BOEROWING EiCB» 
H'ce is done, and he must have the loan retnrned. oS 
that here we are between two fires, and are t*eminde<i 
of the old saying ** Go borrowing, go sorrowing.” The 
rice must be had, we are constrained to bmy in the 
nearest bazar at some exorbitant rate, or send coolies to 
Gampola, to purchase the rice, and return it to onr ob- 
liging friend. Judge of the feelings of our starving 
coolies on being sent to carry loads of rice to their 
fellow-labourers, on another estate : they themselves 
being in want, and dare not touch a measure of it» 
This borrowing of rice was a sorry job ; the expense 
of sending for it, and sending it back, if taken into 
consideration, frequently made the article dearer than 
if we had actually bought it at some very high priee 
when we first required it ; but what could we do ! It 
often was not to be bought at any prioe» 
Manuring was little practised, and certainly not to 
»ny extent, which was as well, because, if we did not 
weed or prune, it was useless to manure. There were 
comparatively few estates on which cart-roads were 
cut, so that any operation in this way was carried 
out by cooly labour alone. This was dune by means 
of open baskets made of bamboo, similar in shape to 
a teacup. The baskets were made on the estate. 
Itinerant gangs of basket-makers perambulated the 
country, visiting the various estates in search of employ- 
ment. When obtained, the superintendent made an 
engagement with them to furnish so many hundred 
baskets, at so much each : the general price given 
might be 4d or 6d each, it being also in the engage- 
ment whether or not the basket-makers cut and carry 
their required material, which are cuttings of bamboo. 
This bamboo is generally, in many of the jungles, 
found growing luxuriantly in patches. Some open shed 
is given up to the basket-makers, in which they can 
work. Their first proceeding is to go out into the 
jungle, with long knives, in search of bamboo, which 
they cut down and carry in considerable quantities to 
the shed assigned for their use, then with their kniveai 
they slit the bamboo up into strips of about half an 
inch thick, scraping off the bark and all rough fibreB, 
then the framework of the basket is set with strong 
pieces of bambo, so that it presents somewhat the 
appearance of a ship in process of building, only round 5 
the long strips of bamboo, about half an inch thick 
are then fitted and twisted in round these ribs, 
beaten tight down with the back of the knife. One 
man will make from three to six of these in a day, 
according to his experience. As these baskets were 
made of green wood, it was advisable to keep them 
a few days in the sun before using them. 
The manuring was soon got through. The pulp pit 
