Miscellaneous, 



152 



[August, 1910, 



A. 



- Young Plant. 



Tender Plants. Sun Dried, 

 Proportion, Proportion. 



Leaves 



Twigs 



Roots 



Per Cent. 



50'30 

 32-00 

 17-70 



100-00 



Per Cent. 

 61-10 

 38-90 



100 00 



Leaves and Tioigs. 



Leaves and 

 Leaves. Twigs. Twigs mixed. 

 Per Cent. Per Cent, per Cent. 



Moisture at 212° F. ... 6 00 13-60 8-96 



Nitrogen ... 5"40 1'96 4'06 

 Nitrogen on the sample 



dried at 212° F. ... 5'74 2'26 4-45 



The special feature is the very high 

 proportion of nitrogen in the young 

 plants compared with the old. 



B.— Mature Plant. 



Moisture Percentage 



Weight as Weight of lost in of Moisture 



received. Sun dried. Sun. lost in Sun. 



grns. gins, gms. Per Cent. 



Twigs ... 1,630 567 1,063 65 20 

 Leaves and 



pods ... 1,200 544 656 54-66 



Roots ... 195 122 73 37*40 



Sun Dried Sample. 



Organic 

 Matter 



Moisture at Organic containing 



2i2°F. Ash. Matter. Nitrogen. 

 Per Cent. Per .Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. 



Twigs 12-00 2-50 85 50 1'23 

 Leaves and 



pods ... 14-00 4-40 81-60 3-36 



Roots 12-50 1-50 86-00 1-03 



Ash Analysis of the whole Plant : — 

 Lime 33-00 % ; Magnesia 12 90 % ; Potash 

 14-10 % ; Phosphoric acid 11-52 %. 



The Government Agent, Eastern Pro- 

 vince, forwarded a report from the 

 Vanniah of Eraur koraie with reference 

 to a plague of rats in fields (about 14 

 miles from Batticaloa) bearing ripe 

 paddy. It is believed that the species 

 of rat causing the damage is not the 

 common one. At the time of report 

 some 50 acres of crop had been damaged, 

 and 12 acres about to be reaped were 

 abandoned. The rats were said to be 

 going further afield and attacking not 

 only paddy, but also young tobacco by 

 gnawing through the stem. 



The Government Entomologist sub- 

 mitted the following memorandum on 

 this report : "Much attention has been 

 paid recently to the extermination of 

 rats in paddy fields in the Malay Penin- 

 sula. I enclose for your perusal (and 

 return) a copy of Mr. Gallagher's cir- 

 cular on the subject. Unfortunately, 

 the only practicable remedy (Carbon 

 Bisulphide) is difficult to obtain in 



Ceylon. It would be necessary to import 

 it from India. Meanwhile the rats will 

 have made an end of the paddy crop. 

 Possibly the 'Ant Exterminator' might 

 be of some use. The preliminary proce- 

 dure would be the same as for the appli- 

 cation of the Carbon Bisulphide. It is 

 of great importance that the species of 

 rat should be accurately identified. The 

 Vanniah, Eraur koraie, does not state 

 whether the rats are occupying holes 

 in the banks of the paddy fields, or 

 whether they come from the jungle. 

 This should be ascertained. Dried skins 

 of the rats, together with a specimen 

 preserved in alcohol, should be submitted 

 tor determination." 



Mr. Green has been requested to kindly 

 draw up instructions for the use of 

 Bisulphide of Carbon (a very inflam- 

 mable liquid), of which a quantity will 

 be ordered for future use. 



Miscellaneous.— Applications for seed 

 of papaw (Canca Papaya) continue to 

 be received from India. 



A new stud bull, recommended by the 

 Government Veterinary Surgeon, has 

 been secured for the Harasbedde Breed- 

 ing Farm. 



A supply of seed of Pennisetum 

 cenchroides fodder grass from India, 

 locally known as Kangayan grass, and 

 reputed to be drought-resisting, was 

 received and distributed to the following 

 centres: Colombo, Anuradhapura, Man- 

 nar, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Put- 

 talam, Chilaw, Batticaloa, and Kurune- 

 gala. 



Experiments made with nurtures of 

 Nodule bacteria kindly supplied by Mr. 

 Frank Tidswell, Director of the Govern- 

 ment Bureau of Microbiology, Sydney, 

 were undertaken by the Superintendent 

 of School Gardens at the Government 

 Stock Garden, Colombo. The cultures 

 were for cowpeas and butter beans, but 

 the results proved very disappointing, 

 as no improvement was to be observed 

 in the growth and produce of the inocu- 

 lated plots. 



Mr. C F. Hutchinson, of Mapitigama, 

 Avisawella, writing on June 18, reports 

 that the grape vine procured for him by 

 the Society about 18 months previously 

 bore three bunches of grapes. He used a 

 mixture of cattle and bone manure. The 

 wood is said to be very strong and 

 healthy. 



Mr, W. A. de Silva also reports that 

 his vine has fruited within the same 

 period. 



The following is a report on Cassava 

 cultivation in the Jaffna peninsula, 

 kindly forwarded by Mr. C. M. Sinnayah, 

 Mudaiiyar :— 



