432 
Su][^lemrd to the " Tropical Agnculturist." [Dae. 1, 1902. 
The above shows that one o£ the chief things 
to be discovered about cotton growing is the 
proper time to plant, so as to get the crop 
in at the proper season. As regard rat?,— so 
destructive to arrowroot and ground-nut as well 
— the only means of dealing with then is by 
poison baits. We learn that "Eoughon Rats" 
has been used with great success in destroyii g 
rats on coconut trees in the Veyangoda dis- 
trict. 
The " Lite Tree of Jamaica" is said to grow 
for months after uprooting. Does this mean 
that its leaves do not wither, or that it grows 
in the sense of putting out a fresh growth 
of leafy shoots. If the latter, we have seen 
a cut log of Ablizzia orodatissima (Suriya mara) 
growing most vigorously for months, producing 
tuft-like leafy shoots. If the former, then we 
might call our common Plumeria (temple flower) 
the life-tree of Ceylon, owing to its wonderful 
tenacity for life, which enables it to keep its 
leaves green and blossoms fresh even when out of 
the soil, if left in the shade. Indeed, we have been 
told (with what truth we do not know) that the 
temple tree is emblematic of immortality among 
the Buddhists. Anyhow it is one of the chosen 
flowers used as oll'erings in the temples. 
Cassia Beareana is the name of a plant reported 
to have greater medicinal virtues than quinine 
in curing malarial fever. Mr. Thos. Christy, 
■writing to the " Ceylon Observer," says that 
quinine is being abandoned in favour of the 
extract from Cassia Beareana, supplies of which 
are said to be carried by those going out 
to the East and West Coasts of Africa, and 
Central Africa. We understand that the Lancet 
has written iu favour of the drug. 
The production of fruits from the roots of the 
Jak (lately discussed in the local press) is 
referred to in the article on the Jak tree. 
In the General Items column will be found a 
reference to the tendency of the plantain to 
bear fruit nearer the ground than usual. 
In the account of a remarkable tree, reference i^ 
made to the extraordinary properties of Litsea 
chinensis in the setting of broken bones. We 
are informed by Mr. W. A. De. Silva that the 
same wonderful medicinal (or shall we sny sur- 
gical) powers are also possessed by another com- 
mon plant, namely, the Loranthus (Sin. Pilila). 
It would appear that all parts of the tree are 
taken together and prepared in the form of a 
••mellun" for application as a poultice for the 
space of about twenty minutes (and not much 
longer than that.) Those who employ this medicinal 
agent are said to be particular as to the host 
from which the parasitic Loranthus is obtained, 
as the potency of the drug is believed to vary 
■ with the host I 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
ur 
NOVEMBER 
1009 
1 
Saturday 
1 7 
Monday 
Nil 
2 
Sunday 
•07 
xo 
Tuesday 
•13 
3 
Monday 
... O-x 
-1. €7 
Wednesday 
•82 
4 
Tuesday 
Nil 
Thursday ... 
•68 
5 
Wednesday 
05 
Friday 
•10 
6 
Thursday 
...* 3-2f) 
22 
Saturday 
•11 
7 
Friday 
... -22 
23 
Sunday 
Nil 
8 
Saturday 
.. -17 
24 
Monday ... 
9 
Sunday 
... -38 
25 
Tuesday 
•02 
10 
Monday 
.. 1-45 
26 
Wednesday . . 
Nil 
11 
Tuesday 
. . -28 
27 
Thursday .. 
•25 
12 
Wednesday 
... 1-12 
28 
Friday 
Nil 
13 
Thursday 
. . Nil 
29 
Saturday 
1-50 
14 
Friday 
... Nil 
30 
Sunday 
•30 
15 
Saturday 
... 3-85 
1 
Monday 
. ^30 
16 
Sunday 
... -04 
Total... 15-66 
Mean... '52 
Greatest amount of rainfall registered in 
24 hours, on 15 November 1902, 3*85 inches. 
Recorded by Alex. Pebeba. 
■ » 
A REMARKABLE TREE. 
If all that is said of Litsea chinensis, the 
Sinhalese Bomi and Tamil JSllumpurukki is 
correct, this is certainly a very remarkable tree. 
Tdmen in this Flora says no more than that 
"the wood is used for house-building; bark 
glutinous, and used medicinally as an external 
application for bruises, &c. " 
The following extract from Ferguson's "All 
about Fibres, Drugs, &c. " gives an account of 
its medicinal properties: — "There is a tree 
growing in Patchalapalla district, in the Northern 
Province, the name of which is Elamborekka, 
literally translated 'bone-setter.' The medicinal 
properties lie in the bark, and the native 
doctors are accustomed to apply the pounded 
drug in the shape of a poultice to a broken 
limb, for the space of about 20 minutes, or, 
as they calculate, for the time a pot of rice 
takes to boil, when it is removed and the limb 
hound up, in the confident expectation that the 
several parts will unite without further trouble. 
Fabulous stories are told, as a matter of course, 
of the virtues of this remedy, but a case came 
under my own observation which may as well 
be stated. A Sinhalese aged about fifty was 
brought to Mr. Simon Casie Chetty, late Judge 
of Chilaw, having been picked up on the road- 
side, where he was left by robbers. They had 
beaten him with sticks till his arm was smashed 
from shoulder to wrist, and the Judge was for 
calling in at once the Sub-Assistant Surgeon, but 
the man declined the offer with somewhat of 
scorn. He was, he said, a vederale (doctor) 
himself, and could get his arm right. Fortunately 
for him there happened to be a solitary Elam- 
borekka tree in the jail compound, and he had the 
bark of it applied in the manner ab^ve detailed. 
It seemed impossible that he could escape am- 
