750 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
crowd  around  the  enclosure  to  get  in  at  the 
end,  of  the  many  coolies  who  take  an  interest  in 
master’s  “ exliibits,”  pi  izes  or  misfortune,  and 
altogether  it  is  ditticult  to  tell  even  in  this 
somnolent  land,  how  far  the  benefit  of  such 
Shows  may  expend  among  the  people  around  us. 
Of  course,  we  plead,  in  regard  to  more  strictly 
native  rural  districts,  for  Exhibitions  on  a 
less  imposing  scale  and  more  suited  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  people. 
In  this  cotinection  we  may  refer  again  to  the 
practical  address  of  Ills  Excellency  the  Governor 
at  the  Nuwara  Eliya  Show.  We  have 
generally  been  accused  of  giving  too  much 
attention  to  planting  and  agriculture  in  one  form 
or  other,  and  the  series  of  volnines  of  our  Tro- 
pical Agriculturist  are  evidence  that  we  hav'e  not 
failed  to  do  our  duty  by  tlie  land  we  live  in 
or  indeed  by  tropical  lands  generally.  The 
Agricultural  School  Magazine,  issued  independ 
ently,  as  well  as  bound  up  with  our  monthly, 
deals  more  particularly  rvith  practical  subjects 
w'ithin  the  scope  of  native  readers,  and  let  it 
never  be  forgotten  that  the  Ceylonese  are 
far  and  away  in  advance  of  Indian  Agricul- 
turists in  their  knowledge  of  English.  We 
have  again  and  again  found  native  gentlemen 
making  experiments  with  new  products,  or  in 
improving  old,  through  the  guidance  aflbrded 
them  by  their  English  reading  in  local  or  other 
publications.  It  is  rather  extraordinary  to  us 
that  the  Governor  should  be  puzzled  about  the 
usefulness  of  an  Agricultural  School  or  College 
in  Ceylon,  seeing  that  His  Excellency  must 
know  how  highly  favoured  such  institutions 
are  by  the  Governments  and  experienced  officials 
in  India,  where,  there  cannot  be  more 
scope  or  intelligence  among  the  ])eople  that  is 
freely  available  in  Ceylon.  Surely  this  island 
can  afford  and  ought  to  have  an  Agricultural 
College  as  much  as  Madras  ? Here  then  is  wdiat 
is  doing  over  the  way  according  to  the  latest 
Madras  papers  ; — 
The  Agbicultueal  College. — The  practical  ex- 
amination in  Veterinary  Science,  Botany,  Agriculture, 
Surveying  and  Levelling  commenced  on  Friday,  and 
was  continued  till  Saturday.  The  examinations  will 
be  resumed  on  the  15th  and  be  continued  np  to 
the  20th  proximo,  and  will  be  followed  up  with  the 
Theoretical  examinations  in  the  same  subjects  up 
to  the  end  of  April  next,  when  the  College  will  close 
for  the  summer  recess. 
If  Sir  West  Ridgeway  is  therefore  in  any  doubt 
as  to  how  the  local  School  or  College  should  be 
conducted,  can  His  Excellency  do  better  than 
compare  what  has  been  done  here  with  the 
course  pursued  in  Madras?  We  earnestly  desire 
that  Conferences  could  he  arranged  between 
Indian  and  Ceylon  otlicers  in  many  departments 
of  the  public  service — in  the  Police,  Railway, 
the  Postal -Telegraph,  the  Survey,  P.  W.  D., 
Botanic  Gardens,  Technical  and  Agricultural 
Schools,  to  name  only  a few,  and  even  without 
troubling  the  Revenue  and  Judicial  branches. 
Only  good  could  result  from  meeting  for  a fort- 
night or  mouth  once  in  two  or  three  years  to 
compare  modes  of  working  and  results.  That 
would  certainly  be  a most  practical  way  of  im- 
firoving  local  administration.  In  the  meantime 
et  us  see  what  the  Governor’s  Commission 
on  the  Agricultural  School,  is  to  bring 
forth.  Who  are  its  members  and  whom 
are  they  to  examine  ? Should  not  one  of  the 
Commissioners  be  sent  over  to  watch  the  i)re- 
sent  examinations,  and  generally  to  study  the 
Mft^ras  Agricultural  establishment  and  procedure  ? 
[May  I,  1897. 
COOLIES-COOLIES-COOLIES  ! 
Is  likely  to  be  a cry  often  heard  in  the  present 
and  coming  two  months.  Mr.  lugramcotton,  it 
will  be  observed,  gives  the  Planters’  Association 
exactly  the  information  and  advice  we  tendered 
sometime  ago,  namely  that  Bellary,  Cuddapah 
and  North  Arcot  (among  Tamils  and  Telugus) 
are  the  only  promising  districts  for  an  extra 
supply  of  coolies.  The  Immigration  Agent  should, 
at  once,  be  deputed  by  Government  to  visit  and 
report  on  these  districts. 
In  our  own  planting  districts,  matters  are  rapidly 
coming  to  a head.  A careful  planter,  not  100 
miles  from  Kotagala,  xvrites  : — 
“Crimping  is  of  daily  occurrence:  kanganis  go 
about  and  find  out  where  they  can  get  the  highest 
advances  and  then  give  notice.” 
A merchant  again  sends  us  evidence  of  the 
extraordinary  rates  per  head,  leading  proprietary 
planters,  are  prepared  to  pay  for  coolies  ; not  far 
off  RlOO  a head  apparentljL  We  are  aware  that 
planters  who  have  never  before  been  troubled 
about  tundus,  are  'vorried  this  season.  But  how 
is  it,  on  the  other  hand,  that  there  are  estates 
(iutheolderdistricts  especially)  on  which  advances 
have  never  been  given  or  asked  for  ? Is  it  on 
account  of  garden  and  other  sj)ecial  privileges  ? 
If  so  should  not  something  be  done  in 
this  direction  in  other  districts  to  keep  Ram- 
asami  more  “at  home”  and  contented:  how 
would  it  do  to  multiply  bouti(iues— so  that 
kanganis  and  coolies  need  not  wander  to  the 
big  central  bazaars  to  hear  all  “ the  scandal  ” 
and  to  get  tempted  ? 
♦ 
DOGS  AND  JACKALS. 
On  a coconut  plantation  near  Hanwella  are 
two  ordinary  village  watch  dogs.  They  are  fond 
of  hunting  on  their  own  account  and  have  been 
known  more  than  once  to  bring  down  and  kill 
a jackal,  probably  when  it  was  prowling  about 
their  master’s  fowlyard.  Is  this  unusual  ? 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
Ceylox  Tea  Exports.— We  learn  on  the 
usual  authority  that  the  total  shipments  for 
March  from  Colombo  equalled  9, 125,000  lb;  while 
the  estimate  for  April  is  to  10  millions  lb. 
CINCIIOXA  FRO.SPECTS. — We  referred  to  these 
the  other  day  as  so  poor  that  few  planters  in 
Ceylon  cared  even  to  allow  their  old  trees  to 
continue  in  existence.  But  here  is  a rather  more 
reassuring  report  from  the  latest  London  Chemist 
and  Druggist ; — 
Cinchona. — Since  the  last  Amsterdam  auctions 
several  parcels  have  been  sold  privately  at  full  prices. 
There  has  also  been  more  demand  for  Druggist  quill. 
In  the  Amsterdam  market  the  opinions  about  cinchona 
bark  are  very  conflicting,  but  the  majority  believe 
in  a lasting  improvement  on  account  of  the  decreased 
receipts  from  Java,  which,  they  maintain,  will  con- 
tinue to  (iwi.idle.  On  the  other  baud  there  is  also 
a p uty  w 10  siy  th  it  the  shipments  are  only  kept 
dow  1 fw  I 111),  an  1 -that  we  shall  be  swamped 
.igai  1 shortly  ; this,  however  is  the  minority,  and 
the  £ loling  generall  v has  improved  of  late.  The  April 
auction  will  be  a la  ge  one,  about  6,000  bales,  but 
still,  if  the  ,\I  irch  shipments  are  small  (and  this  will 
be  m ide  known  before  the  sale),  a good  result  is  ex- 
pected. It  is  Slid  that  the  Germ.iu  factories  are 
working  day  and  night  to  keep  pace  with  the  orders 
in  hand,  which  clashes  with  the  supposed  existence 
of  enormous  stocks  in  their  hands,  about  which  they 
are  always  talking.  At  all  events  the  consumption 
of  quinine  seems  to  have  been  enormous, 
