April i, iSgi."] 
THE TROPICAL AQRlOULTURiST. 
713 
opponents of irrigation, and even its advocates are 
unable to ignore their seriousness. It is a thirsty crop, 
end the provision of a sufficient supply of water by 
means of storage is therefore most expensive in 
proportion to the area affected. Then again the rich 
deltaic soils of the Ganges and tne Brahmaputra, 
with their annual floods richly laden with silt, 
secure crops which sre 50 fold to 80 fold of the seed 
sown. There is much argument as to what may 
be considered a fair return in Ceylon, and 
as rice is grown almost everywhere, there are, as is 
natural, very different returns. In some districts it 
s insisted that the harvest gives only 4 or 5 fold, while 
the average claimed is not more than 15 to 18 fold. 
It is confessed, therefore, that the island is heavily 
handicapped in this regard, and cannot compete with 
the mainland. In 1888-89 India exported nearly 
7,000,000 cwt., while Ceylon imported 3,330,000 cwt. 
Sometimes it has been questioned whether rice 
growing does not involve an absolute loss to the 
Sinhalese farmer, and very careful estimates of his 
working expenses and profits have been made. The 
result appears to show that in certain districts which 
are well irrigated, such as Matara and Batticaloa, it 
pays well, but that in others it yields only a bare profit. 
The doubt has arisen whether the limit of its payable 
production has not been reached, and certainly, the 
fact that some 6,000,000 bushels annually have been 
bought from India during the past few yeans would 
seem to lead to such a conclusion. On the other hand, 
Mr. Elliott, the Government Agent at Batticaloa has 
conducted some careful experiments in rice growing 
by means of hired labor in two districts with which 
he is intimately acquainted, and gives a balance 
sheet which shows a profit of 40 per cent, in the 
one instance, and 70 per cent, in the other. If 
such profits are open to the average cultivator, as 
many believe, there is still a fine future before the 
Sinhalese and Tamils of the low country, and the 
Government policy is abundantly justified. 
The Hod. Mr. Grinlinton, M. L. C., has propounded a 
scheme which would do much to reniove the admitted 
irregularities in the incidence of the grain tax by ad- 
justing it exactly to local conditions. He proposes 
that all rice fields yielding less than 4 fold should 
be exempt from the tax ; that those yielding from 5 to 
7 fold should pay 6 per cent, on their gra n returns ; 
from 7 to 10 fold, 7| per cent. ; and above 10 fold, 10 
percent. If coupled with a liberal irrigation policy 
such at Isn appears to possess much to recommend it. 
All thre can be asked is justice. The alternative would 
be to iomit the taxation and stop expenditure upon 
irrig&tsn altogether. So far no one has ventured to 
make uch a proposition. Were the import duty 
allowed to remain, it would then become distinctly 
protective in its incidence. 
There is one tax which already falls upon both 
races alike, though it ignores all differpees in wealth 
and power of wage earning. It is a capitation tax pay- 
able either in labor or cash, giving the option to each 
citizen of manualjwork upon some public work for a 
fixed period in each year, or of paying what is con- 
sidered the native equivalent, 3s. a week in town or 4s. 
in the country. The Europeans and well-to-do natives pay 
this trifling sum, while the less fortunate bulk of the 
colored people prefer to work. Of course the sacrifice they 
make iu this way is relatively vastly greater than that 
demanded of tho whites, and this may be urged as a 
further point iu their favor. 
The magnitude of tho rice interest, and therefore 
of irrigation, must continue to force its circumstances 
upon public attention. The Government returns give 
574,000 acres as now under this crop, while those of 
the Messrs. Ferguson are 700,000, and their anticipa- 
tion is that the total will soon reach 1,000,000 acres. 
The State already exempts from taxation for four 
years land that is being brought under the plough for 
the first time ; by its system of commutation does 
much to reduce its demands, upon the cultivators, 
and by allowing them to make their contribution to 
irrigation schomes in labor, instead in coin has fostered 
a feeling of community of interest between thorn and 
tho Administr.atiou. Apparently therefore, there is not 
ft great deal to be done and this may be done without 
much difficulty, to convince the Sinhalese and their 
fellow natives of the absolute equity of the Govern- 
ment under which they live, and of the sincere desire 
of the whites for their prosperity and progress. To 
that desire is due the, at first sight, surprising fact 
that Ceylon is an irrigating country. The public wel- 
fare has been held to be the supreme law and that 
welfare has demanded the adoption of a bold irtiga* 
tion policy. — Melbourne Age. 
^ 
MINING AND GEMMING. 
A new departure has been taken by the London 
Syndicate to which Mr. Barrington Brown reported, 
in sending out a practical raining agent, Mr. 
Bettison, of much and varied experience. His 
attention so far is confined to plumbago and he has 
been visiting some of the native mines, with 
reference to their working and the application of 
machinery. But we confess we rather regret 
to see this Syndicate going to work after what 
is a “ one-horse " style. We had hoped 
to see Mr. Barrington Brown himself back at the 
head of an adequate staff and requisite machinery 
to give both our gemming and mining an ade- 
quate trial sufficient to satisfy everybody with 
good success or the reverse. 
OUE BOTANICAL AND ECONOMIC 
GARDENS. 
The publication of the annual Report of Dr. 
Trimen and his capable Assistants constitutes an 
interesting event of the week. We issue all the 
material i^ortion as a Svpiilement and elswhere 
review the same. We should like to see more 
power given to Dr. Trimen to be able to follow 
up his distribution of seed — of cacao, for 
instance — with enquiry and inspection to see what 
was done with it. We require in Ceylon in- 
deed, a far closer relationship and united form 
of working in respect of the several departments 
bearing on the promotion of native and State 
Agriculture Revenue-provincial, Forestry, Educa- 
tional-Agricultural and our Botanic-Economic 
Gardens in which most of the science is centred. 
There can be no doubt that if a properly re- 
presentative “ Agricultural Board ’’ existed — such 
as we have advocated for many years back— a 
great deal of frittering away of public money and 
loss of time would be saved, mistakes would not 
so often occur, and much more good would be 
done in benefiting the native agricultural com- 
munity and in developing the resources of the 
country. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Dmggist.) 
London, Feb. 19th. 
Annatto.— The large quantity of 118 bags bright seed 
from Ceylon was shown today. The price asked for this 
article is 2jd per lb., but there were no buyers. 
Ahkcanut.s.— A parcel of 20 hags was show'u today, for 
which tho price of 30s per cwt would be accepted. 
Cinchona.— Another heavy arrival of 177 bales South 
American Guayaquil bark was for the greater part dis- 
posed of today at a fresh reduction in price of at least 
2d per lb on an average. Good bright quill sold at Is ; 
partly stout ditto, bright mossy but broken 8Jd to 9d ; 
very stout flat spilt quill 9d ; broken and rusty brown 
at from (id down to S^d per lb ; 42 bales Maracaibo 
bark of good appearance were bought iu at fld per lb. 
Several parcels of flat Calisaya were also bought iu, 
and only 9 scrolls damaged sold without reserve at 
7 Jd to 8id per lb. For a new parcel of 116 bales from 
hosairo, bright flat orange Is Cd per lb is asked, an 
oiler of Is 4d being refused. Some very ordinary red 
bark, iu thin broken quill of every JitllO solour, reaiaeCl 
la Id pet lb. 
