Supplement to the "Tropical Agriculturist. " May i, 1890. 
796 
ringworms and other cutaneous diseases and Bores 
caused by burns. Its fruit is used in curing warts. 
Olacineae. 
17. Olax Zeylanica, L. Sin : Mella, 
Is a small tree found growing in the lowcountry of 
Ceylon. The leaves are alternate and attached to the 
Btem by short stalks. They are of ovate 6hape with 
entire margins, and the midribs are prominent owing 
to the slightly pink colour they bear.- The leaves 
emit'a peculiar foetid smell when bruised, and taste 
astringent. The fruit is a small drupe containing 
one seed. 
The leayes are used for curries in different ways. One 
form is a dry curry, made into small shreds and cooked 
with coconut &c. They are also used fried in oil. For 
this purpose both fresh and dried leaves are employed. 
The curry is considered to have propc rties of curing 
windy complaints, &c. but is heating. It is said that the 
foetid wood of this plant is employed in malarial fevers. 
+ 
CEYLON BEE CULTURE. IV. 
By Aba. 
The three classes of individuals which constitute a 
prosperous colony were illustrated in my former article, 
and a brief description of the queen and drones was 
also given. We now come to the workers who are the 
most important of the three classes. 
The working bees, well-known I have no doubt 
to most of my readers, are imperfectly-formed females. 
Each worker is provided with a sac for carrying her 
supply of honey home. The wax from which the 
combs are built is supposed to be secreted under the 
scales of the body from the honey the insects eat. 
The following is taken from Chambers's Encyclo- 
pedia :— " The combs of a bee-hive are parallel to each 
other, forming vertical strata of about an inch in thick- 
ness, and distant about half an inch from each other. 
The cells are therefore nearly horizontal, having a 
slight and somewhat variable dip towards the centre 
of each comb. The central comb is generally first 
begun, and next after it those next to it on each 6ide. 
Circumstances frequently cause some departure from 
this uniform and symmetrical plan, which however 
still remains obvious. Each comb consists of two sets 
of cells, one on each side ; and it may be mentioned as 
an illustration of the wonderful industry of bees, and 
the results of their combined labours that a piece 
of comb 14 in-long by 7 in wide, and containing abou t 
4,000 cells has been frequently constructed in 24 hours. 
The greater part of the comb usually consists of the 
kind of cells fitted for breeding workers, a smaller part 
of it of the larger or drone cells. After the principal 
breeding seakoa is over , the cells of some parts of the 
comb are often elongated for the reception of honey ; 
nd tometimes combs of greater thickness, or with ua 
usually long cells is constructed for that purpose alone, 
in which case the mouths of the cells are inclined up- 
wards, more than is usual with the ordinary brood cells. 
When a cell has been completely filled with honey, the 
mouth is sealed or covered with wax." £ 
Wax is not the only material out of which combs 
are made. Another substance called Propolis or bee- 
glue is gathered by the bees from the trunks of trees, 
aud is used for a great many purposes, such as stopping 
up crevices in the hive, for strengthening the cells, 
varnishing the inner surfaces, &c. 
Bees are not without their enemies. Among these 
are certain species of moths, which enter the hives and 
deposit their eggs ; when these eggs are hatched the 
larvae feed upon the combs, &c. 
(To be continued.) 
♦ 
THE CULTIVATION OF BARLEY IN CEYLON. 
By W. A. Db Silva. 
The cereal barley (Hordeum) is one of the most 
extensively cultivated grains. It was known and cul- 
tivated from times far remote as evi denced by his- 
torical records of antiquity. 
The original home of this grain is supposed to be 
Central Asia, where a suitable climate prevails for its 
successful culture ; it gradually spread into Europe 
and India, and is at present cultivated to a large ex- 
tent in such places where the soil is suited, as in 
Belgium, Holland, Prussia, Northern India, &c. Being 
a plant which is most productive where the climate 
is moderately dry and warm, it does not thrive in 
places where an excessive hot climate prevails, neither 
does it do well in very cool clime;. In former 
times this grain was used widely a3 a food, but 
now it is mostly used in the preparation of beer. 
The cultivation of barley must suit such parts of 
our island as are possessed of a mild climate; Some 
time ago its cultivation was tried in Uva 8nd 
Nuwara Eliya districts with good results, but since 
nothing more is heard, whether it is ttill carried on, 
or it proved a failure by some unforesee causs is not 
known. At any rate it would be interesting to know 
further particulars of its culture with a view to un- 
derstand what improvement in the methods followed is 
required in order to obtain better results. 
The resulls of its cultivation in Nuwara Eliya in 
1886 is reported in the T. A,, taken from the Assistant 
Government Agent's Administration Rport as follows : 
— "The Ratemahatmaya (of Hewaheta) grew it 
on some land at Hanguranketa and obtained 100 
bushels, the seeds yielding about 12-fo!d." 
A yield of 12-fold is not a bad one, as a bushel 
is worth from R2 to R3. But if the acreage of land 
in which the cultivation was done, and such other parti- 
culars as to the mode of growth and nature of soil &c. 
were given, it would have been more interesting, as serv- 
ing as a guide for others to follow. The subsequent 
