248 THE TROPICAL 
How to Economise the Avail- 
able Labour Supply. 
QUESTIONS. 
IN OUIi CinCUL.Ut TO PLANTERS AND ENGINEERS. 
(1.) Have you had any experience of Wire Shoots, 
or seeing their working, and do you think them appli- 
cable much more freely then at present on estates ? 
Do they damage tea leaf ? 
(2.) Particulars of any other Labour-saving appli- 
ances in field or factory of which you have had ex- 
perience, or have noted among your neighbours ? 
(3.) Could small Tramways 18-in. or 12-in. gauge 
be applied profitably on average estates to save trans- 
port coolies ? 
(4.) On Weeding. Has it ever struck you that 
weeding (both of coffee and tea) was overdone in 
Ceylon ? 
(5.) With reference to saving Labour as well as 
saving soil, would you advise an experiment in less 
frequent weeding, or in what may be called, selected 
weeding — that is the leaving of mosses, selaginellas, 
small ferns, and other such small plants ? 
(6.) Have you ever tried as experiment in culti- 
vating any crop (of lupines, clovers — N.B., not the 
Oxalis, a common and obnoxious weed like a trefoil — ) 
to he dug into the soil, or would you advise such 
an experiment ? 
(7.) Is the present system of Drainage satisfac- 
tory ? Could any partical means be devised for 
trapping or retaining the vast amount of soil that 
is annually carried away with the surface water ? A 
favourable account has reached us of the result of 
planting rows of cuscus grass (which neither seeds 
nor spreads) above the drains — these grew close and 
strong, forming a barrier against soil being washed 
down, while allowing the rain to pass through. 
(8.) Kindly mention any means in other directions 
in connection with the usual plantation work where 
Labour might he saved ? 
Next as to keeping Labour, would you 
(9.) Suggest any special perquisites to coolies — 
is the giving or ground for gardens to each lines 
generally observed — and where not, would it not make 
them more contended ? 
(10.) Would you advise the multiplying of bou- 
tiques or bazaars — until each two or three estates 
have their own— in order to prevent coolies wander- 
ing a distance and being tempted ? 
(11.) Are you troubled with a liqourshop in your 
neighbourhood, and do you think labour would be 
saved if liquorshops were abolished, or reduced in 
number, in the purely planting districts ? 
ANSWElIS:-No. I. 
Dikoya. 
(1.) 1 have worked wire shoots for many years, and 
find them of the greatest use, and most economical 
in transport of leaf and firewood, and consider they 
should be used on all steep estates. I don’t think 
they do much harm to leaf if care is taken to have 
a good buffer at end of shoot, and the leaf taken 
out of sack as soon as it arrives at lower end. 
(2.) I use single bullock carts for transport of 
bulky manures ; they can go on a 5 to' 6 ft. road, and 
amply replay cost of road construction, in yearly 
saving on application of bulky manures. When ap 
plying bulky manures, the carriage from the road 
to the different parts of the field, should be done by 
men in sacks; this cheapens application, as they carry 
more in sacks. 
(3.) I have no experience of Tramways. 
(4, 5.) I don’t think any harm is done by hand 
weeding, though much damage is done when scrapers 
are allowed. Nowadays with scarcity of labour it is 
more than ever important to keep estates free from 
weeds, as an additional inducement to Ranganies and 
coolies, who make money out of their contracts, and 
it keeps them contented. A weedy estate is harder 
to provide with labour, unless they have some other 
compensating advantages. 
AGRICULTURIST, [Oct. i, 1897. 
(6.) I have never tried any experiment of grow- 
ing clovers, to be dug into the soil, although I think 
they would probably do good ; but for the reasons 
stated above, relative to labour — I would not go in 
for it. 
(7.) Tea responds w'ell to close draining, and 
requires closer drainage than coffee used to ; if this 
is well done, I think the loss of soil would not be 
great. I have never tried planting rows of cuscus 
grass above the drains, if it could be kept under 
control, I think it would be advantageous. 
(8.) If care is taken beforehand, a great deal of 
transport can be saved by coolies carrying to and 
from work, timber, &c., stones for Factory, if build- 
ing is going on, if it is so arranged that it is ready 
for the coolies near where they leave off work ; fire- 
wood too, can be carried this way, and artificial 
manure can be carried in light loads by the pluckers 
from factory to fields nearer to point of application. 
All this if arranged beforehand, saves putting on 
special transport coolies, and is no great delay or 
trouble to the pluckers or pruuers going in that 
direction. 
(9.) Coolies like gardens round their lines, but I 
think it is only the few who take trouble to crop 
them. Allowing coolies to keep cattle is a great 
inducement, and it pays to give up some gr.iss ravines 
for their use, and after building small shedi for 
their cattle, they are less likely to wish to move. 
(10.) No. I don’t advise increasing bazaars, the 
coolies would only increase their debts ; but I think 
it pays to get rice carted each Sunday to the near- 
est point to the estate, so as to avoid the absolute 
necessity of all the coolies going to the big bazaars 
of the district, as there is no doubt, they are often 
crimped. 
(11) I have not suffered any inconveniencs from 
liquor shops, and do not think their total abolition 
necessary, though I should not like to see their 
numbers increased. DIKOYA. 
No. II. 
(1.) I have worked a wire shoot for some years, 
but only used it for firewood, and on the majority 
of estates, do not think much labour could be saved 
if used to convey leaf to the Factorj'. 
(4.) I believe strongly in clean weeding and with 
reference to questions 4, 5, 6 and 7 think that to 
a great extent, the planting of Grevilleas regularly 
through the tea meets the difficulty. Planted closely 
to start with, and thinned out as they increase in 
size they not only supply a certain amount of fire- 
wood, but do good to the tea. They manure the land 
with the quantity of leaf that falls, reduce the num- 
ber of coolies required for weeding and prevent waste. 
(9.) I believe in giving ground for gardens to the 
coolies and think it helps to make them contented 
and to stop on the estate. 
(11.) The fewer the liquorshops the better. I find 
coolies who never drank arrack except at their annual 
festivals now drink it daily, owing to the proximity 
of an arrack tavern which benefits the proprietors of 
the tavern onli/. BOGAWANTALAWA. 
No. III.— Alagala. 
(1.) I have had no experience in working a wire 
shoot, but I have often seen one at %vork. It might 
be more largely employed in saving the labour of 
conveying the morniog’s delivery of tea to the 
Factory. I have not observed leaf damaged by the 
transit. The wire is useful in carrying fuel. 
(2,) I have not observed any other appliances worked 
to save labour. Managers are keen to adopt any such 
that might arise. 
(3.) Small tramways could be profitably employed 
on Estates of over 600 acres in extent, when the 
wire could not be used, and when land upon which to 
lay the tram is free, but upon small estates the ex- 
penditure would be prohibitory. Indeed I believe 
a narrow road for conveying leaf by carts where a 
wire could not be used would be cheaper. 
(4.) Hand weeding it without the use of anything but 
a small piece of wood would loosen only a trifling 
