6 



manner, offering to make provision for the work 

 immediately at the Henaratgoda Institution, 

 and later on at the projected Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station at Anuradhapura. This con- 

 siderate offer the Commission accepted, offering 

 on behalf of Queensland to meet all necessary 

 cost. The Director arranged that the 'officer 

 in charge of the latter institution should assist 

 in the project. He also proffered the services of 

 an officer from the head office at Peradeniya to 

 supervise its development. 



In connection with the project the Commis- 

 sion had thought fit to endeavour to habituate 

 the Wild Cochineal Insect to feeding on certain 

 other kinds of Prickly-pear, including the com- 

 moner one of Queensland, Opuntia inermis. It 

 had, indeed, conveyed to Colombo living plants 

 of one or more of these kinds, in order to test 

 the possibility in this country in which the insect 

 had been found to develop with special vigour 

 and apparently unaffected by any parasites. Mr. 

 Lyne, however, was, in the interests of Ceylon, 

 naturally averse to the introduction of these 

 plants, being most eager to avoid all risk of 

 establishing by any chance such notorious pests 

 there. This attitude the Commission fully 

 appreciated, and therefore did not urge ithis 

 portion of the proposal. 



A visit was paid to the Henaratgoda Experi- 

 ment Station, an institution connected with the 

 Ceylon Department of Agriculture, where the 

 Conductor pointed out several places on the 

 station which could be made available as a 

 nursery for Priekly-pear plants and for raising 

 the Wild Cochineal Insect. One of these was 

 selected, and an area of about a quarter of an 

 acre, arranged for, to be exclusively set apart 

 for the work. This officer, by request of the 

 Commission, also undertook to have the area 

 fenced and the ground prepared for planting; 

 also, to receive the Prickly-pear destined for this 

 purpose. The cultivation of the species of 

 Prickly-pear naturalised in Ceylon — ^viz., 0. 

 monacantha, 0. dillenii, and Nopalea cocMneli- 

 fera — ^was planned, the lastmentioned to be 

 grown to a very limited extent. Infection of all 

 three was attempted. 



Some time later, one of the members of the 

 Commission revisited Ceylon and found that the 

 insects had become well established on 0. mona- 

 cantha and to a less extent on Nopalea, but had 

 not attacked 0. dillenii. It is, therefore, likely 

 that they will not infest our Australian pest 

 pears which are more allied to this last-mentioned 

 species than to the firstnamed. 



Whilst in South Africa, the Commission 

 asked that a further consignment of the Coccus- 

 infested pear {0. monacantha) be packed and 

 forwarded from Ceylon to Queensland according 

 to directions supplied.* 



Species op Pricklt-pear Occurring in Ceylon. 

 In regard to the species of pear occurring in 

 Ceylon, 0. monacantha, with its parti-coloured 

 petals, is present in scattered patches along the 

 southern, south-eastern, and south-western sea- 

 boards. A few specimens were also seen at 

 Heneratgoda, at Kandy, and also along the coast 

 in the Northern Province. 



* This has led to a second establishment of that 

 species of Wild Cochineal, Dr, Whdte referring to it in her 

 report for 1913 (p 72). 



0. dillenii is the common pear occurring in 

 the coastal districts of the north of the island, 

 and found occasionally as a hedge plant in the 

 vicinity of Colombo.- 



Nopalea cochinelifera is found here and 

 there growing in gardens and occasionally at 

 large. Whilst at Hambantota there were dis- 

 covered three or four very large plants of this 

 species, on which the precious cochineal of com- 

 merce the Grana fina, is said to thrive. These 

 occurred within a mile of the settlement, and, 

 although in the jungle, were in ground that 

 may have previously been under cultivation. 

 They were evidently many years old. It 

 appeared likely that they may have been pro- 

 cured and planted by Thomas Steele, Assistant 

 Government Agent, when it was thought by him 

 that the Wild Cochineal Insect that he had 

 observed might be the true Coccus cacti of com- 

 merce. 



While at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Pera- 

 deniya, opportunity was embraced for examin- 

 ing the small collection of Cactaceae in cultivation 

 there. In this the most prominent and vigorous 

 species were Nopalea cochinelifera and (?. 

 monacantha. Opuntia dillenii, as known to us, 

 was not comprised amongst the kinds grovm. 



Utilisation. 



The Commission has not witnessed the em- 

 ployment in Ceylon of either of the prevalent 

 species of Prickly-pear 'in any manner that would 

 suggest that they might be of any great use in 

 the industries or arts. 



In no place was it remarked that the plants 

 were used as a stock food; and although in the 

 Northern Province, where, as one of the members 

 of the Commission noticed, goats occasionally 

 nibbled the tender growth of Opuntia dillenii, the 

 possibility of the plants being used for fodder, 

 when represented to its inhabitants, seemed to be 

 in the nature of a revelation — a circumstance all 

 the more remarkable in view of the difficulty, 

 often experienced there, of providing their work- 

 ing cattle with ordinary sustenance. 



One interesting use for it had, however, been 

 discovered by the Tamil agriculturists of 

 Northern Ceylon — ^viz., as a source of supply of 

 humus for soils depleted of this valuable com- 

 ponent. Thus, it was not unusual to see fallowed 

 ground destined for the grovrth of tobacco, 

 brinjal, or other crops, covered completely with 

 the stem-joints of Opuntia dillenii, which were 

 about to be dug under by their implements, which 

 combine the features of spade and hoe. 



This use for the Prickly-pear is one whose 

 importance cannot be overlooked in a compara- 

 tively dry tropical country, where the develop- 

 ment of humus in the soil so essential to the 

 agriculturist, is diificult to bring about, and where 

 climatic conditions are so favourable to its dissi- 

 pation. 



In the Maranoa wheat-growing area in our 

 own State, as one of the Commission has seen, 

 our more prevalent Prickly-pear is occasionally 

 employed in this manner, and with good results ; 

 but observations in Ceylon confirm his previous 

 conclusion that it is a practice which might be 

 more commonly pursued in Western Queensland, 

 where the arable soils are naturally poor in 

 humus and soon become bereft of it. 



