288 
Supplement to the " Tropical A<)> icolln fist.." 
[Oct. 1, \*<Ji. 
Expenses. 
Amount. 
e. 
Cost of feeding 40 cows at . r >o 
cents per day [ier head 
Cost of feeding 5 cows at 40 
cents per day per head 
Pay of 8 coolies 
( lost of carriage and ferrying of 
milk to Hendala Leper Asy- 
lum ... 
Carriage of milk to Club House 
Pay of the Manager 
R. 
620 
71 
so 
13 
7 
40 
Toti 
R. . 
Net profits 
832 
Total 
1,387 90 
Statement showi/iy the Receipts, Coat of Mainten- 
ance, and the profit of the Government 
Dairy Farm during I89S. 
Receipts. Amount. 
1*. c. 
. I unc Amount realized by sale of milk. 
butter, manure, &C. ... 257 70 
July Do do ... 7"»u 24 
August Do do ... 1,248 52 
September Do do ... 1,245 (i 
October Do do ... 1,379 80 
November Do do ... 1,358 04 
December Do do ... 1,887 90 
Total ... 7.027 80 
Expenditure. 
Amount. Total. 
R. c. P.. c. 
Amount paid to tbe Manager 
as salary from July 1 to De- 
cember 31 ... ... 240 o 
Amount paid to .six coolies as 
wages from June 1 to Sep- 
tember 30 ... ... 240 0 
Amount paid to eight coolies 
as wages from October 1 to 
December 31 ... ... 240 0 
Amount expended in feeding- 
cows from June 1 to Decem- 
ber 31 ... ... 4,192 9.5 
Amount expended in transport- 
ing milk to Hendala Leper 
Asylum, &c. ... ... 04 93 
4,977 S8 
Amount paid to the Manager 
being 0 per cent commission 
due to him on the profits 
realized ... ... — 1">7 94 
Net Profit ... 2,492 4 
GENfclUL ITEMS. 
Total ... 7,027 80 
The total cost to Government of establishing 
the dairy, maintaining it, and working it from 
June to December, 1893, including the purchase of 
stock, was R19,432T0. 
On 31st December the estimated value of the 
dairy, including buildings, stock, utensils, Model 
Faim, &c, was R12,510. 
The net profits realised from the dairy from 
June to December, 1893, wore R2,492-04. This is 
exclusive of the profits realized from the working 
of the Alfred Model Farm, which aggregated 
Kl. 322-70. 
The percentage of profit to Government for 1893 on 
the capital cost (R14,296 - 38) was 26§for sixmonths. 
C. DRIEBERG, 
Superintendent. 
The drought in Colombo and its suburbs is 
telling severely on cultivated grass lands, with 
the result that the supply is short of the demand 
and prices ure going up. 
Mr. A. M. Fernando, late of the School of 
Agriculture, has been appointed by the Hon 
the Government Agent of the Western P rovince 
to visit and report on cattle disease in the villages 
ns soon us the occurrence of any cases is made 
known. Mr. Fernando has given much of his time 
and attentiou during the past two years to the 
subject of diseases among cattle, and should be able 
to do some good work among native cattle-owners. 
A museum of a unique character, and the first of 
its kind in the Colonies, is about to be established 
in Brisbaue. In it will be principally stored patho- 
logical specimens, by means of which information 
respecting the origin and nature of animal dis- 
eases could be gi\en. This would seem to be on 
excellent idea and one which should be carried out 
wherever veterinary work is being done. 
In the inaugural address of the President of the 
Association of Economic Entomologists of America, 
Mr. James Fletcher gives, among other interesting, 
information, a fair idea ns to what degree the 
knowledgeof the habits of lifeof insects helps in de- 
vising means for checking them. He roughly esti- 
mates the damage, done in the United States by in- 
sects at ,', of the value of the agricultural produce, 
or at the enormous sum of £'76,<X)0,OO0 per year. 
The practice of branding is universal, and 
it is hardly possible to do without it, especially 
in the country, where the owners of cattle 
must use some distinguishing mark that is diffi- 
cult to alter in order that their cattle can be 
recognised. But it is not necessary that the 
skin cf the animal should be covered with letters 
or figures each about 1 foot square, or that the 
very best portions of the hide should be selected 
as the most fitting place to affix these marks. 
The brands used are, as a rule, far too large, 
particularly when young stock are being marked. 
A large brand applied to a young calf leaves 
a mark which grows with the growth of the 
animal, and finally spreads over a considerable 
portion of the side. If the calf is sold two or 
three times before it matures, and each successive 
owner affixes his own brand, the result is a series 
of grotesque symbols which by no means add to 
the appearance of the animal, and have the effect 
of greatly reducing the value of the hide to the 
leather merchant. If branding cannot be done 
without, the least, and noc the most, valuable 
portions of the hide should be selected, and in the 
case of young stock brands of very much smaller 
dimensions should be used, so as not to create an 
immense mark when the animal is full grown. 
Brands would be just as readily distinguishable if 
placed on the neck, high up on the forearm, or low- 
down on the thigh. Some owners have adopted 
the proceeding of branding the cattle on the fore- 
head, and this has the advantage of leaving tbe 
useful portion of the skin intact. A change from 
the practice of indiscriminately spoiling hides 
should be devised and generally adopted. 
