3G0 
Supjtlcmeul  io  the  Tropical  AgricullinisL'^’ 
[Nov.  2,  1896. 
n\n»LHi\]ENTS. 
A catalogue  of  the  various  implements  of  Inis- 
baiulry  used  in  Ceylon  ^\ould  not  occupy 
much  space,  ar.d  the  lack  of  variety  cannot 
be  said  to  be  made  np  by  elhciency.  If  it  be 
argued  tliat  there  is  nothing  that  can  snpercede 
the  so  called  native  jdough  under  certain  condi- 
tions we  are  only  too  ready  to  admit  the  conten- 
tioii.  But  what  we  iiold  is  that  the  native  plough 
is  not  suited  to  all  kinds  of  land,  and  its  work 
can  be  done  far  better  at  certain  times  even  on  the 
land  which  it  may  be  said  to  be  best  suited  for. 
Aot  only  are  there  various  form.s  of  ploughs 
used  in  modern  agriculture — different  ])loughs 
for  different  kinds  of  land,  but  there  are  vaiious 
forms  of  tillage  implemen's  other  than  the 
plough  wliich  are  used  at  different  stages  in  ti  e 
preparation  of  land  for  sowing,  so  as  to  make 
that  preparation  as  thorough  as  possible.  Each  of 
these  distinct  forms  of  tillage  irajdements  has 
its  ow  n special  work  and  one  cannot  satisfactorily 
perform  the  werk  of  the  other.  In  native  husban- 
dry tl  ere  is  but  one  implement  for  animal  power, 
a simple  hoe  or  one-tined  cultivator,  for  a plough 
it  is  not,  since  -it  has  not  the  essential  element 
of  every  jdough,  viz.  the  mould-board  by  which 
a furrow  slice  is  turned-over.  A cultivator  is  all 
very  w'ell  in  its  place.  Indeed  it  may  be  said 
to  be  indispensable  for  its  special  work,  but  to 
say  that  the  plougli  can  be  superceded  by  the 
cultivator  is  absurd.  The  operation  in  native 
husbandry  which  is  most  akin  to  the  work  of 
a properly  constructed  plough,  is  the  turning 
over  of  tiie  sods  as  a first  operation  in  preparing 
for  sowing.  This  part  of  the  work  is  done  by 
manual  labour,  liy  means  of  the  mamoty,  and 
the  work  is  no  doubt  as  thorough  ns  it  can  be 
and  possibly  superior  in  quality  to  that  which 
would  be  done  by  a plough.  We  are  aware  that 
in  paddy  culiivation  the  conditions  of  culture 
.are  such  ns  do  not  greatly  favour  the  u.se  of 
an  iron  mould-board  plough.  There  are  in  fact 
certain  situations  of  land  where  it  would  be 
impossilile  at  any  period  to  use  such  an  imple- 
rae^nt,  but  these  are  only  exceptional  cases,  and 
a ligfit  mould-board  plough,  weighing  not  more 
tltau'  2olb,  so  as  to  be  within  the  power 
of  village  buffaloes  to  draw,  is  an  implement 
that  should  be  an  acqui.'-ition  to  most  cultivators. 
The  mistake  that  was  made  in  the  attempt  to 
supei  cede  the  native  plough  for  ploughing  w'ork 
W'as"  to  introduce  what  was  a novelty  from 
England.  'J  he  Howard  “ Cingalee  ” plough  which 
was  specially  designed  and  constructed  to  meet 
the  wuints  of  the  Ceylon  paddy  cultivator  weighed 
about  do  11).  and  costover  li,20.  It  would  have 
been  the  better  plan  to  have  endeavoured  to  im- 
prove the  native  implements  of  husbandry  by 
slow  degrees  and  so  to  gradually  -work  out  a 
perfect  implement,  lilodern  Knglish  ploughs  have 
indeed  been  the  outcome  of  such  gradual  evolu- 
tion. 
Tiie  idea  of  improving  native  implement.s 
is  net  a ])0])ular  oinq  for  the  failure  ot  the 
first  attempt  to  iiniirove  the  native  plough  has 
done  much  damage  to  the  cause,  just  as  the 
_ dismal  failure  of  the  Allied  model  farm  for  a 
long  time  stood  in  the  way  of  any  attempts  being 
jnade  at  dairy  farming  and  stock  breeding. 
In  India  much  goovl  is  resulting  from  presistent 
attention  to  the  implomei.t  question.  The  imple- 
mcnls  now  in  use  by  our  cultivators  should  as 
f r po.s.'ible  b;  modilied,  and  suitable  forms  of 
new  implements  and  inaeliiues,  as  would  tend  to 
fr.cilitiite  and  irajirovo  their  work  should  be 
introduced.  The  school  of  agriculture  ought 
to  be  given  the  op])ortunity  of  w'orking  at 
t!ie  improvement  of  implements,  and  by  trials  with 
various  forms  of  new  implements  and  machines 
as  are  likely  to  suit  local  conditions,  of  a-certain- 
iim,  which  of  them  are  best  adapted  to  the  needs 
of  cultivators  in  Crylon. 
For  ])loughing  up  coconut  and  other  hands 
under  “dry”  cultivation  there  is  a great 
demand  for  light  plonglis,  and  these  arelnow  being 
locally  manufactured:  an  adverti.'Binent  in  the 
present  issue  of  the  Magazine  indicates  I'ow  and  at 
what  cost  these  could  be  procured.  We  have  h d 
manj’  enquiiies  about  tlio  “ iilanet  junior  " hand 
implements  f with  fittings  for  various  kinds  of 
work)  wliich  have  been  in  use  at  tlie  School  of 
Agriculture.  The  implements  are  the  best  of 
their  kind,  and  we  would  refer  tho.se  who  are 
in  want  of  these  handy  and  useful  machines 
to  Messrs.  W.  II.  D.ivies  &:  Co.,  who  are  Agents 
for  the  manufacturers. 
« 
OCCATIONAL  NOTES. 
In  the  ])re.seut  issue  will  be  found  the  first 
of  a series  of  iiajiers  as  the  peculiarities  of  coconut 
cultivation  in  India.  Most  of  the  information 
given  is  taken  from  the  Indian  Gazetteers  and  re- 
produced in  the  Watt’s  Economic  Products  of  India. 
AVe  have  sometimes  had  enquiios  made  as  to  the 
method  of  culture  in  India,  and  wo  have  no 
doubt  that  the  authentic  information  embodii'd  in 
the  account  now  reiuoduced  will  be  acceptable  to 
our  reader.-?,  some  of  whom  will  no  doubtibe  in- 
clined to  think  that  more  than  one  of  the  methods 
in  vogue  in  N.W.  India  are  veiy  peculiar  indeed  — 
at  any  rate  quite  unlike  anything  practised  in 
Ceylon.  In  future  issues  we  shall  refer  to  tho 
forms  of  cultivation  in  vogue  in  other  part.s  of 
the  Indian  peninsula. 
The  shipment  of  Ilomco  manure  referred  to 
in  our  last  issue  has  arrived  and  trials  of  this 
fertilizer,  which  comes  to  us  with  such  an  e.x- 
ce'leiit  reputation,  have  already  been  begun.  Those 
of  our  subscribers  wdio  may  be  anxious  to  give 
it  a trial  can  have  small  supplies  (ol  say  j-  cwt.) 
on  application  to  the  .Superintendent  School  of 
Agriculture.  
The  students  of  the  School  of  Forestry  have 
gone  on  tour,  for  a ])ractical  course  of  instruction, 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Broun  the  chief  comservator 
of  forest.s.  The  tour  will  extend  over  a nuinth, 
during  which  time  the  forests  between  Kurunegal'e 
and  Bainbool  will  be  lravcr,-?ed,  wliile  it  is^ex- 
pected  that  Galboda  and  Nervera  Eliya  will 
also  be  included  in  the  tour.  Wo  can  only  wish 
that  the  School  of  Agriculture  was  as  fortunate 
as  its  sister  institution  in  having  provision  made 
which  will  enable  its  students  also  to  travel  and 
so  gain  that  practical  accpiaintance  with  Ceylon 
products  as  cultivated  on  a commercial  scale, 
which  is  so  necessary  to  complete  their  coursg 
(jf  tfainiiig, 
