37 6 
Supplement to the "tropical Agriculturist." [November t, 1889. 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
. , Dr. Simpson, Health Officer of Calcutta, was here 
ree weeks ago on his way to India from England, 
he post of Health Officer of Calcutta carries an im- 
mense salary with it. Dr. Simpson's supervision of 
slaughter-houses extends to one visit a month ; he is 
endeavouring at present to bring about the appoint- 
ment of a Veterinary inspector of slaughter-houses, as 
he is very strong on the point of a qualified man being 
appointed tor the detection of unsound meat and look- 
ing into the subject of cattle-disease in India. 
A Co-respondent to the Ceylon Observer writes : — 
Mr. Aiyamniliai, the additional Agricultural Instructor 
has come and taken charge o£ his work in Eraur, 
Batticaloa North. The adoption of the methods of 
tiansp anting paddy plants is now the earnest subject of 
controversy among many leading native landed pro- 
prietors, ever since they knew the success of that 
particulur method tried at Niudiur, by the Agricultural 
Instructor, Mr. Oheliaiah. In rogard to the merits of 
Mr. Green's Cingalee Howard's plough, the native land, 
owners, unlike two years ago, now readily admit the 
superiority of the new plough over theirs. 
The practice of paring horses' feet, and especially the 
frog, by horst-shoers cannot be too strongly condemned, 
as the source of many diseases, such, as navicular bone 
disease, deformed hoof, and pumice feet. The frog 
is a natural cushion for breaking the force of the shock 
to the bones. Farriers in Ceylon make a rule of cut- 
ting away at the frog, and owners of horses should 
give special injunctions to their horsekeepers to see 
that the frog is not touched. 
£5,000,000 has been invested in Irrigation Works in 
Calif orina, and as a consequence the value of the land 
with water has increased from 10 to 50 fold. The 
taxable valuation has increased attbe rate of £20,000,000 
a year for the last four years. Under the influence 
of irrigation, counties which before were almost totally 
unproductive are now blooming with verdure and 
yielding abundant crops. 
Mr. T. H. Middleton who distinguished himself so 
highly at the Edinburgh University in 1887-88, as well 
as in Loudon at the Eoyal Agricultural Society's 
Examination, has been appointed Professor of Agri- 
culture at Baroda. 
Prof. Wallace has been entertained at a banquet got 
up by the Agricultural Society of New South Wales. 
The Prime Minister wrote expressing his regret at not 
being able to be present, but officialdom was otherwise 
well represented. 
The Trade inlndinn bones, conducted by Messrs. 
Arakie Brothers of Ca' <ta, has been risen from 200 tons 
in 1884 to 20,000 in lboJ, and although their Calcutta 
Mills are now turning out 200 tons a day, they are unable 
to keep pace with the demand. They are consequently 
building even larger mills in Bombay to work the bone 
supply of Western India. There seems to be no doubt 
that there is a large future for this trade. 
At a meeting of the South Durham Veterinary 
Medical Association last month, the President, speaking 
on the Infection of tuberculous meat and milk, said 
that to this might be traced one great cause of so many 
children dying from diarrhoaa when a few weeks or 
months old. If an animal was suffering from tuber- 
culosis it should be at once slaughtered. He was 
of opinion that animals suffering from tuberculosis 
should not be used as food, even if they were in 
a well-nourished condition. Private slaughter-houses 
should not be permitted, for he believed nine-tenths 
of the diseased meat offered for sale was slaughtered 
at these private slauprhter-houses. " The Inspector of 
Braughter-houses should undoubtedly be a veterinary 
surgeon. Those only acquainted with what modern 
science taught were competent to pronounce between 
sound and unsound flesh to be consumed as food. 
Even if we had any doubt about tuberculoris being 
transmissible, which we have not, every means should 
be tried to stamp it out." 
Three hundred and seventy-five cows are required 
for regimental food alone every day in India ! and 
126,875 cows would be required for one year's food. 
Guelph College Farm, Ontario, receives from the 
Provincial government a grant of £4,000 a year, besides 
the land extending to over 500 acres. 
More than a million is disbursed by the government 
of Austria on the teaching of agriculture and the allied 
sciences. There are eighty-one schools of Agriculture 
and Forestry, of which six are State schools, and the 
remainder provincial, which are materially aided by 
State subventions. There, are also agricultural winter 
schools for giving instruction during the winter when 
work is slack. Agricultural libraries to the number of 
887 have been established and supplied with 58,000 
volumes either directly by the Ministry of Agriculture, 
or by it in conjunction with provincial and local 
societies. A considerable contribution has also been 
made towards travelling lecturers who deliver lectures 
on general agricultural subjects. 
The quantity of unsound meat seized at the slaughter- 
house, Edinburgh, during the month of January last 
year, amounted to 13,476 lbs. made up of 12,808 lbs. of 
beef, 236 lbs. of mutton, and 432 lbs. of veal. Seventeen 
carcases of beef were condemned for tuberculosis. 
Mr. R. P Jayewardene of Kotte has been awarded 
a medal for his i; Jayawardhana Pura" arrowroot, which 
he is now introducing into the market. The article 
nas been favourably reported upon by the Government 
analyst, to whom samples were submitted for analysis, 
and we are glad to hear that it is now used in the 
wards of the General Hospital at Borella to the ex- 
clusion of all other preparations. 
At a trial of the Strawsonizerat the Paris Exhibition, 
the judges declared the new invention a complete 
success. 
Rainfall foe August. — In Colombo only 4 - 66 incheg 
of rain fell during the month, the greatest quautity in 
any twenty-four hours being 105 on the 22nd and 
23rd. The largest quantity of rain registered anywhere 
in the Island for the month was 31'20 inches at Theber- 
ton Estate, Maskeliya, 5'50 inches falling in 24 hours 
on July 3l8t and August 1st. 
SCHOOL* NEWS. 
The practical work of the school daring the past 
month consisted to a great extent in the preparation 
of land, from which the dholl crop was recently removed 
for Indian corn. The evening work is confined to 
the vegetable gardens, which in spite of the careful 
drainage of the land, were on more than one occasion 
under water, and consequently suffered somewhat. 
The kidney cotton trees in one plot have been pruned 
after the gathering of one crop, and give promise of 
another good yield; while the young cotton plants 
are coming up well. A few mornings about the middle 
of the month were devoted to the preparation of 
the paddy fields at the back of the school, and the 
transplanting of the paddy. 
The Veterinary class as well as the other students 
were present at a post-mortem examination of a bull 
that died of the disease at present prevailing in and 
around Colombo. 
Mr. J. S. De Saram still continues to act as 
District Judge of Tangalla, Mr. Kodrigo, of the Bentota 
Training School, doing his duties. 
The school eleven played two matches during October. 
In one against the Garrison they were beaten by 3 
wickets ; in that against the Sinhalese Cricket Club 
the latter were beaten by 8 wickets, 
