October, 19li,] 



849 



Miscellaneous. 



The successful results already obtained 

 under this system by the peasantry 

 have ensured that a much larger acreage 

 will be planted in cotton on the Land 

 Settlement estates during the coming 

 season. 



Besides dealing with questions con- 

 cerning the best manner of growing and 

 handling different crops, the question of 

 maintaining the fertility of the lands of 

 the small holdings has received, and 

 continues to receive, a good deal of 

 attention on the part of the Officers of 

 the Agricultural Department, and it is 

 gratifying to note that very satisfactory 

 progress has been made. 



The small holders have had to be con- 

 stantly instructed in the making of 

 drains to prevent washing, the formation 

 of compost heaps and manure pens, the 

 growing of leguminous and other plants 

 for green dressing purposes the utili- 

 zation of grass and bush as a mulch for 

 permanent crops and for arrowroot, the 

 rotation of crops, and in pasture follow- 

 ing. Further, in order to prevent waste 

 of valuable organic matter, the burning 

 of bush, except with the permission of 

 the Agricultural Instructor, has been 

 strictly prohibited. 



Although a large measure of success 

 has attended the efforts made with Land 

 Settlement at St. Vincent, and most of 

 the difficulties which presented them- 

 selves at the outset have been surmount- 

 ed still, when looked at to-day in the 

 light of past experience, the scheme 

 appears to be somewhat incomplete. Had 

 it been possible to arrange agencies for 

 the disposal, on co-operative lines, of the 

 produce and stock of the small holders, 

 and to f 01 m co-operative credit banks 

 on the Raiffeisen system on the different 

 estates, the scheme might have proved 

 an even greater success. 



In most countries where plans for the 

 settlement of the people of the land are 

 being carried out, these matters have 

 received a great deal of attention ; but 

 whether success would have attended 

 local efforts in this direction at the com- 

 mencement of the scheme it is not 

 possible to say, as the circumstances of 

 the small holders now are quite different 

 from those of ten years ago. 



During the past two years, as was 

 previously mentioned, the Government 

 has successfully introduced a system for 

 the purchase of cotton on a profit- 

 sharing basis, but it is questionable if 

 it would be wise to extend the system 

 further so as to include other products, 

 owing to the large amount of extra 

 work and responsibility that it would 

 involve, It should rather be left to the 



people themselves to form co-operative 

 agencies for the purchase and sale of 

 their produce, the Government of course 

 giving all possible help and encourage- 

 ment. At the present time agencies 

 might be started for dealing with such 

 products as cacao, arrowroot, cassava 

 starch and ground nuts. 



A few months ago, a small number of 

 the better class of small holders at Glare 

 Valley-Questelles formed an agricultural 

 credit bank, and suitable rules embody- 

 ing some of the best features of the 

 Raiffeisen system were drawn up. The 

 Government, in order to start the bank 

 on a sound business footing, made a loan 

 of £25 at 5 per cent, interest per annum. 

 Should this pioneer bank prove a success 

 it is likely that others will be started in 

 different districts on similar lines. 



It will be seen that serious efforts have 

 recently been undertaken to make the 

 scheme more complete, and it is hoped 

 that success will attend them. 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Progress Report LVI.J 



Membership. 

 Since the meeting of the Board held on 

 14th August, the following have become 

 members of the Society :— C. J. Owen, 

 W. G. Bayley, William Gibson, H. Wol- 

 tersdorf, E. G. Adamaly & Co., P. Alfred 

 L. Dias, Henry A. Perera Mudaliyar, 

 Camora Municipal (Margoa), H. A. 

 McMillan, Bosanquet & Co., J. D. Pinch 

 Noyes, A. H. Taylor and A. St. V. 

 Jayawardene. 



Staff. 



Messrs. P. B. M. Bandaranayake and 

 M. J. A. Karunanayake have been ap- 

 pointed as probationary Agricultural 

 Instructors. 



Mr. N. Wickremaratne, last stationed 

 at Kegalla in connection with a special 

 programme of work for that district, 

 was sent to Pusa Research Institute 

 for a training in lac culture. Mr. Wick- 

 remaratne has already entered upon 

 his training under Mr. Misera, the lac 

 expert, and should be back in Ceylon by 

 the end of the month with a stock of 

 brood lac for inoculating purposes. He 

 has already sent out a stock of brood for 

 Zizyphus jujuba (Sin., Masan) which 

 appears to have travelled well. 



Inspection Tours. 



The Secretary paid a visit to Matara 

 and Hambantota before going on a 

 month's leave spent in Bangalore. 



