February, 1909.)' 



179 



Miscellaneous. 



Statement of Objects and Reasons. 

 The object of the Draft Ordinance is to 

 prevent the introduction into, and disse- 

 mination in, this Island of the plant 

 known as the water hyacinth {Eich- 

 hornia crassipes), which might, it is 

 feared, make its way into the inland 

 waters of the Island, and, being of rapid 

 growth, impede their navigation. 



2. The Ordinance prohibits— 



(1) The importation of the plant, and 

 empowers the principal officer of Cus- 

 toms at any port at which the water 

 hyacinth may be landed to destroy the 

 same. 



(2) Auy person from possessing or 

 keeping or allowing the plant to grow 

 in any place belonging to him or under 

 his control or management, and casts 

 upon him the duty of destroying it 

 by fire. 



3. The term "water hyacinth" is 

 defined to include the seed and any part 

 of the plant. 



4. Any person importing or not 

 destroying the plant becomes liable to a 

 fine not exceeding Rs. 200. 



5. Power is also taken to extend by 

 Proclamation the provisions of the 

 Draft Ordinance prohibiting importa- 

 tion to any noxious weed or plant to be 

 specified in such Proclamation. 



Alfred G. Lascelles, 

 A ttorney-Geiieral. 

 Attorney-General's Chambers, 

 Colombo, January 21, 1909. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



B, T. — "Dhaincha" is the subject of a 

 special note elsewhere, which please 

 consult. The plant occurs as a weed in 

 Ceylon, but does not appear to have 

 attracted any attention as a soil 

 renovator, or even for its fibre. 



M. B. F.— No mineral phosphates occur 

 in Ceylon. You can verify this fact 

 by referring to the Mineralogieal Depart- 

 ment. You are probably thinking of 

 Dolomite, which is a double carbonate of 

 lime and magnesia. Even sulphate of 

 lime, so far as I am aware, has never 

 been found in the Island. 



Desmodium Tripolium, recommended 

 by Mr. Carrnthers as a green manure, 

 is the Sinhalese "hin undupiyali," 

 commonly found growing among grass. 



Low Country.— Yes, the rainfall last 

 year was very short of the average. 

 According to Fort records the average 

 for 39 years is 86"87 ; but the record for 

 last year was only 58-11. 



N. D.— Laterite is another name for 

 "Cabook," and is generally taken to be 

 decomposed gneiss rock. 



C— Other names for the Avocado 

 pear is "alligator pear" and "butter 

 fruit." It is called a salad fiuit, I suppose, 

 because it is eaten with salt and pepper — 

 sometimes also with a little vinegar- 

 like a salad, and is not as sweet as dessert 

 fruits generally are. It appears, how- 

 ever, to be steadily gaining popularity. 



A. P. — Gum arabic is the product of a 

 species of Acacia known as A. arabica 

 (Tamil " Karuvel ")■ It is rare in Ceylon, 

 but very common in India under the 

 name of " Babul. " 



Kolinchi, or Koliuji, is Tephrosia 

 purpurea (Sin. pila) much esteemed, 

 specially in the North of the Island, as a 

 green manure. 



E. H. P. K.— Mullein is found growing 

 about Nnwara Eliya. I do not know of 

 any native name ; botanically it is 

 Verbascum Thapsus. 0. D. 



BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Minutes op the 11th Meeting. 

 The 44th Meeting of the Board of 

 Agriculture was held at the Council 

 Chamber on Thursday, the 4th February, 

 1909. 



His Excellency the Governor presided. 



There were also present : — The Hon'ble 

 the Colonial Secretary, the Hon'ble the 

 Controller of Revenue, Sir Solomon Dias 

 Bandaranaike, Drs. Willis and H. M. 

 Fernando, Messrs. R. H. Lock, M. K. 

 Bamber, W. D. Gibbon, Dunuwille 

 Disawe, Dan Joseph, Mudaliyar Tudor 

 Rajapakse, J. D. Vanderstraaten, G. W. 

 Sturgess, W. A. de Silva, Francis 

 Daniell, E. Cowan and L. W. A. de Soysa. 



As Visitors.— Messrs. M. Suppra- 

 maniam and G. H. Perera. 



Business, 



1. Minutes of the meeting held on 

 December 3rd, 1908, were read and con- 

 firmed, 



2. Progress Report No. 43 was adopted. 



3. Statements of Expenditure to the 

 end of December, 1908, and January, 1909, 

 were tabled. 



4. Dr. Willis read three papers enti- 

 tled respectively, 



(a.) Agriculture in Ceylon and its 

 improvement. 



(b.) Loans to Native Agriculturists. 



(c.) Agriculture in the North-Cen- 

 tral Province, 



