24 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [July 2, 1888. 
things, be perfectly consistent with each other, yet the 
general impression created by Mr. Vincent's utterances 
was, that in the struggle between forest seedlings, re- 
sulting in" the survival of the fittest," the victory was 
likely, most frequently, to rest with, the least use- 
ful forms of vegetation, the most valuable being 
smothered out of existence in the process. The 
mode in which we saw satinwood and hal- 
milla plants asserting themselves in the forests 
of the North-Central Province, espeaially in 
the neighbourhood of the great Kalawewa tank, 
give us impressions much more akin to Col. 
Clarke's cheerful and hopeful vaticinations, than 
at all in accord with Mr. Vincent's des- 
pondent views. All that is wanted, in such 
fine forests as we have referred to, is, that 
felling and thinning should be so _ carefully 
and judiciously carried out that sufficient light 
and sunshine (without too much of the latter) 
should be admitted to the young plants and 
seedlings on the floor of the forest, inferior kinds 
being occasionally weeded away. Then, apart 
from artificial planting in suitable localities 
(the bunds of tanks presenting most favour- 
able conditions for nurseries), our natural forest 
vegetation would get fair play and give grateful 
returns in proportion. We are also glad to 
find Col. Clarke (in this case supporting Mr. 
Vincent's views) pleading for fair play to 
our native hard woods as material for railway 
sleepers capable of holding iron spikes immovable, 
in lieu of the soft and short-lived Nor- 
way pine, almost exclusively used. What is wanted 
is that our native woods should be properly 
selcted and well seasoned. The tree most com- 
monly known as ironwood (Mesua fcrrea, the 
Na of the Sinhalese) is, evidently, better 
suited for telegraph posts than for railway sleepers, 
and Mi (Bassia onyifoia) seems unsuitable for 
sleepers, — unless further experiments should be 
more successful than those already made. 
But Col. Clarke strongly follows up Mr. 
Vincent's recommendation of one of our most 
common woods, the pale 1 or palai of the Tamils, 
Mimusopg indica of the botanists. In the northern 
forests this tree especially abounds, and the only cause 
of regret for the disappearance of many thousands 
for conversion into railway sleepers, would arise from 
the fact that the natives of the northern and some 
of the eastern portions of the island would be thus 
deprived of a considerable, pleasant and nutritious 
food resouroe. For, as the blacks of Queensland, once 
in three years, flock to fatten on the cone seeds of Aran- 
caria bidwilli, so the natives of the Ceylon pale region 
resort to those trees when the fruits are ripe, to eat 
them fresh and to preserve the surplus. Instead of 
climbing the trees to gather the fruits, however', 
the natives lazily and mischievously pursue a 
method which, as being very injurious to the valuable 
timber trees, ought to be stopped : they chop off 
the branches to obtain the fruits. The result is 
considerable injury to many of the trees, but it seems 
certain that excellent sleepers at a moderate cost could 
be obtained from the species of " ironwood" known 
as pale (Mimusops indica). 
But we are specially pleased to find Col. Clarke 
go beyond Mr. Vincent and demand that the 
wood of one of our most common and most 
remarkable trees ; a tree always found where water 
exists, on the banks of rivers and the borders of 
tanks, — the KuuiiUK (Terminalia gabra), — should 
also receive a fair trial by the railway department, 
as a material for sleepers. Our visit to the North- 
Central Province has left on our mind the feeling, 
that, beautiful as are the foliage of the Tammana 
whence Tammana kadu and probably Taprobane) 
ftcd the bloBHom of the satinwood, the very king 
of the Ceylon forests (if the grand " talipot ' 
palm is kept out of view) is the mighty Kumbdk. 
Often vast in size, so that its trunk reminds the 
spectator of the baobab, it combines the 
magnificent and the grotesquely picturesque. 
Hollows of the size of caves in very old trees 
are lined curiously on the edges with layers 
of young wood and bark whi ch are constantly 
reproduced. The foliage is vari-coloured and 
the blossom beautiful and sweetly odorous. 
The abnormally thick bark, which is also 
vari-coloured and polished, is rich in lime 
and we cannot doubt that the timber will be found 
exceedingly useful, and also cheap, for the tree 
is ubiquitous. The wood, which is handsomely 
coloured, makes excellent fuel and charcoal. 
Although on sentimental grounds we should 
regret the disappearance of large numbers of 
these truly noble trees, yet for the sake of the colony 
we trust many thousands of them will be utilized and 
yield from six to ten good sleepers each. — But here our 
introductory notice of Col. Clarke's valuable Report 
must close. On the whole question of our forests, 
their resources and their influence, there is much 
further to say. 
Insect Pests : the Geain Weevil. — We are 
glad to hear that one of the results of the recent 
Delhi Conference has been the confederation of 
the Provincial Departments of Agriculture with the 
Calcutta Museum for the comprehensive and con- 
tinuous investigation of insect pests injurious to 
agriculture. The Trustees of the Museum had, as 
we have previously intimated, already committed 
this work to Mr. E. C. Cotes, one of their staff ; 
and we understand that in pursuance of the re- 
commendations of the Conference that officer is 
now placed in direct communication with the 
Directors of the Departments, with whose assistance 
and that of planters and agriculturists interested 
in the matter the facts and circumstances sur- 
rounding the subject will be gradually collected. 
Already Mr. Coates has issued a preliminary 
paper on the life history of the weevil, an insignific- 
ant little animal which eats up about one million of 
rupees worth of the exported wheat every year. He indi- 
cates that the grain-dealers of the large trading centres 
cultivate this destroyer in breeding houses almost 
as a nurseryman rears a stock of plants for seed. 
The wheat merchant of Cawnpore, Agra or Delhi 
is ignorant of the fact that every perfect female 
insect lays an egg in each one about 150 grains, 
and accordingly during the winter allows a large 
brood of weevils to enjoy the protection of the 
warmth and shelter of his then empty godowns, 
and in the spring provides them with a plentiful 
supply of fresh juicy wheat on which the offspring 
grubs may eventually fattened. A few days after 
the commencement of the rains 150,000 of the 
perfect insects emerge as the descendents of the 
1,000 parents carefully fostered during the winter 
by the grain-dealer. So free however, until the 
moment of birth, is the shell of the wheat grain 
from any sign of the inconvenient tenant that the 
incurious owner of the grain believes that the swarm 
of weevils was sent like locusts by the interference 
of an unkind but irresistible Providence from — he 
does not know and does not care where. He 
attributes to the voracious appetite of the newly- 
born animals the tunnels bored through the 
affected grains by the patient and long-continued 
gnawing of the unsuspected grubs. Might it not 
be useful if the Eduoational Department were to 
leach a little elementary natural history in our 
schools, ?— Pioneer. 
