Oct. I, 1897,] 
THfi TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
28 £ 
(10) No the cooly lik« everybody else prefers going 
to “London” to bny his provisions, where there 
is sufficient competition to ensure his getting alt 
he wants at fair market rates, which he does not 
do in Estate kaddies : these are generally run by 
kan<^anies or their friends who give ‘ tick, with the 
object of getting the individual cooly more and more 
into their clutches. ... u ff..,. 
(II9 Yes. The fewer liquor shops the better. 
S. 
XXI.— Lowcountry. 
(1.) Where transportof manure and firewood is down- 
hill there is no question of the utility of shoots. For 
tea-leaf, wire tramways worked by power at the 
store will save crushing and damage, and loads can 
be sent up-hill. . j ^ ..u- 
(3) My experience of tramways is confined to this 
estate where we have a 2 „ft. tram. It saves a 
deal of labor. Each car fully laden (4,000 lb) is 
moved by four coolies. , t , 
(4.) Yes. I always thought that the system I have 
read of as applied elsewhere, of cutting down weeds, 
as the correct and scientific one. , , t i 
(5.) When I was an up-country planter I always 
encouraged the growth of mosses and other low 
forms of vegetation as soil binders. 
(6 ) Mr. Holloway, shewed me some years ago a 
field on which he had experimented with green- 
manuring and it looked very well. ...... 
(7.) On ArapolakandCjin the Kalutara district, terrac- 
ino' with stones between drains was successfully tried 
by” Mr. J. Newman. Cuscus above drains is good. 
In the old coffee days I saw from a distance an estate 
with guinea grass both above roads 8.nU drams. 
Wash was said to be effectually stopped. . . _ 
(9.) I would suggest that coolies who work 24 days 
and over a month be paid an increased rate of wages. 
Gardens are much appreciated. 
(10 ) We have enough of boutiques down this way 
and I do not think their multiplication will do much 
Liquor shops, licit and illicit, are the curse 
of the country. Coolies who patronize them do not 
work steadily and they steal produce. B.W, 
XXTI. 
(Engineer’s Opinion.) 
(1.) Yes 1 I have erected many, and they could be 
much more freely used than at present. If properly 
erected at an easy gradient (not too steep) they do 
not damage tea leaf. 
(2. ) Endless wire rope tramways could be very muofi 
more freely used and effect an inwiense saving in 
transport. ^ , , , 
(3) Yes ! but not on the average estate ; but cer- 
tainly a good many labour-saving appliances. 
In my opinion, water power could be much more 
freely used, especially as regards estates having a 
small quantity of water and a large fall, where Pelton 
wheels are applicable ; of which I have very consi- 
derable experience. 
Many estates are now working with a steam engine 
the whole ye :r round, and water power obtainable 
for say 8 to 10 months in the year, at very little 
'^"Transport of firewood is often very heavy and 
a job the coolies don’t care about. 
XXIII.— Low District. 
(1 ) Yes Where they can be used profitably, they 
have as a rule been put up. This applies to the trans- 
Dort of firewood, as on few estates can they be used 
profitably for the transport ot leaf. No, not to any 
great extent. 
(2.) None known-tramways. 
(3 ) Doubtful. Their first cost (I presume at least 
500—2,000 a mile) would be too great and the amount 
of ’traffic relatively too small for the earnings of such 
lines to cover interest on capital. This applies to the 
ordinary estate where the factory is more or less cen- 
trally situated. 
(4.L No. The soil is 1 10 poor to support anything 
but tea, which is a sufficiently heavy crop in 
itself. In new clearings especially, the cleaner 
the ground, the better the growth of the plants. 
Moss, however, when left does not seem to do 
' harm, but it will only grow on certain spots. 
What is undoubtedly wanted is some plant that 
while spreading thickly over the ground and form- 
ing a mat would take little or nothing out of the 
(5.)j soil. I know of none such. 
6. No. It might be tried on flat land ; but any such 
experiment on sloping land would through the 
thorough loosening of the soil only increase the amount 
of wash. 
7. Fairly so, but the best means of stopping wash , 
would be the thorough terracing of new clearings before 
planting; impracticable on account of expense. I know 
nothing of the grass mentioned and am afraid unless 
the rows were planted very close al through the tea, 
it would be useless. 
(8.) I think, in connection with transport of leaf, 
more use might be made of tavalam bulls for ordinary 
transport, where the factory is *ay distance from the 
work. 
(9.) Yes, a cooly is undoubtedly less prone to leave 
an estate where he has his own patch of garden. 
Most lines have gardens round them. 
(10.) Yes, a very good idea, especially if one or two 
boutiques were run in connection with or under super- 
vision of the estates, coolies to be allowed to purchase 
so much per month, amount to be debited them in 
the Check Roll and paid to boutique-keeper at end 
of month. Estate to equalize prices, &c. 
(11.) No. The curse of the cooly is not the liquor 
shop per se, but the illicit sale of arrack on estates 
brought either by outsiders or coolies belonging thereto. 
This is more prevalent than is generally known and is 
most difficult to detect. K. V. 
No. XXI Y.— High-Medium District. 
(I) Yes! No, not at all events to any appreciable 
extent. 
g (2) 1 have seen nothing used in the matter of labor 
saving appliances other than what has been 
published. 
(3) Where manuring is done to any extent, trams 
would no doubt^ be very serviceable. I have, however, 
had no experience. 
(4) Yes! where scraper or mamoty weeding has to 
be done it simply loosens the soil for the next rain 
to wash it into drains, and from thence to ravine or 
other outlet. 
(5) Mosses tend to keep soil together ; also, I think 
to keep ground moist in dry weather. 
(6) Cannot venture an opinion. 
(7) I have seen, on a small patch, a ledge of tea 
immediately above roads and drains, and it undoubt- 
edly proved a barrier against soil hemg washed away. 
(9) I am a great believer in leta co> lies have a 
strip of garden ground, for if they ever cultivate it, 
they take an interest in it, and are loathe to throw 
it all up at the bidding of their cangany. I believe 
in distributing vegetable seeds. 
(10- Coolies prefer to meet, at some central place 
for their weekly supplies, as they can then depend on 
seeing their relations and friends. Boutiques on 
estates I think, generally lead to illicit sale of arrack, 
and perhaps for reception of stolen produce. 
(II) Liquor shops in the neighbourhood of estates 
are a perfect curse and genei-ally mean at least ten 
per cent more loafers about estate lines, than there 
would otherwise be. 
“LUNUGALLA.” 
No. XXV.— High District. 
(1) Evei’y tea estate ought to have wire shoots 
leading to the factory wherever the lay of the land is 
favourable. The damage they do to tea leaf is 
practically nil. 
