Feb. 1908.] 



1G9 



Miscellaneous. 



A meeting of the Wellaboda Pattu 

 (Galle) Branch Working Committee was 

 held on December 7, when the following 

 programme was adopted for 1907 :— Con- 

 tinuation of experimental fruit garden ; 

 distribution of vegetable seeds among 

 villagers ; intoduction of new yams ; 

 distribution of prizes for vegetable 

 gardens ; holding of a Cattle Show and 

 Fair ; the encouragement of the culti- 

 vation of neglected lands under the new 

 Irrigation Ordinance ; the introduction 

 and distribution of varieties of paddy 

 from other districts. 



At a meeting of the Hambantota 

 Branch, held on December 7, it was 

 decided to offer a medal costing lis. 5 

 for the best vegetable garden, to be 

 inspected on February 11. 



The amalgamation of the Gangaboda 

 Pattu and Wellaboda Pattu (Matara) 

 Branches with the Matara Society 

 reduces the number of the Branch 

 Societies by two. 



Coconuts — The following extracts from 

 the report of the Director of Public 

 Gardens, Jamaica, are suggestive, and 

 should prove of interest to local culti- 

 vators :— " A coconut tree at Thompson 

 Town in Clarendon, which had never 

 been known to yield good fruit on 

 account of the nuts splitting, was 

 sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, and 

 good water coconuts have since been cut 

 from the tree, which was, at the time of 

 spraying, anywhere from 40 to 50 years 

 old. I attributed the dropping to 

 fungoid growth at the base of the nuts, 

 and sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 

 accordingly. 



" I gave samples of nuts affected in this 

 way to Professor Johnston, who said it 

 was und mbtedly a f uugoid disease, and 

 promised to furnish me with further 

 particulars. 



"The tarring of the trees at Orange for 

 weevils is quite successful ; after an 

 interval of nearly twelve months only 

 one little appearance of borer could be 

 discerned, and the improvement in the 

 treated trees is little short of marvellous. 



" The dropping of leaves and bunches 

 reported by Mr. Taylor at Blue Hole 

 was dealt with by applying sulphate of 

 iron at the roots of ten trees, eight ot 

 which received \ lb. sulphate of iron 

 each, two receiving 1 lb. sulphate of iron 

 each. From none of the trees treated 

 had Mr. Taylor picked a ripe nut. On 

 the occasion of the visit of myself and 

 Professor Johnston on March 18 all the 

 treated trees were holding nuts, and 

 those which had received the larger 

 dose had ceased to drop entirely. Pro- 

 fessor J. R. Johnston said that the cooo- 

 uut trees at Blue Hole were the finest 



that he had ever seen. Mr. Taylor 

 showed us trees, not yet seven years of 

 age, which had over 200 nuts each." 



Visit of the Organizing Vice-President 

 and Secretary to Negombo. — On Decem- 

 ber 20 Dr. "Willis and the Secretary 

 visited Negombo District to verify 

 reports concerning the spread of the 

 coconut stem disease in the district. It 

 was found that the disease had affected 

 a large number of palms, some of which 

 had been actually killed out. Instruc- 

 tions were given for the treatment of 

 the disease as advised by Mr. Petch, 

 Government Mycologist, and copies of a 

 circular in English (by Mr. Petch) and a 

 summarized Sinhalese leaflet were distri- 

 buted. Mr. A. E. Rajapakse, Mudaliyar, 

 Chairman of the Katunayake Branch, 

 was of great assistance to the officials, 

 who were also met by Mr. G. T. Nicholas 

 aud Mr. J. D. Vanderstraaten. Mr. 

 Rajapakse is using his influence with 

 owners of gardens to get the treatment 

 of the disease properly carried out. If 

 other Branch Societies followed the 

 example of Katunayake, the result will 

 prove their utility as agencies for con- 

 serving the interests of the agriculturist. 



A Tool for Cutting out Diseased Tissue. — 

 The use of chisel and hammer in cutting 

 out diseased tissue is general, and it is 

 difficult to improve on the thorough 

 work done by this means ; but in many 

 cases much time and labour is taken up 

 in removing small sections which a tool 

 that could be wielded with one hand 

 might do as well. Specimens of the 

 latter could be seen at this office, and 

 should prove useful in cases of early 

 infection. 



Agricultural Instructors. —Inspection 

 work is being done by these officers of 

 the Society, Mr. Wickramaratne, who 

 was sent round the villages between 

 Colombo and Negombo, reports that the 

 disease is very widespread, though 

 villagers do ndt seem to recognize it as of 

 any importance, and hence take no steps 

 to eradicate it. His itinerary included 

 Telengapatha, Kerawalapitiya, Hendala, 

 Uswetakeiyawa, Bopitiya, Paniunu- 

 gama, Tudella, Ja-ela, Katuuayaka, and 

 intermediate hamlets. The disease was 

 found to exist in all the places visited. 

 He explained the nature of the disease 

 the treatment to be followed, and distri- 

 buted leaflets in Sinhalese. 



Among the remedies reported in some 

 quarters to be effectual in arresting the 

 disease are (1) a dressing of sea sand 

 round the trees, (2) tapping for toddy, 

 (3) application of coal cinders. Mr. L. A. 

 D, Silva, Agricultural Instructor, who 

 visited the Ambalangoda District, 

 reports that the disease has not spread 

 to any great extent in that quarter. 



