July, 1909.] 



51 



Miscellaneous. 



toured in different parts of the Island, 

 inspecting gardens, attending meetings 

 of Branch Societies, visiting Shows, and 

 generally studying the condition and 

 requirements of rural agriculture. The 

 districts visited included Jaffna, Putta- 

 lam, Chilaw, Kegalla, Kurunegala, 

 Kandy, Nuwara Bliya, Kalutara, Anu- 

 radhapura, and Matara. 



Agricultural Instructors. 



Three additional Instructors were ap- 

 pointed, bringing up the total number 

 to five : three are available for the Sinha- 

 lese districts and two for the Tamil dis- 

 tricts. These officers are at present sta- 

 tioned at the under-mentioned centres 

 so as to enable them to conveniently 

 reach all parts of the Island. Mr. S. 

 Chelliah at Jaffna, Mr. S. R. Brecken- 

 ridge at Batticaloa, Mr. Walter Molegoda 

 at Kandy, and Messrs. N. Wickreme- 

 ratne and L. A. D. Silva at Colombo. 



Messrs. L. A, D. Silva, Chelliah, and 

 Breckenridge are passed men from the 

 late School of Agriculture ; the rest have 

 undergone training at Peradeniya and 

 at the Government Stock Garden. 



Already these officers have made de- 

 tailed tours, traversing some of the 

 remotest parts of the Island which need- 

 ed thair presence and assistance most. 

 As a result a good deal of useful infor- 

 mation as to the condition and require- 

 ments of these areas has been made 

 available, and a way opened to localities 

 which would not otherwise have been 

 reached by the Society. Their duties 

 have been greatly facilitated by the 

 co-operation of the Government Agents 

 working through the chief headmen. 



I would like to say a word in commen- 

 dation of Messrs. Chelliah and Wickre- 

 maratne, who possess initiative and 

 enthusiasm, qualities which should en- 

 able them to serve the Society well. 



More instructors are needed, but 

 additions to the present staff will pro- 

 bably have to await the opening, it 

 is to be hoped in the near future, of a 

 school for training such officers. 

 Experimental Gardens. 



Of these gardens, the one at Banda- 

 ragama is perhaps doing the most sys- 

 tematic work. It was started under the 

 auspices of the Rayigam Koialo Branch, 

 and owes its success chiefly to the per- 

 sonal interest of Mr. Conroy, Assistant 

 Government Agent of Kalutara, and the 

 zeal of Mr- Wirasinghe, the Mudaliyar 

 of the korale. 



The newly-formed Pasdun Korale 

 Branch, established through the enter- 



{)rise of Mr. F. D. Samarasinghe, Muda- 

 iyar of Pasdun Korale East, has laid 

 the foundation of three gardens at Bel- 

 lana, Agalawatte, and Warakagoda. 



Arrangements for starting gardens at 

 Jaffna and Anuradhapura, to be worked 

 directly under the Agricultural Instruc- 

 tor stationed in the Northern Province, 

 are now under consideration. 



I may here mention that Mr. Wickre- 

 maratne, Mudaliyar of Weligam korale, 

 has done much to encourage the cultiva- 

 tion of fruits in the South through his 

 own garden at Tellij jawila, the Dampella 

 girls' school, and a number of smaller 

 village plantations belonging to his 

 headmen. 



I regret to say that nothing could have 

 been done with regard to the proposed 

 garden at Horetuduwa (for which the 

 late Sri Chandrasekera Mudaliyar donat- 

 ed a sum of Rs. 2,500) owing: to difficul- 

 ties that have arisen over the transfer of 

 the site selected for it. 



Shows. 



Shows were held at the following 

 centres : — Hikkaduwa, Mannar, Balalla, 

 Pilessa, Kuliyapitiya, Anuradhapura, 

 Welimada. 



The tendency to multiply small shows 

 in village centres is a departm-e in the 

 right direction. Such shows appeal to 

 the cultivator with greater force than 

 large town shows, which, however, have 

 their own value. This was quite appa- 

 rent at the three village shows at Balalla, 

 Pilessa, and Kuliyapitiya, successfully 

 and economically worked by Mr. G. S. 

 Saxtou, Government Agent of the North- 

 Western Province. Mr. Horsburgh's 

 show at Anuradhapura and Mr. Steven- 

 son's at Mannar also demonstrated the 

 utility of village shows^ 



Ceylon's chief agricultural products 

 were, on the invitation of the Indian 

 authorities, represented at the Mysore 

 and Nagpur Exhibitions held last year. 



Regular Publications. 



The English, Sinhalese, and Tamil 

 monthly magazines published by the 

 Society were issued regularly through- 

 out the year. The arrangements for 

 their publication remain the same. The 

 proportion of original matter in the Eng- 

 lish periodical (''Tropical Agriculturist 

 and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural 

 Society") has been recently increased. 

 By exchange the Society receives a large 

 mass of agricultural literature in the 

 shape of periodicals, reports, &g„ from 

 abroad. 



The Sinhalese Magazine ("Govikam 

 Sangarawa"), which completes its fourth 

 volume in June, and has a circulation 

 of 1,400, is a valuable medium of commu- 

 nication and instruction as far as the 

 native cultivator is concerned. It finds 

 its way into the hands of every Govern- 

 ment teacher and many teachers of 



