Miscellaneous, 



156 



[August, 1911. 



record should be kept of the seeds that 

 are planted directly in the garden with- 

 out the use of a germinating bed. 



Every teacher should keep a record of 

 what has been done in gardening, what 

 vegetables have been tried, whether 

 they proved a success or failure, and the 

 manner in which the plants were cared 

 for. This should be known as the school 

 record in gardening, and should be 

 handed to each succeeding teacher. 



Transplanting. 



Before the seedlings are removed from 

 the germinating bed they should be well 

 sprinkled ; but do not wet the ground 

 where you are going to plant them 

 until after they have been planted. 

 This is very important and should be 

 thoroughly understood before the pupils 

 begin transplanting. 



In transplanting great care should be 

 taken so as not to injure the tiny 

 rootlets. The young plants should be 

 dug up, not pulled up. When they are 

 dug up, plant them immediately. Do 

 not let them wilt or the roots become 

 dry before planting. When a plant 

 wilts it is very hard for it to resume 

 growth. In planting the seedlings first 

 dig a hole with the hand deep enough 

 for the plant, insert it, and see that the 

 roots are in a comfortable position and 



that none of them are twisted or doubled. 

 The young seedling or plant should 

 always be planted deeper in the garden 

 than it was when growing in the 

 germinating bed. It is a good practice 

 to set them out so deep that the earth 

 will come up to the first leaves. The 

 earth should be pressed down firmly 

 around the plant, but care should be 

 taken not to injure the stem of the 

 plant. After the plant is set pour about 

 one-half liter of water on it, so as to settle 

 the soil snugly around the roots and to 

 supply the plant with moisture until it 

 develops more roots. After watering 

 draw up the dry soil around the plant 

 and over the wet spot. Every time the 

 young plant is watered the wet spot 

 should afterwards be covered with loose, 

 dry soil to hold the moisture and to 

 keep a crust from forming. When 

 rather large plants are transplanted, it 

 is best to pinch off some of the leaves, 

 so that they may not evaporate water 

 faster than the broken roots can 

 supply it. 



Transplanting should always be done 

 toward evening or on a cloudy day, and 

 the seedling or plant should be shaded 

 with banana leaves or bunches of dry 

 grass for about two days. Then all 

 grass and banana leaves should be 

 removed from the garden. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



PERADENIYA EXPERIMENT 

 STATION, 



Minutes of a meeting of the Committee 

 of Agricultural Experiments held at the 

 Experiment Station, Peradeniya, on 

 13th July, 1911. 



Present ;— The Director, R. B. Gardens 

 (Chairman), the Hon'ble the Government 

 Agent, CP., the Assistant Director, the 

 Entomologist, the Hon'ble Mr. Edgar 

 Turner, Messrs. Davies, Laycock, and 

 the Secretary. 



The Progress Report since the previous 

 meeting was read. 



Resolved that, in giving figures of the 

 loss of soil through wash, the total 

 loss since the inception of the experi- 

 ment up to the previous meeting be 

 appended. 



Proposed by Mr. Turner and seconded 

 by Mr. Laycock, that Mr. W. S. Coombe 

 be approached as to his willingness to 

 act on the Committee. 



J. A. Holmes, 

 Secretary, C. A. E., and 

 1 Superintendent, E. S. P. 



Progress Report on Experiment 

 Station, prom 11th May to 13th 

 July, 1911. 



Tea.— Plots 141-143 and 151 and 152 

 have been tipped three months after 

 pruning. 



All the plots have been supplied, and 

 as the weather was propitious, the plants 

 are, with few exceptions, doing well. 



The Manipuri Indigenous fields which 

 were pruned in October, 1909, are still 

 yielding heavily. 



Many bushes of this Jat along drains 

 and ravines died in the recent drought. 



The Dadaps in Plot 149 were pruned 

 on June 29th and yielded 2,346 lbs. of 

 mulch. 



Cacao. — The cacao still continues to 

 blossom heavily, but the crop is not 

 setting satisfactorily. 



All the experimental plots have been 

 supplied with young plants and shade. 



The Dadaps in the young cacao have 

 been cut, the yields for the four plots 

 being 2,431, 2,180, 4,072, 3,437 lbs. respect- 

 ively. 



