August, 1912.] 



133 



Group B. —This class comprises the officers who come next in respect of 

 length of service, viz., Mr. W. Molegode, who is in charge of the 

 Central Province and Uva, where, as a member of the Kandyan 

 community, he has special opportunities for furthering the objects 

 of the Society. Mr. N. M. Jayasuriya is stationed for a term in the 

 Kegalla District, and is giving a good account of himself. 

 Group C— Messrs. A. Madanayake, P. B. M. Bandaranayake, M. J. A. 

 Karunanayake, and 0. K. Sathasivam make up the junior staff of 

 officers, who have hitherto been working under supervision. 

 Mr. Madanayake was recently sent to Kurunegala on probation, and is 

 in charge of the Balalla garden ; Mr. Bandaranayake has been stationed in the 

 Hambantota District, giving particular attention to paddy work at Tissamaharama. 

 Mr. Karunanayake has been in charge of the Society's seed store in Colombo, and 

 has had to attend to the distribution of plants and seeds, while paying weekly 

 visits to the Bandaragama garden. 



The office staff is composed of a head clerk (Mr. J. S. de Silva), assistant 

 clerk (Mr. W. A. W, Gunawardene), and two junior hands, whose special duties are 

 as typists and registering clerks. 



I should like to make special mention of the faithful services rendered by 

 Mr. de Silva and his assistant, and express my appreciation of the substantial 

 work done by the former from the inception of the Society. 



Model and Experimental Gardens. 

 These gardens, which vary in size from two to fifteen acres, are carrying on 

 work of a special character, according to the districts which they serve. 



The Bandaragama garden, situated seven miles from Panadure, is in the 

 main an orchard of oranges and other kinds of tropical fruit, including a large 

 section under pineapples. A small extent is devoted to vegetables, and the Govern- 

 ment circuit bungalow, which has been erected on the premises, stands on an orna- 

 mental plot of ground. 



The Societyi acting on the pound-for- pound principle, contributes to the 

 maintenance fund a sum equal to that raised locally. The garden, which is directly 

 under the supervision of Mr. J. A Wirasinghe, Mudaliyar of Rayigam Korale 

 (whose interest in the improvement of his district is as genuine as it is sus- 

 tained), was started by Mr. Conroy when Assistant Government Agent of Kalutara, 

 and receives the warm support of his successor, Mr. Plant. 



The Kegalla garden, situated in the town, receives similar aid. It was 

 originally maintained by the Local Board, and its subsequent development begun 

 during the time of Mr. Conroy, was effected by Mr. Wickremaratne, and is being 

 kept up by Mr. Jayasuriya. 



The Balalla garden, three miles from Maho railway station, has been 

 worked under considerable disadvantages, situated as it is in a backward part of 

 the North-Western Province, where labour is difficult to get and severe droughts 

 prevail. The object with which it was started was to demonstrate the growing of 

 dry-land crops according to a system of rotation outlined in the Society's leaflet 

 No. 35. The Wanni hatpattu, in which Balalla lies, is known to have been at one 

 time a cotton-raising district, and it was hoped to revive the industry by encour- 

 aging the cultivation of a better variety of cotton than the coarse short-staple 

 " Tinevelly," which was commonly grown in chenas from early times. So far the 

 idea of carrying out a system of rotation, with cotton as the chief crop, cannot be 

 pronounced a success, but the results from cotton itself have been decidedly en- 

 couraging, so much so that the proposal to close the garden, owing to obstacles 

 in the way of efficient maintenance, has not met with the approval of the Govern,* 



