352 [Oct. 1906. 



3. Yams.— Mr. A. E. Rajapakse, Chairman of the Katunayaka Branch, 

 reports as follows :— " Besides cassava, there is another kind of yam which would 

 be very useful to poor people if introduced to places where it is not found. This is 

 a kind of sweet potato largely grown in the Southern Province. There are varieties 

 of it— yams that could be lifted in two months, three months, and six months, &c 

 The early varieties are very successfully grown in paddy fields, after the paddy 

 has been harvested." Mr. Rajapakse will be glad to supply these yams to any one 

 willing to experiment with them free of cost. 



4. Manure for Experiment.— Messrs. Freudenberg & Co. have supplied to 

 the Local Branch at Gampola 22 cwt. of manure for purposes of experiment 

 with paddy. 



5. Date Palm Suckers.— Mr. V. Casipillai of Jaffna reports under date the 

 15th August that all but two of the date palm suckers supplied to him have died, 

 and that the two suckers that have so far survived have not yet begun to grow, 

 though they are wejl looked after. Mr. Casipillai has promised to report further 

 on the growth of the two remaining suckers. 



6. Lemon Grass Rootlets.— Mr . B. Samaraweera of Weligama reports that 

 he has a quantity of these for sale. Rootlets can be obtained on application direct 

 to Mr. Samaraweera. 



7. Prickly Pear, Extermination of.— The Government Agent, Northern 

 Province, Jaffna, has sent the following report from the President, Delft Gan- 

 sabhawa, on the result of the experiment in exterminating this pest:— "I have 

 the honour to report that I tried the solution of sodium arsenic on a bush of prickly 

 pear in front of my bungalow on the 28th ultimo, and the effects have been simply 

 surprising. Within twenty-four hours the leaves turned brown, and the second 

 day the whole bush looked burnt and dry. The experiment has proved a success, 

 and the villagers are very anxious to have this plant fully removed from the 

 Island, and I shall get the Village Committee to vote the necessary funds for 

 obtaining the solution in large quantities and the necessary implements required 

 for the purpose as directed." 



8. Seed Paddy from India.— The Thasildar of Tanjore, who was asked to 

 obtain for the Society a supply of Muttusamba paddy, states that he was able to 

 procure only a small quantity, and that even the amount collected is now reported 

 to be unfit for seed. He regrets that tinder the circumstances Muttusamba paddy 

 cannot be despatched this year. 



9. Six-Months and Five- Months Seed Paddy from India — Samba Varieties. — 

 Two consignments of six-months and five-months seed paddy from India, consisting 

 of nearly 700 bushels, were received early in August. This paddy consists of three 

 varieties :— 



(a) Small grains containing round and white rice (five months). 

 (6) Long white grains containing white rice (five months), 

 (c) Long red grains containing white rice (six months). 

 Some of this paddy has been supplied to Vavuniya, Gampola, Badulla, 

 Puttalam, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Nuwara Eliya, Balangoda, 

 Matale, Angammana, Katunayake, and Katana. 



Supplies of these paddies are still available, and application for them should 

 be made direct to the Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. The cost of the 

 seed paddy is Rs. 2-75 per pushel. 



10. Banku Paddy from India .—The supply of Banku Paddy received from 

 India (a four-and-a-half months variety) has been fully booked among the following 

 districts :— Kurunegala, Jaffna, Kandy, Balangoda, Gampola, Mullaittivu, Colombo, 

 Welimada, and Badulla. 



