66 
Buppl/'mcnt to the " Tropical AffrimHtm'^l'' [July 2, 1900. 
OCCASIONAL KOTES. 
The following analysis of Plantain Flour made 
in Ceylon should prove of interest : — 
Moisture ... ... 11-74 % 
Mineral ash ... ... 2*28 ,, 
Glucose ... ... 1-02 
Ctystallizable Sugar ... -20 
Total sacchariflable matter 
expressed as Glucose 81*96 
„ Starch ... 73-7G „ 
It is said that the small percentage of sugar 
should make Plantain Flour a suitable diet for 
diabetics, and that a food substance entirely free 
from sugar ought to bring a fortune to the pro- 
ducer. The absurdly low price asked for the 
Flour (70 to 75 shilliags per ton c. i. f.) will, 
however, prevent anyone from enabarking on the 
Plantain Flour industry. 
We note that Sir W. W. Mitchell, writing from 
Paris, refers to the caja-nut as a possible article 
of export, as the samples sent to the Ceylon 
Court have been favourably reported on, while 
almonds (for which the nuts are a good substitute)' 
are not so plentiful in the market as they used to 
be. We understand, however, from a correspondent 
in Paris, that to sell well, cuju-!uits must be priced 
at much less than 12 cents a hundred, as ground 
nuts from India are so much cheapei'. Here, again, 
the price put upon the article is far too low to 
encourage tlie cultivation of the tree {Anacardium 
occidentale) which produces the nut, unless some 
use could be found for the so-called fruit (swollen 
peduncle) in the manufacture of spirit, as we bflieve 
was once suggested and even tried in Ceylon. The 
local value of a lumdredgood caju-nuts vaiies, ac- 
cording to the reason, from 10 to 25 cents, so tliat 
there would seem to be a poor chance of maliiiig 
money by selling for less than 12 cents per 100. 
We woubl draw attention to the directions for 
the prevention of rinderpest issued by the acting 
Government Veterinary Surgejii, Mr. E. T. Hoole 
Mr. Christian Fernando, a late student of the 
School of Agriculture and Forestry School, as well 
as a late member of the Forest Department of 
Ceylon, left the Island on the 24th June by the S.S. 
" Secundra " for Natal, Vv'hither he has jjroceeded 
•with a view to finding employment. Mr. Fernando 
had a creditable career in both the above-named 
institutions, and with his ititelligence and energy 
should find no difficulty in finding some suitable 
work to do in South Africa- 
A .«ale of cattle, principally young calves, was 
held at the Government Dairy on the 8th .June, 
twelve weaned calves together with a cow and 
calf at foot fetching PuS. 499-33. 
The following is the latest analysis oF a sample of 
dairy milk made by the City A'lalyst on the 6th 
June: — 
Sp. Gravity ... at 84° F. 1-030 
Fat ... ... 4-12 
Casein and Sugar ... 8'31 
Ash (suets) ' ... -72 
Total solids... ... 13-15 
Water ... ... 86-85 
Solids not fat ... 9-03 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OF JUNE, 1900. 
1 
Friday 
-07 
16 
Saturday . . 
•05 
-2 
Saturday . . 
Nil 
17 
Sunday 
1-17 
3 
Sunday 
-02 
18 
Monday 
•13 
4 
I\Ionday 
Kil 
19 
Tuesdaj' 
•08 
t- 
o 
Tuesday 
•42 
20 
Wedne.-day 
Nil 
G 
"\\'(Mliic^(lay 
•O.'j 
21 
Thursday . . 
•18 
7 
Tlmi'sday . . 
1-07 
'^2 
Friday 
Nil 
8 
Friday 
, -39 
23 
Saturday . . 
Nil 
9 
Saturday . . 
•27 
24 
Sunday 
•04 
10 
Sunday 
-12 
25 
Monday 
, -82 
11 
Monday 
. 1^87 
26 
Tuesday 
•01 
12 
Tuesday 
, -13 
27 
, Wednesday 
Nil 
13 
AVednesday 
•32 
28 
Thursday ., 
. Nil 
14 
Tluirsdny . 
. -19 
29 
Friday 
Nil 
15 
J'riday 
. -20 
30 
Saturday . , 
, ^17 
Total.. 7^71 
Mean. . -25 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 houts 
On the lltl; June, 1-87 inche?. 
Eecoided by Mr. C, Deiebeeg. 
PRACTICAL HINTS TO HORSE-OWNERS. 
By a. Chinniah, c.b.t.c. 
Chapteb II. {contd.) — Food and Feeding. 
Horse gram or koUu (Dolichos hiflorus) is the 
common horse food in the M!adras Presidency, 
Pi-of. Cliurcli gives the nutrient ratio of koUu 
a? 1 : 2"7 and the nutrient co-efficient as 83. The 
ash cont-.iitis nearly \ of its weight of phosphoric 
acid. Kollu t^eeds, owing to tlieir hardness, are 
not digested properly when given whole or even 
crushed. If soaked and given kollu brings on 
colic, so that it has to be boiled before feeding, 
and this, of course, is rather an objection, as a 
great amount of h.eat is necessary for boiling and 
the cost of fuel is a con.'^rideration. Another 
drawback is thrit pebbles are generally found 
mixed with kollu, and these cannot bo easily 
separated owing to the grain being as heavy as 
the pebbles. Long continued use of kollu is 
regarded as objectionable. It is said to cause 
cedematous swellings whicii are to be attributed 
to its h;;.;hly-nitrcg"enous character, for oedema 
may be cau -'^d l-y want of nutrition as well as 
by ovev-nutri' i'iii. 
Black gram or uluiuUi {Pluiseolus inungo var. 
radiatus) is as iiutritious as Bengal gram. 
According to Prof, Cl.urch or^e hundred parts 
of the unhusked grain contain: water, 10"1 ; 
albumenoids, 22-7; starch, 55 ^8 ; oil 2'2; fibre, 
4"8 ; and ash 4^4 (of which 1 •! coi-sists of phos- 
phoric acid). It is considered a very ' cjcling ' diet, 
and this may be ascribed to its muciiagenous 
character. Ulundu has to be boiled b;.'fore it is 
given to horses. 
Green gram or muiig {Phaseolus miinn') differs 
little from the last, which is only a \aiiety of 
it. One hundred parts (according to Church) 
contain : water, 10*8 to 11^4: aU'wrn'^noids 22^2 
to 23-S; starch, 56-1 to 54^8 : oil, 2-7 ^o 2-0; 
fibre, 5-8 to 4-2: ash, 4 4 to' 8-8. Tlie former 
figures are for typical green-seeded mting, the 
latter for typical yellow-seeded, In unhusked 
