Pegetahles of Ceylon. 337 
I have already mentioned a species of jessamine, which is worn 
by the ladies of Ceylon, both on account of its odour and 
the ornamental appearance of its beautiful white flowers. The 
scent is too powerful for an European, but is highly esteemed 
among the natives. 
Tlie champaca produces flowers of a most elegant saffron colour, 
with which the native women adorn their hair, and produce a 
fine contrast to its glossy jet. They are also accustomed to 
strew it over their beds and furniture. 
As the chief food of the natives consists of rice, so their 
principal labour consists in the cultivation of it. It is sown 
chiefly in the level lands towards the southwest of the island. 
In the interior, little in proportion is sown, owing to the woods 
and the steep nature of the country, which prevent the rice 
from being properly flooded. The manner of cultivating it is 
as follows : around the fields intended for the reception of the 
rice small embankments are raised to the height of about three 
feet, to retain the water, which being then let in upon the 
grounds levelled on purpose, soon completely inundates them. 
As soon as the fields begin again to get dry, buffaloes are in- 
troduced to tread them over, or they are turned up with a 
sort of light plough, which I have already described in a for- 
mer part of this work. The ground, thus prepared, looks like 
one large tract of mud ; and in this state it receives the rice, 
which has previously been steeped in water mixed with tlie 
lime of burnt shells. The soil is afterwards levelled, and pre- 
vented from caking into lumps by a sort of harrow or rake, 
which consists simply of a piece of board fixed to a pole, and 
drawn edgewise along. 
As the rice will not thrive without the ground being com- 
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