August i, i8qi.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
143 
were harvested during the year, bnt the bulk of this 
being held with the hope that prices will improve. 
Cahdauoms.— T he acreage ander oardaiLuma given 
295 anti the crop at 7,100 ib. 
Tobacco hne beeu tried for the first time on a iarp’O 
scale in the MaduUiiua diAtrict, aud 2(X) cwt. have 
been snccespf ally cured and favourably reported upon. 
If the experiment should prove fii.ancially 8r.oces>tnl 
it will no Joubi lead to more expensive cultivatir-u. 
Cacao at reoenk prices has proved v:.'ry profitable, 
and its ouUivarioo appears to bo now hotter nnder'loud, 
but the area available for it is rt‘strioted. The intro* 
duotioii of suitable shade trees has worked wonders in 
resuscitating old and apparently woru*out trees, and 
it is to be hoped that whenever suitable soil is 
available the planting of cacao will now be extended. 
It is most diaappointiug to find bow little inkeresii 
the natives take in growing cacao, for in the native 
gardens as a rule are to be tound the soil and Rurroutal* 
logs most oi»iit’woive to its successful cultivation. 725 
sen 8 are under cultivation, and the crop for the year 
amounted to 1.060 cwt. 
COCONUT PLANTING IN THE LITTORAL 
OF THE N.-W. PROVINCE. 
It is noi often that I trouble the “ Old Rat? " 
With ‘a few remutka,’ sD I hope you will give the 
following a spare corner in an early irsue in ho 
interest of thos'- who, unall''!' '^d hv *h' glaoi' u 
‘‘ tVa," wi 1 I'un . it dea rab' • fi id s .t.-’ .rolu 
other than that dan?ei'OU8ly ver doiio r . :i 
wliioh capital might be inverted v ; a a p/"' - .1 f 
equally valuable if not equally q lick tolurne. 
itefersnoe ia of course tnaue to “Coconuts," and 
eapecially to coconuts in the Chilaw district, which 
aro rapidly making it one of the most promising nf 
the younger districts in tho Island. Since last 
writini?, the further progress of couverting unprofit- 
able jungle into thiivmg y.iung jilantalione of 
coconuts, plantains and manioc — well laid out and 
neatly hedged with sap;’an fences — has gone on at 
a steady rate; and where foimerly solitude and all 
it means reigned supreme, one now sees signs of 
life and health, prosp lity and happiness on every 
side ; due almost entirely to tho now start which 
agriculture has made hero and enhanced by the 
beneficial eileot.s of regular and healthy toil upon the 
people. Sufficient time has now elapsed sincoplam- 
‘JJK 'vai begun, in real earnest, north of tho river 
Deduruoya- (not inaptly termed by strangers “ tiie 
Ureadoya,” and whicli wo liopo to see spaoiied by a 
substantial iron bri 'ge shortly) — to enable us to 
a rive at reliable conolusions as to the aUiying 
pruperties of our soil, tl e sandy iiituro of wh.oh 
nas so often proved a stumbling block to oili'r- 
wiMo willing settlers. FHoa within my knowledge 
nave commenced to blossom in the Ctli year, 
and in the 7(h y-ar (quite unaided by manure) 
are now bowiog from 12 to 15 per oert of the 
total nuti.bcr of trees carrying very fait crops. 
These figur. s ere well within the mark. These 
trees have not tlia sickly, early-bearing, early 
coaymg look about them tliat one m'ght ouspoot; 
n tuu contrary, they imvo all the apiiearaiio 
that only thoroughly well-eslal lishod palms from 
gool seed can dev. lope, v.z, big boles, beaUhv 
bark, dark gloasv foliage and well termed nm 
disunctly denoting that an abundance m 
pro.esnt. _ To say that this state of .ini ' 
not ooulinuo for very long on onr m 
wiUiout oiieinioal aid Is saving m 
say that with tho natural adapta'bUii ■ 
the particular form o> root-growth o 
quesiion, — with the per nnial inoi- . .. r:) -. . 
at a moderate depth which . . enabled 
W’thatau.l already one 
inll! ‘'fought,— with the salt-laden breezes 
luoeasantly sweeping over the land and the example 
of mature trees close by in robust health, and with a 
modicum of manure (without which no real oultiva- 
tion can be carried on) applied judiciously — the trees 
will respond to tho extent of returning two rupees 
where only one was expended, is I think as true 
as it is satisfactory to landholders. Grass is 
abundant, and oonsequcully cattle-manure can be 
availed of at a small cost. Labor is now more 
plentiful than formerly, sinoe most of ihe dinbalese 
villagers bavo bad it practically demonalrated to 
them, that a good day's work will earn a good 
day'a wage, and bavs thrown off their so-oalled 
" inherent ” laziness, and go to work regularly, 
except during sowing and harvest and tbeir all-too- 
frequsnt festivals, whioh, however, oan only be looked 
upon patiently and as a set off to the absence of 
that troublesome system of coast advances in 
vogue in oouncotion with Tamil immigrants. There 
is a very large extent of land in this and the 
adjoining distriols suitable for the cultivation of 
eooonuts and whioh the Government is, 1 think, 
desirous of selling. It will all be ultimately sold 
and the best blocks will of eourso go first, and 
my main object in writing now ia to put the 
matter before the Planting public as one solution 
of tho difficulty in regard to easing the tea in- 
dustiy of the burden of ocugostion whioh 
undoubtedly Ihrontens it, but whioh 1 lor one 
, m many yeara to oome. 
I ropoaii- . a fancy to oooonut 
, n'io •, cl . taiu fsUaoies whioh 
ii.ive t.l. I nda, oonecrniiig delay 
i.. .ibta • l iur'- i ii ; loir o.-ipHal amongst 
other f' irii.., but ihose fallaoies are now exploded; 
and if Europeaas still continue to believe in them, 
tho Ceylontse do not, and they are now making 
all the running. You will excuse the length of this 
leitir, but will recognise the importiinoe of the 
fiiii’ing some outlet for the capita' and energies of 
the Ceylon planter. You may give my name to 
anyone desirous of making enquiries, to whom I 
shell bo happy to give all information in my 
power. G. D. M. 
[Mo one can doubt the iinportanoo of tbs ooeonut 
planting enterprise ;- -the prsotioally permanent 
character of a coconut plantation, when it is onoo 
in full bearing, so that in a good form of inheri- 
tance tor one's family, being a full oompenaation ■ 
for delayed returns. Tho establishment of desioca- 
tiu ; factories, for the product of whioh there is, 
ep rt from Britain and Europe generally, 
a N ery largo demand in the Uiii'sd States, adds a 
new item to the exported products of the palm, 
I while, as population increases, the already great 
load demand will go on Isrgdy inoreasing. As our 
I oorrcB; oudent has mentioned plantains, we should 
lik, to know if this aulture is ns exhaustive iu 
the N .rth Wtsslern as in the Eastern Province, 
wli .re, according to an administration report, a 
pluutain ohena ia abandoned at the end of three 
years. In Western hemisphere plantain orohsrds 
» e n to last many years with no other manure 
thsa that of ihe decaying ptalks and leaves, — so 
WD have recently read,— Hn T. A.l 
TEA PREPARING AtAOlllNERY. 
It seems to be generally acknowledged that 
Ih re is no bettor machine of its kind than Messrs. 
Brown, Rao & Co.’s Tea Sifter. We hear it well 
spoken of on every aide, anl combined with the 
‘ Elston ’’ Cutter, it is likely to grow in planting 
favour. Tho makare are kept so busy with orders 
that as a merchant entirely oounected with them, 
informs us, th-'y are looked full with orders to 
cover at least three mouths to oome I AUogather 
the firm have sold over 200 Sillers and several 
have gone to India, indeed as far as Assam 
from Ceylon 
