Sept. 1, 1902.j Supplement to the " Tropical Aqrkalturist." 
221 
encourage the cultivation of this useful tuber 
in Ceylon. Most people associate the sweet 
potato with the Southern Province, where it is 
extensively and successfully grown ; but few are 
aware that the tuber reaches the height of per- 
fection in the Hanguranketa district. On a 
recent visit to this part of the country — 
eminently suited for vegetable and fruit culture — 
we had an opportunity of seeing for ourselves 
how the " batala " grows there. Two vines dug up 
at our request buo quite at random, gave two 
potatoes which together weighed 10 lbs., or 
approximately 5 lbs. each, but we were in- 
formed on reliable authority that 8 lbs. as the 
weight of one yam v. as by no means uncommon. 
What is a noteworthy fact is that these boulder- 
Jike masses are on cooking as soft and mealy 
as could be wished, and practically contain 
none of the fibrous matter that so often spoils 
the flavoury tubers of the South. On the spot 
the price during the season is only one cent a 
pound, so that here is an opportunity for 
any one with an eye to business working on 
the lines adopted in Antigua for preserving the 
sweet potato in some form for future use. Mr. 
Spooner of that town is reported to have made 
many tons of meal, preparing it by slicing 
the potatoes in a chaff-cutter and drying them 
in the sun (as is done in Japan) on wire-netting 
— the drying being completed in about 8 hours. 
One ton of potatoes of this method yielded 
910 lbs. meal at the cost of about i'l 10s. per 
ton of meal produced. Dr. Voelcker, who ana- 
lysed the product, found it had the following 
composition : — 
Moisture . . 11"99 per cent. 
Nitrogenous matter 5'12 ,, 
Oil ... ... 1-19 „ 
Sugar ... ... 9-90 ,, 
Starch and Carbohydrates 67'01 ,, 
Woody fibre ... 189 ,. 
Mineral matter ... 2*90 ,, 
As regards the keeping qualities of the meal, 
we read that it was stored in tins for twelve 
months, after which time it was found to be 
quite good. We understand that another use 
to which sweet i otatoes are put is for making 
spirit, which is shipped to Portugal for 
fortyfying wines. As regards meal, we fancy 
that the cost of production would be much less 
in Ceylon if the poorer Kandyan families can 
take up the preparation which, so far as we 
know, is not known among them, though Cassava 
and other meals are commonly prepared. 
A good deal has been written about a banana 
meal industry for Ceylon, but though a sample, 
prepared by Mr. Chas. Stouter of Anuradha- 
pura, gained a Gold Medal award at the Paris 
Exhibition of 1900, we understand that the 
price offered for the meal by probable dealers 
to whom samples were submitted both in Paris 
and London, was by no means encouraging. 
An analyses of Mr. Stouter's Plantain Meal has 
been given by us in a previous issue. The 
interest in the question of commercially manu- 
facturing this product has evidently notaltogetlier 
abated, as we learn that an enterprising gentleman 
is giving it his serious thought. To him we 
would commend for his consideration the cognate 
qestion of profitably manufacturing Sweet 
Potato Meal, than whicli we cannot think of 
a more suitable diet for children. An excellent 
way of preparing the potato for the table is first 
to boil, tlien slice and toast. 
We hardly thiuk there is room for improvement 
in the Hewaheta potatoes referred to above. Some 
time ago we imported tubers of what was described 
as one of the finest table varieties of America, 
but the product of their cultivation was by no 
means superior to the local article. 
^ 
DIRECTIONS FOR HARVESTING THE 
TOBACCO CROP. 
Tobacco plants are usually twenty-two weeks in 
maturing from the time of transplanting ; and for 
four to six weeks after topping, when ready for 
cutting, the leaves become thick and brittle, and 
will crack when doubled between the finger and 
thumb. They also exhibit mottled yellow spots. 
It is always wise to allow the plant to ripen 
thoroughly, as the quality is much improved by so 
doing and the weight much greater; the colour 
also is better and more uniform. The process of 
cutting is performed by splitting the stalk with a 
tobacco-knife down the centre to within 8 or 10 
inches from the bottom, without cutting off the 
leaves. 
The stalk is then severed close to the ground. 
The plant is better left with the butt up in the 
sun for an hour or two, according to the heat of 
the sun, when it becomes toughened or wilted, 
and can be handled without fear of breaking or 
bruising. Tobacco should never be cut directly 
after rain, or when it is wet from any cause. After 
heavy rain it is wise to allow at least one fine day 
to intervene before harvesting, to allow the nico- 
tine to again accumulate. After tobacco has been 
well wilted, it can be placed in piles of five or ten 
plants, one directly above the other, until the cart 
is ready to take it to the scaffold or shed. In good 
fair weather the better plan is to hang the plants 
on the scaffold, first putting them on small sticks 
about four feet in length by opening the split stalk 
and hanging the plant across them. It is a 
mistake to put the plants too closely on the stick, 
the best guide as to distance being to allow the 
breadth of the hand between the butts at the top of 
the stick. The stick, containing eight or fourteen 
plants according to size, is then hung on the 
scaffold, allowing about ten inches of space to 
separate them. When the tobacco begins to colour 
a nice yellow or light brown, which usually occurs 
in this climate in seventeen or eighteen days, it 
should be removed to the shed. If the tobacco is 
to be cured by open fires, close your sheds up as 
soon as all the leaf begins to colour well, and 
keep your fires going in pits in the floor, keeping 
a low degree of heat, say 70 to 80 degrees, after 
which raise the heat slowly until at the end of 
two days you have reached 125 degrees, after 
which you can safely go to 125 degrees. The 
tobacco must be carefully watched until the mid- 
rib of the leaf is dry two-thirds of the way down, 
then the fires can be withdrawn and the shed will 
