May, 1909.1 



161 



Miscellaneous- 



The Baudaragauia and Balangoda Gar- 

 dens continue to make satisfactory 

 progress. 



Horetuduwa Garden.— In August last 

 another stage was reached in the arrange- 

 ments for opening this garden. The 

 di'awing up of the deeds for the trans- 

 fer of land for the purpose was entrusted 

 to the donor's Notary, and there was 

 a prospect of the garden being taken in 

 hand in September and got ready for 

 planting during the north-east monsoon. 

 The unexpected death of the donor in 

 the interval has now caused further 

 delay, and will have to wait action by 

 the executor of the estate. It should be 

 mentioned that the late Sri Chandra- 

 sekera, Mudaliyar, donated a sum of 

 Rs. 2,500 for the upkeep of the garden, 

 so that by his death the Society loses 

 one of its most liberal supporters. 



School Gardens. — School gardens are 

 increasing in number. At the end of 

 last year their total number was 180. 

 Some of the gardens in the outlying 

 districts are doing excellent work, as 

 the following log entry, made by Mr. F. 

 Lewis of the Land Settlement Depart- 

 ment, goes to show. Angunakolapilessa 

 school referred to is situated in a remote 

 part of the Magam pattu : "I visited 

 the Angunakolapilessa school this morn- 

 ing at 7-30, just as some of the boys were 

 arriving. 1 was particularly struck 

 with the school garden, which, consider- 

 ing the climatic conditions that prevail 

 here, shows that the schoolmaster has 

 paid great attention to it, and with 

 excellent results. I noticed among other 

 products chillies, ash and red pumpkins, 

 tomatoes, sweet potatoes, Indian corn 

 and cotton. The crops produced were 

 very large, and, seeing that the water 

 required for the plants is brought from 

 a tank or well about one-eighth of a mile 

 distant, it is all the more astonishing 

 that so excellent a result is to be seen. 

 Altogether the garden is a fine object- 

 lesson, not only for children but for 

 adults, as showing what can be done 

 here. The figures of crops given by the 

 schoolmaster show that the yield is 

 highly profitable, and I trust that the 

 Agricultural Department will take the 

 matter up, as showing the possibilities 

 in this wild and little- populated country. 

 The school garden affords a proof that 

 with water and a little care and atten- 

 tion the common garden pioduce of the 

 country can be made very profitable. I 

 find that some of the children, to whom 

 I put a few questions of a practical 

 character, were able to answer with 

 promptness and correctly. This and 

 the foregoing remarks about the garden 

 will serve to show that the schoolmaster 

 has done his work well, and deserves 



considerable credit considering the 

 materials he has to work upon." 



Public Pasture Grounds. — The question 

 of providing communal pasture land is 

 being taken up in Uva, Gampola, and 

 the Wellaboda pattu. The Government 

 Veterinary Surgeon recommends that 

 there should be 100 acres of pasture for 

 every herd of 100 head of cattle. 



The Secretary during his visit to South 

 India in December last found that much 

 value was placed upon a pasture grass 

 new to Ceylon, identified by Mr. J. P. 

 Jowitt as Cenchrus biflorus, and is now 

 making arrangements to introduce it 

 into the Island in connection with the 

 pasture experiments referred to. 



Paddy.— At the request of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Beira, twelve select- 

 ed varieties of low-land and up-land 

 paddy were forwarded to Portuguese 

 Easb Africa for experimental purposes. 

 The thanks of the Society are due to 

 Messrs. A. P. Goonatileka and J. H. Mee- 

 deuiya, R,M., for furnishing the paddies. 



Eighteen varieties of Ceylon paddy 

 were also forwarded to the Department 

 of Agriculture, Central Provinces, Nag- 

 pur. These were secured with the kind 

 Help of Mr. Sam W. Perera of H. M. 

 Customs. 



An experiment in transplanting paddy 

 was carried out last season under the 

 direction of Mr, Wirasinha, the Mudali- 

 yar of Rayigam korale, His report is ex- 

 pected immediately, but Mr, "VVickrema- 

 ratne, Agricultural Instructor, who 

 visited the district just before the cut- 

 ting of the corn, reported that the 

 superiority of the transplanted crop 

 was striking, the average number of 

 shoots from a plant being above twelve 

 and the ears proportinately large. 



An experiment was also conducted at 

 Bombuwala in Kalutara totamune in 

 a field belonging to the Vidane. It was 

 carried out under many disadvantages 

 owing to having been begun too late in 

 the season, which did not allow of the 

 plants remaining sufficiently long in 

 the nursery or of sufficient time being 

 given for the action of the manure 

 applied. Details of the experiment will 

 be duly published together with those of 

 the Rayigam korale experiment, 



The Mudaliyar of Pasdun Korale East 

 reports that transplanting will be under- 

 taken in the six Vidane Arachchies' 

 divisions of the koiale during the next 

 yala ; similar experiments will be con- 

 ducted in the Bentota-Walallawiti 

 korale by the Vidane Arachchies of 

 Urugasmanhandiya, Kosgoda, Elpitiya, 

 Pitigala, Horangalla, Weiheua, Opata, 

 Constable Araeiichi of Urugaha, and 

 Police Officer of Amugoda. 



