Miscellaneous. 



44 



[Jan. 1907. 



Section III Class A (Food Products).— The entries under this class e on 

 the whole poor, the largest number of exhibits being the tea, paddy and country- 

 rice. The prize-winner of paddy showed a collection w hich he claimed to coutain 

 72 varieties. There were no entries for " Indian Corn" or "Fine Grains." 



Class B. (New Products) — Groundnuts of good quality and Eri Cocoons 

 were each represented by two lots ; cotton and rubber by throe lots each. The 

 Gold Medal offered for the best rubber was easily won by a beautiful lot of sheet 

 rubber shown by Mr. North way. 



Special (decorations).— There were in all eight sheds but of these only one 

 showed any striking decoration, all the rest being somewhat plainly got up. 

 The first prize-winning shed was ornamented chiefly with plaited leaves of different 

 colours, figures of animals, etc., being thus cleverly worked on the side of the 

 building facing the entrance. The sheds winning the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th prizes were 

 all similar in their get-up, being plainly decorated with moss studded with Alia" 

 manda and " Shoe-noAver." 



(Signed) II, F. MACMILLAN, 



Curator, Peradeniya Gardens. 



Correspondence. 



CHARACTERISTIC PLANTS OF NORTH CEYLON. 



Dear Sir,— It is evident that Mr. Drieberg has recently been at Point Pedro. 

 Mud-Kilaori and the tree Pannir (not Panir) are two of its most characteristic 

 plants, and both thrive there better, I think, than any where else in the Peninsula. 



The Mud-Kilaori (mud-mul thorny) grows more or less everywhere in the 

 Peninsula and Island, and is also to be found at Mannar and at Mullaithivu, but 

 not inland in the Northern Province. A sandy soil with some admixture of clay 

 seems to suit it best, combined with the Jaffna climate ; but, strange to say, 

 efforts to introduce it into the Eastern Province from Point Pedro have hitherto 

 proved unsuccessful though, as it forms one of the best live fences there is, it is much 

 to be desired that they should succeed. One was made by Mr. Jennet Brown in 

 July-August 1904, but in this case the sticks were probably delayed too long en route. 

 One would have thought that Batticaloa would suit it as well as Jaffna, Point 

 Pedro and Mullaithivu do. Whether it is found at Trincomalee or not I do not know. 



This plant revels in a droughty climate. The sticks will grow without 

 watering provided they are cut and planted at the right time of the year, which 

 is May-August. At any other time, if the plants are lopped of branches, the parent 

 plant dies out and the sticks as well. The sticks will not grow in wet weather. They 

 are preserved until wanted for planting by putting them into the ground on end. 

 The reason that there is no Sinhalese name for this plant and for the thornless 

 variety is, no doubt, because they do not grow in any Sinhalese part of 

 the Island. 



It is much to be hoped that another attempt may be made to introduce the 

 Alud-kilaori into Batticaloa. The Society might assist. Mr. Drieberg asks why 

 Trimen uses the termination drum instead of dron. Is he not merely using the 

 Latinised form of the word ? 



January 1st, J. P. LEWIS. 



ROOT GROWTH OF HEVEA. 

 Sir,— As the discussions following the lectures at the Rubber Exibitkm Were 

 in general as complete as the knowledge of the assembly permitted, readers of the 

 December Tropical Agricultur ist may feel surprised that the question of the growth 



