446 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December r, i8go. 
is the explanation ? Why is it that, though the 
planter may,., want labour for |his estate, the Go- 
vernment for the roads and the native employer 
for his plumbago pit, the owner of a paddy-field 
never laoks an andakaraya ? Is it due, as we are 
told, to the tyranny of custom, the oppression 
of the unpaid headman, or the keenness of the 
villager in the pursuit of honour? 
Or is it — it seems possible — that the villager likes 
best the work at which ha can make most wages 
in the easiest and most congenial way ? At least 
he himself never complains of the work but only 
that there is not enough of it. 
Are we all quite sure that we know the villager’s 
business, as we know that of the native capitalist, 
better than he knows it himself ?— Your obedient 
servant, A. 
BUNFLOWEE AS FUEL. 
Dear Sir, — With reference to your article on the 
fuel question I enclose an extract which appeared 
gome years ago in the Observer in case you may think 
it worth while to reproduce. I know how the sun- 
flower grows in the lowcountry, and I believe it must 
thrive better higher up. It appears to me that an ex- 
periment on a small scale might easily be made just 
to ventilate the matter — from sowing to reaping 
would only take about four months, the question of 
rich soil would be no great obstacle,! as no large area 
would be required, and if systematically grown the re- 
sulting potash could be reapplied to after drops — with 
any other available manure. — Yours &o., — 
{Extract referred to.) 
SUNFOWERS AS FuEi,.— A Correspondent of the Dacota 
Farnuir, after having tried “ turf,” Coaiwood and Suntiowers, 
has settled upon the lastnamed as tlie cheapest and best 
for treeless Dakota. He says : “I grow one acre of them 
every year and have plenty of fuel lor one stove the whole 
year round, and use some in another stove besides. X 
plant (?sow) them in hills the same as corn (only these 
seeds to the hill), and cultivate same as corn. I cut them 
when the leader or top flower is ripe, and let them lay 
on the ground two or three days ; in that time I cut off 
all the seed heads, which are put into an open shed with 
a flow in it, the same as a corn crib ; the stalks are then 
hauled home and packed in a common shed with a good 
roof on. When cut in the right time the stalks when dry 
are as hard as oak, and make a good hot fire, while the 
seed heads with seeds in, make a better lire than the best 
hard coal, The seed being very rich in oil it will warm 
better and burn longer bushel for bushel, than hard coal. 
The Sunflower is very hard on land. The piece of ground 
selected to plant on should be highly enriched with manures. 
In the great steppes (prairie region in the interior of Russia 
and in Tartary) where the winters are more severe than 
here in Dakota, the Snnflowers are, and have been for 
centuries past, the only kind of fuel used.” 
SUNFLOWER CULTIVATION : PRACTICAL 
EXPERIENCE. 
Storm Lodge, Colombo, Nov. 10th. 
Dear Sir, — In your issue of Saturday is a letter 
on sunflower as fuel. Having experimented on the 
plant I give you results. For the many uses to 
which flowers, seeds, and stems may be put, con- 
sult, “ Beeton’s Dictionary of Daily Wants,” which 
gives lull information with directions for culti- 
vation. When living in Maskeliya (187G-1880) I 
grew sunflowers in a part of my garden for feeding 
poultry. There was a rose hedge near, with the 
usual accompaniment of small beetle. These visited 
the flowers in thousands feeding on the stamens, 
but, so far from doing harm, by their agency the 
seeds were fertilized and every head was full of 
good seeds. 
In 1885 I got out two bushels of seed from 
Button's, ' Giant Russian" variety, to see if it would 
pay to cultivate in the lowcountry for oil. Mrf 
a. 0. Obeyesekere very kindly cleared two acres o 
virgin forest for me on his estate at Rambukkana- 
We planted the seed 18 inches apart in rows 
three feet from each other, the result being a 
very large crop of flowers, some of which measured 
over a foot across ; but nearly all the seeds 
were deaf, a few only at the lower border of 
each being fertile. This was probably due to 
the absence of insects ; the seeds that were 
fertile having become so by pollen dropping down 
on them from above. 
In addition to this clearing Mr. Jameson and I 
rented ten acres at the Model Farm, which 
we planted in a similar manner. Unfortunately, 
just as the plants were coming up, Capt. Cleland, 
although warned by the man in charge, marched 
the B. D. F., followed by a large crowd of natives 
over the ground, the result being that all except 
a few growing round trees were trampled out. 
Those that remained being amongst roots and 
under shade grew up small, their flowers also 
being small and, like those at Rambukkana, par- 
tivlly fertilizsd, probably from a similar cause. 
In all we got a few bushels of seed which 
Mr. very kindly crushed in one of 
his poonac mills, the result being five bottles of 
oil, smelling strongly of coconut oil ; this from the 
mill. I sent this to a friend in London who sub- 
mitted it to a firm of oil merchants. They reported 
it as worth about the same as coconut oil, but 
that perfectly pure oil would be worth as much 
as olive. You will see that Beeton says “ sunflower 
affords good pasture for bees.” I am sure that 
with their assistance, or that of other insects, 
it can be very profitably grown in many parts of 
Ceylon. 
I forgot to mention that the stems of those 
grown in Maskeliya burnt in a stove (They were 
pithy and not a bit like oak, as you mention,) 
gave a very large percentage of potash, some pieces, 
especially roots, coming out like coral— only much 
more brittle and friable.— Yours faithfully. 
T. H. F. TOTHILL. 
TEA-GROWING IN RATNAPURA. 
Ratnapura, Airy Hill, Nov. 11th. 
Dear Sir, — I have this day posted to yoor address 
a sample packet of tea grown on a land in the town 
of Ratnapura and prepared at my own residence. 
I shall thank you to try the tea sent and afford me 
your opinion. — Your* faithfully, 
J. P. JAYEIYARDENB, Head Clerk, P. R. 0. 
[The tea seems very well made, but the flavour 
is peculiar and an expert says this is owing to 
over-firing. This can readily be avoided again. — 
We are not at all afraid of the result should the 
Sinhalese gardeuholders turn their attention to tea, 
for before they produce their million lb. or so, wo 
may expect one if not two millions of the population of 
Ceylon to become regular drinkers of the new beverage. 
—Ed. T. a.) 
JUTE MESH FOR TEA. 
Yatiyantota, Nov. 13th. 
Sir, — I send you, as promised, samples of jute 
mesh made in Calcutta, I have been expecting 
another sample of a better make of the single yarn 
mesh (both warp and weft should be hard spun), 
but it has not come to hand. The prices of these 
will be about 18o. and 16o. per yard, — Yours truly, 
E. F. DAVIS. 
[The samples referred to can be seen by anyone 
interested at our office. They seem substantial 
enough.— E d. 2', .<4.] 
