744 
!iUpplewent to the “ Tvopical Agricultuvist 
[April I; 1891. 
evidently be owing to its being lost or modified 
wdien prepared into a preserve. 
Anyliow it is certain that the Chine.se 
preserved ginger is quite different from Zingiber 
officinale. When ordinary ginger is preserved 
it can never be made to possess the characters 
of the imported preserves. Tlie taste, size, and 
texture of the rhizome always differ much, 
and the true ginger, when preserved, is found 
to be of a very pungent taste and of a harder 
texture than the Chinese preserve. If then 
the Cliine.se preserves are made from the A. 
galanga, the Sinhalese kahmala, there is a 
fair prospect of opening a new industry in 
Ceylon, as the plant seems to thrive well in 
the southern parts of the island, as well as 
in Kalutara, so far as I have seen. The only 
use which Kaluwala is put to by the Sinhalese 
is that of chewing the pungent and aromatic 
flowers of the plant along with betel, these 
flowers resembling cardamoms in taste. 
The rhizome is only occasionally employed as 
a medicine. The following is said to be the 
method adopted in China in making preserves 
of ginger : — Soon after the rhizomes are dug 
out they are washed clean, and after the outer 
covering or the epidermis is scraped off, rewashed, 
and kept in water for twenty-four hours. They 
are then taken out and are siiread on a board, 
the portions which are in any way discoloured 
or spoilt being removed. Then the whole is 
pricked with forks which are made specially 
for this purpose. After having undergone this 
operation, the ginger is washed again and ex- 
posed to the sun till the water is evaporated. 
Next the rhizomes thus prepared are mixed 
with sugar and boiled for fully two hours. 
They are then placed in earthenware pots for 
a few days, after which they are subjected to the 
same process of boiling with sugar for a second 
time. This being the final operation, they 
are packed in small vessels and sent to the 
market. 
♦ 
LAWS OF CEYLON EELATING TO 
AGEICULTUEE. 
Ordinance No. 23 of 1889. 
II. An Ordinance relating to the Irrigation and 
Cultivation of Paddy lands. 
[This is a consolidation of all the previous 
Ordinances on the subject, together with some 
amendments.] 
Chapter 1. 
“ Proprietor ” means owner of paddy lands, 
and includes the cultivator or person in actual 
pos.sessioTi of any such land. 
“Occupant" includes a person having tlie 
charge, management or control of any land or 
l)remis(;8. 
“ iJistrict" means any korale, p.'ittu or village, 
or any oflier subdivision of a ])roviiice, wliich 
may from lime to time be defined l)y the Gov- 
ernor by J’roclamatioii in the Covennmml (razeite. 
“drain ta.r" includes llu! tax, duly or shai'e 
due to Government in rii.spect of grain grown 
in this Island under any of tlu' following Ordi- 
nances : No. Mof 1810, No 29of iHtio, and No. 1 1 
of 1878. 
For the purjjoses of Chapters VII. and VIII. 
“majority of proprietors” means a majority 
consisting of two-thirds at least of the proprietors 
present. Provided that such majority shall re- 
present at least one-third of the acreage benefited 
by such irrigation works, and if they do not 
represent one-third, then the votes of the 
proprietors representing two-thirds of the acreage 
to be benefited shall constitute the majority. 
Chapter II. 
1. There shall be a Board, consisting of the 
Governor, the Surveyor-General, the Birector of 
Public Works, and such other persons as the 
Governor shall from time to time appoint, of 
whom one at least shall be an unofficial member 
of the Legislative Coimcil, to be styled the 
Central Irrigation Board of Ceylon. In the 
absence of the Governor, the senior official mem- 
ber present at any meeting of such Board shall 
preside thereat. 
2. In each province there shall be a Board 
to be styled the Provincial Irrigation Board, 
consisting of the Government Agent as President, 
the Provincial Engineer of the province, and 
such other persons as the Governor may apijoint. 
3. The Colonial Treasurer shall pay annually 
as soon as may be after the first day of Januarjq 
into the irrigation fund, a sum equivalent to 
one-fourth of the grain tax collected in the 
several provinces during the preceding year ; 
such irrigation fund shall be vested in the 
Central Irrigation Board. 
4. Moneys voted by the Legislative Council 
for irrigation works shall be jpaid into the 
Irrigation fund. 
5. The Central Irrigation Board shall prepare 
an estimate of sums to be apportioned from the 
irrigation fund to the provinces. Estimated 
apportionment to be laid before the Legislative 
Council. 
(a) Provided that a sum so apportioned to 
any province may, if necessary, here-apportioned ; 
sums so re-apportioned shall be included in the 
annual report of the Board. 
(b.) Provided also that sums not voted by 
the Legislative Council for specific purposes 
shall be apportioned or re-apportioned to each 
province. 
6. Eeports of Irrigation Boards shall be an- 
nually submitted to the Legislative Council. 
7. All acts required to be done by the Irrigation 
Boards shall be done Ijy a majority of the 
members of such Boards. The President shall 
have a casting vote. 
Chapter III. 
1. (a.) Tlie Gov'ernor in Executive Council may 
Xiroclaim irrigation districts. 
{b.) The Government Agent shall call a public 
meeting or meetings (where more than one are 
required) for the purpose of determining whether 
tills Ordinance shall be carried into operation 
with the aid of headmen or of Village Councils 
or of both. 
2. I’ublic notice of such meeting shall be 
given at least one month before the day fixed 
for the meeting, calling upon all proprietors 
within any district or division to attend in 
person or liy jiroxy. 
(a.) Every meeting so convened shall be 
ludd at the time and place aiipointed, in the 
