543 
Feb, I, 189 S.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
OUR PLANTING DISTRICTS, 
Three more District Reports of an interesting 
character for last year will be found below. 
In all three— Central Maskeliya, Pnndalu- 
oya and New Galway— crops, with few ex- 
ceptions, were nothing to boast of, Pundalu- 
oya, we are glad to see, is still going on with 
cardamoms — a crop which sometimes beats tea 
for profitable results. More coolies and cheaper 
rice are wants which we hope this year will see 
generally rectified. In our Maskeliya Report, 
we get the best idea yet supplied by any Dis. 
trict statement, of how the weather during the 
past year interfered with tea crops and esti« 
mates ; may it prove more favourable in 1898 
From New Galway, the one staring piece of 
folly is the non completion of the Railway 
Station connecting road. The longer it is de- 
layed, the longer must the railway receipts 
suffer. We must always maintain that this road 
should have been made in 1892 by the Govern- 
ment before the opening of the Uva line, and 
without reference to the few planters concerned 
in any way. It is chiefly required in the inter- 
ests of the Government and the native trading 
community of Weliniada and adjacent villages. 
The Planting Districts in 1897. 
PUNDALUOYA DISTRICT IN 1897. 
WeA'iheb.— On the whole very favourable. There 
have been no very long spells of drought, nor ex- 
cessive wet and cold. August was the stormiest month. 
Cbops —Tea leaf generally considerably below totals 
at same date in 1896. The small acreage of coffee 
left in the district is all on the northern side of the 
valley tNorth Pundaluoya and Eton) and gave what 
must now be considered a fair crop. 
Cabdamoms are cropping well in parts : but heavy, 
toll is taken of the fruit by petty pilferers- biped 
and otherwise. The rats are perhaps the worst 
enemies, and difficult to keep in check.^ 
Laboub Supply.- Though no very serious difficulty 
has been felt, most estates, with a few favoured ex- 
ceptions, could employ with advantage about a fourth 
more than they have. . 
Tbanspoet. — There seems to be no difficulty about 
transport. 
Roads.— In fair order. . . „ . 
The pkice of Rice has been exercising the mindi 
of planters. The Chetties have taken advantage of 
the^^recent slip to greatly advance their charges, on 
the plea that they have been compelled to cart their 
supplies for long distances. Those who had to go to 
the Chetties have had to pay as much as R5 30 per 
bushel. 
No particular grievance. 
NEW GALWAY IN 1897. 
The weather generally during the past year 
has been very abnormal, a good deal of 
rain fell during what we consider our 
driest months, while hot February-like weather 
was experienced in November, and the past leveu 
days have been rainless. 
The Tea Cbop has not been startlingly good, 
though I hear of one estate that has largely [exceeded 
its estimate. The very little yood coffee left has crop- 
ped fairly well, but the area under this product is 
getting smaller by degrees and wofully less. Of 
cinchona the less said the better, but several tons 
of acacia bark has found its way to the tan yard 
and the demand for seed of this valuable fuel tree 
{accacia decurrens) has been pretty brisk, as locally 
grown seed is more reliable than imported which is 
often very mixed. 
The Laboub Supply, as far as quantity goes has 
been ample, but there has been more “ moving on ” 
than usual, which means higher advances and less work, 
67 
Tbanspoet as usual. 
The Ambawella Station Road will probably be 
finished to the ctd de sac by 31st January, 1898, but 
official pig-headedness and Highland obstinacy com- 
bined still leave an impassable ridge away in the 
centre of the trace, while rumour has it that the 
station master at Ambawella will have to act the role 
of toll-keeper in addition to his present arduous (?) 
duties. 
Rice and othee Supplies have been dearer than 
for many years past, but have always been prO> 
curable, 
OuB Chief Gbieyance is the dishonest rupee which 
appears to have increased the bump of caution already 
pretty fully developed by our caterers, and when 
yon see an English article with “ price sixpence ’’ 
printed on it, marked Rl’25 nett, it's enough to make 
anyone cave in and long for a planters’ Co-operativa 
Store with bead office in Colombo and branches in 
the principal upcountry centres. 
CENTRAL MASKELIYA IN 1897. 
Weatheb. — The first half of the year just ended 
might be called nominal as regards weather. At 
this end of the valley, the rains from N.-E. in 
April and May were disappointing, which is often 
the case in these months. The Castlereagh Trig 
range on the one side, and the Goweravilla ana 
Peak range on the other, divide the thunder and 
rain clouds that come over from the Hortons and 
across Bogawantalawa giving welcome rains to the 
upper end of the valley and all [round, but toO 
often leaving us in our parched state with fine flushes 
drying up and going to bangy. The leaf came in 
steadily during the first six months and without any 
great rush in April-May. In fact the older tea gets, 
the steadier the leaf seems to come in, although two 
to three months in the Spring and the same in the 
Autumn are always heavier. The last six months 
of the year are invariably the poorest as regards 
flush, but the last half of 1897 was unnanally so. The 
S.-W. monsoon broke with the usual thunder storms 
accompanied by wind and rain. This, we think 
nothing of, any time during June, July and August, 
but we look for a little snuehine in September 
and October, and generally get it to dry things 
np and start growth again; bat this year, M- 
though there were only 36 days on which rain 
fell in these two months, there wore only wven 
sunny days out of the 61, and during the whole 
time there was a cold bleak wind from S.-W. keep- 
iug the temperature unusually low, which, succeed- 
ing the three monsoon months, retarded growth still 
more. With the advent of the N.-E., November 
started pretty well, but this month as well as Decem- 
ber did not do so well as usual. 
The rainfall for the year was 124'65 on 188 rainy 
days against an average (for 20 years) of 141’fiO 
inches. The half-yearly averages for the same 
period being 
Jany. to June rain 56'60 inches — Rainy days 64 
July to Deo. „ 85’90 „ „ „ Ifil 
Cbop- was in nearly every case short of esti- 
mates owing to the unfavorable weather. The 
quality in some cases varied a little, oompared with 
previous seasons, bnt was on the whole fairly well 
maintained. The drop in the market was dis- 
appointing, but this we have to face and fight as 
we are doing, that Is the market, bnt an artificial 
exchange is a direct impost much harder to bear, 
and I hope will soon be done away with. 
Transport and Roads.— Cart transport to the rail- 
way station gives no trouble. The hoof and mouth 
disease talked of so much in connection with light 
railways and road trams is a bugbear. Our tran- 
sport is as cheaply and more conveniently done than 
it could ever be by light rail or tramway. Onr 
roads were never better kept or in such good 
condition. The cost of upkeep is a good deal 
more than it was a few years ago, but not more, 
I should say, than proportionate with the extra traffic, 
