Miscellaneous. 



58 



[January, 1910. 



Implements and Appliances. 



The Secretary's visit to the Ham- 

 bantota District was chiefly in connec- 

 tion with the ploughing operations 

 carried on there. It was reported that 

 some difficulty was being experienced in 

 the setting ct the " Meston," and that 

 the arm of the " Climax " required 

 strengthening, and these matters receiv- 

 ed attention. The American " Pony " 

 plough is proving to be the most satis- 

 factory of the three, and wheu the 

 cultivators have become reconciled to 

 its novel appearance and weight, and 

 see the economical work it does, they 

 will probably not mind the extra cost. 

 The more intelligent, who can afford 

 to pay its value, are adopting this 

 implement, 



Mr. Valoopilley, writing on October 

 15 from Anureidhapura, reports : " The 

 Pony plough and the Cultivator do good 

 work. They are not at all too heavy for 

 a good ordinary pair of bulls. I have 

 decided to cultivate about 25 acres this 

 year with the aid of these implements. 

 I beg to thank the Society aud its 

 Agricultural Instructor, Mr. Chelliah, 

 for their assistance." 



The Government Agent, Eastern Pro- 

 vince, writing on October 4, forwards 

 a letter from Mr. J. W. Cotton, of 

 " Easter Seaton," Batticaloa, who states : 

 "The Pony plough is the best of the 

 three." 



The following letter, received as this 

 report was being drawn up, furnishes 

 pleasing testimony of the good work 

 done by the Society in rescuing the 

 cultivators of the Hambantota District 

 from financial loss and possible want • — 



" Sir, — In continuation of my letter 

 No. 3,865 of the 4th instant, I have the 

 honour to inform you that the results of 

 the work done by the Society's officers 

 are most gratifying. 



"2. A large acreage of land has been 

 ploughed, and I do not anticipate that 

 at the end of the cultivation much less 

 land will be sown than in previous 

 years. What this means may be under- 

 stood from the fact that between 4,000 

 to 5,000 acres are normally cultivated, 

 and that the buffaloes now in Tissa are 

 scarcely sufficient to mud 500 acres. The 

 result is largely due to the assistance 

 given by your Instructors. 



" I am, &c, 



"L. S. WOOLP. 

 "Assistant Government Agent." 

 Paddy, 



Mr. IV. A. S. Jayasuriya, whose experi- 

 ment in the cultivation of paddy by 

 transplantation was referred to in the 



last Progress Report, has furnished the 

 following details :—" The extent culti- 

 vated was one acre, the quantity trans- 

 planted eight seers, the yield 79 bushels, 

 of which, however, 49 bushels repre- 

 sented good seed, 7-h broken in threshing, 

 and the balance empty grains. The only 

 additional expense was on account of 

 transplanting (Rs. 4'50) and manure (Rs. 

 2-50). The highest yield of my broadcast 

 fields for the same period was 20 bushels 

 per acre, and for these 2 bushels of seed 

 per acre were used. Taking the yield 

 in the transplanted bed to be, in round 

 numbers, 50 bushels, we get with £ bushel 

 (8 seers) of seed a yield equal to 200-fold, 

 while with broadcasting the yield is 

 only equal to 10-fold. The distance 

 observed in planting out was 9 inches 

 each way." 



The teacher of Talatn-oya Boys ' 

 Vernacular School is conducting an 

 experiment in paddy cultivation by 

 transplanting, under the instruction of 

 Mr. Molegode, Agricultural Instructor, 

 who reports that the teachers and boys 

 are taking great interest in the experi- 

 ment. 



A small quantity of Samudrabali 

 paddy was received from Chinsurah for 

 Mr. C. M. Siunayab, Mudaliyar of Jaffna, 

 and seven varieties of Samba were 



Srocured for Mr. K. Canagasabey of 

 atticaloa, through the kindness of 

 the Deputy Director of Agriculture, 

 Southern Division, Trichinopoly. 



Cotton. 



The Sea Island seed received from 

 Liverpool was distributed among appli- 

 cants, chiefly in the Northern and 

 Eastern Provinces and the Hambantota 

 District ; some of it also going to the 

 Maldive Islands. The seed, on being 

 tested, was found to be in excellent 

 condition. 



ReTea-cum Cotton planting, Mr. M. 

 Kelway Bamber reports : " I should 

 certainly not recommend cotton as a 

 catch-crop for tea, unless the soil and 

 climate are particularly favourable. It 

 would also certainly check the growth 

 of the tea, and might be the means of 

 introducing some pest into the fields. 

 A separate experiment might be tried, 

 if it is thought there is sufficient labour 

 to harvest the cotton when ripe. If the 

 estate is liable to wind, much of the 

 cotton would be lost." 



Seed and Plant Supply. 

 The distribution of the regular consign- 

 ment of vegetable seeds for north-east 

 monsoon planting has been completed. 

 The grafted fruit plants that were 



