Miscellaneous. 



458 



[November, 1911. 



in the end was insufficiently fermented, 

 selling only at 35 pfennigs a kilo, instead 

 of 75-80, .the price of average Sumatra. 

 Mr. Cowan is certain that had there 

 been enough it would have cured equal 

 to average Sumatra. 



In actual fact the return was one 

 quarter the cost. Assuming the price of 

 average Sumatra, it would have been 

 one-half of the cost, and there remains 

 for consideration the question whether 

 the cost can be reduced or the yield 

 increased to transform this deficit into a 

 surplus. There is fair prospect, con- 

 sidering that the coolies were untrained, 

 and that great care was exercised in 

 taking crop to leave poorer leaves be- 

 hind, that it can, but there is obviously 

 no certainty of an immediate success in 

 tobacco growing in Ceylon for the 

 European market. 



It will be necessary now to start, 

 under expert supervision, a long series 

 of experiments with Sumatra (and 

 other) tobaccos to determine the best 

 growing season, the best methods of 

 cultivation and curing, and so on. At 

 the same time it will probably prove 

 necessary to select seed very carefully, 

 to get a race of tobacco suited to Ceylon 

 which will breed true locally. This will 

 be a matter of great expense and 

 trouble, and I do not think much oan be 

 done without an expenditure of at least 

 Rs. 25,000 a year for the next four or five 

 years or more. The work should be 

 started soon, to take advantage of the 

 facts that there exist at Maha Ilup- 

 palama curing sheds, trained coolies, &c. 



In view of these facts, the Committee 

 does not consider it advisable to con- 

 tinue the tobacco experiment upon the 

 same lines as hitherto, viz., upon a 

 commercial basis, as it is of opinion that 

 such an experiment must end in failure, 

 owing to the high cost of growing the 

 tobacco and the low price realized from 

 the sale thereof. It considers that such 

 an undertaking is altogether too large 

 for the Agricultural Society, having in 

 view the amount of funds at its disposal. 



The Committee, however, are of 

 opinion that it would be a pity to cease 

 the experiment in tobacco growing in 

 the Colony, and would express the hope 

 that it may be taken up by the new 

 Department of Agriculture ; also that an 

 expert may be appointed with a view to 

 ascertaining the best kind of tobacco 

 which can be grown profitably in the 

 Island, and in what districts such can 

 be grown ; also that the expert should 

 train a tew officers in scientific tobacco 

 cultivation, who may be in a position, 

 when his agreement terminates, to carry 



on the cultivation upon a commercial 

 basis, and act as instructors for the 

 future. 



JOHN C. WILLIS. 

 September 12, 1911. 



Report by the Government 

 Agricultural Chemist. 

 The Director, Royal Botanic Gardens. 



Sir, — Herewith my report on samples 

 of soil marked A, B. C, D, E, and F from 

 Maha Iluppalama Experiment Station. 



The soils are similar in appearance 

 and chemical and physical composition. 

 They are all dark gray sandy loams of 

 a hard lumpy nature, which would set 

 hard after rain and trampling by coolies. 

 This tendency could be rectified by 

 mulching as much vegetable refuse as 

 possible into the soils and the aid of 

 continual forking or ploughing, thus 

 opening up the soils and keeping them 

 in good tilth. Extra draining might 

 also improve the soils, and liming would 

 be advantageous, although the soils all 

 contain over half per cent, of lime and 

 no sourness is present, yet for the sake 

 of physical condition it would be advis- 

 able to broadcast 500 lb. of burnt lime 

 per acre. 



In mineral plant food the soils are 

 well supplied with lime and magnesia, 

 and to a lesser extent in potash ; the 

 phosphoric acid is rather deficient, 

 especially in sample B, while in E the 

 deficiency is not so great as in the other 

 samples. The humus and nitrogen are 

 poor in all the samples, but there is a 

 slightly better proportion in D and F. 



A. BRUCE, 

 Acting Governmeut Chemist. 



June 12, 1911, 



REMARKS ON THE EXPERIMENT. 

 By the Superintendent, Experiment 

 Station, Maha Iluppalama. 



The Director, Royal Botanic Gardens. 



Sir, — If it has been decided that the 

 Agricultural Society's experiment in 

 growing tobacco from the commeicial 

 point of view be discontinued, I wish to 

 propose that tobacco growing be con- 

 tinued this coming season a9 part of the 

 programme of work to be undertaken 

 by the Experiment Station, Maha 

 Iluppalama. 



The curing shed, which was recently 

 overhauled and repaired for dealing 

 with the present crop of tobacco, which 

 was taken over by this Department on 

 the work being suspended by the Agri- 

 cultural Society, is now good for at 

 least another season's crop. 



