[Marcs 2, 1891. 
652 the TROPiOAL AQRlCULTUmST, 
DEOEEASING EAINFALL IN MASKELiYA: 
THE DRY CYCLE ? 
Deeside, Maskeliya, Eeb. 9lli- 
Dear Sir, — The rainfall on Laxapana for last 
year, (see page 621) as againet previous average, took 
you evidently by surprise ; but 1 fancy the rain deposit 
is greatly decreasing all over the district. On this 
estate a nine years' average 1874-1882 gi es 137 06 
inches with a maximum fail in 1877 of 183’83 in. and 
a minimum in 1875 of 119 65 in. The record of 
rainfall was continued to end of July 1883 and 
shows for the 7 months 88 00 in. Alter that the 
record ceases until end of 1889, and the 1890 
complete record gives a total of 89 92 in , or 4714 
below the 9 years’ average and 29 63 b>low the 
minimum of the 9 years and no less than 93 91 
below maximum of that period. — Yours truly, 
\Ym. MITCH ilLL. 
— I fear your idea of the gauge being in 
different positions won’t hold “ water." 
'^Central Aeiuca Cookery.— As a rale, only ore 
principal meal is eaten in Central Africa, in the early 
part of the evening. It usually con.sists of pirrot 
soup, roasted or stewed monkeys, alligator eggs 
(also well liked by Europeans), and birds of every 
description. 'I bey also have moambo, or palm chops, 
and fish. A great lielicsoy, so considered by Europeans 
and natives alike, is elephant’s feet ai d tiuuk. These 
hive somewhat the taste of veal. To prepare them, 
the natives dig a bole about five feet cieep in the 
sand and iu it build a large fire. After the sand 
is thoroughly heated the fire is removed, leaving 
only the as”hes iu the hole. Ti.e trui,k and feet 
are placed in this hole and covered with leaves, and 
afterward with hot sand. In two hours they are 
done. All carcasses cf animals which are to be 
cooked are pieced on a b’oek of wood and pounded 
until every bor.e is broken, care being taken not to 
teat or bruise the skin. They are then boiled or 
roasted on an open wood fire or in hot sand or 
ashes, without removing the hide or feathers. The 
cooking is of a very inferior grade, the only spices 
used being salt and pepper. The kiteb.n untensils 
consist of common earthen or wooden ware. Very 
little time is taktn for setting or deor rating the 
table; knives, forks, and napkins are dispensed with. 
Atriciiis hove several vegetables well liked by Euro- 
peans. N’gutti-n’sengo is a d sh eaten sll over 
Africa. It consists of egg-p’ant, small fish somewhat 
lik- our sardine, and the roots of the cassava or 
manioca phnt (c.lkd ri'gutti), which have a knotty 
appearance and often weigh as much as twenty pounds. 
As the latter coniains poison, the manioca is soaked 
iu water for three or four days to extract the 
poisonous tubstance. It is then cut and sliced, sud 
small tomatoes are added. All is placed in a vessel 
with water, and seasoned with sah and pepper, aud 
boiled. Moabo, or, as the Europeans call it palm 
chops, is a'so a favorite dish. The palm nuts are 
first boiled in water, until Iho pulpy substance 
loosens from the pnt, then the shell, which contains 
a very delicious oil, is placed in a wooden mortar 
and crushed to obtain the oil. Wliatrver the meal 
consists cf— meat, fith, musscis— is put m a ve.ssel, 
adding the oil and the pulpy part of the palm nut, 
also rod pepper and salt, ai.d is boiled. Roast or 
boiled squash (loenge) is generally eaten with it. 
Ewcel ]iolatoc8 (in’balla buiga) aie more fm-inaceous 
and sweeter than outs, hut do nob larte so good. 
They arc boih d or roasted. Rauaiias (hitaebo) weigh 
abou- half a pcuud each aud are about fifteen inches long, 
Wlifcti liali' ripe they uro cut in slices and boiled in 
water with salt and pepper. N’siiisi is a little red 
bean, wbicb is ladled in wa'er wilhout salt or pepper, 
and is frocly i ateii For pi aiiut bread (cliis ila) the 
peanubs arc first roast'd and then crushed. This 
mass is then rolh'd and put into the skin of a 
Laimi a, uduing a IHilo prt-s-.ure, foniiing it into 
a body. It ruidily rctasn.s this shape from the pres- 
sure of the oily substance iu the peanut.— Aeic 
York World. 
Tub Forest in Dehigama’s Claim is about 5,000 
acres and there are 4,000 acres of patana which 
would grow very good tea indeed I should think. 
The total amount is only 12,000 acres and really 
lire fuss made about it ia out of all proportions 
to what it is— many a larger claim has been 
admitted to natives, but they oppose simply because 
Europeans have got it. — Cor. 
Extension of Tea Cultivation in Haputalb. — Mr. 
Lipioc, the proprietor cf the estates known as the 
Dambetenne group, is rapidly extending the cultiva- 
tion of tea on his places. Nearly 200 acres of forest 
on Dambetenne and Monerankande estates »re to bo 
felled and cleared and tea planted on them during 
this year. — Anew tea factory is to be built on Mtria- 
beduo estate, ol which Mr. E. H. de Winton is superiu- 
tendent. — Cor. 
In the Northern Tebeitoby the only thing 
which was found to keep the white ant pest in 
cheek was a mixture of flour, sugar, and arsenic, 
mixed to ihe consistency of putty with water. A 
small piece of the mixture should be placed whert- 
ever the nest is known to exist. If an examination 
is made a few days after using this remedy thousands 
of dead ants will be discovered in the vicinity ol the 
poison. — Mildura Irrigaiionist, Jan. 7th. 
Ceylon Tea at Home. — Some time lack I men- 
tioned that a firm of Mincing Lane Tea retailers were 
arranging for stumping the country in the interests of 
Ceylon tea. The campaigu is opened, and on Wednes- 
day night Mr. 0. S. Hicks appeared on the platform 
at the People’s Palace and delivered a lecture, illus- 
trated with a large number of lime light views 
of Ceylon. Mr. Hicks is well known to iheihabitues 
of the Lane as the proprietor of the “Dalukola” tea 
which is, I believe, packed iu Colombo by Messrs. 
Leechman & Oo. Another new agency for the distri- 
bution of Ceylon tea, has appeared on the scene under 
the title of the Agra Ceylon Tea Association. This 
association “ guarantees that all its teas are exclusively 
derived from the four celebrated tea gardens on the 
estates iu the Island of Cey lon, belonging to Mr. H. 
R. Foiquharsou, m. p.” Numerous branches are said 
to be in the court e of being started and a shop has 
been already opened in Middle Street, Yeovil. Good 
luck to Mr. Faiquharsou and bis tea shops! — 
London Cor. 
The Daieying Industry of Victoria baa a 
special interest to us in Ceylon, since if we only 
could get supplied with butter and cheese, as well 
as fruit and other produce from the Southern 
Colonies, the inducement to take off larger quan- 
tities of our teas would be greatly increased. Mr. 
Deakin handed us a paper with a Report on the 
Victorian Dairying Industry and we quote to show 
the enormous cyuantities of butter which passes our 
door to the Unued Kingdom. Not only Ceylon 
but a great part of India might be supplied by 
shipments through Colombo. We quote as follows: — 
I also submit report of the shipment of this seasons 
surplus butter to England, consisting of 10 shipments, 
Tlia shipments began with the steamer ‘‘Victoria,” 
which sailed cn lUh Oct., and the last was by the S. 
S. ‘‘iVIassilia” outlie 17th Jan. The Orient Company’s 
steamers look the remainder every fortnight between 
these dates. Ti.e department gathered it at the 
refrigeratii g works, Newport, from all parts of the 
colony, to be irozen or chilled in teims of the 
company’s reguUtious previous to shipment. The 
total quantity siut is 731 tons — nearly double wbat 
we coi.sie'ered an ti-ormous export last teason, consist- 
ing of 21,954 66 lb cases and 17,827 70 lb. kegs. The 
merebauts supplied fully a third of this large qrrantity 
with what is known in the traele ivs“mix.d butteis.” 
Farmers’ small luts arrivir g weekly iu a glutted market 
arc bought up, resalted and packed, and where this is 
done with skill before the butter is stale a fair article 
is produced. From news to hand of fivo shipment*, we 
learn tliat£5 10s aud up to £5 16s percwt.,hss been 
obtained. This must he very satisfactory to producer i 
I 
