Supplement to the "Tvopical Agriculturist." [October r, 1889. 
weeds work h'rm by checking the growth and reducing 
the crop. Again, plants when ton old, have hardly 
time to grow in the field ; they waste their time and 
energy in a packed-up nursery, and have hardly time to 
establish themselves well and give out shoots. So, great 
care should be exercised in choosing out good plants 
of proper age. 
After the plants are pulled from the nursery, their 
tops as well as the roots should be cropped — this not 
only makes them handy for the transplanting oper- 
ation, but prevents their falling down, and their 
remaining leaves withering — ; growth begins at once, 
without waiting for the drying and decaying of the 
leaves if any were left. 
The proper distance for planting out is from 4 to 6 
inches apart. One should be guided in fixing the 
distance by the variety of paddy used and the richness 
of the soil. When the variety takes a longer time 
to produce and the soil is rich, the plants should 
be thinly put in, but when the plants take less time 
to produce and the soil is not very rich, they should 
be put in closer. Those varieties which take a longer 
time to yield will have time to grow and give out 
shoots, and this is facilitated in a rich soil ; but 
where the reverse is the case, the plants should 
be put closer so as to avoid unoccupied spaces 
which encourage the growth of weeds. 
It is stated that the paddy cultivators of Guiana 
put down two plants together and place each couple 
nine inches apart, but the varieties they use are early 
ones, or those taking a less time to produce. The 
same system may be adopted here with early varieties, 
but it necessitates two weedings instead of one, because, 
much vacant space is left at first, the weeds start 
growing early. (The cost and additional labour entailed 
in transplanting and its practicability will be discussed 
at length further on.) 
(To be continued.) 
♦ 
COTTON. III. 
By Aba. 
Whatever may be the merits of pur climate with 
regard to its favorableness for the growth of cotton, 
it has been the opinion of many that Oeylon does not 
possess suitable lands for the cultivation of the plant. 
The late Dr. Kelaart writing in the year 1854 says 
that the peculiar soil of the Madras Presidency called 
" regur " commonly known as the " black cotton soil " 
which overlies a limestone gravel called " Kunkur " 
is not found in the Island. The learned Doctor has 
made a mistake however, for I came across a black 
soil similar to that of Madras, and accompanied by beds 
of limestone in the North-Central Province during a 
recent vacation tour. 
Besides the black or so-c^lled cotton soil two other 
kind-- of soils are recognised in India as suited to the 
growth of cotton, viz., the red and the alluvial soils, 
and it has boeu found by experience that the rod 
soils are more suited to the growth of the better 
varieties of cotton than the black soils. At Matalo and 
Maradankadawala I saw cotton growing remarkably 
well on red soil. 
With regard to climate it may be laid down that 
extreme wet and extreme dry are both unfavorable to 
the growth of cotton. The cotton plant is a dry 
weather crop, and the largest returns are obtained in 
dry years. Heavy rain such as fell during the month 
is very destructive. There should be just enough rain 
to soften the land for ploughing. Then a shower or 
two to help the seed to sprout and make it grow, after- 
wards occasional rain until the plants have grown 
sufficiently to shade the ground. 
(To be continued.) 
«. 
CATTLE-DISEASE IN CEYLON. 
By C. Deiebebg, b,a., f.h.a.s. 
Medallist, New Veterinary College, Edin. 
The report of the acting Sanitary Officer, and the 
remarks of the Editor of the Ceylon Independent, on 
certain diseases in cattle prevalent in the Island, 
raise the question: Why is not there a competent 
person to enquire into the subject of cattle-diseases 
in Ceylon ? The observations and experiments of 
eminent Veterinarians and Medical men in Europe 
have established the fact, that there are certain dis- 
eases in cattle that are transmitted to men, such for 
example as tuberculosis. Apart from this important 
consideration, there are diseases which carry off 
numbers of cattle in the Island, of the nature and 
treatment of which nothing is definitely known. Is 
it not an anomaly, then, that in a country where 
cattle are so largely used for draught purposes, and 
for milk and meat production, there should be no 
single qualified person in authority to advise and 
direct the Government in the matter of cattle disease 'i 
During the past month a large number of cattle have 
been destroyed by an epizootic attack, the precise 
nature and predisposing cause of which cattle owners 
seem to have no definite idea of. It has been described 
as " murrain " — a vague term which seems to be indiscri- 
minately applied to most epizootic diseases in the Island. 
The term " murrain " has been confined in its applica- 
tion, in western countries to the attack known as 
" foot-and-mouth disease," but if any distinction is 
made in Ceylon, this latter seems to be the only affec- 
tion that is not inoluded in the wide-reaching term 
" murrain," which seems to indicate all forms of 
epizootic disease that cause sudden destruction among 
cattle, without any apparent cause. This, however, is a 
most unsatisfactory state of affairs, where there is no 
definite idea of the conditions and symptoms which 
attend the disease, and no precise knowledge of the 
postmortem evidences, simply because no attempt has 
been, or is being, made in the direction of gaining 
such information. Is it the want of a qualified person 
that causes this anomaly ? That is not so, since tb^re 
has been such in the Island, and no advantage was taken 
uf the opportunity, till his services were secured else- 
where. It is rather that the need of such a person will 
not be recognised. Now, is there sufficient reason for 
