THK  FROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  r,  1895, 
238 
their  ultimate  destination  in  Aufitralia,  New 
Zealand,  China,  .Japan,  A-c.  IJy  tliis  route  the 
distance  to  these  i-  mntries  will  l»e  consideralily 
shortened.  AVith  lal)our  cheap,  good,  and  identi- 
fill,  a climate  that  will  jirodiice  sugar,  india- 
riihher,  cottee,  A'c.,  in  alnindance  witli  only 
rudimentary  farming,  many  sqii.aro  miles  of 
valuable  mines  still  undeveloped,  under  a Co- 
vevninent  founded  on  the  firmest  liasis  of  eijiiity 
and  ju.stice,  and  upholding  in  tlio  strictest  sense 
the  riglits  of  )>roperty,  a lietter  held  for  Hritish 
enterprise  does  not  exist,  aiul  deserves  tlie  im- 
me*lia^  attention  of  liminciers.  T here  ai'o  several 
])oints  of  interest  in  tlie  country  tliat  would 
well  repay  a visit,  and  a more  pleasant,  ins- 
tructive, and  healthy  holiday  could  not  well  he 
imagined  than  a trip  to  Mexico, — Murninij  Post. 
HQW  IT  8TKIKE8  AN  “OIA)  COLONIST.” 
—NO.  II. 
Up  the  steep  hill-.side,  where  the  labouring  traip 
Marks  the  wide  track  that  scores  the  level  plain  ; ” 
r*KR.\pKNIV.\ 
lias  made  marked  progress  during  the  past  two 
years,  notwithstanding  the  dry  seasons.  The  cover 
is  now  closer  even  on  the  hill-side,  while  I never 
saw  a race-course  turned  to  siioh  good  account. 
The  tea  and  Liberian  cottee  I saw  being  planted 
there  ip  1893  have  thriven  amaisingly.  Altogether 
this  famous  totiim  now  conies  in  a good  secoml 
to  Mariawatte. 
From  the  junction  onwards  to 
GAMl'OLA 
there  is  not  much  worthy  of  note— the  old  paddy 
field  which  probably  fur  thousand  of  years  has 
been  ploughed  and  harvested  still  gives  a fair 
return.  Tea  is  cultivated  in  a desultory  way, 
the  Sinhalese  evidently  iireferring  to  plant  on 
the  bare  ridges  ,as  being  easier  weeded. 
Wherever  there  is  a eoH'ee  Inish  it  looks  healthy, 
with  decidedly  less  leaf  bliglit  than  existed  two 
years  ago.  About  half  way  to  (iampola  is  said 
to  be  the  site  of  the  “good  white  man’s  garden,” 
Kobt.  Knox  having  lived  there  for  some  years 
— probably  on  the  banks  of  the  rivulet  called 
Geeleeoya, 
(lami)ola  itself  shows  but  little  sign  of  ailv.ance- 
ment  ; its  chief  product  seems  to  lie  muck  for 
the  two  adjoining  estates,  which  are  of  more 
intrinsic  value  than  all  this  ancient  township. 
SINAPITTIVA 
is  even  a greater  marvel  than  Mariawatte.  Washed 
by  a hundred  monsoons  during  the  time  it  was 
in  cottee,  one  would  have  supposed  t.here  was 
little  left  to  .sustain  the  tea  jilant,  but  there  it 
is  worth  £100  jier  acre  ! 
Mariawatte  itself  leaves  little  room  for  im- 
provement. I note  that  the  little  hill  behind  the 
Imiigalow  with  its  nondescript  soil,  has  now 
got  pretty  well  covered  but  even  tea  draws  the 
line  at  certain  jmrtions  of  the  next  estate.  “A 
j)oor  subject”  as  honest  Willie  Legg.it  said  of  it 
years  ago. 
Farther  up  towards 
NAWALAPITIYA 
and  for  a little  beyond,  there  are  some  very  good 
and  well  cultivated  fiehls.  Hj/ndford,  auld  Fytt'e 
will  be  interested  to  hear,  is,  though  “gey” 
backward  in  ii.atchcs,  by  no  means  amongst'  the 
hindmost  of  tea  estates.  Gallehodde  has  more 
substance,  and  is  doubtless  doing  well,  but  somehow 
it  always  strikes  me  as  a dreary,  inhospitalilo 
.sort  of  place,  which  I am  glad  to  gvt  past.  I 
almost  forgot  to  mention  the  forester’s  experi- 
mental plantation  at  Hlai-k water,  which,  how- 
ever, does  not  strike  me  as  likely  to  be  a credit 
to  the  dop.artment.  I do  not  think  if  the  whole 
Central  I’rovinco  load  been  se.arched.  more  unsuit- 
able soil  could  have  been  found  in  which  to  grow 
such  trees  ,as  teak— or  a worse  locality  for  the 
various  natives  of  Australia  which  so  clearly  love 
a dry  climate.  Tlie  linest  e ical^'jiti  in  the  world 
grow  where  the  rainfall  does  not  exceeil  2^3  in^ches 
per  annum,  .so  that  the  idea  of  .selecting  the  worst 
end  of  Amhagamuwa  is  so  outrageously  absurd 
that  the  man  ought  tq  be  strangleil  in’  red  tape 
who  suggesteil  such  a thing. 
Carolina  shows  the  hand  of  a tlioroughl}’  prac. 
tical  planter. 
Poor  wet  WalawaJa  was  always  a straggling 
cold  bedraggled  jilacc.  Rozel,  too,  is  somewhat 
mixed  ; but  there  are  some  be  iutiful  fields  of 
tea  on  the  oppo.site  .side  of  the  river, 
though  farther  up  the  same  side  we  got  a little 
mangy  again  with  a tendency  to  overpluck  the 
goose. 
liefore  reaching 
flATTON 
we  ))ass  through  part  of  one  model  totum — as 
well  it  might  be,  for  the  jungle  cost  over  £20 
sterling  per  acre,  and  here  lie  buried  the  savings 
of  more  than  one  poor  doray  ! Albeit  the  place 
i.s  a credit  to  the  man  who  did  the  practical 
work  of  lining  and  planting  the  tea. 
Hatton  itself,  the  scene  of  the  jjoor  old  Squat- 
tor’s  labours— and  lying  on  the  dividing  ridge  — 
never  was,  and  never  can  be  a very  pleasant 
climate  to  live  in,  though  tolerable  for  a time 
to  the  Kndai  Karen  who  battens  on  his  12o  per 
cent  proJits.  'I’he  township  is  ch.aracteristic  of 
Ceylon  and  looks  as  if  the  crows  had  dropped 
it.  In  this  res|)ect  we  might  learn  a little  from 
our  friends  in  Australia  or  oven  the  Spanish 
Colonist  in  the  West  who  im  arl  ibly  lay  out 
their  villages  with  some  method,  the  hiimble.st 
hamlet  having  its  “Plaza.”  Here  v e have  .a  hideous 
jumble  of  sheds,  o\erlooke<l  by  a somewhat 
garish  looking  hotel. 
In 
UPC'OUNTIIV 
life  generally,  I find  of  course  con.siderable  changes 
during  the  last  20  years.  Some  for  the  better, 
some  for  the  worse.  There  are  better  facilities  for 
moving  aoout,  more  amusements,  more  gaieties, 
but  fewer  substantial  comforts.  The  food  and  or- 
dinary home  comforts  of  theaverage  Superintendent 
have  unquestionably  deteriorated  ; partlj'  perhaps 
his  own  laiilt,  but  chiefly  is  he  the  victim  of 
circumstances.  The  beef  for  instance,  never  very 
good  has  now  degenerated  till  often  quite  unlit  for 
human  food,  and  in  this  matter  there  seems 
a lamentable  lack  of  cnteiirrise  in  ColomlM>  in 
not  arranging  for  the  import  of  good  Austra- 
lian meat.  The  other  day  I saw  scores  of 
s])lendid  carc.oses  being  landed  at  Port  Said  from 
an  Orient  Liner.  If  Egypt  c.an,  why  not 
Ceylon?  Mauritius  .also,  and  I believe  Hong- 
kong get  regiil.ar  siip])lies  from  Sydney— while 
here  we  .are  still  chewing  the  old  cart  bullock 
Hut  beef  is  but  one  thing,  there  .are  many 
other  little  items  which  used  to  be  considered  neces- 
s.ary  to  life — now  apiiarently  out  of  d.ate.  In 
olden  days  every  dor.ay  h.ad  his  dozen  or  half 
dozen  kye  atnl  the  first  thing  one  heard  in  the 
morning  w.as  the  thumping  of  a bottle  iijion  a 
cushion,  the  nett  out-come  of  which  was  a pretty 
pat  of  fresh  butter  on  the  e.arly  breakfast  table. 
Slor  were  these  luxuries  for  the  doray  alone. 
Poor  p.arturient  Carpie  whose  own  fount  hail 
failed  to  feed  the  sharger  baby,  called  daily 
for  a su|iply  of  milk,  while  Caru|)pen  himself 
recoi'cring  from  gastric  fever  was  never  sent 
emply  away.  Now  alas;  the  tables  are  turned. 
