Feb. 1908.] 



171 



Miscellaneous. 



find at any time that you are able to 

 offer the cocoons at anything near this 

 price we shall be glad to again take up 

 the matter." 



Cotton. — The selected Sea Island and 

 Egyptain cotton seed received from the 

 British Cotton Growing Association has 

 been in great demand, and some of the 

 orders were for planting as much as 100 

 acres. A quantity (chiefly of Sea Island) 

 is still available. 



Mr. Joseph Whitehead, who is on a 

 visit to Eugland, writes on November 

 14: "lhave been among cotton buyers 

 here (Manchester), and if yon can get 

 the growers to send ns their cotton I can 

 sell any amount. It can be ginned and 

 baled at Mr. de Soysa's mills in Slave 

 Island. The consumers here are wanting 

 it badly, and will give from (3d. to Is. per 

 pound accordiug to quality." Writing 

 again on December 20, Mr. Whitehead 

 reports: "There is very good demand 

 for Ceylon cotton, and any amount can 

 be sold ; supplies are urgently wanted. 

 Kapok lint and seed, cacao, ground-nuts, 

 and cinnamon chips coidd also be dis- 

 posed of to advantage. Any one sending 

 samples will get offers direct from the 

 firm (whose name and address I enclose), 

 saving middleman's charges. I had 4§d. 

 per pound offered for clean kapok and 

 £7 per ton for the seed." 



Lemon Grass Oil.— Messrs. Bohringei 

 reporting on the oil distilled from lemon 

 grass grown at the Model Farm state 

 that 30 cwt. gave 5 lb. 1|- oz. oil, contain- 

 ing 75 per cent, citral. They value the 

 oil, which they describe as of normal 

 composition, at 3jd, to 3|d. per oz. 



Japanese Udo. — This is the name given 

 to a species of Aralia(^4. cordata) used 

 in Japan as a vegetable. The shavings 

 of the blanched shoots served with a 

 French dressing make an excellent salad. 

 Mr. David Fairehild, Agricultural Ex- 

 plorer to U. S. A. Department of Agri- 

 culture, referring to this plant as one of 

 his " finds," mentions that the salad has 

 a distinct flavour of its own, a crispuess 

 that is unusual, and a pretty silvery 

 appearance. Shoots of Udo obtained 

 from Japan have started growing in the 

 Government Stock Garden, and cuttings 

 will in course of time be availaule for 

 distribution to members. 



Casuarina.—A supply of Casuarina 

 seed has been obtained from India with 

 the object of growing it experimentally 

 on coastal areas. The Assistant Govern- 

 ment Agent of Chilaw has undertaken 

 the first experiment- In South India it 

 is grown on sandy tracts as a fuel tree, 

 and its cultivation is remunerative. 



Transplanting and Manuring of Paddy. 

 — Mr. W. G. Perkins of the Irrigation 

 Department is interesting himself in the 

 improvement of paddy cultivation by 

 means of transplanting and manuring in 

 Rliuneri district. The help of officers of 

 the Irrigation Department, who have 

 special opportunities for such work, 

 would be invaluable. 



Lemon-scented, Iron Bark.— A small 

 quantity of the lemon-scented iron bark 

 seed (hhiculy ;)tus stdigeriana) was receiv- 

 ed through the courtesy of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture and Stock, Brisbane, 

 and put down in the Stock Garden. 



Green Manure for Jaffna Peainsida. — 

 Communication with the railway author- 

 ities on the subject of facilities for the 

 conveyance of this material from the 

 main land to the peninsula is in progress. 

 The concession asked for, if granted, will 

 prove a great boon to cultivators, who 

 cannot afford to pay the present rate 

 of freight. 



Castration of Cattle —The Government 

 Veterinary Surgeon reports that— ac- 

 cording to reports received up to Decem- 

 ber 23— 781 head of cattle belonging to 

 605 owners have been operated upon by 

 the officers of his Department at 56 

 centres, and that 41 men have been 

 trained locally for the work during 1907. 



Grafted Sapodilla Plants.— The grafted 

 sapodilla plants from Calcutta ordered 

 by certain members were received early 

 in January. The supply is exhausted, 

 but orders can be booked for, April 

 planting. 



Publications —Copies of the Govern- 

 ment Mycologist's report on coconut 

 stem disease aud a Sinhalese translation 

 of the same have been freely distributed. 



The following leaflets are in course of 

 preparation .-—Paddy Cultivation Notes ; 

 Tobacco ; and Silo Making. 



It is proposed to effect certain im- 

 provements in the "Tropical Agricul- 

 turist and Magazine of the Ceylon 

 Agricultural Society " from February. 

 The publication will contain more matterj 

 aud will also be more varied in character. 



The following is a list of leaflets 

 published by the Society, copies of which 

 can be had by members, free of charge 

 on application to the Secretary. la 

 cases where vernacular copies are avail- 

 able, the fact is signified by S, for 

 Sinhalese, T. for Tamil, aud in cases of 

 leaflets out of print by o. p. : — 



1. Agriculture in Tamil Dis:ricts.— o p 



2. Caterpillar Pest in Paddy Fields.— S., T. 



3. Castration of Cattle (mode of operation).' 



4. Canker (Nectria) of Para Rubber (Heava 



Brasiliensis). 



5. Ground Nuts.— S., T. 



