526 
TME TROPICAL AQRI0ULTUR18T. [February i, 1892. 
the Agricultural College, was received with natural 
Boeptioism, are we to be expeoted to believe 
that from the rich virgin lands of the North - 
Central Province tank regions, only 30-foId 
oan be expeoted, even with ordinary cultivation 1 
if 30 we are inclined to throw up the sponge as 
legards rice cultivation in Ceylon, and to plead for 
railway extension northwards, not to aid Ceylon rice 
rgrowers in a competition so hopeless, but, by means 
of connection with the Indian railway system, to 
facilitate the introduction of the cheap and plenti- 
ful food grains of India. Kurakkan is reckoned 
an inferior food to rice, while gingeli, although an 
interesting and valuable crop, is, like crops of all 
oil-yielding seeds, especially exhaustive of the soil. 
It is but poor comfort, therefore, to learn that 
from virgin soil 450 fold of these " dry " crops 
oan be obtained, if the maximum or even the 
average we can hope for from the same virgin 
Boil even when irrigated is for one bushel of 
paddy sown, 30-fold in paddy or 15 bushels when 
husked and converted into rice. It is difficult to see 
how native-grown rice can compete with Indian, 
even with means of communication by the Pamban- 
Mannar route such as they are. But if 
once unbroken railway communication between 
India and Ceylon, via Mannar, is established, 
it ia difficult to see how the local cultivation oan 
pay, except for consumption close to where it is 
grown, in isolated places remote from roads and 
railways and central markets. 
On a non-political question like this, or which, 
if political, has reference only to the abstract 
doctrines of political economy. Government, we feel 
Bure, would not object to Mr. levers or any other 
Oivil Servant giving his views to the public through 
*' the papers." In any case we should be glad 
if he or any other correspondent qualified for the 
task, by experience and observation, will deal with 
our difficulties. We oan understand a 30-fold return 
of paddy paying the cultivator at present ; but if 
the introduction of rice from India and its com- 
petition with that locally-grown are facilitated by 
railways in addition to the steamers and sailing 
vessels employed at present, can the local product 
hold its own ? Be it noted that vast quantities 
of rice are produced in the alluvials of Tinnevelly, 
Madura, Tanjore and Trichinopoly, within a short 
distance from Ceylon, so that the cost of railway 
carriage to the northern portions of our island, 
at least, is not likely to be great. 
«. 
Control of Buffaloes. — Under this heading 
an order in Council has been issued by the Govern- 
ment of Perak which seems to show that buffaloes 
in that State must constitute a danger as well as a 
nuisance : — 
Whereas it is expedient to provide for the more effi- 
cient control of buffaloes tliroughont the State, it is 
hereby enacted as follows : — 1. No buffalo shall be led 
or driven along any road, path, or track unless con- 
trolled by a nose-ting and rope in the hands of the 
driver. 2. Every buffalo shall have affixed to its horns 
a guard of hard wood of not less than IJ inches in 
thickness, which shall not be more than I inch below 
the tips of the horns, or else tlie horns must be cut 
down as near the quick as possible. 3. Every savage 
buffalo (kerbftu benkiu) must be destroyed, and the 
owner will be responsible for any damage done by 
failure lo obey this Order. 4. Every buffalo which 
shall, after the date of this Order, be found without the 
means of control herein provided shall ba liable to bs 
impounded or shot. 5. Every owner or driver of a 
buffalo who shall bo convicted of non-corapHanoe with 
any part of this Order shall be liable to a fine not ex- 
ceeding SSOor, in the alternative, to a terra of simple 
imprisormout not exceeding throe months. Exception. 
—Nothing in tiiis Order in Council shall apply to any 
buffalo o»lf uot beiug more than half grown. 
COLONIZATION UNDER RESTORED 
IRRIGATION WOBKS. 
We [" Hindu Organ"] piiblish below at th& 
request of a gentleman in Jaffna who takes a 
warm interest in the welfare of his countrymen, 
the report of Mr. levers, the energetic, intel- 
ligent, and public-spirited Government Agent of 
the North-Central Province, on the Colonization 
of Kalawewa. We understand that the scheme 
propounded in the report has been sanctioned by 
Government. The Report speaks for itself, and we 
commend it to the speciaJ attention of our readers. 
Anuradhapura Kaohcheri, 31st October, 1890. 
Sir, — I have the honor to submit my replies to your 
queries on the above subject. 
2. It is a matter which has engaged my attention 
for several years and in which I take the greatest 
interest. In 1886 (when 2nd Assistant to the Colonial 
Secretary) I submitted a Memorandum based on the 
example of the action of the Dutch regarding the 
transfer of persons from the congested districts to 
those where land and water were available. 1 agaii> 
mentioned the matter in my administration report fo- 
1886, (page 1st A part I.) 
3. In reply to the query in the Ist paragraph 
regarding capitalists or " people io poor circum- 
stances," my recommendation had regard to the latter. 
In]case of " capitalists" I consider that an application 
from a pioneer capitalist should be dealt with on 
its nserifs and by special agreement with Government. 
Such agreement ought to allow favourable termg 
to the capitalist who takes the risk. If his experi- 
ment is found to be successful I would recommend 
that subsequent speculators should only obtain the 
land under the conditions now allowed by Sir Henry 
Ward's minute. It would be a great matter to secure 
a nucleus of cultivation independent of Government 
aid as it would encourage other settlers and I regret 
that former offers for the taking up of land under 
Kalawewa were not favourably received. In the case 
of capitalists I expect that the owner would import 
his labour from some other districts. In the case of 
the lands sold at Anuradhapura the purchasers have 
imported Tamil labourers chiefly and settled them 
on the higher portions of the lands where they have 
made flourishing gardens of coconuts and plantains, 
yams &o. 
4. In reply to the query in the 3rd paragraph of 
your letter I submit what I consider is a fair esti- 
mate of the cost of colonization by peraons who, if 
not absolutely paupers, have not the means of sub- 
sistence in a strange country for snob time as may 
allow of their being fed by their own labour. I con- 
sider such colonists in the light of labourers taken 
on and supported by Government as landlord, in the 
same manner as might be done by a planter, only on 
more favourable terms to the labourer. The Govern- 
ment Agent may be taken to be the Manager of 
the property, 
5. I now proceed to discuss the cost of bringing 
a given block of land into cultivation under the 
proposed conditions. 
6. Ten men working all day will clear an acre 
of undergrowth. The same number working for 
two days will fell the trees. Therefore 30 men will 
fell an acre in one day or 30 acres in the month, 
I take this extent as a basis of cnltivation. 
This 30 acres I would, to commence with, divide into 
15 acres of high land and 15 acres of low land. I allow 
15 acres of high land in order to produce an early 
crop and render the cultivator independent of aid. 
7- Operations of housing the colony should com- 
mence in the beginning of May and the felling and 
clearing should proceed in May-June. Burningtakea 
place in the end of August and after second burning 
and fencing, sowing begins with the Septem'jer-Octo- 
her ruins. ICurakkau should be sown on the high land 
and paddy iu what is called a paddy cfaeua (Vi-hena) 
or the irrigable land. These scowls grow from rainfall 
ibut if the Vi-hena can be irrigated when half grown it 
will be all the more successful. Kurakkan is reaped 
in January and Yi-hena in February, 
