SuppUmnt m th '* Trophal dgricaltimst.*^ [Oct. 1, 1902. 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OP 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OF SEPTEMBER, 1902. 
r 
X 
Mondiiy 
•1/1 
1ft 
Tuesday .•• 
•09 
Tuesday 
• AO 
17 
AVednesday 
11 
Q 
Wednesday 
1 .Rn 
... I DU 
1 ft 
Thursdiiy ... 
■Vil 
i> u 
4 
Thursday 
... 2-37 
19 
Friday 
Nil 
5 
Friday 
... -05 
20 
Saturday ... 
•10 
6 
Saturday 
... "11 
21 
Sunday 
'06 
7 
Sunday 
... 1-63 
22 
Monday ... 
Tuesday ... 
Nil 
8 
Monday 
... -22 
23 
Nil 
9 
Tuesday 
... -27 
24 
Wednesday 
Nil 
10 
Wednesday 
... 1-40 
25 
Thursday ... 
Nil 
11 
Thursday 
... 1-21 
26 
Friday 
Nil 
12 
Friday 
... -35 
27 
Saturday ... 
Nil 
13 
Saturday 
... -85 
28 
Sunday 
Nil 
14 
Sunday 
... -22 
29 
Monday 
Nil 
15 
Monday 
... .05 
30 
1 
Tuesday 
Weduesday 
•13 
•03 
Total ... 10-69 
Mean ... -^d 
.Greatest amount of rainfall regi^^tered in 24 
biiUrs on the 4th September, 1903, 2-37 inches. 
" ' Recorded by Alex. Perera, 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
In the Fanner's Jjulletin,l^o. 78, issued by the 
United States Department cf Agriculture, is 
described the process of manufacture of a new 
fungicide, named Sar, said to be very effective. 
It is made as follows: — "Place 1-5 lbs. of 
flower of sulphur in a barrel, mix thoroughly 
with ^ lb. of finely-powdered resin, stir well 
with 3 quarts of water, which should make a 
thick paste. The paste must not be thin and 
Watery, nor so dry as to crumble to powder 
when stirred. Then add 10 lbs. of caustic soda 
luid stir well. After from three to fifteen minutes 
the mass turns a reddish brown and boils violently, 
and must be stirred well, preferably with a 
broad paddle to prevent it from running over. 
After it has ceased boiling, add slowly about 
two gallons of water hot if possible, but cold 
will do, and then carefully pour off into another 
vessel marked to hold 6 gallons, and add 
hot water till the six-gallon-mark is reached. 
Tliis gives a stock solution, which must be kept 
in tightly corked jars or in closed barrels or 
kegs, since it spoils if it comes into contact 
with the air. It is also decomposed if it touches 
metals." Of this stock solution 1^ pints to 50 
gallons of water is recommended for treating 
seed oats for loose smut, the seed to be soaked 
for 24 hours. A stronger solution, one gallon in 
50 of water, can also be employed, in which 
case two hours will be suflScient for soaking. 
Since referring to Spinifex squarrosus in our 
General Items column, we have discovered a 
curious error in the note on this grass which 
occurs in Triraen's Flora, Vol. V., on page 174, 
All who live by the sea are no doubt familiar 
with the plant, called " water pink," probably 
dwing to the resemblance of the ashy green 
foliage to the common pink of our gardens. The 
peculiar crackling noise produced when the dry 
plant is thrown into the Are, ha?, we feel sure, 
often served as a substitute for the bursting of 
the Christmas cracker to the fisherman's child, 
while the flying ball of the flower head is 
supposed to illustrate " the rolling things before 
the wind" and "the wheel before the wind" 
mentioned in the Bible. The curious error we 
have referred to above is the translation of the 
Sinhalese name Maha-Rawana-Rewula into the 
great bund of Ravana " instead of (as Ferguson 
correctly puts it) " the great beard of Ravana.' 
One can understand the simple mind of the 
native seeing a resemblance in the coarse hard 
grass to the grisly beard of the hairy Rakshia 
hero, but where does the word bund come in 
at all ? 
Regarding the well-known Mauritius or water 
grass (Pantcum muticum, P. Barbinode, but not 
referred to as P. Molle, though this is the name 
given in Trimen's " Catalogue "), we read in the 
" Ceylon Flora" that " It is singular that neither 
Thvvaites, Triraen or Ferguson give a Sinhalese 
or Tamil n'lme for it." But on turning to 
Trimen's Catalogue it will be found that he 
gives the common enough Sinhalese name 
Diyatanakola. Its omission from Watts' Dic- 
tionary (so stated in the ' Flora ') is due to the 
fact that the grass was practically ■ unknown 
in India, where our other cultivated fodder 
grass Panicum maximum, Guinea grass (whose 
native name is, by the way, given in the 
"Flora" as Ratnjana instead of Ratatana) is 
common enough. About ten years ago the 
then Superintendent of the Government Diary 
(Mr. C. Diieberg) supplied the Poona Farm 
with the grass for planting at Poona where it 
was not heard of before. 
Imperata arundinacea, or " Illuk " gras?, is 
figured in the July number of the Journal of 
the Department of Agriculture of Victoria, 
where it is also known as the Lalang on Blady 
grass. The following notes are supplied: "The 
Lalang grass is a native of all the Australian 
Colonies, . . . . and is very conspicuous in a pad- 
dock on account of its large white flower spike. 
It is by no means a good fodder on account of 
its hardness, though stock will eat in a young 
state, and especially after a bush fire. It is often 
used with advantage for thatching. It is also 
useful for binding sand in moist localities." 
So that there is a good word for even such a 
pest (is "Illuk," which some one facetiously 
remarked was a corruption of Ill-luk " whicli 
it certainly brings to the unfortunate planter 
upon whose laud it euroaches ! 
CASTOR OIL. 
Some time ago we referred to the recommend- 
ation of an Agricultural expert that all back- 
ward parts of estates should be put under 
the Castor Oil plant, as the oil is a marketable 
product, while the refuse cake (poouap) is a 
