214 
Supplement to the " Tropical Agrmilturist.^' 
[Sept. I, 1900. 
hinds. It is not only the branding of cattle by 
ignorant villagers, but treatment of and operation on 
animals generally by empirics and ignorant people 
as well, that call for suppression. What should 
be done as regards the branding of cattle is that 
every owner of stock must be required to pos- 
sess a certificate to the effect that his animals, 
if branded, have been fired on therapeutic 
grounds, — and the certificates must be signed by a 
qualified Veterinary Surgeon or recognised (but 
better still licensed) vederala. 
A. CHINNIAH, 
Veterinary Surgeon, 
{To be continued.) 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OP 
AGRICULTUEE DURING THE MONTH 
OF JULY, 1900. 
1 
Sunday 
. Nil 
17 
Tuesdaj' 
. -09 
2 
Monday 
. -08 
18 
Wednesday .. 
. -40 
3 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
19 
Thursday . 
. -26 
4 
Wednesday.. 
. Nil 
20 
Friday 
. -14 
5 
Thursday . 
. -02 
21 
Saturday 
. Nil 
6 
Friday 
. -02 
22 
Sunday 
, -60 
7 
Saturday 
. -02 
23 
Monday 
. 1-56 
8 
Sunday 
. 1-08 
24 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
9 
Monday 
, -50 
25 
Wednesday .. 
. Nil 
10 
Tuesday 
. -78 
26 
Thursday . 
. Nil 
11 
Wednesday.. 
. -07 
27 
Friday 
. -10 
12 
Thursday . 
. -08 
28 
Saturday 
. Nil 
13 
Friday 
. -89 
29 
Sunday 
, -51 
14 
Saturday 
. -06 
30 
Monday 
, -20 
15 
Sunday 
. -01 
31 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
16 
Monday 
, Nil 
Total.. 7-37 
Mean. . -24 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hours 
on tha 23rd July, 1-56 inches. 
Recorded by Mr. C. Dbiebebg. 
ii'A .f)"">MT ^ 
p,. PRACTICAL HINTS TO HORSE-OWNERS. 
By A. Chinniah, o.s.v.c. 
Chapteb II. (Contd.) — Food and Fbkdino. 
Guinea Grass is much liked by horses and is to 
be preferred to other cultivated grasses. It is 
easily cultivated, but during very dry and hot 
weather it requires to be irrigated or watered. 
The cultivation of this grass is carried on more or 
less throughout the island, but principally in the 
hill district. The percentage of moisture is less 
than in water grass, but it is proportionately rich in 
woody fibre, which is a necessary auxiliary to 
digestion. 
Mr. Guthie of the Department of Agriculture, 
Sydney, made the following analysis of Guinea 
grass when rather dry : — 
Water ... ... 11-26 per cent 
Ether Extract (fatn, &c.) 10-65 „ 
Albuminoids ... 11-37 „ 
Carbohydrates ... 40*54 „ 
Woody fibre ... 26-08 „ 
Ash ... ... 9-50 „ 
100-00 „ 
Nutrient value = 58|. Nutrient ratio = 1 to 4 
PanicMn Molle (Mauritius or water grass). — This 
is a common grass in Ceylon and largely used for 
feeding cattle and horses. The percentage of 
water is great and hence the nutrient ratio is lower. 
During the rainy season most of the lowlands 
under this grass become flooded, and for that 
reason one has to be careful in the use of the 
grass, as it is believed tliut through feeding of 
horses on grass cut off flooded lands the parasitic 
worm known as Filaria oculi finds its way into the 
eye through the digestive organ. This grass has 
got to be dried a little before it is given to horses, 
as it is apt to cause colic if given very wet. 
Hence in rainy weather particular care has to 
be taken in feeding with water grass. 
Jungle Grass. — Many horses in Colombo are 
fed on what are known as "jungls grasses." 
These grasses being very fine are preferred 
by most horses to cultivated grass. Wild grass is no 
doubt more nutritious than cultivated grasses, but, 
as it has a large quantity of roots to which a good 
deal of earthy matter adheres and is got rid of 
with difficulty, the grass has to be used with care. 
I might here refer to lucerne {Medicago sativa) 
though it does not fall within the grass family 
(graminece). Lucerne belongs to the order legu- 
minosoe on which the herbivora depend for their 
nitrogenous ingredients. It is cultivated in India 
for feeding horses, but it is not known among 
horse-owners in Ceylon. Those who can afford it 
feed their horses on lucerne in place of hay from 
Australia. There is no reason why lucerne should 
not thrive iu Ceylon, and be used, especially in 
the hills, for feeding horses ; as Mr. Nock of the 
Hakgala Gardens has shewn that it grows and 
yields well in the Nuwara Eliya district. 
Experiments with lucerne at the School of 
Agriculture, Colombo, proved that it can be grown 
even in the hottter parts, but that it requires to 
be irrigated or watered in dry seasons. 
POULTRY FEEDING. 
The following notes on the subject of feeding 
poultry published in the Fancier's Gazette will 
repay perusal by those who are poultry fanciers: — 
The kinds of grain which are richest in nitro- 
genous matter are known as leguminous, i.e., 
beans, peas and lentils. These, however, are not 
very easy of digestion, and it would not do to 
attempt to feed poultry entirely on them, but 
limited quantities of pea meal and bean meal 
given in the soft food will prove very useful where 
an extra large quantity of nitrogenous matter is 
required. But, generally speaking, there is noth- 
ing like oats as;a general food, both for chickeus 
and for laying hens, as they are especially rich in 
nitrogenous motter, contain a fair percentage of 
minerals, and are lowest in the heat forming scale 
iu comparison with barley and wheat and Indian 
corn. Indian corn is much more freely used ia 
poultry keeping than it ought to be, bee luse it is 
lowest in the scale of nitrogenous, and highest iu 
that of heat forming. Let us, therefore, apply 
this information to the three main points. 
Chicken Rearing. — Here we want to produce as 
large a frame as we can ; the secret of success in 
rearing young stock being to grow a frame capable 
of bearing a heavy weight of meat when the 
