THE MAGAZINB 
OF 
Tm nWOL OF AGRK^ULTORe, 
COLOMBO 
Added as a Supplement monthly to the " TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST." 
The following pages include the contents of the Magaiinc of the School of 
Agricidture for February:— 
Vol. v.] 
FEBRUARY, 1894. 
[No. 8. 
A fOREST SCHOOL. 
%m 
HE idea ot starting a School of 
Forestry in connection with the 
School of Agriculture has as yet 
merely been mentioned, and some 
little time must no doubt elapse 
before it takes a practical form. There is no 
question that the suggestion is an excellent 
one, and the fact (mentioned on last prize- 
day at the School of Agriculture) that the 
Conservator of Forests is in favour of it, 
augers well for the project, for with Mr. 
Broun'g experience as a professor at the Im- 
perial Forest School, Dehra Boon, and as the 
present head of the Forest Department in Ceylon, 
his co-opesation in formulating a scheme for the 
study of forestry will be invaluable. The pro- 
posed new departure of specially training all 
young men who will in future be employed in 
the Forest Department, in wliatever capacity, 
should, moreover, meet with the highest ap- 
proval of advocates of technical education. 
AVe often hear and read of the neglected raw 
products of our native forests which might be turned 
to useful account. With the employment of intel- 
ligently trained forest guards, surveyors and 
overseers, a preliminary step will have been 
taken towards a better study of the natural 
resources of this country. 
The propo.sal to atliliate the I'ovest School 
to the School of Agriculture is also a happy 
thought, since the two institutions will manifestly 
have many common subjects for study, and be 
mutually helpful to each other, wliile the cost of 
carrj'ing out the new project will no doubt be 
lessened by the proposed altiliation. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
rrofcsaor Ueudrick, lecturing lately on the 
subject Qi " furmyarU Mauure aud bua-wued,'' 
advised farmers to take care of the soluble 
portions of both kinds of manures. 
How many hundreds of pounds have been lost 
by farmers through the escape of the soluble 
portions of the manure heap ? This is a ques- 
tion not easily answered, and scientific lecturers 
on farming can render no greater gerylce to 
the agricultural community than by insisting on 
the fact, and suggesting methods for preventing 
the waste. 100 lb. of cows" dung contains J lb. 
of ammonia and 5 lb. of phosphates, while an 
equal quantity of the urine of the cow contains 
thrice these amounts of both constituentSk 
Potash, on the other hand, is about equally 
divided between the dung and the urine. The 
quantities of these constituents appear small 
when compared with what of them can be 
obtained in much less bulk of artificial manure. 
But farmyard manure performs other functions, 
and the urine being so much richer in these 
principal constituents, it is of the utmost 
importance that it be absorbed by materials which 
give the best possible results as general manures. 
Therefore it is of value to know that, as au 
absorbent, peat-moss litter stands first; then 
comes straw, and last of all sawdast. The last 
is the best absorbent, but in fertilising properties 
of its own it is very deficient. The most seriou* 
loss to the farmer, however, does not arise from 
the use of defective absorbents, but from the leak- 
ing away of a valuable liquid manure, which is 
thrown off in fermentation. AU this should be 
saved in tanks rendered imperviousjby clay-lining' 
and all manure beds should be similarly dealt with. 
Soluble, when freely interpreted, means being 
easily washed away with wafer, and seeing that 
sea-weed was taken out of the water, this at first 
sight appears a somewhat foolish observation. 
But se.i-weed when in the water was alive, nnd 
deriving sustenance from its natural element; 
when placed on the land it died, and its cells being 
broken, w hat became soluble could not fie re- 
placed. TIkj lesson ob\iously is to apply sea- 
wtjtiU to the laud Uiit'ctlj-, aud let tlic sojj (g 
