March r, 1890.] Supplement to the "Tropical Agriculturist" 
663 
We also have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt 
of the " Kichmond College Magazine " ; a little Sin- 
halese work an Orthography by T. Karunaratne ; the 
first two numbers of a Sinhalese literary magazine. 
" Samaya Sangara ; " and the Sinhalese Diary for 1890, 
edited by Messrs. T. W. Gunewardene and Henry 
Fernando. 
♦ 
SCHOOL NEWS. 
The arrival of a new lot of chemicals has been 
hailed with much satisfaction by masters and students 
alike. When the chemical appliances, which we should 
not speak of yet, arrive, our laboratory will be all 
that could be desired. 
The students brought back with them this term a 
few interesting mineral specimens. We were able to 
add to our Botanical collection a most intertsting sec- 
tion of an abnormal stem which we were p ;rmitted to 
remove from among the timber lying about the Muni- 
cipal store. The specimen is of Surii/a wood, and 
shows five distinct stems, each with its own wood and 
bast and cambium-ring in the main trunk. 
We are indebted to Mr. H. D. Lewis, sub-inspector 
of schools, Kandy, and our late head-master, for a 
bag of grass-seeds for trial in the Experimental grounds 
The proximity of the School of Agriculture to the 
Colombo Museum is a happy accident. The students 
have facilities for examining Geological and Botanical 
specimens, and easy access to the monthly scientific 
literature. We lately made use of the skeleton of a 
Ceylon buffalo for a demonstration in anatomy to the 
Veterinary class. 
The students have elected to spend their Friday 
evenings in discussing agricultural and scientific subjects. 
This course is a commendable one and cannot but be 
profitable in the end. 
The Paddy (ma wi) transplanted in October is being 
reaped 
New Orleans cotton has succeeded fairly well, con- 
sidering the nature of the soil (cinnamon sand). 
Though the plants have not grown high, they are very 
vigorous and are fruiting well. 
A " king yam " brought from Jaffna by a student 
from the north, produced a splendid bulb in cinnamon 
sand. The cultivation of the yam is contemplated on 
a larger scale, and we are indebted to Mr. M. Vayit- 
tiyanather, a Tamil gentleman, for a supply of yams 
for planting. 
It is proposed to open a Dairy in connection with the 
school if sufficient encouragement be given by residents 
in the Cinnamon Gardens. 
