Nov. 1, 1900. J Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist.'^ 
363 
would be desirable. The suggestion that a My- 
cologist, Entomologist, and Agricultural Chemist 
should be attached to the staff of the Koyal Botanic 
Garde'is was approved, and has been carried out. 
In December last a Committee composed of the 
Hon. Messrs. Taylor and Ellis, the Director of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens, and the Director of Public 
Instruction were appointed to consider the sugges- 
tion that the Agricultural School should be trans- 
ferred to Kandy and placed under the direction 
of the Director of the Royal Botanic Garden". 
The Committee recommended that the existing 
school be closed at the earliest possible date, and 
the buildings for the i^resent be left in the charge 
of the Director of Public Instruction, and that the 
land be sold for building sites. They also re- 
commended that if Government contemplated the 
addition to the Royal Botanic Gardens of an 
experimental farm or garden, the Agricultural 
School should be transferred to Peradeniya and 
be established there as a part of the experimental 
garden. This proposal has been accepted by 
Government, and Mr. Willis has submitted a 
scheme, now under consideration, for acquiring 
land suitable for the purpose at a cost which it 
is hoped will be largely coverec. by the sale of the 
land adjoining the existing school at Colombo. 
There has been a good deal of correspondence, 
in the local press, as to the advisability of 
manuring tea with Sulphate of Ammonia. We 
are not much in favour of using the more 
soluble artificial manures in perennial cultivation 
especially iti the wetter districts and steep hill- 
sides, mainly owing to the fact that the practice 
is not to l)e recommended from an economical 
point of view ; but we are far from saying that 
there is any positive harm to be feared — as some 
would make out — by the use of this fertilizer, if 
a due proportion of manures supplying the other 
important ingredients of plant food is also given 
to the plant. There is much harm done by the 
indiscrimmate use of special manures without 
seeing that at the same time that the other con- 
comitants of plant food are also placed at the 
disposal of the plant. The reason of so doing 
is obvious enough and needs no further elucidation. 
We are again growing lucerne from seed kindly 
supplied by Mr. J. W. Mollison, Deputy Director of 
Agriculture, Bombay Presidency. Two varieties 
were sent us, viz., English seed and Poona 
seed. Lucerne is grown as a profitable crn-ti 
in India where it is used as hay for horse>'. i^c. 
ash contains six times as much lime as ordinary 
grass and the plant therefore requires a good di'ul >,i 
lime in the soil. It is thus particularly useful for 
feeding young growing stock. The following is the 
composition of lucerne hay; Moisture, 14'3; ash, 
6-3; Albuminoids, 14-7; Fibre, 33-7; Starch, 
Sugar, &c., 28-5 ; Fat, 2-6. Of these the following 
proportions are put down as "digestible": — 
Albuminoids, 9'6 ; Fibre, Starch, Sugar, &c., 28-9 ; 
and Pat, 1*0. Lucerne hay contains twice as 
mucl flesh formers as wheat and oat hay do, 
bout the same amount of fat, but two-thirds the 
mount of digestible Starch, Sugar, and Fibre. 
"Coffee Tba'' would appear to be "queer 
mixture," bat it is really a " tea " (i.e., an inf usion^ 
of prepared coffee leaves. It is said to be used 
by the Sumatrans, who practically live on boiled 
rice and coffee tea, doing an immense amount of 
work and undergoing much exposure to the 
weather. It is reported to give '-immediate 
relief to hanger and fatigue." The leaves and 
twigs are " roasted " over a smokeless fire, then 
rubbed bj' hand into a coarse powder in which 
form it is ready foi; use. The Chemist is quoted 
to prove that coffee tea contains all the charac- 
teristics of the bean while richer in theine. The 
Editor of the Queensland Ayricultural Journal 
pronounce; coffee tea as " a pleasant refieshing 
beverage." For ourselves we confess a partiality 
for " tea tea" (not that we have tasted any other) 
particularly when prepared from Ceylon leaf. 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OF 
OCTOB SR. 
1 
Monday 
. -57 
19 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
20 
3 
Wednesday .. 
. Nil 
21 
4 
Thursday 
. -03 
22 
5 
Friday 
. -01 
33 
6 
Saturday 
. Nil 
21 
7 
Sunday 
. -01 
25 
8 
Monday 
. Nil 
26 
9 
Tuesday 
. -03 
27 
10 
Wednesday .. 
. -04 
28 
11 
Thursday 
. Nil 
29 
I'l 
Friday 
. -61 
30 
13 
Saturday 
. 3*oO 
31 
14 
Sunday 
. -50 
1 
15 
Monday 
. -49 
16 
Tuesday 
. -41 
17 
Wednesday. . 
•87 
18 
Thursday . 
. 1-02 
190C. 
Friaay 
Saturday 
Sunday • . , 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday ... 
Thursday . , 
Friday 
Saturday 
Sunday . , 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday . . 
ursday . . 
•94 
•61 
1^35 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
•32 
•85 
■11 
•15 
Nil 
Total. 
Mean . 
11-85 
. •as 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hours 
on the 13lh Oct., 3-50 inches. 
Recorded by Mr. C. DbIEBEEg. 
GRAFTING THE MANGO. 
(Concluded. 
When the ycung shoots which have sprung 
from the grafts have ripened, the old wood pro- 
jecting beyond the graft should be sawn off 
close at the base of the new growth. As the 
new wood continues to grow, it will cover up 
the entire end where it was sawn off. 
To remove a section of the bark for grafting, 
first make a cut through the bark with a small 
saw at the two ends, then take a broad chisel, 
the level side being set towards the piece to 
come out, and give it a smart blow. Now turn 
the chisel over to the opposite side, repeat the 
blow, and the piece will fly out if the sap is at 
all active. Should the piece fail to come off, put 
the chisel into the saw cuts and raise gently. 
If it still sticks cut further into the original 
saw cuts, split out the wood with the bark 
adhering, and whittle the wood out of the sectiqa 
