Feb. 1908.] 



167 



Miscellaneous. 



do as an application— instead of coal-tar 

 — for the coconut stem disease is a ques- 

 tion for decision by Mr. Petcli, the 

 Government Mycologist, with whom you 

 should communicate, consulting him at 

 the same time as to the relative merits 

 of coal tar and pine tar, and also what 

 could be the best wash to keep the dis- 

 ease oat of healthy trees. As far as I 

 have been able to ascertain, the disease 

 has not been found in India. 



P. F. — You should send your samples 

 of Cotton to the Manager of the Spinning 

 and Weaving Co., Wella watte. Mr. 

 Whitehead is at present out of the 

 Island, but you will see from the last Pro- 

 gress Report that he anticipates a good 

 demand for Ceylon cotton if it could be 

 had in quantity. Of late, to judge from 

 applications for seed, there have been 

 some fairly big areas put under cotton- 



A. D. — You may be sure that the im- 

 provement of our local fruits will be 

 taken un by the new Assistant Director 

 of the Botanical Department, as plant 

 breeding is one of his special lines of 

 work, 



G. P. — I fear there are few — if any — 

 people who now cultivate ground-nuts. 

 It is a crop that does best in dry districts. 

 In Burmah, where it has been introduced 

 quite lately, it has caught on wonder- 

 fully, and is spoken of as a very remu- 

 nerative crop. The experience of many 

 people who took up the cultivation in 

 Ceylon some years ago is rather different. 

 There is no doubt, however, that it will 

 thrive in many parts of the Island as a 

 villager's crop— not as a planter's crop. 

 In tlie Pondicherry district the leading 

 exporters of ground-nuts find it worth 

 their while to advance money against 

 crops, to induce the ryots to take up the 

 cultivation. 



B. J. — The Cape Gooseberry does not 

 do well in the low country. I have seen 

 good crops raised near Matale from seeds 

 brought over from Australia. The plant 

 does well in Nuwava Eliya, but there is 

 no very large out-put of fruit so far as I 

 know. The Cape gooseberry is vei y 

 plentiful in the Calcutta market in 

 season. It makes a very fine jam. 



BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 

 Minutes op the 38th Meeting. 



The 38th Meeting of the Board of 

 Agriculture was held at the Council 

 Chamber at 12 noon on Monday) the 3rd 

 February, 1908. 



The Hon'ble Mr. H. L. Crawford, C.M.G., 

 Controller of Revenue, presided. 



There were also present :— The Hon'ble- 

 Messrs. H. W. Brodhurst, P. D. Warren, 

 John Ferguson, C.M.G., Sir Solomon Dias 

 Bandarauaike, c.m.g., Messrs. J. Har- 

 ward, C. P. Hayley, W. A. de Silva, 

 F. L. Daniel, A. N. Galbraith, E. E. 

 Green, W. Dunuwille Disava, Dr. H, M. 

 Fernando; and (as visitors) Messrs. A. P. 

 Waldock, J. D. Vanderstraaten, Alex. 

 Perera, N. D. Jayasuriya, and the 

 Secretary. 



Business. 



(1) Minutes of the previous meeting 

 held on the 2nd December, 1907, were 

 read and confirmed. 



(2) Progress Report No. 37 was pre- 

 sented and adopted. 



(3) A statement showing the appor- 

 tionment of votes under the Government 

 Grant for 1908 was submitted by the 

 Secretary, with the explanatory notes 

 thereon. It was decided to refer the 

 statement to the Finance Committee for 

 report and bring it up at the next 

 meeting. 



(4) Statements of expenditure incurred 

 during December, 1907 (to end of the 

 year) and during January, 1908, were 

 tabled. 



(5) In the absence of Mr. M. Kelway 

 Bamber, who has left for England, the 

 Secretary read the Government Agricul- 

 tural Chemist's reports on the question 

 of adopting a new test for Citrouella oil 

 with a view to preventing its adulter- 

 ation. Mr. C. P. Hayley, representing the 

 merchants dealing in the oil, went fully 

 into the subject and submitted that it 

 was not necessary to introduce any new 

 test, as Schimmers test answered all the 

 requirements of the trade. Dr. Fernando 

 supported this view. When the question 

 was put to the Board, it was unani- 

 mously agreed that no new test was 

 necessary. 



(6) The Secretary read a "Note on 

 Kecent researches into the cause of 

 Infertility in Soils " in place of the oauer 



the - Hoo'He. Mr John Ferguson^ 

 Ihe Possibilities of the Ceylon Agricul- 

 tural Society " (postponed for the next 

 meeting). The Hon. Mr. Ferguson and 

 Sir bolmon Dias Bandarauaike offered 

 remarks. 



The Government Entomologist exhi- 

 bited samples of eri silk cloth locally 

 woven. Mr. Harward and the Secretary 

 spoke as to the possibilities of the silk 

 industry, and the Chairman thought 

 that the teacher of the Mediwaka School 

 irom whom the samples were received' 

 deserved all encouragement. 



