March  2,  1S96.1 
THE  TROPICAL  ACRICULTURT.ST. 
fi05 
to  get  a fetimi  I'lOiii  hie  land  iilaiitcd  Indian  c,0)n  bet- 
ween the  rows  ol' coffee.  Another,  wlio  imagined  the 
higher  hiss  coffee  grew  the  more  crop  he  would  get  from 
it,  topped  his  coffee  at  b feet,  while  the  general  idea  is 
to  plant  large  acreages  in  as  short  a time  as  possible. 
It  is  needless  to  mention  the  result,  but  there  are.  al- 
ways exceptions,  and  the  few  men  who  have  planted 
a small  acreage  carefully  have  something  to  show  for 
their  money.  For  instance,  I know  of  one  estate  of 
‘240  acres,  of  which  160  acres  are  in  bearing,  that  paid 
‘20  per  cent  in  its  4th  year,  while  another  planter  got 
a maiden  crop  of  5 cwts  an  acre  from  a 40-acre  field. 
Labor  is  very  cheap , and  it  is  almost  entirely  paid 
in  calico,  a man  earning  the  equivalent  of  2s  a mouth, 
a woman  Is  6d  and  a child  Is.  Transport  is  unfortu- 
nately rather  heavy ; but  it  is  only  a matter  of  a 
short  time  before  that  is  considerably  reduced.  The 
country  is  sadly  in  want  of  some  good  roads,  as  the 
present  so-called  roads  are  but  mere  tracts.  To  men 
with  plenty  of  energy  and  a small  amount  of  capital, 
there  arc  good  prospects  in  this  country. 
COCONUT  CULTIV'ATION  : MANUUINO. 
(Commniilcafefi.) 
A few  mouths  ago  it  was  mentioned  that  the 
peasant  proprietors  of  the  Negombo  district  had 
taken  to  cultivating  their  coconut  properties,  stimulated 
thereto  by  the  example  of  Mr.  J.  U.  Vanderstraaten. 
If  so,  one  contention  of  mine  re  the  distribution  of 
Agricultural  instructors  has  received  support  and 
proof.  I always  contended  that  for  improved  culti- 
vation to  become  popular  it  was  necessary  for 
fnstructors  to  be  moved  about  to  demonstrate  their 
methods  and  to  prove  their  succes.s.  Mr.  Vander- 
straaten  cannot  rightly  be  called  tho  apostle  of  the 
improved  cultivation  of  coconuts,  .and  yet  his  system  of 
cultivation  is  .said  to  be  followed  by  the  conservative 
villager.  It  is  useful  to  enquire  the  reason  for  this. 
It  is  not  far  to  seek.  Its  benefits  and  advantages  have 
been  brought  home  to  him  and  stare  at  him  on  every 
side.  As  far  as  the  high  cultivation  of  coconut  is  con- 
cerned, at  least  in  the  Western  Province  and  in  the 
('hilaw  district,  Mr.  David  Wilson,  I believe  led  the 
way.  He  was  known  as  one  who  went  in  for  a variety 
of  manures,  though  report  says  he  was  not  very 
discriminating  in  his  methods.  At  Kanuwangalla  and 
Waljapala  he  had  a very  hard  soil  in  places 
to  contend  with,  and  the  cost  of  working  it 
must  have  been  considerable  and  the  returns  not 
commensurate  with  it.  The  earthworks  on  these 
estates  are  monuments  of  his  pluck  and  determination. 
Hesides"  the  estates  of  Mr.  Wilson,  high  and  intelli- 
gent cultivation  had  been  carried  on  on  Golua  Pokuna 
and  on  the  estates  in  charge  of  the  veteran  “W.  B.  L.” 
and  his  contemporary  Mr.  Carry.  If  their  examples 
had  not  been  followed  and  that  of  Mr.  Vanderstraaten 
has  been,  the  reason  is  not  to  be  found  only  in  the 
advance  of  intelligence,  but  also  because  their  ex- 
amples were  isolated  and  that  of  'Mr.  V.  scattered. 
For  energy  and  pluck  commend  me  to  this  gentle- 
man. He  is  a worthy  example  to  all  Ceylonese  especially 
to  the  younger  and  rising  generation.  Ho  is  not 
so  much  in  evidence  as  is  Mr.  W.  H.  Wright.  His 
example  like  that  of  the  veteran  should  always  be 
(pioted  to  point  a moral. 
After  the  Report  of  the  Superintendent,  om*  was 
not  surprised  at  Mr.  Coomar.aswaniy's  motion  in 
Council  on  the  School  of  Agriculture.  Hut  he  ad- 
duced strange  reasons  against  the  institution  and 
its  teachings.  Because  our  fathers  and  forefathers 
pursued  certain  methods  and  were  satisfied  with 
their  soundness  and  results,  therefore  no  change 
was  necessary  or  w'anted.  Why  this  conservatism 
on  the  part  of  an  intelligent  and  enlightened 
man  only  as  regards  agriculture?  Why  does 
he  not  preach  and  practice  it  in  everything 
else  ? He  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive men  amongst  the  Tamils.  He  surely  does 
not,  on  his  estates,  follow  the  methods  of  his  fore- 
fathers. 
If  the  landed  gentry  of  all  nationalities  in  the 
island  realized  the  benefits  of  intelligent  cultiva- 
tion and  consulted  their  interests  better,  their  sons 
would  undergo  a course  of  instruction  at  this  scJiool 
and  cany  out  what  they  learnt,  on  their  estates, 
instead  of  running  after  Government  appointments 
for  wages  that  will  be  scorned  at  by  a first-class  do- 
mestic. The  school  is  a most  useful  institution  and 
fills  a void  in  a countiy  whose  industries  are  mainly 
agricultural.  That  it  does  not  receive  the  support 
it  deseives  and  occupies  its  present  unenviable  posi- 
tion is  a serious  reflection  on  all  lauded  proprietors. 
To  the  enthusiastic  agriculturist  there  is  no  branch 
of  his  profession  which  is  more  fascinating  than 
manures  and  manuring.  Manure  plays  the  most  im- 
portant part  in  his  reaping  the  result  of  his  labors. 
It  was  mentioned  recently  that  Mr.  Wright 
is  a great  believer  in  ashes  for  coconuts.  Ashes 
are  a very  good  manure,  but  should  not  be 
applied  by  themselves  unless  the  soil  to  which  they 
are  applied  has  in  sufficient  quantity  the  organic  matter 
necessary  for  the  coconut  tree.  The  composition  of 
ashes  varies  with  the  substances  that  yield  them.  .Some 
arc  rich  in  phosirlioric  acid,  potash,  lime  and  the  other 
mineral  matters  necessary  for  the  growth  of  vege- 
tation. Others  have  these  or  some  of  these  in  com- 
liaratively  small  quantifies,  hence  the  disparity  in 
the  results  of  their  application.  The  aslies  resulting 
from  the  burning  of  the  products  of  the  coconut  tree 
must  of  necessity  be  beneficial  to  it.  I used  to  pur- 
chase any  quantity  of  the  ashes  of  husks  delivered 
oil  the  spot  at  06  cents  the  bushel.  As  a sandy 
soil  is  very  poor  in  organic  matter,  and  ashes  ai’e  com- 
posed entirely  of  mineral  matter,  they  are  seldom 
applied  by  themselves  to  such  soils  and  are  most 
beneficial  to  heavy,  clayey  soils  when  dug  in.  Mr. 
Wright  does  not  stand  a'one  in  his  belief  in  ashes. 
The  other  gentleman,  whose  name  is  mentioned  before, 
i.s  known  in  these  parts  as  “Alu  Mahatmaya”  or 
“ashes  gentleman,”  as  he  goes  scouring  the  village 
for  ashes.  Except  under  certain  circumstances.  I do 
not  believe  in  reducing  vegetable  matter  to  ashes  for 
application  to  the  soil.  I think  it  better  to  burv 
it  in  the  soil  and  allow  it  to  decompose,  giving  out 
to  the  soil  and  the  vegetation  it  is  supporting  the 
benefit  of  the  gases  evolved  during  the  process. 
I may  he  pardoned  for  saying  what  is  doubtless  known 
to  most  agriculturists,  that  decomposition  and  decay 
are  but  another  and  slow  process  of  combustion. 
The  ultimate  results  of  both  proces.se s are  the  same. 
As  I said  before,  it  is  only  under  certain  circum- 
stances that  I think  that  vegetable  matter  should  be 
reduced  to  ashes  before  application.  I may  mention 
a few.  When  a substance  takes  very  long  to  decay 
and  is  too  bulky  for  application,  such,  for  instance, 
as  logs  of  timbei-,  which  take  long  to  decay  and  benefit 
only  the  place  where  they  He.  When,  owing  to 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  burying  becomes  too  expen- 
sive an  operation.  On  a sandy  soil  which  is 
usually  characterized  a hungry  soil,  I think 
it  of  paramount  importance  that  every  scrap  of 
vegetable  matter  be  buried.  Owing  to  its  texture,  the 
operation  is  an  ■ asy  and  inexpensive  one  ; and  if  year 
by  year  these  1 uri  als  take  place  in  different  spots, 
the  texture  of  the  soil  will  be  cha-  ged  as  well  as 
thn  growth  of  the  vegetation  which  it  sustain.?.  On 
cinnamon  estates,  this  system  of  burial  is  the  usual 
thing;  and  on  an  estate  I know  of,  which  in  its  day 
was  one  of  the  liost  kept  of  estates  and  where  a burial 
of  one  year  was  not  disturbed  till  perfect  decomposition 
had  taken  ))lace.  the  usual  sand  bad  turned  to  a rich 
mould;  and  well-known  cacao  planter  on  watching  a 
h.-ilc  dug  exclaimed  “.lust  the  soil  for  cacao.  So 
rich  ill  vegetable  matter,"  Coconut  cultivation  is 
adinitte.d  y more  remunerative  than  cinnamon  and  its 
cultivation,  which  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  the 
term  excludes  manuring,  coasts  very  little,  so  that 
what  is  possible  in  cinnamon  cultivation  is  doubly 
possible  m coconut,  and  all  vegetable  matter  includ- 
ing weeds,  branches  and  husks  especially  in 
sand  soils  should  be  buried.  Some  people  are 
testhetic  to  a fault  and  do  not  like  to  see  the 
soil,  on  their  lawnlike  plantation,  disturbed  by  holes 
being  cut  in  them.  I always  sacrifice  cestbetica 
to  expediency.  The  usual  process  of  disposal  of 
branches  and  husks  is  by  burning.  I have  my- 
self done  this  on  heavy  soils,  and  have  further  done 
what  very  few  do,  spread  the  ashes  as  far  as  possi- 
ble and  dug  them  in.  A large  surface  of  soil  was 
