60 
THE TKGPIOAL AaRICULTURIST. 
[JU'Lir 1, 1902. 
[The leaflet gives an interesting account 
of how 15 mines near the Hartz Mountains 
supply rich Potash Salts which are found 
to be of great value in the inanurmg of 
tea and cacao, the favourite preparation 
being "Sulphate of Potash" with a purity 
of 90= to 96= equal to 50= to 52= of pure 
Potash. Planters of tea and cacao should 
apply for copies of the leaflet which gives 
good deal of useful inforaiation.— Ed. T.A.] 
USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL TIMBERS. 
Hanwella, May 31. 
Dear Sik,— K,elerring to your notes and com- 
ments in your paper of the 29tii inst. re ''The 
valuable timber tree," tlie surtya mara, I am 
surprised to hear of its being used for the con- 
struction of bullock bandies. I think, even in 
Ceylon, it is a rare cabinet wood, far more valu- 
able than nedun, though similar in appearance, 
but heavier than nedun, 
Suriya (Tulip) is the wood par excellence used 
in building .all sorts of conveyances in the island. 
Its heartwood is of a dark red colour, and is 
very light in weight, a cubic foot being equal to 
about 40 lb. I may mention here that there are 
four kinds of mara found in the Western Pro- 
vince, viz., Ssriyamara, Huriuiara, Rabalmara, 
and Maditiyamara. 1 suppose Aramana or Waya 
is also one of these specie*. The two iormer are 
very useful trees, both for cabineb and other pur- 
poses, and the rest are only used for building. 
Mora wood, referred to in your paper of the 28th 
instant, is not a cabinet wood, being very heavy. 
A cubic foot is said to weigh 62 lb. It is largely 
used as firewood in cremation and also for brick 
and lime kilns and is of a light brown colour. 
A NATIVE. 
[Our authority about Suriya-mara (Sinhalese), 
"Albizzia Lebbek " (of botanists) is the late 
Mr. Wm. Ferguson, F.L.S,, who, writing in 1863, 
said ;— " Wood brown, used for bullock bandies." 
Doubtless this timber was more plentiful then. Of 
" Suriya-gas " (Thespesia populnea— the tulip 
tree) the same authority reported " The best- 
known timber tree of the island, wood a shade 
between the colour of walnut and English elm ; 
a tough, excellent wood used for felloes, naves and 
panels of carriages and for gun stocks."— Ed, 
T.A] ^ 
RAINBOW TROUT FOR EVERY 
STREAM IN CEYLON: 
GOVERNMENT SHOULD AID IN 
THEIR INTRODUCTION. 
June 3. 
jgiR,_Now that it is an established fact that 
rainbow trout are breeding in Ceylon, would it be 
out of place to suggest to the Government that it 
nii"ht very graciously subsidise tlie Fishing Club 
Hberally, so that trout may be introduced to every 
stream and river in Ceylon ? . , , 
These trout can probably be acclimatised down 
to sea-level, and, if properly regulated and looked 
after, you can hardly imagine what a splendid 
food supply they would prove for the Colony, not 
to mention the grand sport for young and old. 
Them's my sentimente, What do you think, 
Mr. Editor Yours, 
IL 
THE PACT ESTABLISHED BEYOND QUKSTION. 
Ceylon Fishing Club, Nuwaia Eliya, June 2. 
Sin,— I am requested by the MaiMging Coin- 
miitee of the Ceylon Fishing Club to iufoira you 
that there is now no doubt that rainbow trout are 
breeding in Ceylon— both in the Horton Plains and 
in the Nuvvara Eliya streams. Mr. Fair has sent 
two small rainbow trout for inspection, that could 
only have been locally bred, whilst at least one 
tributary to the main Nuwara Eliya stream is 
swarming with rainbow fry, two members of the 
Fishing Club having caught and examined several 
varying in length from 2^ inches to 3^ inches. — 
Yours, &c. 
J. WICKWAR, Hon. Secy,, C.F.C. 
SOUTH AFRICA RECOiMMENDED TO 
YOUNG MEN WITH A LITTLE 
CAPITAL. 
June 3. 
Sir, — I wrote you the other day that I 
heard the rustle of the wings of the Angel 
of Peace, and now the glorious Angel has 
appeared in all her smiling beauty, bearing 
a palm-branch in her hands. Lord Wolseley 
(then Sir Garnet) at the Vaal told the people 
that the country would remain English till 
the sun stood still in the heavens and the 
waters of the Vaal ran backwards. Noiv it 
will come true ; but many dark days of blood 
and slaughter have come between. The 
struggle is ended, and all those farms and 
towns we saw devastated — deserted— ruined 
will again be peaceful happy homesteads 
around which the golden oranges, the soft 
peaches, and green fields will yield rich har- 
vests. To show you the sad ruin war brings, I 
will give one instance. At Rustenberg I 
obtained leave to go through the town to 
get firewood (or anything else handy I could 
pick up.) I went along the street and ap- 
proached the door of one of a line of pretty 
cottages and knocked. On the door was a 
paper beseeching any one who came to spare 
the property in the house. I knocked again. 
I heard heavy footsteps inside and went round 
to the back. There were a number of Tom- 
mies in there. They had gone through every- 
thing. It had been a comfortable, well- 
furnished house ; but clocks, pictures, orna- 
ments and furniture were lying on the floor, 
tossed about and trampled on. I went into 
the bed rooms and there were all the para- 
phernalia of a lady's bed-room and toilet 
strewn on the floor. Articles of clothing, 
&c., &c., lying about. I went to the 
-kitchen — in fact everywhere it was the same. 
One Tommy said, " There is little enough you 
will pick up. They have been through every- 
thing." This is only a sample of hundreds of 
houses we saw. One woman said they 
had been robbed by Boers and British 
by turns as they occupied the town. 
And now to know £hat all this has ceased, 
that the ccuintry will begin to prosper and 
that there is room for tiiousands of British 
settlers to go and form hai)py homes in the 
veldt I Unlike Australia the veldt has every, 
where a naturjil drainage and is undulating. 
Thus water can be tapped in the hollows ; and 
many a grand stream of clear pure vyat^r yy^ 
