871. Postal 
facilities of all kinds now exist which were undreamed 
of in the 40"s, ,50's>nd GO's. The early planters had 
among other difficulties, that of 
FETCHINO THEIE MONEY 
in hard cash np to the estates which generally required 
a personal visit every month to Kandy. The provision 
of this money was by Government notes cashed at the 
Kandy Kachcheri. Considering the temptation to 
highway robbery and the facilities for it in lonely 
corners, it speaks well for the natives, that the number 
of these crimes might have been counted on the 
fingers of one hand. A greater trial to the planter 
was 
THE LABOUR QUESTION 
especially for clearing jungles for which Sinhalese 
villagers are specially adapted ; those were not the 
days of contractors for felling and burning, and the 
immigration of Tamils for all the after operations 
had not been systematised. 
AMUSEMENTS 
were few. Governor's Balls, Race Balls and dinner 
parties in Colombo were about all. In the Planting 
districts perhaps the monthly visit to Kandy where 
the pioneer enjoyed himself very much like Jack 
ashore, was a beneficial change which the circum- 
stances of his life required. It might then have been 
sxid, 
"The sound of the church-going bell 
These valleys and rocks never heard." 
There were Chaplaincies in Colombo, Kandy, Galle 
and Trincomalee ; Missionaries both Church, Presby- 
terians and Nonconformists at several stations witli 
Churches and Chapels in Colombo and Kandy, but 
the privileges of public worship whic dwellers ia 
the jungle now enjoy, though these might be im- 
proved and extended, did not exist. The most 
important improvement, and the cause of the great 
contrast between the present and earlier times has 
been the introduction of 
RAILWAYS. 
The facile communication between the Plains and 
the Hills is a boon to the health of Europeans, whilst 
it is an enormous advantage to the PI inting Interest, 
on the prosperity of whii:h, as seen by its ups and 
downs in sixty years, the well-being of the island 
depends. — R. E. L. 
♦ 
PHILIPPINE HEMP INDUSTRY. 
Among the chief industries in the Philippine Islands 
is the gather ng and export of Hemp. Manila hemp 
is known the world over for its fine quality and its 
value for making all kinds of rope, from the biggest 
liawser down to the finest piece of twine, and i t 
would bo very much in order to devote a little of 
our space to this Important feature of Manila's com- 
merce. 
The scientific name of this hemp is " Musa Textilis," 
and the tree belongs to the banana family ; thus the 
banana is cLissified as " Musa Edibilis," the latter 
names of each respectively showing one to produce 
the textile or fabric, and the other the edible fruit. 
" Manila hemp " is the name invariably used by 
the merchants of England and America to distin- 
guish it from the Russian an Indian hemp, which 
is much inferior. In the Philippines, however, it ia 
not regarded as a product of Manila and district, but 
chiefly of the southern islands, and it is called 
'' abaca," with accent on the last syllable. 
The hemp trees of the Philippines, have been 
tried to be introduced in Borneo "and India but with- 
out much success. The trees grow best on the Pacific 
slopes of the Southern islands- South Luzon fur- 
nishes the best quality and greatest quantity, but there 
is little difference between Samar and Leyte of the 
archipelago as producing districts. The roots of the 
plant cannot exist in damp soil ; volcanic soil where 
the ground is dry and plenty of moisture overhead 
is essential to getting the best resuhs. 
Here, in these localities we find large plantations 
among the hills with the hemp trees in different 
stages of growth. They require little cultivation ; once 
a week the native cleaner or gatherer goes through 
the plantation and does the little weeding that is 
necessary while in performance of his duty of cutting 
and stripping the trees. 
The trees are planted from shoots and grow to a 
height of ten feet and from five to seven inches in 
diameter. In appearance they appear to an unprac- 
ticed eye like the banana tree, and if these trees 
were allowed to grow five or six years they would 
develop a fruit something like a plantain ; it is said 
by some that this fruit is poisonous. 
When the tree is three years, then it is the proper 
time to cut it down and strip it of its fibre. This 
stripping is a most difficult and important point in 
the production of hemp and requires great experience. 
The native cleaner, as he is called, goes up into the 
hills armed with his bolo and a bag of rice. He 
enters the plantation and glances to right and left 
as he walks along. Experience ;haa taught him to 
tell at a glance if a tree has reached the age for 
cutting. One slash with the bolo and the tree ia 
out down close to the roots. The first thing he does 
is to plant a cutting or shoot in close proximity to 
where the tree grew. This is invariably the rule, 
that when a tree is out down another is immediately 
plaikted in its place, so there are at all times trees in dif- 
ferent stages of development. As soon as this is done 
he strips the ahrub of its leaves and commences on 
the long stalk eight or ten feet in length; He strips 
offjthe extreme outer skin and then commences the real 
work. In the centre of the stalk is a stout pith, and 
around this grow alternate layers of fibre and a sappy, 
vegetable matter. These layers of fibre must be care- 
fully stripped off the Btoelj at ouce for fear of the eft 
