and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, 



505 



PADDY CULTIVATION. 



Sir, — The growing of leguminous plants, as 

 universally admitted, is a very profitable way 

 of bringing up plant food from the sub-soil, as 

 it saves the cost of manures. Taking, for in- 

 stance, paddy, which is the most important wet 

 crop grown in this Province, we would require 

 per each acre of land about 40 lb. of nitrogen, 

 30 lb. of potash, and 20 lb. of phosphate in the 

 requirements of one crop. For the summer 

 crop of paddy horse gram and the Bengal gram 

 are good leguminous catch-crops ; and for rain- 

 crop cow-gram and dhal (togari) are appro- 

 priate. During the intervals of rest for paddy, 

 from June to November or November to J une, 

 these leguminous crops can be grown, and 

 after the crop is removed or ploughed up 

 (the latter is better if it is done during the 

 flowering of the crop) the soil may be kept 

 open by repeated ploughings to encourage the 

 decay of organic matter and soil-nitrification. 

 I believe if this process of cultivation of paddy 

 is adopted everywhere under similar conditions, 

 it' will be found to effect a great saving in 

 the cost of manure, which according to Dr. 

 Lehman's latest analysis of artificial manures 

 on the market would amount to not less than 

 R12 per acre for one crop of paddy alone, while 

 the labour of growing catch crops would be 

 not more than R5 per acre, thus showing a 

 clear saving of at least R7 per acre. Wherever 

 cattle-manure is available, it may be made 

 use of as a supplemental supply, and will well 

 repay by a larger outturn of paddy. 



Mysore. 



—M. Mail, April 21, 



PROGRESS IN THE NORTHS-CENTRAL 

 PROVINCE. 



Anuradhapura, April 2nd. 



During the past six years of my residence 

 here, I have noticed many signs of progress. 

 The town is extending in all directions and 

 desirable lots close to town, suitable for build- 

 ing purposes, realise large sums. Buildings have 

 been erected, spacious and comfortable for 

 officials, showing that Government is convinced 

 that the future of the provincial capital is 

 assured. But still there is a great want of 

 attraction for familied people to settle here. 

 There are no good schools and many of the 

 amenities and convenience's of life are wanting. 

 Paddy growing is extending and is likely to 

 extend more and more in the near future. The 

 Government Agent's Administration Report for 

 1907 may be depended on to give authentic 

 details. At Maha Illupallama garden, cacao, 

 rubber and coconuts are being tried, as cotton 

 does not promise to bring big results. Cotton 

 cultivation cannot be said to bave as yet "caught 

 on" in the N.-C.P. The land at Maha Illu- 

 pallama is said to have yielded good cotton 

 crops at first, as might be expected from soils 

 that have remained uncultivated for centuries. 

 But, unless manured liberally, the cultivation 

 is said soon to deteriorate. The villagers in 

 the neighbourhood of the Experimental Garden 

 iiaye been cultivating cotton and sending it 



there to be ginned, but the majority of the 

 villagers are fighting shy of this product. As 

 regards cattle rearing and palm and fruit culti- 

 vation, from what I can off-hand state, I fear 

 there is not much progress as yet to chronicle. 

 Under Kalawewa the coconut flourishes and 

 the Moois, who lately purchased Mr. Godage's 

 land there, are realising ample returns. Near 

 Anuradhapura coconut returns are poor. — Cor, 



TRAVANCORE AND CEYLON 

 COCONUT DISEASES. 



Mr. Petch sends a cautions though instructive 

 letter on questions started by our correspond- 

 ent " B. " It is evident that we must have 

 more light as to the development of the trouble 

 over the way. All the news we have got of 

 late as to fungus troubles on local plantations 

 is very reassuring; any risks are from neglected 

 Native Gardens, and there it is here Inspectors 

 should go actively to work at once. 



Peradeniya, April 25th. 

 Sir, — In reply to "Bs" queries, (see page 491) 

 I have not yet seen Mr. Butler's Report* and, 

 therefore, cannot express any definite opinion 

 as to the identity or otherwise of the Travancore 

 and Ceylon coconut diseases. 



The Ceylon Thielaviopsis is Thielaviopsis 

 cthaceticus : and, according to the fourteenth 

 line of " B's" quotation, it is not the same as 

 the Thielaviopsis which Dr. Butler found abund- 

 ant in Travancore. 



The parasitism of Thielaviopsis cthaceticus on 

 sugarcane is upheld by Howard (West Indies), 

 Went (Java), Massee, Prillieux, and Delacroix. 

 Dr. Butler appears to doubt its parasitism on 

 sugarcane in India ( " Fungus diseases of 

 sugarcane in Bengal," July 1906), but he has 

 described as a Sphceronema what is evidently 

 a stage of Th. ethacetivus. As he found this 

 supposed Sphceronema on 61 out of 72 cases 

 of sugarcane disease, Indian experience of Th. 

 ethaceticus agrees with that in other countries. 



But even if the palm Thielaviopsis of Travan- 

 core were identical with our Ceylon species, it 

 does not follow that it would be equally des- 

 tructive in both countries. There are several 

 instances which illustrate this. Gray Blight, 

 for example, is common on tea and coconuts 

 in Ceylon and its effect is negligible; but in 

 Java and the West Indies it is regarded as the 

 cause of serious disease. Conversely, Hemileia 

 vaslatrix presumably wiped out Ceylon coffee; 

 but this fungus is found in almost all coffee- 



f rowing countries— Mysore, Travancore, China, 

 ava, Sumatra, Malacca, Singapore, the 

 Philippines, Samoa, Fiji, Mauritius, Mada- 

 gascar, Natal, and German East Africa. 



The spores of our Thielaviopsis may prove to 

 be widely distributed through the palm-grow- 

 ing districts, but this question, with many 

 others, awaits investigation. 



T. PETCH. 



* We have supplied this want by sending a full 

 copy of the Report to Mr. Petch,— A. M. « J. F, 



