THE  MAGAZINE 
OF 
Tf)G  $3>0 0L  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
COLOMBO. 
Added  as  ■:  Supplement  monthly  to  the  “ TROPICAL  A GRIG UL  TUBIST." 
The  following  pages  include  the 
Agriculture  for  July  : — 
OCCASIONAL  NOTES. 
ITH  this  number  commences  the 
fourth  volume  of  the  Magazine  of 
the  School  of  Agriculture.  We 
take  this  opportunity  of  thanking 
our  subscribers,  contributors  and 
daily  contemporaries  for  their 
support  and  encouragement  during  the  past  year. 
In  connection  with  the  appointment  of  the 
Veterinary  Surgeon  there  are  two  points  that 
suggest  themselves  to  us  as  worthy  the  attention 
of  Government : (1)  That  the  Veterinary  Surgeon 
should  have  at  the  very  least  two  assistants, 
not  necessary  “ qualified  men,”  but  such  as  have 
been  instructed  in  methods  of  disinfection  and 
administration  of  medicines,  and  the  general 
care  of  diseased  animals,  so  that  these  men 
may  carry  out  the  orders  of  the  Veterinary 
Surgeon  much  in  the  same  way  as  the  Municipal 
Inspectors  carry  out  the  orders  of  the  Sanitary 
Officer.  To  trust  to  native  cattle-owners  or  even 
headmen  at  a distance  from  the  Metropolis, 
observing  rules  and  regulations  as  to  treatment 
that  is  not  “native,”  is  the  height  of  absurdity. 
(2)  That  a central  hospital,  consisting  of  thatched 
buildings  should  be  erected  not  far  from  the 
office  of  the  Veterinary  Surgeon,  for  the  housing 
and  treatment  of  diseased  amimals  in  and  about 
Colombo,  that  similar  small  hospitals  should  be 
run  up  as  required  in  centres  of  cattle  disease, 
and  that  these  provincial  hospitals  be  directly 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Veterinary  Surgeon’s 
assistants,  who  should  be  instantly  dispatched 
to  such  places  where  cattle  disease  is  reported 
from.  The  proper  accommodation  of  diseased 
animals  is  of  course  the  main  point  in  any 
method  adopted  for  the  prevention  or  cure  of 
disease.  Another  matter  which  we  would  urge  upon 
the  Government  is  that  some  surveillance  should 
be  placed  upon  animals  brought  over  from  India. 
These  animals  should  be  quarantined  for  a 
contents  of  the  Magazine  of  the  School  of 
definite  period  before  being  taken  into  the  town 
and  kept  for  sale  or  milking  purposes  in  cattle 
byres  in  the  city.  We  have  repeatedly  traced 
outbreaks  of  disease  of  one  kind  or  other  to  a 
well-known  centre  where  cattle  brought  over 
from  India  are  exposed  for  sale. 
We  hope  before  long  to  be  in  possession  of  an 
“Eclair”  knapsack  liquid  insecticide  distributer 
and  a soufflet  for  powdered  insecticides.  The 
insecticides  themselves  are  not  difficult  to  prepare 
or  purchase ; but  the  apparatus  for  distributing  them 
is  what  is  required.  As  we  have  already  explained 
it  is  essential  that  every  part  of  a tree  liable  to 
insect  attack  should  be  covered  over  with  a 
thin  coating  of  the  poison,  and  in  the  case  of 
the  sucking  insects,  it  is  further  necessary  that 
the  substances  distributed  should  strike  the 
insect  itself.  We  lately  imported  small  quantities 
of  those  well-known  insect  poisons  “ Paris  Green” 
and  “ London  Purple,”  but  though  a fine  growth 
of  Bandakais  were  badly  attacked  by  the  “Cotton 
worm,”  we  had  no  satisfactory  means  of  dis- 
tributing the  liquids.  A solution  of  “ London 
Purple”  of  the  proper  strength  was  applied  to 
a portion  of  this  crop  by  means  of  a small 
watering  can  with  a fine  rose,  but  the  process 
was  very  tedious  and  entailed  much  loss  of  the 
liquid  owing  to  the  spray  not  being  fine  enough. 
From  the  programme  of  the  Technical  College. 
Finsbury,  we  learn  that  the  operatious  of  the 
Institute  are  divided  into  two  portions : Day 
classes  for  those  who  are  able  to  devote  1,  2, 
or  3 years  to  systematic  technical  education; 
Evening  classes  for  those  who  are  engaged  in 
industrial  or  commercial  pursuits  in  the  day, 
and  wish  to  receive  supplementary  instruction 
in  the  application  of  science  and  art  to  the 
trades  and  manufactures  in  which  they  are 
employed  or  concerned.  The  College  embraces 
the  following  departments:  Mechanical  Engineer- 
ing and  Applied  Physics,  Industrial  and  Technical 
Chemistry,  Applied  Art,  and  Building  Trades 
