Miscellaneous^ 



352 



October, 1911. 



Rs.42, and the acre planted on ridges 

 Rs.26, the three pickings cost Rs.18. 

 This variety of cotton appears to be 

 suitable for this District, where I have 

 tried it in many places on a small scale, 

 but since there has been much variation 

 in the rainfalls during the past few 

 years ; it is difficult to specify a definite 

 period for its planting. However. I am 

 of opinion that the North-east Monsoon 

 is the best for its cultivation, as the 

 maha rains usually last during three 

 months followed by dry weather, when 

 the maturity of the pods take place. Of 

 all the places where I experimented, the 

 cotton plants that were grown in 

 Marakada division gave the largest yield, 

 though the trees did not grow up high. 

 This division is about the driest in the 

 district. There are vast cheua tracts in 

 this division which are only under chena 

 cultivation. Each tract has its own 

 tank. There is reason to believe that 

 these lands, or even portions of them, 

 were cdltivated with paddy in ancient 

 times. By restoring these tanks cotton 

 could be easily cultivated here inde- 

 pendent of the rainy seasons. If the 

 product could be sold on the spot, it is 

 probable that almost all the villagers 

 would take to its cultivation, as the 

 land on which cotton is cultivated could 

 be utilized for fine grain cultivation 

 once every other year, whereas, at 

 present, chenas are cultivated once in 

 five or six years because no jungle would 

 grow up before such time on the land." 

 Tobacco. 



The position as to the experiment in 

 tobacco cultivation at Mahailuppalama 

 is dealt with in the papers submitted to 

 the meeting, consisting of a Report by 

 the Chairman of the Tobacco Committee, 

 the Resolution adopted at the last 

 meeting of the Tobacco Committee, 

 and remarks by the Superintendent of 

 the Experiment Station at Mahailup- 

 palama. With regard to the suggestion 

 of the latter that work be continued 

 without interruption, the Committee are 

 of opinion that future operations must 

 be under the supervision of a Scientific 

 Expert, and that the Society should 

 incur no further expenditure at present. 



The following report has been received 

 from the British- American Tobacco 

 Co., Ltd., on samples of Sumatra and 

 Java tobacco grown in Ceylon :— 



" In the absence of Mr. Hignett, I have 

 pleasure in writing you regarding the 

 samples of Sumatra and Java Tobacco 

 grown in Ceylon, and referred to in 

 your letter of 7th June, addressed to 

 Mr. Hignett. 



" We have taken the matter up with 

 an expert and gone through the samples 



with him, and he has also made some 

 cigars from the tobacco you sent. In 

 his opinion, the tobacco, whilst it 

 contains a few fair leaves, is chiefly of a 

 very heavy, oily description. This 

 trouble, however, could perhaps ultim- 

 ately be overcome by finding the right 

 seed, and the right soil in which to 

 cultivate it. 



" The greatest objection, however, to 

 this tobacco, for use in cigar manu- 

 facture is, that it does not burn freely. 

 Tobacco, to be used for cigars, must not 

 only turn freely in the leaf, but further, 

 when it is made up into cigars, it must 

 also burn easily and hold fire, giving a 

 white ash when used as a wrapper only, 

 the ash should be perfectly white. 



" Cigars made up from the samples you 

 have sent will not burn properly, and 

 there is no doubt that the leaf has been 

 grown in unsuitable soil, and from what 

 can be seen of the leaves submitted, the 

 expert is of opinion that the soil they 

 have been cultivated in would be more 

 suitable for producing tobacco of a type 

 desirable either for the pipe or cigarettes, 

 but of this we cannot express any 

 opinion. 



" Further, this tobacco has a 6 soapy ' 

 feeling, whereas, as a rule with tobacco 

 suitable for cigars, it is desirable that it 

 should have a " grainy " leaf. 



" It would be very desirable to find a 

 new ground for growing cigar material, 

 because there is a ready market for it, 

 and it is just possible that Ceylon, being 

 in a similar latitude to Sumatra, might 

 happen to have soil that is also suitable, 

 but of this those on the spot must be 

 the judges. 



" Thos. Gracey, 



Director, British-American Tobacco 

 Company, Ltd." 



Fruit Cultivation. 

 A consignment of some 700 grafted 

 fruit plants, consisting of varieties of 

 mangoes, oranges, pumelo, lime, lemon, 

 citron, pomegranate, sweet lime, guava, 

 roseapple, grape, fig and loquat has just 

 been received, and will be distributed 

 immediately to applicants who have 

 already booked in advance. 



Dr. Muttukumaru writes under date 

 3Cth August :— " It may interest you to 

 know that one of the grape vine grafts 

 you sent me in October, 1909, gave this 

 year about twenty bunches of grapes. 

 It is of the purple variety." 



A few plants are still available of the 

 Mozambique orange, the fruit of which 

 is described as about 10 oz. in weight, 

 globular, skin of medium thickness, 



