874 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agrmilturist" 
[May I, 1892. 
dammar, dugong oil which resembles cod liver oil, 
turtle oil which is used medicinally, and bears' 
grease used in preparation for promoting the 
growth of hair. 
The pure transparent vinegar known as crystal 
vinegar sells at R2 per gallon, while black vine- 
gar — darkened by the addition of roasted paddy 
to white vinegar — sells at El -25 per gallon. 
Seed paddy, after a three days' drying, is stored 
in Mannar and the Vanny in large straw re- 
ceptacles (paddari) or smaller ones (chunmai). 
In Jaffna the seed paddy is stored in large or 
small ola bags, known as kudai and umal 
respectively. 
THE KITUL PALM. 
Uses. — The starch which is contained in 
the pith of the palm, is prepared into a kind 
of porridge called in Sinhalese talapa, — a very 
palatable di.<h, which I am inclined to think 
is as tasty as any plain English pudding. In 
the months of December or January the pith 
becomes full, and the people avail themselves of 
the season to cut down the trees for collecting the 
starch. It is worthy of note that those trees which 
have not been tapped for toddy generally contain 
a larger proportion of starch, probably owing to 
the retention of the elaborated sap within the 
tissues of the ti'ee; while the amount of starch is 
appreciably smaller in trees tapped for toddy. 
When a kitul tree is cut down (which is always a 
fully developed one) the leaves are first stripped 
off, and the stem is split into two. At least, four 
persons are required to carry on this operation. 
The starch which is found collected in the upper 
part of the tree is sliced into fine pieces and washed 
repeatedly. It is then put into a clean mortar and 
pounded till the pieces are reduced into very 
minute particles. After this it is put into a 
strain with water. The filtrate enters into another 
vessel half full of water placed beneath, and 
settles down at the bottom in the shape of a fine 
semi-liquid flour. The water is then removed, 
and, after a while, the partially-liquid substance 
coagulates into a solid. The flour which is of a 
light brown colour is then i)ut into a pan 
and gently heated over a fire and continually 
stirred while being heated. The result of this 
cooking is talapa — a dark brownish substance 
with a very pleasant odour. It is not desirable to 
partake of talapa as soon as it is prepared owing 
to a peculiar though not unpleasent taste which it 
then has ; it is usually prepared in the evening 
and eaten the next morning either alone, or 
witli jaggery, treacle or sugar, or with a mixture 
of coconut milk with a little salt. The addition 
of salt is not so much to bi'ing about flavour, ag to 
counteract certain bad effects and to promote 
speedy digestion. Native medical practitioners 
pre.scril)(; lalapa as a very effective remedy for pa- 
tients suffering from liilious diseases and other com 
j)laintH. it is also good for drowsiness. Talapa, 
besides being cooling and refreshing, thus 
possesses valuable medicinal properties. It is 
believed that one of the Xandyan Jungs relished 
talapa to such a degree that he specially set apart 
a man to prepare this pudding and bring it to his 
palace every morning, granting Iiim fields in con 
sideration of his services. In this connection I may 
mention that the pith of the Katu Kitul (or wild 
kitul palm), which has also a pleasant taste is 
eaten raw. I was surprised to see whilst ascending 
the Ambuluwawa mountain, which is about 3 
ft. in lieight,during the last vacation, abou't a 
hundred of these palms grown in very close 
proximity to each other. The trees, which 
looked very flourishing, were grown at about 
the middle of the mountain, and closely resem- 
bled arecanut palms, both in height and cir- 
cumference, except that the epidermis of the 
former is intersected with a thick coating of 
acicular and penetrating spines, which make it 
quite impossible to any mortal to climb up the 
tree. The sheaths are used as rude water recep- 
tacles by the poor peasants, and the leaves which 
are very inflammable make excellent torches 
A kind of dark brown cotton is found sticking 
to the midribs of the leaves, and a white kind of 
cotton in the inflorescence. The Xandyan 
villagers collect this cotton, dry it in the 
sun, and keep it preserved in the house ; and 
in cases of emergency when no fire is to be 
got, they take some of this cotton, place it on a 
stone, and strike it forcibly with another stone 
or a hammer, with the result that the sparks 
emitted by the concussion seize on the cotton and 
set fire to it. 
The spathe of the kitul palm inflorescence is 
always used in the extraction of oil from the 
nuts of the kekuna tree (Aleurites moluccana) 
and also for the construction of Singhalese' 
measures, such as seers, chundoos, &c. I am 
also informed that the tender leaves at the 
crown of the palm are sliced and made into 
an excellent pickle and a curry by the people of 
the Southern Province, and that the spathe is 
also used in the preparation of " jaggery horns ' 
If a needle-shaped splinter of kitulwood were 
to prick the human body, the result is a swelling 
of the part accompanied ^by much pain. 
It is said that the kitul trees in the metropolis 
and subsurbs are not tapped for toddy, owing to 
the difficulty of procuring the services of pro- 
fessional toddy-drawers. There is no doubt that 
the most important process connected with this 
palm is the extraction of toddy and the prepara- 
tion of confections which result thereform. The 
Kandyans are admittedly experts in the art of 
kitul toddy-drawing. In the course of conver- 
sation with men versed in the art, they have ex- 
pressed their Avillingness to serve in Colombo on 
condition of receiving half the produce of the 
trees, or a months' stipend of RIO or Rio with 
a supply of food and clotli. 
In my next contribution in continuation of 
this subject, I shall give a traditional account 
of the origin of kitul toddy-drawing, and a 
description of the various methods adoDted in 
the extraction of toddy. 
T. B. PoHATH Kehelpannala. 
[In my contribution on paddy ceremonies to 
the March number, the term for bags should be 
pellali and not pellai : tlie expression goyanmadi- 
nawa is used for threshing and not for ploughing.] 
{To he conttrmed.) 
