November, 1909.] 



446 



Miscellaneou s 



Principal of the Coimbatore College, 

 writing on August 19 last says : — " As 

 this grass is grown in a very dry district, 

 I do not consider that it would grow 

 sufficiently well there for hay. On the 

 farm here it grew 10 inches or 12 inches 

 high when in full ear, and the yield of 

 hay would have been very poor. I see 

 no reason, however, to doubt its capa- 

 bility of being made into hay, provided 

 there is a sufficiently evenly distributed 

 rainfall to ensure good growth." 



There is, of course, a vast difference 

 between rainfall there (20 inches) and 

 here (85). The growth of the grass at 

 the Stock Garden, when cut at the 

 beginning of September (after an un- 

 usually wet spell), was over 2 feet, and 

 made a good hay. It is intended to 

 import a large quantity of seed, since 

 the grass is so well thought of as a 

 fodder in South India. 



Another introduced fodder grass 

 established at the Stock Garden is 

 Phalaris Gayana, or "Rhodes Grass." 



*' Chou Mcellier," a member of the 

 cabbage family, which came with a 

 reputation as a fodder crop, is proving 

 an acquisition as a vegetable. Through 

 the Stock Garden the "leaf cabbage" 

 propagated by cuttings has become well 

 distributed in the low-country, where 

 it is much appreciated, but the " Chou 

 Mcellier " should be even more popular 

 owing to its swollen succulent stem, 

 which boils soft and is delicate enough 

 for the table. 



Seeds and Plants. 

 Among seeds distributed for special 

 purposes are Carolina Golden Rice, Ben- 

 gal Gram (Cieer arietinum), and Buck- 

 wheat (from North India and New South 

 Wales). 



Mr. W. A. de Silva is carrying out a 

 trial to test the value of Sesbania acu- 

 leata as a green manure for rubber, 



The usual supply of imported vege- 

 table seeds (approximately 4,000 packets) 

 was received early in October and distri- 

 buted. 



Hickory King maize seed, obtained 

 from the Experiment Station, Pera- 

 deniya, has been distributed, in reponse 

 to applications received through the 

 Agricultural Instructors in Badulla, 

 Kegalla, and Matale Districts. 



A collection of seed yams from the 

 Gold Coast has been received from Mr. 

 W. S. D. Tudhope, who spent some 

 time in the Island before going out as 

 Director of Agriculture of that Colony. 

 I regret to say that only a few of the 

 yams are likely to grow, 



The grafted fruit plants imported for 

 the north-east monsoon planting consist- 

 ed of mango 266, orange 248, pumelo 53, 

 lime 135, citron 43, pomegranate 96, 

 roseapple 69, guava 86, sapodilla 134, 

 grape 107, or a total of 1,243 plants. 



On the application of Mr. L. P. 

 Emerson, Irrigation Engineer, Eastern 

 Province, a collection of fruit plants 

 from the Stock Garden nurseries, 

 consisting of orange, mandarine, Johore 

 jak, pomegranate, rambutan, custard 

 apple, &c, was despatched for planting 

 at Rugam, Tennepitiya, and Illapadu- 

 chena. 



Cuttings of the new cluster sweet 

 potatoes are now available to members 

 of the Society. Application should be 

 made at the Government Stock Garden. 



Tubers of Solanum commersoni have 

 been received from the Transvaal Agri- 

 cultural Department. 



Implements and Appliances. 



As the result of the ploughing demon- 

 strations in the Southern Province, orders 

 for over a hundred ploughs have been re- 

 ceived from that quarter, the implement 

 most in demand being the Indian Meston 

 plough, the weight and price of which 

 appeal to the small cultivator. 



The great loss of cattle through rinder- 

 pest in the Batticaloa and Hambantota 

 Districts has severely interfered with 

 the threshing of the paddy crops in these 

 localities, where, as indeed in nearly all 

 parts of the Island, the threshing is 

 done by cattle treading out the grain. 

 The simple hand apparatus recommended 

 by Mr. Bamber, which did not appeal 

 to the cultivators in Batticaloa, has been 

 sent to Hambantota. 



Inquiry from every likely source has 

 been made regarding threshing machines 

 that should prove suitable to local condi- 

 tions, as it is possible that larger land- 

 owners — especially of the Eastern Pro- 

 vince—will be prepared to pay for a 

 good machine after their recent ex- 

 perience, and with the prospect of 

 getting continuous, efficient, and fast 

 work done, instead of the present slow, 

 unsteady, and unsatisfactory threshing 

 by a system that almost involves cruelty 

 to animals. Information received from 

 Calcutta, Nagpur, and Coimbatore re- 

 garding the machines in use in India 

 should assist materially in the selection 

 of a suitable thresher for local use. 

 Analyses and Reports, 



The following is the Government Agri- 

 cultural Chemist's report, which ac- 

 companied the analysis of a sample of 

 tobacco soil from Elalai, where the 

 Agricultural Instructor of the Northern 

 Province has been carrying out a 

 series of experiments " The soil is 



