754 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May 1. IBM. 
NORTH CENTRAL CEYLON: 
THE SCOPE FOR NEW OR EXTENDED 
INDUSTRIES. 
The approach of the "railway era" gives 
a new interest, if not importance, to the 
North-Central division of this island. The 
province itself contains 4,(J(j2 square miles or 
almost the same extent as our larj^est or East- 
ern Province which includes 4,037 niiles — \H)th 
divisions comprising well-nigh one-third of 
the whole area of Ceylon. In the four 
thousand odd square miles inour North-Central 
division, last census gave but 7.5,:^*^ of a 
population — in the proportions of 41,515 males 
and a3,988 females— or at the rate of 19 to 
the square mile. Anuradhapura, the capital 
and terminus of the section of railway al- 
ready sanctioned, had in 1891 a population 
of 2,508. To enable a comparison to Ik? made 
with territory nearer Colombo, we may 
mention that the district of Kegalla, which 
is also to be favoured with Railway exten- 
sion, had in 1891, on the 024 s(j>iare miles 
within its bounds, 150,627 persons or double 
the total scattered over the North-Central 
Province There is therefore, immense room 
for occupation and settlement in the terri- 
tory entrusted to the adniinistiative care of 
Mr. Evan Byrde whose Reijort f(u- last year 
has just been published. I^et us see what 
encouragement can be gatheied from its 
contents for capitalists .uid settlers to go 
up and possess the land, now in advance of 
the railway, when the teiins per aci-e are 
exceedingly low and favourable ; or later 
on — five or six years hence — when df)ubtless 
rates will have increased more in proportion to 
those prevailing nearer Colombo. Let us 
premise by stating that we have never 
doubted the fertility and advantages of a 
great deal of the country in the immediate 
neighbourhood of Anuradhapura. We ex- 
cepted ten miles south of that town iis well 
as ten miles north of Kurunegala from the 
criticisni we have uniformly advanced and 
still support, against the sixty miles of 
intermediate terrtiory, a gi-eat deal of it 
in the Wanni Hatpattu or wilderness 
division. To get to the richer land beyond, 
our route would have been along the 
populous coast division fiom Colombo 
Northwards, and then turning inland from 
Puttalani to Anuradhapiu-a, so follow- 
ing the natural course with which the 
great coconut planting industry has hitherto 
extended in Ceylon— from the coast gradvially 
inland. But let that pass. The point has 
yet to be practically settled whether much 
of the North Central Province will do to grow 
coconut palms profitably, on account of the 
scarcity of rainfall. We are quite clear 
that very little, if anything can be done along 
the railway route, until the neighbourhood 
of Anuradhapura is reached. There the 
coco-palm has been planted to a limited 
extent within recent years and Mr. levers 
had favourable reports to give of the condi- 
tion and prospects of the industry. Mr. 
Byrde gives a table of rainfall for five years 
showing a maximum of 674 inches last year 
and a minimum of 46 in 1894, the average 
being close on 55 inches and wonderfully well 
distributed, no month (save February in one 
year) showing an absence of rain ; while the 
heaviest falls up to 111, 10 and 10^ iiicbes are 
in October. Novenil>er, Decenil>«'i'. For 
most of the Pi-ovince, ;»> indeed f<ir all 
the arid region of the North and East 
of Ceylon, the paliujTa pahn should prove 
far more suitable than the ct>fonut, 
and we have often regretted that tht- 
svstem of tt)ll or " rajakariya " nugge*'t<.*d by 
the late Mr. Kilner wellnigh 40 veai-s ago, 
was never (established, naiiU'ly tKat i-very 
traveller along the North road l«'tween 
Dambula ;uid Elephant PiUiss should, pitJ 
hoiuj jjiiblico, carry with him and plant 
at least one p.ilmyra palm nut. By tliih 
time, no doubt, an avenue of such palms 
would be in niocess of gi-owth. We hear a 
good deal .said at present of the field for 
growing aloes and other fibi-e pl.ints, th.at 
will be presented along the Northein rail- 
way. But we much fear that for mi succulent, 
flesbv a plant .is aloes, the rainfall g»?neraHy 
will W found deficient. There is moi-e likeli- 
hood of cotton succeeding; hut is the price 
iKJW offered foi' cotttjn grown on the strong 
black soil of Tinnevellv sufficiently remuner- 
ative to justify extension ? Wherever irriga- 
tion is available, theie is no doubt of the en- 
couragement to gi-ow I'ice and it is some- 
thing to learn from Mr. Byrde that a 
sufficient supply was last year pwjduced 
at least for the people In the rural 
parts of his province, tnough not enough 
for the town. On small plots of good 
soil with the means of watering, we sliall 
see tobacco gardens multiply, and there will 
he an extensi(m of cultiv.itiou in vege- 
tables and fruit for local requii-emeut* if not 
for export. So far as we can judge, how- 
ever, the onlv agricultural industries on a 
laige scale that would seem to suit the 
jnovince are paddy where irrigation can be 
made available ; and palmyra palms whii h 
do well with a limited rainfall ; and, in .some 
favoured parts, a certain area of coconut 
palms. No doulit in time other industries 
mav be developed. We are now wi-iting of the 
early future in the light of Mr. Byrde's 
Report. One of the ni-st questions for a 
capitalist will be, of covii-se, as to labour supply ; 
and labour, we fear, is not available locally 
to any extent. In one part, Mr. 
Byi'de tells us how his attempt to 
get "villagers to make village gardens 
below their tanks has pioved a failure. I 
offered the land free, also seeds, which I am 
constantly distributing, but all to no purpose." 
Such villagei-s are not likely to be tempted 
to work for strangei-s ; nor do we anticipate 
that the capitalist will be able to t^mpt 
many Jaftnese to the neighbourhood of 
Anuradhapura. The patient, industrious, 
money-makin», immigrant cooly must be 
looked to, tor any hard work in the 
region referred to, which may be set 
a-going thi'ough the influence of capital ; 
and no doubt the proximity to his 
own country should ba an attraction. 
At the same time the work of pioneering 
and turning over new land is often an 
unhealthy one, and special care would have 
to l:e taken against an outbreak of fever in 
the case of a large gang. But. in this respect, 
a good deal of experience will be gained — let 
us trust at not too heavy a cost^ — during 
railway construction between Kurunegala and 
Anuradhapuia, Meantime, we should be 
