190 



[March 1907. 



Minutes of the Board of Agriculture, 



The Twenty-ninth Meeting of the Board of Agriculture was held at the 

 Council Chamber at 12 noon on Monday, the 4th March, 1907. 



Dr. Willis, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, and Officiating Vice-President, 

 presided. 



The others present were:— The Hon. Mr. C. T. D. Vigors, The Hon. Mr. S. C. 

 Obeyesekere, The Hon. Mr. John Ferguson, c.m.g., Dr. A. Willey, f.r.s., Messrs. Don 

 Solomon Dias Bandaranayeke, c.m.g., E. E. Green, G. W. Sturgess, H. D. Lewis 

 Wijesingha and C. Drieberg (Secretary). 



Visitors :— Messrs. S, Freudenberg, M. Hohl, J. Whitehead and C. Rasa- 

 nay agam. 



Business Done. 



1. The Minutes of the Meeting held on February 4th were read and con- 

 firmed. 



2. The Progress Report (No. 28) was presented and taken as read. 



3. The Secretary read a report made by Messrs. Geo. H. Brown & Co., 

 cotton brokers, Liverpool, on a sample of Caravonica cotton grown by Mr. J. W. C. 

 de Soysa in the Kurunegala district. 



4. Mr. C. Rasanayagam, Mudaliyar, Secretary of the Dumbara Branch, 

 read a paper entitled " Results of experiments in the scientific manuring of Dum- 

 bara tobacco." The Chairman, the Hon. Mr Ferguson and the Hon. Mr. Obeye- 

 sekera, Messrs. Booth, Harward, Whitehead and Freudenberg took part in the 

 discussion on the paper. 



Agricultural Society Progress Report. XXVIII, 



Secretary — Mr. T. A. Carey, C.C.S., who was acting as Secretary to the 

 Society from December, 1905, relinquished his duties on the 4th February, when Mr. 

 C. Drieberg succeeded to the post of Secretary. 



Dr. J. C. Willis, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, was at the same time 

 appointed Organizing Vice-President of the Society. 



Branch Societies.— The Dumbara Agricultural Society held a meeting on the 

 21st February, when it was decided that meetings of the Committee should be held 

 successively at Balalla, Teldeniya, and Urugala. The Society resolved on holding an 

 Agricultural Show at Teldeniya in the latter part of August, 1907. 



A meeting of the Co-Operative Credit Society in connection with the Dumbara 

 Branch Society was also held the same day. The business included the adoption of 

 the following resolutions :— 



"It was resolved not to purchase any more paddy until the paddy lent was 



collected, and to restrict loans to Rs. 500 value." 

 " It was resolved to call for an estimate to construct a bin for storing the 



paddy at Madugoda, and the Secretary was directed to obtain the 



permission of the Government Agent to cut the necessary timber on 



Crown land." 



The Telijjawila Branch has decided on converting its seed paddy into a cash 

 capital, and to lend money to cultivators to purchase their seed. This course was 

 found necessary owing to the difficulties experienced in handling paddy. Rs. 500 out 



