March, 1912.] 



255 



Miscellaneous. 



examined the roots ; the lowest roots 

 were unnatural in colour, and when 

 split open showed some dark spots. The 

 disease appears to be spreading. The 

 trees attacked looked like those devas- 

 tated by caterpillars." 



On the above, Mr. Petch, Government 

 Mycologist, has been good enough to 

 make the 8'ibjoined report : — 



" The leaves are attacked by the com- 

 mon coconut leaf-disease caused by 

 Pestalozzia palmarum. As a rule, this 

 is confined to the older leaves, and does 

 very little harm. If it attacks the young 

 leaves, it is a sign that the tree is in 

 poor health. Such trees should be 

 manured with a potash manure. The 

 death of a frond in the middle of the 

 crown is the chief symptom of a disease 

 which I am at present investigating. Up 

 to the present its cause has not been 

 ascertained. Apparently it has nothing 

 to do with the root, and it is not bud rot. 

 Is Mr. Wickremaratne certain that the 

 trees which exhibit this symptom die 

 off ? That is a point which we have not 

 yet been able to ascertain in other 

 instances. I hope to furnish further 

 particulars of this disease shortly." 



Miscellaneous. 



In July, 1908, a parcel of logwood 

 (Hcematoxylon campechianum) seed was 

 received from Jamaica, having been in- 

 troduced as a honey plant on the re- 

 commendation of the Bee Committee. 

 The first flowering of the trees in 

 Colombo took place at the Govern- 

 ment Stock Garden about the end of 

 January ; but I am informed by Mr. 

 A. P. Goonatilleke, the enthusiastic bee- 

 keeper of Veyangoda, that the trees on 

 his Kolongasyaye estate (Kurunegala 

 District) flowered as early as April, 1910. 

 As the seeds are winged and the tree 

 grows freely, except at high elevations, 

 it is likely that logwood will become a 

 common plant. Whether it will prove 

 of any value as a source of dye remains 

 to be seen ; the imports into England 

 alone are valued at something like a 

 quarter million sterling. It will be of 

 interest to bee-keepers to know that 

 coriander provides excellent bee pasture. 

 The way coriander at Kalalgamuwa 

 attracted bees was a surprise to the 

 people of the neighbourhood, 



A package of the edible seed of Stercu- 

 laria jostida has been sent to the Imperial 

 Institute for report as to its commercial 

 value. 



Samples of silk reeled at the Pera- 

 deniya silk farm have been despatched 

 to the Imperial Institute for report and 

 valuation. The silk was of two kinds, 



one from che Mysore silk worm and the 

 other from a hybrid Mysore-Bengal 

 variety producing a bright golden silk. 

 The manager states that he hopes in a 

 couple of months to send eri silk thread 

 spun on the farm. Silk worms intro- 

 duced from the silk farm at Peradeniya 

 to Manila have been hybridized with 

 Japanese worms, and the progeny is 

 reported to show continuous improve- 

 ment and no sign of disease. The Gov- 

 ernment Entomologist has suggested 

 that seed of this improved strain should 

 be procured. 



The Secretary of the Ceylon Agricul" 

 tural Society having retired from the 

 office of Secretary to the All-Ceylon Ex- 

 hibition, 1912, Mr. H. F. Macmillan, 

 Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 has succeeded him. Mr. Macmillan, who 

 has had considerable experience in the 

 management of Shows, has all the 

 arrangements well in hand. The Exhi- 

 bition, which will be held in the Victoria 

 Park, Colombo, opens on July 1, and 

 catalogues can be had on application to 

 the Secretary, Peradeniya, or from this 

 office. 



C. DRIEBERG, 



Secretary. 



Colombo, March 7, 1912. 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Minutes of a meeting of the Board of 

 Agriculture held at the Council Chamber 

 at 12 noon on Thursday, March 8th, 1912. 



His Excellency the Governor presided. 



There were also present. — The Hon'ble 

 Sir Hugh Clifford, Sir Solomon Dias 

 Bandaranayaka, The Hon'ble Sir S. C. 

 Obeyesekere, the Hon'ble Mr. Bernard 

 Senior, the Hon'ble Mr. J. G. Praser, the 

 Hon'ble Mr. C. T. D. Vigors, the Hoi/ble 

 Mr. T. B. L. Moonamalle, the Hon'ble 

 Mr. H. Van Cuylenbuig, Messrs Tudor 

 Rajapakse, G. W. Sturgess, F. L. Daniel, 

 H. F. Macmillan, G. Harbord, W. Dunu- 

 wille Disawa, A. Bruce, A, E. Rajapakse, 

 W. A de Silva, Dr. T. Petch, Dr. 

 Pearson and Mr. C. Drieberg (Secretary). 

 The following visitors were also pre- 

 sent : — Messrs. David Scott, F. Crosbie 

 Roles, James Barber, W. Freudenber^ 

 and R. Chelvadurai Proctor. 



The minutes of meeting held on the 

 8th January, 1912, were read and con- 

 firmed. 



On the motion of Mr. W. A. de Silva 

 seconded by Dunuwille Disawa, Pro- 

 gress Report No. 58 was adopted. In 

 connection with the remaiks on Fruit 

 Cultivation, His Excellency suggested 

 that the Secretary should communicate 



