Miscellaneous. 



[May, 1909. 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL. 

 SOCIETY. 



Progress Report XLIV. 



Membership.— The following members 

 have joined the Society since the last 

 meeting of the Board held on Febru- 

 ary 4:— Wilfred L. P. Soysa, Huntley 

 Wilkinson, E. L. Ephraums, W. P. R. 

 Spencer, Dr. Ahmed Mirza, W. R. Bibile, 

 R.M., M. S. Milne, General Manager of 

 the Uganda Company, Ltd., T. Dorai- 

 swamy Aiyar, N. J. Wilson Blackett, 

 Edward Young, and P. W. Le Feuvre. 



Movements of Officials — The Secretary 

 toured in the Kandy District, Pasdun 

 Korale East, and Kurunegala District. 

 Mr. S, Rothwell, at present studying 

 tropical agriculture at Peraderiya, ac- 

 companied the Secretary on some of his 

 visits of inspection. 



Agricultural Instuctors- -There are 

 now five Agricultural Instructors en- 

 gaged in inspection and demonstration 

 work, at present distributed as follows:— 

 Mr. N. Wickremaratne in the Bentota- 

 Walallawiti korale, Mr. L. A, I). Silva 

 in the Harnbantota-Matara Districts, 

 Mr. S. R. Breckenridge in the Batticaloa 

 District, Mr. S. Chelliah in the Jaffna 

 peninsula, and Mr. W. Molegoda in the 

 Nuwara Eliya District. 



Branch Societies.— Three new Branch 

 Societies have been organized at Ham- 

 bantota, Bentota and Agalawatta (Pas- 

 dun korale). 



The Hambantota Branch (designated 

 the Magam Pattu Agricultural Society) 

 absorbs the Tissamaharama Cultivators' 

 Association. It has in view the estab- 

 lishing of an experimental garden, for 

 which Mudaliyar C. P. S. Jayawickrema 

 has offered an area of land oil his Rana- 

 keliya estate. Agricultural Instructor 

 Silva, who has inspected the land, while 

 agreeing that the sites are suitable for 

 the purpose, is of opinion that their dis- 

 tance from a frequented centre is a 

 drawback. 



The Bentota Branch was inaugurated 

 at a meeting held at Bentota in the 

 first week in March, when Agricultural 

 Instructor Wickremaratne was present ; 

 office-bearers will be elected at a later 

 meeting, when rules and a programme 

 of work will also be framed. Nine 

 Vidane Arachchies undertook to conduct 

 experiments in transplanting paddy. 



An inaugural meeting was held at 

 Agalawatta on March 14 to establish a 

 Branch Society for Pasdun Korale East. 

 The meeting was attended by the Secre- 

 tary, and there was a large gathering, 

 over which Mudaliyar Sanaarasiuha pre- 



sided. Office-bearers were appointed, 

 and a resolution was passed that three 

 experimental gardens be started at 

 Bellaua, Agalawatta, and Warakagoda. 

 The Mudaliyar's proposals with regard 

 to the work of the Society were met 

 with general favour. 



The Dumbara Society, which is among 

 the most active of the branches, held 

 its annual general meeting on February 

 6, when the Hon. Mr. J. P. Lewis, Govern- 

 ment Agent, Central Province, presided. 

 An interesting annual report was sub- 

 mitted by the Secretary, Mr. Rasanaya- 

 gam, Mudaliyar, dealing- chiefly with 

 the work of the Co-operative Credit 

 Bank. The report is reproduced in the 

 Society's Magazine for February. 



Agricultural Shows.— The following 

 Shows are fixed to take place on the 

 dates indicated below:— 



April 6-7 ... Welimada 



SO } ... Mannar 



May 6 ... Anuradhapura 



May 23-24 ... Hanguranketa 



May 24 ... Bandaragama 



June 12 ... Vavuniya 



June 16-18 ... Galle 



June ... Negombo 



June ... Jaffna 



June 10 ... Balalla 



July 2-3 ... Kegalla 



July 31 ... Telijjawila 



August 5-7 ... Kandy 



October 30 ... Mirigama 



December 20-21 ... Hikkaduvva 

 The Jaffna Show is the only doubtful 

 fixture. 



It has been decided to abandon the 

 Colombo Exhibition this year, in view 

 of the Show to be held at Negombo in 

 June. 



Imperial International Exhibition, 

 Nagpur. — As previously reported, the 

 Society sent a representative exhibit of 

 local commercial products to this Exhi- 

 bition. The Secretary of the Exhibition 

 Committee, writing after the close of the 

 Exhibition, states: "I think the exhibits 

 as a whole attracted attention. Of indi- 

 vidual exhibits, I am not at this moment 

 efficient to speak, chiefly because I was 

 absent the greater part of the time. 

 There were to my knowledge, however, 

 inquiries with regard to cardamoms and 

 cacao. I will see that a report is sent." 



Experimental Gardens.— In addition 

 to the gardens at Tissa and Pasdum 

 Korale East already referred to, it is 

 also proposed to establish gardens at 

 Jaffna, Anuradhapura, and Batticaloa, 

 under the supervision of the Agricul- 

 tural Instructors stationed in the North- 

 ern and Eastern Provinces, 



