Miscellaneous ♦ 



548 



[June, I9i0, 



On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Kanaga- 

 sabai a Sub- Committee was appointed 

 to consider a scheme for encouraging 

 model and experimental gardens iu the 

 Provinces, to be worked under the super- 

 vision of the Society. This Sub-Com- 

 mittee, which has now become a per- 

 manent advisory board, drew up a 

 memorandum of conditions, the chief of 

 which is that the Society will contribute 

 an initial grant not exceeding Rs. 1,000, 

 and an annual upkeep grant not ex- 

 ceeding Rs. 200 for a period of five 

 years, on the understanding that similar 

 sums will be raised locally. The memo- 

 randum has been widely circulated, and 

 applications for grants will be received 

 up to the end of the present half-year. 



Improved Implements and 

 Appliances. 

 Considerable difficulty has been expe- 

 rienced in inducing native cultivators to 

 adopt any new ideas under this head, 

 but the unfortunate outbreak of rinder- 

 pest last year, and the practical extinc- 

 tion of agricultural stock in some parts 

 of the Island, gave the Society an oppor- 

 tunity of going to the assistance of the 

 paddy grower, and at the same time 

 proving the advantages of employ- 

 ing implements and appliances which 

 are labour-saving and do not depend 

 upon the employment of a large number 

 of cattle. For a time the services of the 

 instructors were entirely given to 

 demonstrating the working of light 

 ploughs of the modern type, and through 

 their efforts the critical situation in 

 which the cultivators of the Hamban- 

 tota District found themselves was 

 relieved. It will be seen from the 

 special report made by the Assistant 

 Government Agent of that district (vide 

 Progress Report XLVI.) that he esti- 

 mated the area that could have been 

 brought under cultivation after rinder- 

 pest, with available resources, at 500 

 acres ; but eventually practically the 

 whole irrigable area (some 3,000 acres) 

 was got ready for sowing, and, what is 

 of considerable importance, the ploughed 

 fields gave a better yield, and were 

 prepared for sowing at a cost which was 

 not more than in the casa of mudded 

 areas. Altogether the work accom- 

 plished at Tissamabarama and elsewhere 

 under very trying conditions was most 

 gratifying, and while acknowledging on 

 behalf of the instructors the compli- 

 mentary remarks which the Assistant 

 Government Agent passes on their wor k, 

 I should wish to add that without his 

 active and vigorous co-operation it 

 would have been impossible to carry on 

 the campaign with anything like the 

 success which characterized it. 



Demonstrations in the working of 

 implements were also given in the other 

 Provinces of the Island, and definite 

 programmes were carried out in the 

 Kalutara, Kurunegala, and Batticaloa 

 Districts, with the approval and assist- 

 ance of the respective Revenue Officers. 



Another difficulty experienced by cul- 

 tivators in the rinderpest-stricken areas 

 was the threshing ol their paddy. After 

 considerable inquiry a suitable type of 

 machine has been secured in the May- 

 furth thresher for hand and animal 

 power, which is found to do faster and 

 cheaper work than is accomplished by 

 the treading of cattle. These machiues 

 are likely to become popular, parti- 

 cularly where large stretches of paddy 

 land exists, as at Batticaloa. 



Transplanting in Paddy Cultivation. 



Experiments carried out in different 

 localities yielded satisfactory results. 

 The following statement gives the name 

 of the person who undertook the trial, 

 the locality, and the yield of paddy in 

 fold, i.e., the multiple of the quantity 

 used iu the nursery. In every case 

 single seedlings were used, and the 

 distance between plants varied from 4 

 inches to 9 inches : — 



Mr. James Wickremaratne, Weligam korale 345-fold 



Mr. T. B. Mineriya, Tarnankaduwa 336 ,, 



Mr. N. A. S, Jayasuria, Ambalangoda 200 ,, 



Do do. 288 „ 



Mr. J. A- Wirasinghe, Rayigam korale 320 ,, 



Do do 352 „ 



Do do 382 „ 



Do do 352 „ 



All but the second of these experi- 

 ments were inspected by the Secretary 

 or the Agricultural Instructors. The 

 Society is indebted to those who carried 

 them out and thus helped to prove the 

 advantages of transplanting over broad- 

 casting. The fields employed for the 

 purpose of these demonstrations were iu 

 nearly every case within easy access by 

 road, and in general appearance, height, 

 fullness of ears, and tillering habit, the 

 crops were conspicuous in their supe- 

 riority over those of the neighbouring 

 fields. 



Manuring op Paddy. 

 The following are the comparative 

 results of manuring paddy with a mix- 

 ture of 2 cwt. bone meal and £ cwt. 

 nitrate of potash per acre. 



The Mudaliyar, Rayigam korale, 

 manured two plots with the mixture 

 and two with bone dust as found in the 

 bazaars ; all the plots were of equal size. 

 Two bone-du3t plots gave each 30 and 

 26 bushels, while two others manured 

 with the mixture gave 38 and 36 bushels. 

 In a similar experiment carried out by 

 the Mudaliyar of Gangaboda pattu t 



