March 1, 1895.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist. 
645 
interest to carefully prepare their paddy fields 
and attend to the growing crop ; as well as to 
grow their chena crops in rows and give them 
also proper attention. No doubt the system at 
present in vogue has been practised for some 
generations, till the cultivators of today have begun 
to look upon it as established in those parts, and one 
which needs no improvement. It is in just such 
situations as these that good work can be done 
in reforming the existing systems. 
It will be a great day when the Railway intersects 
the various provinces of the Island. Then will 
the resources of ihe country — which in many 
parts is rich in resources — be developed to their 
full extent and the prospects of the cultivating 
class be brightened. 
The idea which at present dominates the mind 
of the rural cultivator seems to be that there 
is no necessity for him to raise more produce 
than is required just exactly for his food require- 
ments, and to endeavour to raise it with the 
least difficulty to himself and generally of the 
poorest quality, lie need to be impressed with 
the true object of agriculture which may be stated 
thus : — To produce the largest crops of the best 
quality at the smallest expense and the least per- 
manent injury to the land. TRAVELLER. 
WOOD ASHES. 
Wood ashes as manure do not seem to be 
thorougly appreciated in this CDuntry, although 
they are so generally prevalent, the reason being 
that their value as manure is not thoroughly 
understood. It is considered by those who do 
use them, that their benefits are to be attributed 
solely to the potash they contain, wliereas they 
are really a complete fertiliser so far as the 
mineral elements of the plant food are concerned, 
containing the whole residue of plants after being 
burned, except that part which is returned to 
the atmosphere whence it was originally derived ; 
the nitrogen aud the carbon of the trees alone 
being wanting in the ashes. There is, of course, 
a difference in the value of wood ashes dependent 
on the kind of trees from which they are produed 
and the character of the soil on which they grew. 
Tin y also vary according to the parts of the plant 
from which they are taken, those from young 
branches being more valuable for horticultural 
purposes than those from the heart wood, the 
proportion varying from 5 to 20 cent. Professor 
Storer hQA investigated the question somewhat in 
detail, aud has found by analysis that selected 
specimens contain 8A per cent, of potash and 2 
per cent, of phosphoric acid; or -l\ lb. of potash 
and 1 lb. of phosphoric acid for one bushel of 
ashes. 
The bark of trees is still more rich in lime 
than in potash. Hut lime is not sufficiently used 
by orchardists or other gardeners, it being es- 
pecially required by stone fruits, as well as others. 
Besides, the production of nitrogenous plant food 
goes on most easily in soils that have a consider- 
able proportion of lime in them. Indeed it may 
be said that this supply of lime is indispensable 
to the action of the nitrification bacteria, which 
must have lime within its reach for proper develop- 
ment. 
The power of potash to make the nitrogen of 
tl 10 soil available for plants is strikingly shown 
in clearing wooded localities, for wherever a 
heap of wood or scrub is burned, the vegetation 
that grows afterwards is particularly rank and 
luxuriant. 
Investigations have proved, says a writir in 
the Gardeners' Chronicle, that commercial ferti- 
lisers are decidedly inferior for plant growth to 
wood ashes. The explanation of this fact, he says, 
seems to be that the sulphate and the chloride 
of potash are devoided of the alkaline qunlity 
which is so marked a peculiarity of carbonate of 
potash, which is the effective agent in wood ashes. 
An illustration of the value of wood ashes as 
a fertiliser for grapes is given. Two vines yielded 
only 20 lb. of grapes in a season, but, the follow- 
ing year, they haying been heavily manured with 
a mixture of wood ashes and kainit, the two 
vines yielded 120 lb. of grapes of excellent quality. 
The potash in the wood ashes combined with the 
potash of the kainit, matured the wood of the vine 
and developed the fruit. — Australian Exchange. 
THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF CfSYLON. 
We have been presented with copies of the 
Proceedings of the Ceylon Agricultural Society 
during the year 1843 and 1S44. To judge from a 
perusal of these booklets the Society would 
seem to have been a most useful one with the 
Governor as Patron and the Colonial Secretary as 
President. \Ve learn that it was established in the 
year 1S42, but what led to its dissolution we have 
been unable to ascertain. The list of members as 
given in the Proceedings includes about one 
hundred and fifty names, and in merely reading 
over this list one is led to the conclusion that in 
these years the cause of Agriculture had no lack 
of influential support. Apart from promoting and 
encouraging agricultural shows, the Society 
appears to have done much good work as a means 
of intercommunication not only between those 
interested in the cause of agriculture in the Island, 
but also between the Ceylon Society and other 
agricultural bodies. The result of such communi- 
cation as shown in the pages of the Proceedings 
must undoubtedly have resulted in mutual benefit 
that cannot be too highly valued. The pity is 
that we have no such association as the Ceylon 
Agricultural Society at present. True, we have 
a so-called Agri-Horticultural Society, but the 
difference between the character of the past and 
present Society is all the difference between activity 
and lethargy, between earnestness and indifference, 
between the real and the nominal. What we want 
is a body that will work in real earnest and show a 
keen solicit tide, in an active manner, for the wel- 
fare of agriculture in the country. Such a Society 
holding meetings say once a month at the School 
of Agriculture we should greatly desire to see 
established, and are ready to help in inaugurating, 
if sufficient support is forthcoming. 
ZOOLOGICAL NOTES FOR AGRICULTURAL 
STUDENTS. 
The order Ili/racoidea is represented by a small 
number of living members. It is interesting as 
including the Ilyrax Syriacus, which occurs in 
th" rocky parts of Syria and Palestine, and is 
believed to be the " Coney " of Script ure, 
