Miscellaneous. 



160 



February, 1910. 



subscriptions, with a view to submitting 

 it to the Finance Committee. 



The Wellaboda Pattu (Galle) Branch 

 held a meeting in December, when Mr. 

 H. A. Burden, C.C.S., presided. The in- 

 troduction of improved ploughs and the 

 holding of a Show were discussed, and a 

 Working Committee was appointed to 

 make arrangements for the latter. It 

 was decided to ask the Parent Society 

 for the services of an Agricultural In- 

 structor to supervise transplanting in 

 paddy cultivation at the next sowing 

 eason. 



The Sub-Committee on Tobacco Ex- 

 periments met twice in January, once at 

 Peradeniya on the 13th, and again in 

 Colombo on the 2(5th. Mr. Cowan, the 

 Superintendent of the Experiment, has 

 been visiting Maba Illuppalama and 

 starting nurseries. 



The Assistant Government Agent of 

 Kalutara has decided to hold three 

 Market Shows in his district during May 

 next — at Kalutara, Bandaragama, and 

 Bellana. Shows will also be held at 

 Nuwara Eliya in March, Teldeniya and 

 Ambalangoda in June, and Harispattu 

 in September. 



Official Tours. 



The Acting Organizing Vice-President 

 visited the Hambantota District and 

 inspected the paddy lands at Tissamaha- 

 rama cultivated with light iron ploughs. 

 He also visited Maha Illuppalama in 

 connection with the tobacco experiment. 



The Secretary, after his return from 

 India, where (accompanied by Messrs. 

 Chelliah and Wickremaratne, Agri- 

 cultural Instructors) he visited the 

 Koilpati Agricultural Station and the 

 Sivagiri Home Farm, as well as 

 Bangalore, carried out inspections in 

 Pasdum korale and Henaratgoda District. 



Messrs. Wickremaratne and Molegoda 

 have been engaged in the North- Western 

 Province demonstrating the working of 

 light iron ploughs at the request of the 

 Government Agent of the Province. The 

 following centres were selected for the 

 demonstrations : — Makandura, Kuliya- 

 pitiya, Hettipola, Wariyapola, Kurune- 

 gala, and Potuhera. 



Mr. Wickremaratne was occupied 

 earlier in the month in the Chilaw 

 District, supervising the work at Raja- 

 kadaluwa garden, where an experiment 

 is being conducted in the rotation of 

 chena crops. The implements brought 

 over from the Koilpati Agricultural 

 Station have been worked there, and 

 the value of a new German apparatus 

 for destroying white ants (sent for trial 

 by Messrs. Freudenberg & Co.) tested. 



Mr. Molegoda was engaged in Asgiri 

 Pallesiyapattu korale of Matale South, 

 Yatawatta, and Harispattu districts, 

 and also inspected school gardens com- 

 peting for the prize offered by the 

 Chairman of the Harispattu Branch. 



Mr. Chelliah confined himself co work 

 in the North. 



Mr. Breckenridge, who was stationed 

 in Batticaloa, has been transferred to 

 Maha Illuppalama, where he will act as 

 conductor under Mr. Cowan, the Superin- 

 tendent of the Tobacco Experiment- 



Mr. L. A. D. Silva has not yet recovered 

 from the effects of the severe attack of 

 malaria contracted while at Tissa, and 

 is being given temporary work in 

 the office. He will shortly undertake 

 ploughing and transplanting work in 

 paddy cultivation in the Province of 

 Sabaragamuwa. 



Agricultural Implements and 

 Appliances. 

 A description of the implements 

 brought over by the Secretary from the 

 Koilpati Agricultural Station will be 

 found in the Memorandum on his Indian 

 trip, reprinted in the "Tropical Agri- 

 culturist and Magazine of the Ceylon . 

 Agricultural Society " for January, and 

 need not be repeated here. After a 

 trial in the Chilaw District they will 

 go to the North, where Agricultural 

 Instructor Chelliah will demonstrate 

 their use. Applications for the use of 

 these should be made to the Secretary, 

 who will also entertain orders for supply- 

 ing copies of any of the implements. 

 Two ploughs are also coming from the 

 Sivagiri Home Farm— one known as the 

 Sivagiri plough, manufactured by the 

 Manager of that farm. Trials of both 

 will be undertaken and reported on 

 shortly. Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co. 

 have imported a "Picollo" Rice-shelling 

 Machine through Messrs. Ahmed Ali 

 & Co., of Ludhiana, aud are awaiting the 

 arrival of the sifter, or separator, before 

 undertaking a trial of the machine- The 

 separator is essential for ensuring proper 

 husking or hulling, for it is necessary 

 that the grains to be hulled should be as 

 nearly as possible all of the same size, 

 and to this end sifting must precede 

 hulling. 



The German apparatus for destroying 

 white ants (already referred to) consists 

 of a telephone arraugemeuu for localizing 

 the white ants aud then asphyxiating 

 them by means of sulphur vapour. 



In forwarding the two ploughs pre- 

 viously mentioned the Superintendent of 

 the Sivagiri Farm writes: — "According 

 t <» the instructions of the Agricultural 

 Expert, one of the ploughs sent is a 



