222 
Supplement to the '^Tropical AgricuUurisH." [Sept. 1, 1900 
Commou, Cyathcea sinuata, which is only found 
in the Southern Province, C. Walkerii, tl e trea 
fern of the lowcountry, Thamnopteris Nidus, the 
so-called Bird's-nest fern found growing generally 
on trees, Asplenium rutcefoUum, Diplazium 
lanceum, D. Schkuhrii, Aspidnim TMuaitesii, Las- 
trcBci deparioides, Niphobolus Gardneri, Pleopeltis 
pteropus (var. mhior), Tcenites blechnoides {v.\ the, 
Mntara District), Drymoglossum heterophyllum. 
Stenochloena palustris ; Polybotrya appendiculata, 
Gymnopteris variabilis, G- contaminans, G. subcre- 
nata, G. quenifolia, Acrostichum aureum (generally 
not far from the sea in swampy places), 
Schizcea digitata, Angiopteris evecta, Ophioglossum 
pendulum, and Helminthostachys zeylanica. 
Botrychium d ucifoUum and Oleandra muswfolia 
extend into the mountain zone, 
The forests of this zone are of by no means so 
large in extent as those of the dry zone ; they 
usually occur in isolated blocks, cohering ridges 
and separated by stretches of chena or by paddy 
fields. The most important blocks are the forests 
that in former days formed part of the extensive 
Sinharaja forest ; they are situated in the Gnlle 
district of the Southern Province, the Pasdun 
Korale of the Western Province, and the Kukulu 
Korala of the Province of Sabarngamuwa. The 
lower forests of the Adam's Peak range alar> 
belong tc this zone. 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
A bulletin of the Kansas Agricultural College 
advises that dairy cows should be always fed 
after milking, and never just before or while 
milking. One reason given for this advice is that 
there are odours from the feed that may be 
absorbed by the milk direct, or if there are 
volatile matters in the food they will taint the 
milk, while if the food is given after milking, 
these volatile matters are worked out before 
the next milking. A cow properly trained will 
give more milk when she devotes her whole 
attention to giving milk than when she is fed 
during milking time. 
A correspondent lo the Cape Agricultural 
Journal offers the following advice for treating 
fowl cholera which many will be glad to have : — 
Take one large tablespoonf ul of Little's Dip 
and mix it with three gallons of soft loater, 
and in the mixture soak some wheat, lock up 
the fowlf^, and give them liie wheat to eat 
and some of the same water to drink. Three 
or four days of this treatment will stop the 
epidemic. The treatment, it is said, has been 
always found successful. 
The same journal states that one pound of 
bisuljihide of carbon will destroy all the insect 
life in 100 bushels ol grain in a bin, or will be 
effective in 1,000 cubic feet of space. It forms 
a dense ga.", heavier than the atmosphere, and 
coMsequeafcly it not only permeates the grain but 
finds its way into all the crevices in which the 
insects breed. To preserve grain for sowing the 
best plan is to keep it in an iron tank or tin 
lined box, if it can be made airtighu, and 
place on the top a piece of cotton saturated with 
bisulphide of carbon, then close it down, taking 
care not to let the fumes come in contact with 
a light. The grain can be left like tliis till 
required for sowing and will be perfectly safe 
from weevils and the germinating power in no 
way injured. 
One of the latest remedies for ants is gasoline. 
Pour about half a pint into the ant hill and 
set it on fire. The gasoline will instantly spread 
throughout the ant hill, and as the Leat on the 
surface increases the gas will generate from the 
utmost recesses and the fire destroy the ants. 
Half a pint will burn from three to eight 
hours and kill every ant in the largest nest 
and all that attempt to enter it from without. 
The following recipe, from a Sydney paper, 
is said to be a certain remedy against rat.*, 
mice and cockroaches :— Take 1 lb. of flour, 2 
tablespoonfuls of oatmeal, 4 to 6 oz. of plaster 
of Paris ; mix. dry and place in pans or plates 
on the floor, in cupboards, i&c. Securely cover 
up all other food in the house and take care 
that children and pet animals do not have access 
to the mixture. A correspondent says that he 
tried the mixture in an old store and killed 600 
rats in three nights ! 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OP 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OF AUGUST, 1900. 
1 
Wednesday . 
. Nil 
17 
Friday 
•01 
2 
Thursday 
. Nil 
18 
Saturday . . 
Nil 
3 
Friday 
. Nff 
19 
Sunday 
•05 
4 
Saturday 
. -28 
20 
Monday 
•18 
5 
Sunday 
. -97 
21 
Tuesday 
•05 
6 
Monday 
. -04 
22 
Wednesday 
•10 
7 
Tuesday 
. -28 
23 
Thursday . 
•Oi 
Ni 
8 
Wednesday . 
. Nil 
24 
Friday 
9 
Thursday 
. Nil 
25 
Saturday . . 
Nil 
10 
Friday 
. -01 
26 
Sunday 
Nil 
11 
Saturday 
. -11 
27 
Monday 
Nil 
12 
Sunday 
. Nil 
28 
Tuesday 
Nil 
13 
Monday 
. -02 
29 
Wednesday 
•27 
14 
Tuesday 
. -09 
30 
Thursday . . 
•48 
15 
Wednesday . 
. -06 
31 
Friday 
1-07 
16 
Thursday 
. Nil 
1 
Saturday . . 
3^87 
Total.. 7 •gs 
Mean . . "25 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hours 
on the 1st September, 3'87 inches, 
Recorded by C. Dbiebebq. 
