August 1, 1898.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUPJST. 
87 
COCONUT AND TOBACCO PLA27TIXG 
IN TRINCOMALEE DISTRICT: 
Early Pioneeps. 
From a Correspondent. ) 
In this district tlie only European efforts have 
been by the late Capt. Maloney of Uganda fame 
and Lieut. Kirkpatrick, situated by L'paar in 
Kottiar Bay and Ijy Mr. Lusliiiigton at Nilavelly. 
Why other speculators don't turn iheir attention 
towards Trinconialee .seems strange. There are 
good lands available in Kottiar pattu and consi- 
dering that water transit cosis far less than 
land carriage, these lands must surely be attrac- 
tive. Those lying by tlie moutli of the Kottiar 
river towards Foul Point and the islands in 
" Kattaiparichchan aar and off Foul Point in- 
wards by the South sea shore, are admirably 
suited for coconut culture. 
Lands lying beyond the village of Kottiar 
between the angle where the "Mahawili Ganga" 
branches off to the east coast and to Kottiar 
Bay and such others as are irrigable under tlie 
catchment of " Allai " and minor irrigation tanks 
in the pattu are specially adapted for tobacco 
cultivation. These are all now jungle lands and 
not noticed because attention is only given to 
the spots lying towards Nilavelly. 
The European capitalist will find tobacco cul- 
ture a most paying concern, at present the 
native cultivators speculate un-borrowed money 
which enriches the lender, but leaves the planter 
at the end as poor as when he began the 
undertaking. I am told that this season's 
tobacco now safely piled, will not be sold 
off till by the end of July or August. 
There are fine Crown land by the Hot wells hillock 
from M'hence there are many streamlets of water 
quite enough to irrigate a large area for a good 
farm or garden. The climate is humid, soil ex- 
cellent and elevation fitting, so it seems strange 
that speculation is not met in this direction. Hot 
wells is tlie only site where the KittuI palm 
flourishes in this Province. I am informed that 
Pepper culture was in d.ays gone by successfully 
carried on ; but why abandoned I cannot just now 
gather. 
Cotton seems once to have been tried as some 
vast acreage of jungle land bears testimony from 
their designation as " Parathie puUavol " or cotton 
plantation. All along the Trinco-Anuradhapura 
road there are vast tracts of estate lands. 
Captain Colomb, a French Naval officer who 
quitted France during the Revolution, and settled 
with his family at Trinconialee, seems to be the 
pioneer European planter towards the Anuradhapura 
side of Trinconialee. Kemains of clearings made 
by him called " Franscara thotum '' are yet to be 
seen and he was I am told the only European 
who brought labourers from Mosambique whose 
descendants are now the Caffre settlers of " Pal- 
anttu" a village skirting the Inner Harbour. Re- 
iiiains of the Caffre dwellings are yet to be traced at 
^' Thattaikay " which was tlie Captain's nearest 
clearing. — 17th June, 
PLANTING NOTES. 
The Indian Tea Association. —Could not the 
Secretary of this body in Calcutta manage to 
have the Minutes of Proceedings at its Meecings, 
published within a week in the press, in place 
of being delayed for a month or so ? Even we 
ia Ceylon take enough interest in these pro- 
ceedings, to prompt this request. 
Tea Pruxixg. — An experienced planter criti- 
cising "1874's" proposals, says: — 
"Some of the writer's sujzgestions have been carried 
oat by me for some years and now I do not approve 
of them, or have found different treatment more 
successful." 
Our friend promises us a letter on the subje-t 
a little later. 
Legend of the Tea Plant.— Dhrama, the 
a,scetic priest, was the son of a king ot India. 
He went into China and for the space of nine 
years he remained in contemplaiion in a temple. 
Later he went to Japan, and he died on Mount 
Katavka. He imposed upon himself, as the first 
rule of his life, privation from sleep. One day, 
indignant at falling asleep, he cut olf his eyelids 
and threw them away as miserable sinners. 
From the spot where tiie eyelids had fallen sprang 
up a bush which is the tea plant, affordii)!.'- the 
perfumed beverage which chafes away sleep. 
" Vick's Magazine," 
Java Quinine.— We have no desire to super- 
satiate those who read this report with facts 
about the Java quinine-factories ; 'still, we cannot 
overlook the circumstance that Mr Consul Davids, 
in his report to the Foreign Office (No. 2,095' 
l^d), mentions the matter, stating that the planters 
have seen that the policy of sending their bai k to 
Europe was " a mistaken one, and a number of 
them are now affording the local manufactory 
good support, and are giving it a considerable share 
of their bark for manipulation, so that the en- 
prise is confidently expected to be a success." 
There is nothing in this quotation which we have 
not already reported, but it has the distinction, 
if any, of coming from a British Blue Book,— 
ChfmUt and Drugrjlst. 
Exhibition in Western Australia.— We had 
a call today from Mr. E. T. Scainmell who is 
on his way to England by the ss. "Stuttgart" 
to act as Commissioner for the Westralian 
Exhibition to be held in March next, Mr, 
Scamniell, whom we had met on previous 
visits, enquired what chance there was of 
Ceylon taking a part. AVe replied that tlie 
first step should be an official invitation from 
the Westralian Government to that of Ceylon 
ind that then we saw no reason why Ceylon 
should not send an interesting if limited" set 
of exhibits to the Show of its nearest Australian 
neighbour, — a Colony which through the Coolgardie 
gold discoveries, has advanced so wonderfully since 
we visited Perth and the surrounding country in 
1875. We think that exhibits of our staple products 
ought certainly to be sent to the Westralian 
Exhibition and specially of our staple tea. 
The Pearl Fisheries : Interesting rut 
Doleful.— An oyster-bed would be a risky thing 
for anybody to speculate in, seeingth.it oysters 
have a disappointing habit at times of suddenly 
deserting a bank. We are not thinking of oysters 
for eating purposes, such as the small store of 
humble molluscs at Ennore, but of the great 
oyster beds connected with the pearl-fisheries 
down Ceylon. Captain Donnan, the authorita- 
tive reporter on the pearl banks of Ceylon, has 
just returned from a serious inspection. As the 
result Capt. Donnan "regrets having to report 
that no oysters were found on any of these 
banks." To read of oysters disappearing by the 1.35 
million is an insight into what an oyster bed is like; 
but it is a regrettable thing that what is a con- 
siderable industry in Ceylon shoulil be in a had 
way. Pearls for the next few years are not likely 
to be cheap- -so far at least as the Ceylon pro- 
duction is concerned, ~J/ctt//-<w Tiims. 
