Dec. 1906.] 



501 



Miscellaneous. 



Peradeniy a all agriculturists must look for improved k nowledge, for the results of 

 the careful study of science, for the data for all experiments, and on no one more 

 than the Director of the Botanical Gardens and his staff must the Society depend 

 for success. Tlie Society is intended to be the interpreter of the Botanical Supreme 

 Court. The Chief Justice, the Director, has arraigned before him a hapless goiya 

 accused by science— represented by Mr. KelwayBamber with a tobacco plant, or Mr. 

 Petch with a bud-rotted coconut palm— he is charged with gross neglect of all 

 scientific methods of cultivation and with pursuing the methods of the iron age. His 

 excuse, murmured in Sinhalese, is ignorance. The Judge orders a Peradeniya Circular 

 to be administered. Excellent as is the remedy, the case of the villager reminds 

 one of the English labourer, who according to " Punch," begged of the physician 

 that the pills might not be packed in such solid boxes as he found them difficult 

 to swallow. With all the wealth of knowledge that this island is so fortunate as 

 to possess at Peradeniya, any agency for disseminating the knowledge must be 

 useful, and such an agency the Agricultural Society endeavours to supply with the 

 help of its local branches. The Society has now as its magazine the " Tropical 

 Agriculturist and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society" edited by Dr. Willis» 

 with a reputation second to none among the agricultural journals of the East. 

 Every member of the Society gets the magazine. 



I have touched at present only on the literary side of the Society's efforts, 

 not because I consider them the most important, but because they are the only side 

 which presents itself to the large majority of the general public. The work done by 

 the local societies can only be realised at first hand, it can only be accurately gauged 

 by personal inspection. By the ivork done by its members the Society must stand or 

 fall. Many of its branches are, I fear, little more than debating societies, where 

 " village Catos give their little Senates laws and sit attentive to their own applause." 

 But even these, if they allow of the exchange of ideas and the records of experiment 

 may be of some use— that they are deserving of more praise I am not prepared to 

 say. But other and practical work has been done — vegetables have been planted 

 out, experimental gardens opened, and demonstrations in castration held. In several 

 places working members' branches have been started— the first of these was in the 

 Kuruwiti Korale, where 32 villagers joined, 22 of whom gave a donation to the 

 branch in addition to undertaking an experiment. Rll "25 was paid in subscriptions 

 by villagers. These branches have as their rule of membership that a subscription 

 is voluntary, but that every member must, as a condition of membership, undertake 

 to carry out some piece of agricultural work— e.g., either open a plot of ground with 

 vegetables, plant chillies in his garden, transplant the paddy in his field, or try seed 

 paddy from anocher district. Another useful means of improving agriculture has 

 been the distribution of manures, supplied free by Messrs. Preudeuberg & Co., to 

 members whose names are seut in by the local branches. By this means a series of 

 useful experiments are being made all over the island, which will afford most 

 valuable data, and at the same time introduce the principles of manuring in places 

 where manures have hitherto not been used. Village shows have been inaugurated 

 by the Society ; a most successful one was held at Minuwangoda, a report on which 

 by Mr. C. Drieberg, has appeared in the Society's magazine. These shows aie held 

 on market days at important village centres, and the prizes are subscribed for by 

 members of the local society. Judges are appointed who go round the different 

 booths and stalls and make their awards. In to-day's report mention is made of one 

 of these shows which was arranged for at a meeting held at Ruanwella. The show 

 will be held at the Yatiyantota market and, as will be seen from the xsrogress report, 

 26 prizes (nine of ten rupees, and seventeen of five rupees) have been subscribed for 

 by members of the branch. All the prizes are to be given for well-known native 

 vegetables and cultivations — the object being to improve and increase the varieties. 

 In a paper like this it is only possible to touch on a very few of the subjects with 



