March J, 1900.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 601 
SCIENCE AND BUSINESS IN FORESTRY. 
We are getting more practical every clay ; 
and higli time we did, looking at tlie way 
other nations are catching us up, and even 
stalking ahead of us in some matters. And 
there are few things more hopeful and en- 
couraging than the combination of Science 
with Agriculture. Some of our correspond- 
ents, lookmg far ahead, had insisted many 
years ago, that the Royal Botanic Gaidens 
at Peradeniya should become self supporting ! 
A dairy established on the rich grassy banks 
of the Mahavveliganga, would probably have 
secured this end ; but such a notion might 
even now cause good Dr. Thwaites to turn 
in his grave ! Dr. Trimen was scarcely less 
conservative as to the scientific character of 
his charge, though he discussed weather and 
crops, new products and old, with courage 
and wisdom in his eminently readable an- 
nual Admiiaistration Reports. The present 
Director of the Botanic Gardens has cer- 
tainly gone farther in a practical direction, 
than any of his distinguished predecessors : 
and we ' may, by-and-bye, find Mr. Willis 
blossoming forth as the iiead of the Agricul- 
tural Department, while as a first step, he 
is likely to take the School of Agricul- 
ture under his wing. Then his hands are 
already greatly strengthened by having as 
his assistants or allies, men of the expe- 
rience and attainments of Messrs. E. E. 
Green, Carruthers and Kelway Bamber, and 
there should be a good time coming for 
agriculture in the island with these daunt- 
less scientists ready to take the field against 
any enemy of plants and crops that may 
show itself from the animal or vegetable 
kingdom. 
We have, from time to time placed before 
our readers or commented on, information 
from India bearing on the same subject. 
There is, however, another matter on which 
we have much in common with India, and 
that is Forests ; and we have had for some 
years a very capable specialist at work 
among us from the adjoining Continent. 
But India, too - in parts at least— is still 
groping for light, and its experiences 
and efforts have still their practical 
uses for iis in Ceylon. The Bengal 
Forest Department is evidently not as 
far ahead as its sister establishments- 
only 45 per cent of Government Forests in 
Bengal having working plans, against 88 per 
cent in the North-West Provinces and 
Oudh, and as much as 97 per cent in the 
Central Provinces. Bengal has, therefore, 
been called on to move forward— to prepare 
working plans and find markets for the 
produce of its forests. So long as the Gov- 
ernment has not full information of the 
potential supply, it cannot control the market 
in any way ; and the Lieut. -Governor rejects 
the excuse that the lack of information is 
due to paiicity of officers. If that were so, 
officers should not have been lent for miscel- 
laneous services elsewhere ; and now all 
such transfers must cease imtil Bengal is 
abreast of other Provinces in working plans ! 
To facilitate progress, the working plans are 
to be less minute and elaborate, so that they 
may be susceptible of alterations and addi- 
tions from year to year; and the following 
dictum is one that all specialists would do well 
to keep in view : — 
"Forest Officers must realize more than they 
do, that they are the agents of a great com- 
mercial undertaking, and that as such, they are 
not merely the scientific protectors of an im- 
portant property, but active exploiters, whose 
business it is to seek and develop markets for 
the produce tliat is ready for use.' 
As a beginning, a central depot is to be es- 
tablished in Calcutta '* to foster the exploi- 
tation of miscellaneous forest produce in 
remote portions of the province," and, among 
others, the mica industry is to have special 
attention paid to it. Altogether, Sir John 
Woodburn seems intent on making matters 
" hum " in the Forest Administration 
of Bengal ; and it is quite possible that 
Ceylon too may benefit from a similar 
stimulus ? 
CEYLON COOLYIIMMIGKATION AND THE 
NORTH ROAD— MANURING TEA. 
A proprietary planter in a high district, 
writes after the following rather "irild," 
fashion : — 
Now is the time when coolies come down tho 
North Road, aud people who have nothing cannot 
afford a matter of teu rupees. to advanceB, money 
sent is always retained by the kangania who return 
sayiog they cannot get coolies and casually say put 
the . amount against me. That's the sole reason 
advances are not now given out. The law gives ua 
no redress, but only says recover yonr money by civil 
suit. We cannot get money sent to the Coast to 
those who would use it in coming over. Our immi- 
gration agency is a farce ; it is absolutely of no use 
whatsoever. Give us an agency where money can be 
sent for bona fide cooWes and get estates some protec- 
tion, then there will be lota of money forthcoming, 
The wily kangani, as you call him will keep the money 
whether he comes by Tuticorin or the North Road. 
What we want is a free inlet for people to come on their 
own account. When need drives thiem, they would soon 
utilize it and knowing it come again. In my opinion 
it is the kanganis who are keeping coolies out of the 
country for their own ends. In days gone by cooliea 
would have flocked down the North Road in thousands 
on their own account during their famine, but now 
this IS denied. [But has our correspondent not aeea 
that for years, fewer and fewer coolies have been 
coming by the North Road and that the enormous 
immigration of 1897 98 came through " advances " by 
steamers?— Ed. T.A.] 
But, on the other hand, an even more 
experienced planter says ; — 
Oooly Immigration — I fancy the great catting down 
of coast advances after the too liberal giving out of 
same has a great deal to do with the sadden decrease 
in immigration. There is now a tendency to go 
in for the old style of modified coast advances. It 
is no use manuring, if you have not the labour to 
pluck the leaf, and 1 fancy Mr. Joseph Fraser, our 
Manuring expert, is too shrewd. a man to recommend 
the application of manure to give 200 lb. tea extra 
per acre, unless he is satisfied that his constituents 
have plenty of labour available. 
Coconut Planting would seem to be going 
ahead in the Fiji islands, to judge by a 
letter on page 604 ; but then there is the 
liability to have young and even old clearings 
swept away by jperiodical hurricanes, fronj 
which Qeylon is so wQnclevf«lly free, 
