358 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist." [Nov. 1, 1894. 
4. The practice of the South Indian villagers 
of burning cowclung hratties as fuel, although 
not commendable from an agricultural standpoint, 
is not without its redeeming feature? ; for it is 
calculated to check the spread of parasites by 
destroying the germs that may be found in the 
dung. 
Here may also be meuticned the importance 
of properly cooking meat and other articles of 
food. Greens and salads that are eaten un- 
cooked, such as Radishes and Lettuces, should 
be properly cleaned before use, as they might 
otherwise contain parasitic ova communicated 
from the dung used as manure. 
5. In connection with meat examination it 
will be interesting to note that there are certain 
appearances of beef and mutton found at nearly 
all seasons of the year, which are very liable 
to be mistaken for evidences of disease. One of 
them in particular may be mentioned, namely cer- 
tain enlargements situated in the fat lining the 
loins near the kidneys. They are simply enlarged 
glands, and on caieful microscopic examination 
it has been found that the tissues are perfectly 
healthy. E. T. HOOLE. ' 
THE VALUE OF ^VEEDS. 
Our readers may remember the correspondence 
that appeared some time ago, in our own pages 
as well as in the local press, on the subject of 
weeds. Some writers championed the cause of 
weeds, stating that many of them were to be 
• Considered welcome guests and utilized as ferti- 
lizers of the soil after being pulled up. From 
the results of late research in connection with the 
nitrogen question, we are warranted in attaching 
much value to certain leguminous and other 
plants as fixers of atmospheric nitrogen. There 
is, however, yet another function which weeds may 
Perform with beneficial effects to the agriculturist, 
t is generally believed that nitrogen to beome 
available as plant food must reach the condition of 
a nitrate by the usual process of nitrification in the 
soil, but it so happens, that it is just in the nitrate 
form in that nitrogen is most liable to be washed 
out of the soil. It is in their capacity of retainers 
of the nitrates in the soil — especially during wet 
seasons — that we would now refer to weeds. The 
Sugar Journal and Tropical Cultivator of August 
15th contains a reprint of a paper, read before a 
Chemical Association in Louisiana, in which 
reference is made to Stellaria media, (more com- 
monly known as chick-weed), in relation to the 
nitrogen question. This plant, more or less 
naturalized in Ceylon, may be familiar to some 
of our readers. The writer of the paper 
(Mr. Edson) says : — I collected samples of the 
weed and made the following analysis of them : — 
Tops. 
Per cent, moisture . . . . 89T7 
Per cent, dry matter . . . . 10 - 83 
Roots. 
Per cent, moisture . . . . 84 - 98 
Per cent, dry matter , . . . 15 - 12 
The dry matter gave the following amounts of 
nitrogen: — 
Tops . . . . 273 per cent. 
Roota . • . . 1'65 per cent, 
" I will not consider further the analyses of the 
roots because the amount of the root growth was 
so small as compared to the tops that they would 
not very materially affect the result*. It can 
merely be remembered that the figures I will give 
would be all slightly increased were the root 
growth taken into account. 
" I also cut considerable quantities of the weed 
and weighed the amount cut, and measured t lie 
ground from which it was cut. These latter 
amounts were taken from places at which the 
growth of the weed was very luxuriant, and the 
figures therefore represent the maximum amounts 
for the year 1W)4. I only calculated the results 
to a third of the total area because I estimated 
this was about the amount of the ground covered 
by the weed, it having a decided preference for 
the ridge on which the cane was planted. With 
these bases I found that there was on an acre 
of ground 5,803 lbs. 
" I presume that the vast majority of cane 
growers in the State will laugh at me when 
1 advise them to grow weed, but that is just 
exactly what I nmtld adi-i.'e nnd what, were 
they wise, they would do, only limiting the time 
of cultivating this kind of a crop to the winter 
months. Even if later experiments should prove 
that the nitrogen in the chickwecd wa6 taken 
from the air it would more thoroughly establish 
the soundness of the advice to grow it, for then 
the nitrogen would be secured for nothing. It 
may seem like passing encomiums on a lowly 
thing to praise duckweed, but were a whole 
plantation thickly strewn with it during the 
winter months the proprietor could cut down on 
his fertilizer bill just one-half the following 
season." 
PROPOSED SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. 
Mr. J. B. Cull, the Director of Public In- 
struction, thus refers to the proposed Forest School 
in his Annual Report for 1893: — 
During the course of the year the Conservator 
of Forests incidentally addressed me as to the 
possibility of the formation of a School of Fores- 
try in connection with the School of Agriculture 
in Colombo. It was pointed out by him (1 ) that 
the facilities for the formation of such a school 
readily exist in the Island ; and (2) that by the 
formation of such a school considerable expense 
would be saved to Government in the matter of 
sending up students for qualification at the 
accredited Indian schools. 
The initial difficulty obviously is that of the 
provision of a proper and sufficient course of 
instruction, but upon this point Mr. Broun 
reassured me by promising that, so far as forestry 
was concerned, he would be very glad to form 
a class from the students available and to give 
them practical illustration in the subject. 
Mr. Broun has already addressed Government 
on the point, and I subjoin ids letter : — 
No. 516. Office of Conservator of Forests, 
Colombo, November 27, 1893. 
Sir, — I have the honour to report that the 
Director of Public Instruction and I have had a 
conversation on the subject of utilizing the 
School of Agriculture as a training school for the 
upper subordinate staff of the Forest Department. 
