Miscellaneous. 



OS 



[January, 1910. 



THE RECLAIMING OF SALINE LAND 

 it has been found a good plan to dig 

 in 'Tephrosia' till the land is able to 

 grow the plant itself and ultimately 

 support other crops. 



Another green manure recommended 

 is sunn-hemp (Crotalaria juncea), our 

 ' Haua,' which gives a crop within eight 

 weeks, so that it may be sown much 

 later and almost at the regular ploughing 

 seasons. It is recorded that paddy land 

 which was never known to yield more 

 than 700 Madras measures (about 32 

 bushels) per acre, had its yield in- 

 creased to 1,225 measures (about 55 

 bushels) by a dressing of sunn-hemp 

 raised in the field. This crop has the 

 additional recommendation of being an 

 excellent fodder, ^nd even if the stalks 

 are cut foi that purpose, is found to 

 leave the land enriched. 



The results of 



PADDY CULTIVATION AT THE FARM 



as given by Mr, Lonsdale in the Agri- 

 cultural Journal of India are interest- 

 ing, and to many in Ceylon will be 

 startling. He says : " The value of the 

 average yield of each of the 252 acres, viz., 

 1,340 Madras measures, was Rs. 210-10. 

 The cost of production was also care- 

 fully worked out. As practically the 

 whole of the Farm receipts at e obtained 

 from paddy, the whole working expenses 

 ot the Farm were charged to paddy. 

 The cost of production of the 1,340 

 Madras measures (the average yield per 

 acre) being approximately Rs. 37 "00, the 

 net profit per acre was Rs. 83 "10." 



Among other interesting work going 

 on is 



SEED SELECTION WITH PADDY. 



The finest ears are picked out from 

 the best fields at harvest time. These 

 are threshed separately. Care is taken 

 to pick out ears true to variety and 

 free from diseases with the grains fully 

 ripe and closely set. One of the chief 

 objects in selecting is to increase 

 drought-resistiug properties. Except 

 in the case of very sandy and poor 

 soils, the dry cultivation of wet lands 

 is found to have a very good effect. 

 Anticipating the objection to breaking 

 up the sward on paddy-fields, Mr. Lons- 

 dale says : " More is lost in paddy than is 

 gathered in grass, and the shortage in 

 grass must be replaced by the growth 

 of some fodder such as sunn-hemp." 



The inspection of the seed store, the 

 examination of various kinds of paddy, 

 and the discussion of their properties 

 occupied the morning of the 5th, and 

 may result in the 



INTRODUCTION INTO CEYLON 



of some suitable varieties. I have 

 secured samples of the best kinds of 



which large quantities could be obtained 

 if desired. Spacing aud irrigation re- 

 quirements are also being studied. The 

 plantiug of one or more seedlings in 

 a hole and at varying distances has 

 gone to show that the single seedling 

 method is the best. As regards irriga- 

 tion the results of experiments has 

 proved that a 



GOOD DEAL OF WATER IS WASTED 



under ordinary conditions of cultiva- 

 tion, and that quite as good crops have 

 been obtained in many cases with 30 as 

 with 60 of water, provided the small 

 quantity is used judiciously. 



Mr. Lonsdale has found that, if wet 

 lands are ploughed in the dry state, even 

 a month before they are to be brought 

 into a puddle, the weeds will have been 

 killed and will not require drowning with 

 water, much of which is allowed to run 

 to waste ; and further, that paddy irri- 

 gated and then allowed to become al- 

 most dry between each application 

 of water can withstand drought for a 

 longer time than under ordinary condi- 

 tions. 



Among other crops rasied on the Farm 

 are sugar-cane, which yields a handsome 

 return, aud plantains — set out 1,000 to 

 the acre aud kept as single plants — 

 besides a variety of grains and pulses. 



Altogether the work going on at 

 Sivagiri was full of interest, particularly 

 the systemetic way in which green 

 manuring is done in connection with 

 paddy cultivation, by growing Tephro- 

 sia on the land. At the time of our 

 visit there was a tract of over 20 acres 

 carrying a heavy growth of this 

 legume, ready for ploughing in before 

 preparing the land for paddy. 



At the end of the ten days to which 

 the sanctioned tour was limited, I was 

 to have entered upon a week's holiday, 

 but the Instructors, having had their 

 appetite for travel and study whetted, 

 pressed for a few days' leave to enable 

 them to visit 



ONE OF THE CENTRES OF FRUIT 

 CULTIVATION, 



and under the special circumstances I 

 acceded to the request. After discuss- 

 ing Salem and Bangalore, I decided in 

 favour of the latter as being par excel- 

 lence the fruit garden of Southern 

 India, where the flora of Bast and West 

 blend with astonishing familiarity. 

 The time spent in Bangalore was fully 

 occupied in visiting gardens and nur- 

 series—studying methods of propaga- 

 tion aud cultivation, and noting the 

 conditions under which the high grade 

 produce, for which the district has be- 

 come so famous, is raised— from apples 



