October i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
277 
other mineral products. If all the wealthy classes 
■who say that India is hecoming poorer day by day 
would lay out their money in opening companies for 
working the gold, iron and coal mines, for how many 
people would such undertakings provide a living? 
The natives who accumulate wealth either by hook 
or crook are naturally reluctant to lay out any portion 
of it in any useful undertaking, but their sole aim is 
to save money somehow or other, and yet we find 
such men sitting in their bungalows and storied honses 
saying that India is getting poorer. 
The natives, through this apathy for such enter- 
prises, have left this fertile soil in the hands of 
foreigners, who have formed themselves into many 
companies, and opened railways, gold mining com- 
panies, cotton mills, papsr mills, and several other 
engineering and mechanical works, which give the 
working classes not only a living, but also leave a 
sufficient margin of profit and interest on the outlay. 
If the natives were to open such institutions, it would 
not only be a very great boon, hut they would also 
retain the wealth of the laud in their own hands ; 
but under the present state of things, the wealth 
of India finds its way into the hands of foreigners. 
The natives, who hoard up wealth without making 
any use of it, are clamouring for technical institu- 
tions. No doubt such institutions would be of im- 
mense good to the people in giving them technical 
education ; but those who have received such 
education would oven then have to depend upon the 
English merchants and companies for their livelihood ; 
agriculture is the backbone of India, but still we see 
that such an important source of industry is greatly 
neglected. When nature withholds its gifts, in sufficient 
abundance, the poor ryot is obliged to starve. If the 
well-to-do people assist the ryots at such critical 
times, and introduce improved machinery in tilling 
the soils, how much of the ryots’ poverty would be 
averted. At present India is depending on Europe 
and other foreign countries for numerous articles such 
as muslins, matches, umbrellas, &o. If these worship- 
pers of Mammon, who daily cry that India is becom- 
ing impoverished forgetting that it is their own apathy 
which is bringing about this calamity start companies 
for manufacturing these articles, how much would 
such enterprises mend the poverty of India. If all 
the natives would lay out the money that they have 
laid out on jewels, which is only a profitle.ss invest- 
ment, in other profitable and useful ways, then the 
poverty of India would be greatly diminished. 
India is a poor country because the natives are not 
an enterprising nation ; it is poor, not becaus® its 
mineral products are less fruitful and profitable but 
because they are neglected by the natural sous of the 
soil ; it is poor because the well-to-do classes do 
not wish to lay out their money on any profitable 
and useful undertaking. From Cashmere to Comorin 
there are wealthy rajahs, zemindars and other men 
who fling away a good deal of money on useless un- 
dertakings ; if all the money that is so flung away 
were laid out in the opening of some useful and 
paying institution, would India then complain of her 
poverty ? The proverty of India is mainly duo to 
the lack of commercial enterprise on the part other 
sons. The sister presidencies of Calcutta and Bombay 
are far better than Madras. The Baboos of Calcutta 
and the Parsees of Bombay are far ahead of the Mad- 
assee in commercial pursuits, and hence it is that 
those two presidencies are richer than Madras. Can 
any one in this City of Madras point out to me one 
mill or factory which has been opened by a company 
of Madrasees, besides the cotton mill at Bellary, 
opened by Mr. Sabapathy Mudelliar, and the rice 
IJOunding, and oil mills, opened by a native merchant 
of Madras on the Tiruvattoor High Boad ? If the 
advocates who suggest measures and me.-iiis for miti- 
gating the evil of India’s proverty sitting in their 
comfortable quarters, were to follow in the footsteps 
of the men named above I am sure that the proverty 
of India would be mitigated to a certain extent. 
The cause of this property is nothing move than 
the apathy of tlio people in respect to commercial 
enterprises . — Indian A ^riculturiit. 
TLAIBER AND FOREST PRODUCE GENE- 
RALLY IMPORTED INTO AND EXPORTED 
FROM CEYLON. 
In the appendix to the interesting report of CoL 
Clarke on the Forest Department, there are memo- 
randa by the Collector of Customs showing the 
imports and exports of forest products for 1888 
and 1889, details of which, at Ibis juncture, will be 
interesting to a large class of our readers. In the 
imports of 1888, the item “ashwood for oars” occurs. 
This ashwood must have been used by some of 
our boat clubs, and the import, only 1 package, 
is not repeated in 1889. Of ” cedar wood,” des- 
cribed as white cedar wood in Ool. Clarke's re- 
port, used as staves for oil casks, 141 logs and 
128 pieces were imported in 1888 and 290 logs 
and pieces with 7 packages in 1889. Can this be 
the produce of the “ white toon,” the true Cedrela 
toona, grown so largely in the lower hill forests 
of Southern India ? If so there is an additional 
reason for trying to grow this tree in the lower 
country of Ceylon, while the red toon receives 
attention at higher altitudes, where that variety, 
with coral red branohlets and serrated red leaves, 
flourishes. Of “ planks not described ” 324 
pieces and 16 packages were entered in 1888 
and 1,423 and 6 respectively in 1889. Of pitch 
pine wood 122 packages are down for 1888. Of 
sandalwood the imports in 1888 were 4,248 
pieces and 7 packages, while in 1889 the imports 
were 926 pieces and 33 packages. This scented 
wood is, no doubt worked up into boxes and 
curios for sale mainly, like tortoiseshell articles 
to steamer passengers. Of timber and wood not des- 
cribed, 786 pieces and 881 packages were imported in 
1888. and 190 tons, 264 logs, 278 pieces and 91 packages 
in 1889. Of teak planks and teak 2,796 logs, 
3,183 pieces in 1888, and 1,217 logs, 2,001 pieces 
and 531 squares in 1889. Of “ boards” 3,032 pieces 
and 500 packages in 1889. Also “ Devadara ” (?) 
wood [cannot be Deodora] 35 packages. “ Rough 
oak planks” 1,200 pieces. The oak timber was 
probably used for the repair of vessels built 
of that wood. “ Red wood ” [? red toon] 13 
packages, and actually, 1 package of our own 
special dye-wood, sapan. The total amount 
of timber of every description imported in 1888 is 
given at 2,937 logs, 8,769 pieces and 1,029 packages. 
In 1889 the figures were, — 190 tons, 1,761 logs, 
8,960 pieces, 702 packages and 531 squares. There 
appears, therefore, to have been a considerable 
increase in the imports of 1889 over those of 1888. In 
addition to timber we get horns of sorts, 23 cwt and 
54 packages in 1888 and cwt 263-2-5 and 41 packages 
in 1889. Of orohilla weed [for export?] no less 
than cwt 527-3-22 and 28 packages in 1888 and 
cwt 210-3 and 20 packages in 1889. Of skins of 
sorts we imported 11,413 pieces and 74 packages 
in 1888, and 27,003 pieces and 71 packages in 1889. 
Turning now to exports from the island of 
similar products, we obtain figures which indicate 
an important branch of our commerce. It is 
very unfortunate, however, that a more distinct 
classification of timbers is not adopted, the very 
largest item being described as “woods of sorts.” 
Of such woods the exports in 1888 were 2,828 
packages, 6,909 logs ; with 820,247 under “number,” 
which we suppose indicates the contents of 
the packages added to the logs. In 1889 the exports 
under the same heading were 1,862 packages ; 26,779 
logs ; 700,536 number. It would certainly be well 
if the Customs could secure the naming of at least 
the more important “woods of sorts” sent from 
the island. We must express the hops that the 
heading did not include any palmyra timber, which 
constitutes the next great item. The number of 
