February, 19i2.] 



149 



Miscellaneous. 



garden, speak well of the work done by 

 Mr. N. A. S. Jayasuriya, who, since 1907, 

 has not only managed the garden, but 

 also financed it. The original ten acres 

 under cultivation have now been in- 

 creased to twenty, and necessary drains 

 and paths and additional wells have 

 been provided. All varieties of tropical 

 fruits, vegetables, yams, and other 

 economic products have found a home 

 in the garden. The report referred to 

 concludes with the remark that this 

 garden is serving its purpose as a model 

 garden in the district, and cultivators 

 are copying its methods and obtaining 

 seeds and plants for their own use. Mr. 

 Jayasuriya deserves commendation for 

 having relieved the Society of any 

 financial responsibility for the garden, 

 to the management of which he has 

 given so much time and trouble. 



The gardens at Balalla in Wanni hat- 

 pattu and at Madipola in North Matale 

 are dealing with dry country products 

 grown in rotation, the main crop being 

 cotton. The Kalalgamuwa garden in 

 Lower Dumbara is chiefly devoted to 

 cotton and maize. In the Kegalla Dis- 

 trict a number of small gardens have 

 been started on land attached to circuit 

 bungalows for the cultivation of fruit 

 trees. 



Cotton. 



A considerable area was laid down in 

 cotton during the north-east monsoon 

 rains. In the Jaffna, Batticaloa, Matale, 

 and Dumbara districts the cultivation is 

 being carried on under the supervision 

 of the Agricultural Instructors of the 

 Northern, Eastern, and Central Provin- 

 ces respectively ; while in the Matale 

 North district it is again being grown as 

 a catch crop with rubber as the result of 

 last year's success in this respect. Cotton 

 trials are also being made in the Hamban- 

 tota and Balangoda districts. Mr. Mole- 

 gode, Agricultural Instructor, Central 

 Province, reporting on last year's trials 

 with three varieties of cotton at the 

 Kalalgamuwa garden, states that while 

 Sea Island gave a percentage of only 25 

 per cent, lint, Black Rattler gave 33 per 

 cent, and Cambodia cotton 37 per cent. 



Tobacco. 



An exhaustive report on samples of 

 tobacco raised at the Government Experi- 

 ment Station, Maha Iluppalama, by the 

 Director of the Imperial Institute, has 

 come to hand, having been transmitted 

 through the Right Honourable the Secre- 

 tary of State for the Colonies to His 

 Excellency the Governor. The report, 

 of which even a summary would exceed 

 the limit of space that could be given to 

 it here, will probably be published in the 

 Society's magazine. 



Paddy (Rice) Cultivation. 



Mr. Wickramaratne, Agricultural Inst- 

 ructor, reports well of Rascadam paddy 

 seed sent to him for distribution in the 

 Kegalle District. The Ratemahatmaya 

 of Beligal korale is cultivating the crop 

 after raising it in nursery, while the 

 Korala has broadcasted the seed. The 

 crop is reported to have flowered in two 

 months after sowing, bearing heavy ears. 

 Mr. Wickremaratne considers this varie- 

 ty a very desirable short-crop (bala-wi) 

 paddy to adopt, and suggests that a 

 good quantity of seed should be obtained 

 for a larger trial. The Indian seed supply 

 is, however, limited. According to infor- 

 mation received from India, Rascadam 

 paddy crops in 3£ months ; and while it 

 is a fine paddy, it is also a heavy cropper. 



The new ploughs placed on the market 

 by Messers. Hunter & Co., and specially 

 the one known as the " Goiya," are 

 attracting attention. The latter imple- 

 ment is being tried in different parts of 

 the Island, and promises well. The same 

 firm's flexible harrow is well reported on 

 in more than one quarter, and is likely 

 to turn out to be the implement so much 

 wanted for levelling paddy fields after 

 ploughing. 



Pests and Diseases. 

 The Government Entomologist reports 

 as follows on specimens of pests forward- 

 ed to him from the Bandaragama fruit 

 garden : — 



I find three distinct insects upon the 

 young shoot of orange. These are : (1) 

 an Aphid (Cey Ionia thececola) ; (2) a 

 Scutellerid bug (Coptosoma siamica) ; (3) 

 a small mining caterpillar (Phyllonistis 

 citrella). None of these insects are of any 

 serious importance. The Aphid will 

 disappear very rapidly without any 

 special treatment* The Scutellerid 

 occurs commonly on very many different 

 plants, but has never been recognized as 

 a pest. The mining caterpillar is some- 

 times present in large numbers on orange 

 trees, and causes the distortion of young 

 leaves ; but the tree does not appear to 

 feel the attack seriously. Being an 

 internal feeder, it is difficult or imposs- 

 ible to kill it without removing all the 

 infested leaves. 1 do not consider that 

 this extreme measure is at all necessary. 



Mr. Jayasuriya, Agricultural Instruc- 

 tor, reporting on the use of florium or 

 tree carbolinium, states that he used it 

 on orange trees suffering from a bark 

 disease which has caused the death of a 

 number of trees. He thus describes 

 the disease : "At first a dark roundish 

 patch appears on the bark, and soon 

 after there is an exudation of a light 

 colour, Later on a number of larveQ 



