June 1908.] 



567 



Miscellaneous. 



The Society's Medals. 



The Society has secured the necessary dies 

 from Messrs. Spink & Son, London, for 

 striking medals to be awarded as special 

 prizes at Agricultural Shows. The design for 

 the medals was decided on by a Special Com- 

 mittee. 



Apiculture, 



Bee-keeping has been taken up by an in- 

 creased number of amateurs, and, it is satis- 

 factory to be able to report^ with very pro- 

 mising results. Both European (Italian and 

 Carniolan) and native (A pis indica) bees are. 

 being kept, and, thanks to the good offices of 

 Mr. Shanks, considerable progress has been 

 made in various directions. By further re- 

 ducing the size of the hive for the native bee 

 suitable conditions have been provided both for 

 breeding and storing ; while the difficulty of 

 inducing this bee to build into an upper cham- 

 ber has to a great extent been solved. Local 

 honey seasons have also been ascertained 

 with some degree of accuracy, and the dis- 

 covery of the importance of Pterocarpus 

 indicus in the first "honey-flow" of the 

 year is a distinct addition to our practical 

 knowledge. The Bee Committee have been in 

 communication with various experts abroad, 

 and among others with Mr. Morrison, late 

 bee expert in the West Indies, who has 

 afforded much valuable advice. 



Sericulture. 



The rearing of the eri silk worm in villages 

 has been temporarily checked till the Society 

 is in a position to offer more acceptable rates 

 for cocoons, after the expected machinery 

 for disintegrating and washing has had a 

 proper trial. In the meantime all available 

 cocoons have been secured against the arrival 

 of the machines in question which are ex- 

 pected shotrly. A most encouraging feature 

 in the development of this industry is the 

 steady persistency with which some of the 

 teachers in charge of school gardens have 

 carried on silk culture. A notable case in 

 point is the attempt made by the teacher 

 of Mediwaka Government Vernacular School 

 to spin and weave the silk of the eri (Atta- 

 cus ricini) worm, The most recent outcome 

 of his efforts has been the production of silk 

 cloth, woven in the crude hand-loom of the 

 Alutnuwara district, of distinctly good 

 quality and capable of being turned out at 

 a reasonable cost. With the assistance 

 of simple machinery, and the contem- 

 plated introduction of a better' type of 

 loom, the prospects of a local silk indus- 

 try are not so remote as they at first 

 appeared. The Silk Farm has suspended 

 work for the present, but Mr. Braine remains 

 in charge, and is taking steps to improve the 

 soil conditions for the growth of mulberry 

 and castor oil plants, 



Branch Societies. 



At the beginning of 1907 there were 52 

 branches (including one Indian Association). 

 Regarding these it is unfortunately not pos- 

 sible to furnish a uniformly satisfactory re- 

 port, since a good many have fallen into a 

 dormant condition, due in most cases to a 

 lack of sympathy in, and encouragement 

 from, the leaders of provincial thought and 

 action. Wherever the chief officials of the 

 district saw their way to indicate their inter- 

 est in the work of the local branch and to 

 direct its operations, there was a ready res- 

 ponse. 



One useful purpose which all the branches 

 have served is as distributing agencies for 

 agricultural information, seeds, etc. 



The following are deserving of special 

 mention : — Dumbara Branch. — Organised a 

 Show, the first ever held in the district, tried 

 artificial manures on tobacco ; transplanted 

 and manured paddy ; organised seed and 

 money bank ; made a trial consignment of 

 produce to Colombo : and experimentally grew 

 a variety of economic crops (cotton &c). 



Nuivara Eliya Branch. — Holds very 

 successful combined Agri-Horticultural, 

 Cattle and Poultry Shows annually ; main- 

 tains a stud bull. 



Telijjaivila Branch-— Held two Shows ; 

 works a seed and money bank ; keeps up two 

 large fruit gardens ; has done good work in 

 encouraging the cultivation of fruits and 

 vegetables ; tried cattle and poultry breeding 

 but without success. 



Wellaboda Battu (Galle) Branch. — 

 Worked an extensive vegetable garden with 

 good financial results, — now converted into 

 a fruit garden ; held two Village Shows ; en- 

 courages market gardening and transplanting 

 in paddy cultivation by offering prizes ; de- 

 monstrated that Hatiel paddy brought over 

 from Kandy district stands submersion better 

 than other local varieties ; elected to adopt 

 the provisions of the Irrigation Ordinance 

 for the better supervision of paddy cultiva- 

 tion ; continues to hold regular meetings. 



WannirHatpattu Branch. — Has done 

 much to extend the cultivation of cotton in 

 Chenas, as well as the growing of tobacco ; 

 holds periodical meetings ; Dikvi paddy which 

 was introduced into the district gave encour- 

 aging results and proved immune against 

 the paddy-fly. 



Welimada Branch. — Has been the 

 means of encouraging cotton and tobacco 

 growing ; organised a Village Show ; holda 

 regular meetings. 



Jaffna Branch.— Is making efforts to 

 improve the condition of the tobacco Industry ; 

 agitated for concessions in the transport of 

 green-manure from the mainland to the 

 Peninsula ; introduced improved varieties o£ 



