340 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov, I, 1897. 
No. LI,— Medium District. 
(1) I consider wire shoots might be more used than 
at present. They do not damage the leaf. Wire 
shoots are most useful when they can also be made use 
of in manuring. 
(2) A wire shoot from cattle shed, wire at the far 
end which can be moved from one part to another of 
the estate. 
(3j I do not think so. 
(4) I do not think hand weeding could ever be 
overdone, but I have noticed great damage being done 
by the use of mamoties and carandies. 
(5) No. Not if hand weeding is done, 
(6) No. I think not. 
(7) The present system of drainage is satisfactory, 
and I am of opinion that nothing can be done to 
improve on it that would pay for the extra outlay. 
(8) By paying cash for anything over a certain 
number of pounds. But the coolies require to be looked 
after and always paid by the Manager himself. There 
is no doubt an estate can bo worked with two-thirds 
of the coolies if extra cash is paid and it is also 
cheaper. 
(9) Yes, any cooly that wishes a garden can 
generally have one. A cooly allowed to look after all 
the coolies’ cattle when out at grass. 
(10) No. 
(11) No. Great trouble is caused by the unlawful 
sale of fermented toddy by villagers, 
G. C. 
No. LIL— Medium District. 
(1) Planters as a rule do not let slip opportunities 
for adopting labour-saving appliances. Wire shoots 
do not necessarily damage leaf. 
(2) Wire tramways are the most paying appli- 
ances I know'. 
(3) The tramways you speak of are, I presume, 
small railways. They are not to be recommended as 
an estate appliance, but are possible as a district 
appliance. 
(4) Never ! Our contract system is our grandest 
labour-saving appliance. Indian men envy and 
wonder. 
(5) See answer to No. 4. 
((3) It would add to our labour troubles ; though as a 
manurial agent, it would do good. On the score of 
labour, I deem the experiment inadvisable. 
(7) Our drainage system has been often carried too 
far, removing too much moisture and thus checking 
the flush in dry weather. The rows of cuscus grass 
would only be a very partial remedy for wash. 
(8) The only imxiortaut direction in which labour 
might be saved is by the abandoning of unprofitable 
fields. 
(9) Nothing but fairness and justice. “ Suaviter 
in modo, fortiter in re.” The velvet glove covering 
the iron hand. 
(10) Each estate should have its own boutique run 
by the estate or a kangani ; and all kaddie-keepers 
and chetties should be deprived of the power to give 
credit to our coolies by an ordinance. 
(11) Rather ! No liquor shops if possible, and no 
liquor on credit. Government must step in and pro- 
t ct our coolies as soldiers are protected ; and we 
must be prepared to issue supplies ourselves to our 
coolies. In Australia, I believe, publicans can only 
recover a certain limit from all bushmen. So a law 
should be passed fixing say R12 per annum as the 
maximum legal credit or debt that can be recovered 
from a coolie. 
“ 1897.” 
No. Llll.— H igh District. 
(1) Wire shoots are certainly a great saving where 
roads are steep for transport and factories distant. 
Leaf I have never found damaged. 
(2) Leaf carts for transport where roads are avail- 
able. Machine or hand-packers in factories if cheaper 
would probably be more used. 
(3) There is too much horse traffic on most estate 
roads to allow of tramways being used, I doubt 
the saving even if practicable. 
(4) The average estate weeding (i.e. scraping) is 
overdone. Land weeded carefully by hand or small 
stick is always clean and consequently take less 
labour. Scraping and scrapers are generally winked at. 
(5) Moss on banks of drains and roads should be 
carefully left untouched. It keeps the soil up and 
does no harm. 
( 6 ) 
(7) Holes cut in alternate rows are being tried 
on some estates to catch wash and soil, and are 
proving effective. 
(8) A question most of us would like to know. 
Energy and a European S.D means more work from 
the coolies and a smaller force required. 
(9) Gardens are generally allowed, but very few 
contain anything worth growing. On estates where 
cattle and goats, etc., are allowed, the coolies stem 
content. 
(10) The less bazaars the better. Most estate coolies 
deal near their rice depots where they go on Sundays. 
(11) Liquor shops do not themselves directly do 
harm, but the retailing of arrack in the lines means 
several coolies absent from work.. 
K. H. 
REVIEW OF LETTERS NO.S. XLV TO LIII. 
The nine letters under notice are as full of 
interest and variety as tlieir predecessors. 
“A.F.S.” and “W.,” from a northern district 
are silent on wire-shoots and tramways ; while 
“ C,” from a high district, who eonfe.sses he has 
not much practical experience of shoots in the 
transport of leaf, inclines to tlie view that they 
must injure leaf to some extent. As one ounce 
of fact is to be preferred to a ton of theory, 
“C.” will be pleased to find considerably more 
than an ounce in the letters we have already 
reviewed, as also in many which follow his own 
welcome, if cautious, contribution. Thus “S.E.” 
of a mid-district is empiiatically m favour of shoots, 
and says that on steep gradients “shunts obviate 
any damage.” “R.,” from a high district, re- 
gards them as invaluable when ground is suit- 
able, though some places upcountry may be too 
steep, just as in the lowcountry the fall may 
be too flat for effective working ; but the chief 
obstacle to their more general employment is 
the intervention of ridges. “D.,” from Uva, 
thinks shoots might be more freely used, as 
they do not damage leaf if they are laid at an 
easy gradient. “G.C.”, from a medium district, 
endorses this view; and so does “1897,” who, 
however, considers wire tramways the most 
paying appliances in his experience; while 
“H.H.” goes further, and declares he has never 
found leaf damaged l>y the use of shoots, wliich 
he holds to be a great saving of labour where 
the roads are steep and factories distant. And 
yet, he does not disdain leaf carts, where roads 
are available. Ground tramways continue to find 
little favour with our correspondents, owing to 
their initial cost— though for district, as distin- 
guished from estate, purposes, they would bo 
welcomed in many directions. Among the other 
labour-saving appliances which are recommended, 
are machine or hand-packers in factories, if their 
cost could be lessened ; wire-shoots from cattle- 
sheds to be shifted to suitable points at the 
other end; tramways in factories; endless wire 
ropes, where the weight of a down-load brings 
an up-load ; the planters’ old friend the tavalam 
bullock ; while one writer regards the contract 
system— the envy and wonder, he says, of India 
— as the “grandest labour-saving appliance” of 
the country, and the most economical means of 
weeding ; and yet another thinks that cash for 
extra work beyond the task, would enable an 
