kvRih 1, 1903.] Siipplemmt to the " Tropical AyricuUurist'* 
717 
English potato ? Watt mentions this as the 
Sinhalese name. Of course, the innala (Plec- 
tranthus tuberems) is known as the '* country 
potato." 
The Sinlialese word ala is indiscriminately ap- 
plied to nil kinds of yams, including the potato, 
and is apparently equivalent to tuber or bulb. In 
some cases a prefix serves to distinguish different 
varieties as in " dehi-ala." The sweet potato 
is batliala, which some say signifies " the yam 
which is farinaceous like rice " (bath), and others 
consider os only a modified form of the Spanish 
and Portuguese Batata. The specific term bata- 
tas is believed to be the original South Ame- 
rican name. 
Some authorities, however consider the sweet 
potato a native both of the old and new world, 
that it formerly grew wild in the forest of the 
Malayan Archipelago, and that batatas is the Mala- 
yan name. Nicholls states that the plant was 
first mentioned by Pigafetta who visited Brazil 
in 1519, and found the Indians using the tuber. 
Soon after the plant went to Spain and spread 
over Europe, being introduced into England 
long before the English potato. Dr. Pavy says 
that the tubers were imported into England by 
way of Spain, and that it is the article re- 
ferred to as the potato by writers before the 
middle of the 17th century. 
With us the term "yam" is applied to the 
products of either the Aracere or Dioscoreaceee, 
but not so in the West Indies. The name Tania 
18 applied to the tuberosus rhizomes of Colocasia 
antiquorum (Sin, Gahala,) while the term Yam 
is confined to the several species of Dioscorea. 
The pineapples of the Matale district, where 
oranges also flourish, are becoming famous. Dr. 
Van Eoyen has succeeded in growing excellent 
pines that turn the scale of 16 lbs,, and with the 
careful cultivation he is adopting we shall not 
be surprised if he beats th« record of 20 lbs, 
reached by llenaratgoda, another pine-growing 
district. 
The Colombo Agri-Horticultural Society's Show 
to be held at Henaratgoda Gardens in July next 
promises to be a great success. The Mudaliyars 
of the contiguous Korales are showing great 
enthusiasm over the coming Exhibition, tlie first 
to be held by the Society out of Colombo city, and 
the Hon'ble the Government Agent of the Western 
Province, to which the Show is to be confined, 
is not less enthusiastic than his chiefs. 
One of the prizes offered is for the best School 
Garden in the five neighbouring Korales. This 
is an innovation, and is creating keen competition 
among the village schoolmasters. The first prize 
•will be a large silver medal, a smaller silver medal 
going to the second best garden. 
The renovation of " black cacao " by the aid 
i.of anatto (Bixa orellana) dye has now become 
quite an art, and it is a common sight to see 
Moormen — dealers in cheap cacao — churning the 
seed in a sheet of coarse cloth together with 
the colouring medium, made up of cacao juice 
and anatto. Unfortunately the colour is not a 
fast one, and the Colombo Broker ha^, it is said, 
discovered a convenient and extremely simple 
means of distinguishing the genuine from tlie 
spurious " bold bright red," viz., rubbing the seed 
against a white substance, — when the dye (like 
similar capillary washes) comes off ! 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OF MARCH, 1903. 
I 
Sunday 
.. Nil 
17 
2 
Monday 
.. Nil 
18 
3 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
19 
4 
Wednesday . 
. Nil 
20 
5 
Thursday 
. Nil 
21 
6 
Friday 
. Nil 
22 
7 
Saturday 
. Nil 
23 
8 
Sunday 
. Nil 
24 
9 
Monday 
. Nil 
25 
10 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
26 
11 
Wednesday . . 
. Nil 
27 
12 
Thursday 
. Nil 
28 
13 
Friday 
. Nil 
29 
14 
Saturday 
. Nil 
30 
15 
Sunday 
'23 
31 
16 
Monday 
. Nil 
1 
Tuesday ... 
Wednesday .. 
Thursday ... 
Friday 
Saturday ... 
Sunday , , 
Monday ... 
Tuesday .., 
Wednesday... 
Thursday ... 
Friday 
Saturday ... 
Sunday ... 
Monday , , 
Tuesday 
Wednesday... 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
Nil 
•10 
Nil 
Nil 
•44 
Nil 
Total.. .-77 
Mean . . '02 
The greatest rainfall recorded in any 24 hours, 
on 31st March, 1903, -44 inches. 
Recorded by Alex. PErera. 
SCHOOL GARDENS IN WEST INDIES. 
The following account of the efforts made in 
Trinidad to encourage a practical interest in plants 
by means of School gardens is taken from the 
Annual Report for 1901-02 of the Inspector of 
Schools for the Colony ; — 
Of the 82 Schools in operation on March 31, 
190L', 67 had taken up Practical Agriculturs 
previous to that date, and out of the 80 schools 
examined, 30, or 37*5 per cent, presented this 
subject, the results being in my opinion satisfactory 
for the first year. 
In some schools, notablj' Mayaro Government, 
and New Gaand, E.G., to which the oward of " Very 
Good" was given, the subject had been treated 
in a systematic and intelligent manner, whilst at 
other schools, notably — Hard Bargain, North Trace, 
New Grant and Princes Town Government, 6th 
Company, 6th Company and Neckchuddy Road 
E.C. the work deserves great credit. 
My cliief object has been to impress upon 
the teachers that a scool garden is not for tha 
purpose of merely growing vegetables, but to be 
cultivated in such a manner as to impress upon 
the children by means of experiments the benefits 
