Miscellaneous. 



404 



[MAY, 1909. 



del sfcerious ingredient?. It consists ot 

 a powder tor fumigation. 



Tobacco.— Samples of tcbacco forward- 

 ed by the Dumbara Society were sub- 

 mitted to the London tobacco leaf 

 expert referred to in the last Progress 

 Report. Writing on February 19 he 

 says : — " I have carefully examined and 

 inspected these growths, and I have 

 also got two or three of the largest 

 manufacturers to try a little of the 

 same. It is certainly the best attempt 

 I have seen with tobacco outside 

 Kentucky, and I feel sure that if it 

 is properly put up there will be a 

 future before it, but the samples are far 

 too moist, and should be dried down 

 to contain about 12 per cent, moisture 

 and might fetch 5d. to (3c£. per lb. I 

 feel sure that a large trade can be 

 done with it. Of course, I mention the 

 above prices with reference to the 

 present market price at Kentucky, and, 

 as I have previously stated, British 

 manufacturers are very conservative, 

 and it is very difficult to get an outside 

 growth like this on the market, unless 

 you give them an advantage in price. I 

 shall be pleased to know what quantity 

 you can offer. It certainly burns well, 

 and has a distinctive flavour ; but the 

 latter fact may be derogatory rather 

 than otherwise The samples sent con- 

 tain about 20 per cent, moisture, which 

 should, as before stated, be reduced to 

 about 12 per cent. The thick part of the 

 stalk should be butted and the sand 

 well shaken out. If labour is cheap, it 

 might be advisable to have the tobacco 

 stripped before importing. It would 

 sell more readily, and a better price 

 might be got. The two lowest grades, 

 I am afraid, would be useless for the 

 English trade, and I do not think it 

 would pay to import them." 



Disease in Nutmeg Trees. —Mr. Fre- 

 derick Lewis of the Land Settlement 

 Department reported last year that he 

 had observed a disease in nutmeg trees, 

 which attacks old trees, commencing 

 from the top branches, causing a change 

 of colour in foliage from a dark green to a 

 pale sickly yellow, till finally the leaves 

 fall off, exposing dead twigs and 

 btanehes. 



The Government Mycologist, after 

 inspecting the affected trees, reported :— 

 " They are evidently suffering from a 

 root disease, which gradually kills the 

 roots and causes the branches to wither 

 back from the tips owing to stoppage of 

 the water supply. I was informed that 

 the tree died outright within six mouths 

 of first showing symptoms of disease. 

 November should have been the best 

 time for collecting specimens of the 

 fungus, but it had been too dry, and 



nothing but mycelium was observed; it 

 would require continuous observation 

 during the wet weather to find the 

 fructification, which is most probably a 

 Polyporus. In most cases white ants 

 had eaten away the base of the tree 

 and spoilt all chance of obtaining the 

 fructification. Under the circum- 

 stances, it is difficult to know what to 

 advise. The caretaker gathers the crop, 

 but has presumably no other interest in 

 the matter. The dead trees should be 

 burnt and their roots dng out as far as 

 possible, but as the living trees are of 

 very little economic value no one will 

 be eager to spend anything. The jak 

 trees here are also attacked by a root 

 disease, and the dead trees should be 

 similarly dealt with. Apparently most 

 of these trees are growing in pure 

 cabook, which was excavated when the 

 reservoir was made. They can scarcely 

 be expected to nourish in such ' soil,' 

 and if it is wished to maintain the 

 surroundings as a garden, shrubs should 

 be planted in holes filled with good soil." 



Orchella Weed (Rocella montagnie). — 

 At the instance of the Imperial Institute, 

 London, inquiries were instituted as 

 to the probable cause of the falling 

 off iu the trade in this dye stuff— 

 a lichen found chiefly in the north 

 of the Islaud growing on coconut 

 and jungle trees. The export at one 

 time was as much as 1,157 cwt, and 

 the price £30 a ton- Now the price quoted 

 is Rs. 180 c-i.f., and the falling off in the 

 trade is generally attributed to this 

 reduction in price- 



Cattle Disease.— The year began badly 

 for cattle owners owing to the pre- 

 valence of rinderpest, which has caused 

 great loss, chiefly in the Province of 

 (Jva, and is still causing the Veterinary 

 Department much anxiety. The constant 

 menace which daily importations of 

 cattle from India have been to the 

 health of our local stock has now been 

 practically removed by the openiug of a 

 Central Cattle Mart and Segregation 

 Camp in Colombo. The establishment is 

 presumably the first of its kind iu the 

 East, and is well equipped and under 

 good management. 



Publications.— An Agricultural Calen- 

 dar in Sinhalese is in type, and will be 

 issued early. 



Leaflets on the Rice Bug or Paddy Fly 

 (No. XL.) and Nitrogen-gathering Crops 

 (No. XLII.) have been printed and dis- 

 tributed. Leaflet No. XLII. on "The 

 Silk Cotton Tree " is in the hands of the 

 printer. 



C. DRIEBERG, 

 Secretary. 



Colombo, April 7, 1909. 



