JVNB J , 1891.1 
THE TROPiCAL AORICULTU RIST, 84 ^ 
CEYLON UPCOUNTRY PLANTINO REPORT. 
SLACKENING FLUSH— WEEDS— AUDITING OF COOLIES’ 
ACCOUNTS — MUHAMMADAN FASTING— CACAO —COFFEE — 
TBEASUKE TROYE IN BADULLA — A CONTRIBUTION TO 
SNAKE LORE. 
April 27th. 
Flush is slackening off somewhat, and some of 
us are beginning to realize that there are weeds 
about. We have all been so busy of late securing 
the harvest of tea leaf, and doing our best to 
keep up with its rapid growth, that the weeds 
have had a royal time of it. We always say to 
ourselves that tea is not like coffee, and that 
being a little weedy does not matter much ; but 
I suppose it is the effect of early training, that, 
hoT/ever much truth there may be in the above 
theory, we would prefer having it tested by an- 
other fellow, he to have the dirty estates and 
we to have the clean. Under any ciroumslances 
April and May are trying on the weeding con- 
tractor : there is always such a rush after the 
first rains that the weeders fall behind and if 
a loss is made — although I do not believe a weed- 
ing contractor ever lost money in Ceylon, ihougb. 
his coolies may — this loss is never forgotten, and 
you may hear of it at any time. If you express 
auy doubts on the ruinous results of the weed 
ing, you are indignantly invited to examine 
the accounts for yourself, which accounts happily 
are never produced. Who could possibly audit 
cooly accounts ? There is no kind of arithmetic in 
the world that would help an unforturmte auditor, 
or lead lo any tbiog stable. I bad a kangani once 
who kept a checkroll of his gang on the back of 
the door of his line. When things were working 
smoothly the results agreed to a cent with the 
estate oheckroll ; but when there was any row on, 
the discrepancies were appalling. In the latter 
case I found that even allowing thirty-six 
working days in the month would hardly bring to 
us within bailable distance, so wa eaoh stuck to our 
figures and agreed to differ. 
The Muhammadans have, I understand, a Fast on 
at present. I was enquiring of my Malay con- 
ductor if he was observing it, as he did not seem 
to be quite so spry as usual. He replied that he 
had very hard work and r. quired to be fed, but 
he was makinn his loife keep it. This sort of thing 
will not last long, I fear, now that Western ideas of 
woman’s rights are beginning to permeate Ceylon. 
The Cacao is looking as if it intended to do well 
this year again. It is healthy, vigorous, and many 
trees are just full of blossom. There is always a” 
kind of straggling crop too, which has to be gathered 
all the year round, but this season it would seem 
to be more than usual, and bigger than usual. 
The borer is beginning to come about a little. 
Coffee— what there is hereabouts is looking as if it 
would do some good. What was in good heart has 
had a tolerable blossom which has set fairly well. 
But the bug is about, and what that may lead to 
remains to be seen. The possibilities with bug 
around are all against the planter. 
The showery weather has ruined the ohances for 
any more blossom, and some line coffee which I 
saw in Bimbula did not eeem as if it would 
overbear this season. It is lo Haputalo one 
has to go to see coffee crops, and there there 
are certainly some very fine ones. All the same 
even in that favoured district, the shrinkage of coffee 
aiva goes on, aud the new favourite, — tea — is taking 
its place. Still with the late splendid prices, coffee 
is receiving renewed attention, and tea is not being 
planted up quite so freely as it was a little while ago. 
Few that i know of are planting coffee. I frequently see 
a little oollee clearing — plants grown from Coorg 
loti 
seed — which is not without hope. The nursery was 
badly stricken with leaf-disease, and in the N.-E. of 
last year the plants were put out with hardly a 
leaf on them, and very thin otherwise. It was 
“ a sair sicht” for some time, but the plants have 
worked round, and now they have a good deal 
of vigour in them, and promise well. Of course, 
between the cup aud the lip there may be a good 
many slips yet. 
It is quite remarkable the number of places in 
Ceylon where Treasure is said to be buried, and 
perhaps more remarkable how few attempt to 
find it. Still now and again a man turns up 
willing to risk good coin in a bunt after the 
hidden. At present a search is being 'made on 
the hills around Badulla fur some treasure said to 
have been buried by the Sinhalese and the enter- 
prising person who has faith in the tradition 
was burning a lot of dynamite, aud keeping the place 
lively with the booming of his exxrlosions when I 
visited the capital of Uva a few days ago. Saturday 
and Sunday were all alike, and the vigour of the 
would-be discoverer, was undoubted. A silver lamp 
was said to have been found in the neighbourhood 
over BO many years ago, an-d, as far as I could 
learn, the interest in the present effort had been 
increased by the unearthing of some ashes and 
pieces of broken chatties, which of course was 
something. When a man goes in for speculation 
there are always chances against him, but of all 
lotteries tliat of treasure-trove seems to have the 
maximum of blanks. 
As contribution to Snake-lore I offer the 
following whish ray ihorsekeepar maintains is 
the only way to cure the bite of the 
green snake. The green snake, he says, always 
bites people in the eye, and when it docs so the 
unfortunate falls down as if dead. The snake then 
escapes up a tree, and it is very essential to notice 
the particular tree it has ascended. This having 
bean found, a fu.aeral pyre must ba built up close 
to the tree and the snake’s victim carried out as if 
for cremation ; then the pyre must ba lighted, 
and when the snake sees this, it will conclude 
that the unfortunate has been dona to death. It 
will then vomit out its poison, and the person bitten 
will at once revive. All this is so very simple, and 
effective that I did not care to keep such valuable 
information altogether to myself. Perhaps if no 
treasure is found at Badulla, and time allows, the 
worth of this voracious statement might be tested. 
Peppercorn. 
^ 
Mr. Ridley, of tha Gardens and Forest Depart- 
ment, has issued today the first number of the 
“Agricultural Bulletin of the Malay Peninsula’’ 
which it is proposed to publish from time to time 
as occasion may serve. These Bulletins will treat 
of sub] sots eonneelei with Agriculture and ITor- 
liculture in the Malay Peninsula. Mr. Ridley in 
his “ fore-words ” says : — 
It is hoped thit planters will send to the Director of 
the Botaiix Gardens, Singapore, notes aud observations 
on the cultivations of the various crops under their 
care. Observations on insect and fungu-s-pests are 
especially requested, aud these should always be accom- 
panied by specimens of the injniious insect or fungi 
either alive, or preserved in spirits, except in the case 
of butterflies and moths which should bo sent dry in en- 
velopes. 
The first Bulletin contains an abstract of a 
series of interesting articles written by Dr. Burok, 
Assistant Director of the Botanical Gardens at 
Buitenzorg, dealing with his method of treatment 
of coffae-leaf disease in Java. — S, Press, 
