March 1, 1895.] Supplement to the "Tropical Agriculturist." 
643 
Gir hills of Eathiawar. They improve, however, 
when acclimatized. It has yet to be ascertained 
■whether pure-bred Girs bred in the Deccan are an 
improvement on imported dams. When the Surat 
farm is started it is proposed to continue the 
breeding experiments with Gir cattle there, that 
locality being probably more suitable than 
Poonn. 
Aden cows maintain their reputation as regular 
breeders and milkers. The record of yield reported 
further on does not this year afford much in- 
formation as regards this breed, because nearly 
all the Aden cows were in milk at the end of 
the year, and their yields are excluded from the 
statement. Half-bred Adens are regular breeders 
and fair milkers. 
Nine Sind cows bought in the neighbourhood 
of Ivurrachee have done well. Several had calved 
and were in milk when brought by steamer and 
rail to Poona. Naturally they went off milk 
during transport, and did not recover their normal 
yields. I expect them to do better during the 
current season. All these cows calved in May, 
1893. and five were giving a fair quantity of 
milk at the end of the year (31st March 1894). 
The yield record noted in the subjoined state- 
ment is, therefore, not, complete for the whole 
period of lactation. Still it compares very favour- 
ably with that of other breeds. The best Sind 
cow gave in 330 days 4,864 lbs. of milk, worth, 
at the rate charged at the farm, R374, and at 
the end of the year was still giving 9 lbs. or 4j 
seers per day. Sind cattle are not accustomed 
to wel weather, and in the Deccan must not be 
exposed to heavy rain. 
Buffaloes are decidedly more irregular as breeders 
than ccws. Jafferabadi Buffaloes, owing to their 
large size and the necessarly large ration they 
require, are not, 1 think, so profitable as well- 
selected Surat buffaloes, because on the average 
the latter yield quite as much milk as the former. 
The two best buffaloes were of Surat breed : — 
No. 1 yielded during the period of lactation 
(371 days) 6,9o9 lbs. milk worth Es. 491. 
The worst buffalo (a cross-bred Deccani ) yielded 
during the period of lactation (227 days) 1,971 lbs. 
milk, worth Us. 141. 
The cost of upkeep of these buffaloes did not 
differ materially. Surely, there is room to believe 
that if we go on in the direction which we are 
pursuing, and retain for breeding purposes the 
young -lock of the best only, we will in time 
breed up to a higher standard. In any case it 
is a useful line to Follow on a Government farm, 
for as far as my experience goes "breeding for 
milk " is entirely beyond t be purview of t he native 
stock-owner, except in Sind, where well-to-do 
zemindars know the pedigrees of all the best 
cattle I bey own and are particularly proud of 
their besl milk cows. 
I'nder the bead of fodder experiments, til 
following is Mr. Mollison's note on Mauritius or 
water grass, which he also calls Buffalo grass: 
This. is the chief fodder grass of Ceylon. Then 
it remains green all the year round and is em 
ployed largely for feeding milch cattle. A few 
roots were obtained from the School of Agriculture 
Farm, Colombo. The plant can be propagated 
either from the roots or from the Btoloniferous 
steins which grow out laterally along the ground 
and root at every uode. From these rooted nodes 
straight shoots spring up. When ready to cut, 
the grass is very thick and and stands about 18 
inches high. Cattle -like it, but it grows slower 
than Guinea grass, and does not give the same 
outturn. It has this advantage — it thrives well in 
a damp, or even a wet situation. The best method 
of propagating is to cut the long lateral stems 
into short lengths. Broadcast these sparingly 
over the surface, and cover lightly with soil. 
The plot on the farm since it has become fully 
established has been cut twice at an interval 
of 87 days. The yields of green fodder were : — 
Yield from Yield 
4 gunthas. per acre. 
Lbs. Lbs. 
1st cutting . . . . 1,070- 10,700 
2nd cutting . . . . 1,802 18,020 
MIXOR MANURES— GAS LIME. 
Gas Lime is a waste product in theimanufacture 
of gas. It has not a high reputation, and can 
be bought at a low figure, and may sometimes 
be had for carting away. In its fresh state it 
has an evil smell, and contains sulphuret of 
lime and other sulphur compounds that give 
off sulphuretted hydrogen, and are injurious to 
vegetable life. It is these the farmer who 
uses it must guard against, and failure to do 
this brings about disastrous results. But when 
rightly understood the danger may be reduced 
to a minimum, for if gas lime is exposed 
the oxygen of the atmosphere soon destroys the 
bad smell by changing the sulphuret of lime into 
sulphite, and finally sulphate of lime or gypsum ; 
or, in other words, by changing it from a posi- 
tively poisonous substance to a well-known fer- 
tiliser. 
In a sample of gas lime from which the water 
(that constituted about 40 per cent, of it) had been 
evaporated, and that had been kept long enough to 
be used with safety as a nianuie, Dr. Yoelcker 
found the following compounds of lime: — Sulphate 
of lime, 4'64 ; sulphite of lime, 15*19 ; carbonate 
of lime, 49"40; and caustic lime, 18 23 per cent. 
A substance rich as this in lime compounds cannot 
fail to be of considerable service to farmers, and 
in actual practice it is found to have much the 
same effect as ordinary lime. The crop on which 
it does the most good are clovers of various kinds, 
beans and peas, tares and turnips. It is said to 
cause scab on potatoes, but this is probably only 
when it. has been incorporated with the soil in a 
fresh state. On grass land it should be spread iu 
frosty weather at a time when vegetation is dor- 
mant, so that it may have changed to a mild form 
before the growth of grass in spring ; or, better 
still, it should be made into a compost with road" 
Scrapings, ditch-scourings or other refuse, before 
being applied. It is of great service in destroying 
moss, heath, acid-loving plants, and certain other 
useless vegetable growths. 
On arable land it should be spread three or four 
weeks before being ploughed in, and it may be used 
at the rate of two, three, or four tons per acre. 
It is said that if applied quite fresh and ploughed 
in at once, it will destroy coltsfoot, or other weeds 
that may have takeu absolute possession of the 
soil, ond cannot bo removed by ordinary means. 
Miss Onueroil and Dr VoelckQE recommend it aq 
an almost certain cure for " l'ingv i-aud-Toe " o| 
