32 
Magazine  of  the  School  of  Agriculture. 
men  experienced  in  grafting  to  villages  to  find 
"oufr  trees  known  to  bear  fruits  of  superior  quality, 
and  to  graft  branches  of  such  trees  to  plants 
-grown  for  the  purpose.  At  the  time  the  plants 
'are  removed,  the  owner  of  the  tree  is  gene- 
rally allowed  to  have  one  or  two  of  such 
grafted  ones,  which  he  plants  in  his  garden  and 
finds  it  a novel1  and  a rare  gif t.  This  is  how  the 
•quality  of  mangoes  has  been  improved,  and  no 
♦doubt  the  name  Jaffna  mangoes  so  common  in 
•Colombo  for  good  mangoes  of  which  I made 
mention  in  one  of  my  previous  communications, 
owes  its  existence  to  the  efforts  of  the  Govern- 
ment Agents  of  the  Province. 
One  peculiarity  in  the  fruits  of  the  grafted  man- 
goes is  that  the  fruits  contain  a certain  kind  of 
black  insect  within  their  seed,  without  any  trace 
of  them  outside.  How  this  big  insect  made  its 
way,  into  the  fruit,  without  materially  injuring 
the  same  is  a matter  perplexing  to  the  ordinary 
mind,  though  it  is  a never-failing  proof  of  good 
mangoes. 
It  would  seem  impracticable  to  propagate 
grafted  mangoe  trees  by  means  of  seeds  thus 
ravaged  by  the  insect.  It  is  therefore  imperative 
on  those  who  wish  to  have  -good  mangoes  in  their 
fruit  gardens  to  practise  grafting  on  a large  scale, 
as  .grafting  serves  (1)  to  maintain  the  excellence 
'of  mangoes,  (2)  to  produce  varieties  of  fruits  that 
did 'not  exist  before  ; and  by  art  help  to  perfect 
nature. — Yours  truly,  R.  C.  Muttiah. 
GENERAL  ITEMS. 
The  Government  Agent,  Sabaragamuwa  Province, 
Who  employs  three  Agricultural  Instructors  and 
wishes  for  another,- says  in  his  Administration 
Report : — “ The  work  done  by  each  agricultural 
i instructor  is  of  benefit  in  and  out  of  school.  He 
1 teaches  new  methods  of  cultivation  and  intro- 
duces new  products  and  vegetables  to  the  notice 
of  villagers,  of  which  they  would  otherwise  be 
ignorant,  while  he  interests  and  instructs  the 
elder  boys  in  each  school,  to  which  he  is  attached 
in  the  theory  as  well  as  the  practice  of  cultiva- 
tion. It  is  too  soon  yet  to  see  any  results,  but 
I think  the  system  should  be  carefully  cherished 
and  encouraged.  If  a travelling  inspector  were 
attached  to  the  Department  for  supervision  of  this 
branch,  I think  it  would  be  advantageous.”  We 
have  before  urged  the  importance  of  inspection 
of  the  work  of  the  Agricultural  Instructors,  and 
-without  such  supervision  the  system  of  working 
through  Agricultural  Instructors  must  remain  very 
faulty. 
The  same  official  urges  “ the  establishment  of 
an  Agricultural  Board,  having  for  its  object  the 
■extension  and  improvement  of  cultivation  through- 
wit.  the  Island  by  (1)  the  education  and 
payment  of  qualified  agricultural  instructors  : 
the  purchase  and  loan  of  improved  agri- 
cultural implements  ; (3)  advances  to  cultiva- 
tors in  bad  seasons;  (4)  improvement  in  the 
breeding  of  cattle,  especially  buffaloes;  (o)  ex- 
tension of  garden  cultivation  ; (f>)  distribution  of 
seeds  and  introduction  of  new  products ; (7) 
holding  of  local  shows  and  bestowal  of  prizes. 
On  this  subject  too  we  have  often  written  before, 
.aud  some  of  the  daily. papers  have  expressed  them- 
selves in  favour  of  an  Agricultural  Board  without 
which  the  control  of  agricultural  affairs  in  the 
colony  must  remain  very  unsatisfactory.  On  such 
a Board  should  also  sit,  in  addition  to  those  whose 
names  have  been  frequently  mentioned  in  this 
connection,  such  philanthropic  and  liberal  officials 
as  Messrs.  Wace,  levers  and  H.  P.  Baumgartner. 
The  “ Marsh  lectures  ” have  not  been  in  need  of 
helpers  for  the  first  series,  which  having 
begun  under  happy  auspices  is  progressing 
very  satisfactorily.  The  general  public  have 
not  however  been  awakened  into  any  very  great 
interest  in  the  instructive  subjects  of  the 
course,  nor,  would  it  seem  that  the  managers 
of  most  of  the  educational  institutions  in 
Colombo  encourage  the  scholars  to  supplement 
their  unproductive  (of  practical  good)  and 
surfeiting  diet  of  Cambridge  local  mathematics 
and  classics  with  healthy  and  useful  knowledge. 
Among  the  foreign  manufactures  that  are 
carried  on  in  Japan  are  cotton  and  woolen  goods, 
silk,  and  glass.  There  are  no  less  than  38  cctton 
mills.  The  glass  articles  manufactured  are  chiefly 
bottles  for  beer  and  wine  and  table  glass  of 
cheap  quality  : a small  quantity  is  exported  to 
China  and  Hongkong,  but  the  greater  part  of 
the  production  is  for  home  use. 
Dacca  cheese  i?  familiar  to  all  who  have 
resided  in  North  India.  These  cheeses  as  seen 
in  Calcutta  resemble  a fat  pancake,  and  are 
generally  6 or  6 inches  in  diameter.  They 
are  soft  in  consistency,  and  though  rather  milky 
to  the  taste,  and  of  a smoky  flavour,  are  much 
appreciated  in  Nortli  India.  Dacca  cheeses  are 
imported  to  Burmali  and  even  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments. From  Juansbahi  alone  the  annual  produce 
is  estimated  at  501  maunds.  If  there  he  a sale 
for  such  cheeses  in  Ceylon,  there  should  be  no 
difficulty  about  making  them. 
Messrs.*  Ide  and  Christy,  reporting  on  a small 
sample  of  fibre  from  Sansiviera  ileylanica  (Sin. 
Niyanda)  sent  from  Somali  land,  say: — This  is 
an  excellent  fibre  of  fair  length  and  with  plenty 
of  “ life.”  In  character  it  strongly  resembles  the 
best  sisal  hemp  with  which  we  should  have 
classed  it,  but  from  your  (the  Kew  authorities) 
statement  that  it  is  derived  from  a Sansiviera. 
With  the  exception  of  its  colour,  its  preparation 
is  perfect,  and  even  as  it  is,  we  value  it  today 
at  £50  per  ton.  We  are  of  opinion  that  if  care 
were  taken  to  improve  the  colour  a considerably 
higher  price  would  be  readily  obtainable,  per- 
haps as  much  as  £50  per  ton,  if  a pure  white 
fibre  could  be  obtained  without  loss  of  strength 
and  lustre. 
Machinery  has  now  been  perfected  in  America 
for  making  bagging  from  cotton  stalks.  ;Expert 
cotton  men  say  that  the  bagging  is  in  every  way 
equal  to  jute  bagging,  though  a shade  darker,  and 
less  inflammable.  The  machinery  comprises  heavy 
corrugated  rollers,  with  vats  of  running  water, 
carding  machines,  and  bagging  looms.  It  is  es- 
timated that-  by  making  bagging  of  cotton  stalks 
two  million  dollars  annually  will  go  into  the 
pockets  of  farmers  for  what  is  not  cleared  from 
the  fields  at  our  expenses, 
