January, 1910.] 



59 



Miscellaneous, 



expected in October (all except Sapodilla, 

 which ran short) have also been distri- 

 buted. 



Cluster Sweet Potatoes yielded a most 

 satisfactory first crop within five 

 months. There has been a brisk demand 

 for cuttings, and the new introduction 

 has already spread far and wide. Lima 

 beans received from America and India 

 were sent to suitable localities. 



A variety of other plants, such as 

 cacao, Johore jak, custard apple, pome- 

 granate, rambutan, orange and man- 

 darin, bamboo and shade trees, has been 

 sent out to applicants. 



The publication of Mr. Macmillan's 

 illustrated article on the tree tomato 

 in the Magazine of the Ceylon Agricul- 

 tural Society has brought a number of 

 applications for seeds of this fruit. 



The Secretary received from Mr- 

 George Schrader of "Wester Seaton," 

 Negombo, a magnificent sample of 

 Chinese ginger raised from "seed" 

 supplied from the Government Stock 

 Garden. Mr. Schrader, in forwarding 

 the sample, writes that he got as many 

 pounds as he planted ounces. The 

 Secretary is shortly expecting a hundred- 

 weight of seed-ginger from Cochin. 



Applications for seeds and plants are 

 being constantly received from non- 

 members who are coming to look upon 

 the Society as a universal provider for 

 agricultural and horticultural purposes. 

 Such applicants should realize that it is 

 not the object of the Society to make 

 free gifts to all and sundry, but that 

 the privileges offered by the Society are 

 available only to members who pay a 

 small annual subscription for which they 

 get a great deal more than the value of 

 their money in return. 



Analyses and Reports. 



On a proposal to cultivate sugar-cane 

 on an extensive scale in Matale North, 

 the Government Agricultural Chemist 

 reports : -" Unless irrigation is possible, 

 sugar-cane is hardly likely to grow 

 profitably in the Matale District. It is 

 a plant that requires a fairly rich soil, 

 and even under the best conditions in 

 Java, with every facility for transport. 

 &c, is hardly paying. A small area to 

 supply sugar-canes to Kandy might pay, 

 but ou a large scale it would, in my 

 opinion, be a very risky experiment." 



The two chief regions where cane is 

 cultivated are the low lands of the 

 Colombo District, which supply the 

 town with sticks for chewing purposes ; 

 and the Baddegama district, where it is 

 cultivated on a fairly extensive scale for 

 sugar manufacture, which still pays as 

 a native industry, particularly when the 



produce is disposed of as unrefined sugar 

 and treacle, for which there is a ready 

 demand. 



Mr. Bamber has kindly favoured the 

 Society with the following report on 

 the question of how best to eradicate 

 grass on gravel paths : — I have made 

 several experiments to destroy grass 

 and other weeds on roads and paths. 

 Arsenite of soda applied at frequent 

 intervals destroys them temporarily, 

 but grasses with stoloniferous roots keep 

 on growing until the whole reserve 

 starch in the roots is destroyed. This 

 can only be done by spraying as soon 

 as new blades are a few inches high, 

 and before new root development has 

 taken place. Experiments are now 

 being made with a strong solution of 

 sulphate of iron as recommended for 

 killing charlock in wheat in Europe, 

 and I shall be glad to give the results 

 later. Sulphate of iron can be obtained 

 from Messrs. Preudenberg & Co. at a 

 cheap rate, and the solution is made 

 by dissolving it in water, cold or warm, 

 in old iron or wooden vessels. When 

 the latter are used, some rusty nails 

 or old hoop iron shall be put in to 

 reduce the ferric sulphate to the solu- 

 ble ferrous salt," In a further report, 

 and in reply to an inquiry as to whether 

 sulphate of copper will not do as well 

 as the iron salt, Mr. Bamber writes : — 

 " It may possibly do better, but it is 

 more expensive. Further experiment 

 appears to show that common salt is 

 the most promising agent for getting 

 rid of grass on roads. If this proves 

 correct, it would be the cheapest mate- 

 rial to apply. I would suggest trials 

 with 10 to 20 per cent, solutions." 



A disease on nutmeg trees at Weli- 

 *gama is reported by the Government 

 Entomologist to be due to Lecanium 

 expansum, a large scale insect, with 

 which is associated a black fungus 

 which subsists on the "honey dew" 

 secreted by the insect. " The fungus 

 does not injure the leaves to any 

 appreciable extent, but the scaly 

 bug sucks the sap of the leaves and 

 may cause a partial fall of the foliage. 

 This insect occurs very commonly on 

 the nutmeg tree. It has been present 

 in one tree in these Gardens (Peradeniya) 

 for many consecutive years without 

 appreciably affecting the health of the 

 tree. The treatment for such scale in- 

 sects is by spraying with kerosine 

 emulsion or MacDougall's insecticide, 

 but it is doubtful whether the treat- 

 ment will repay the cost.' 



Messrs. C. & A. Bohringer, in reply to 

 an inquiry made on behalf of a cor- 

 respondent, state that they are buying 



