^92 
Supphwmf lo the ^^Tropkal AgrifMlfumt." [May 1, 1908. 
those noted above. AVe Imve uo art school, or a 
school of handicrafts in Ceylon. The Technical 
College only trains boys in the higher branches of 
engineering and mechanics which will undoubtedly 
help large manufacturing industries. But we have 
no manufacturing industries in Ceylon, neither 
is it likely that we will ever induce capitalists to 
open workshops and set up costly machinery for 
pianufacturing, when the raw material required for 
such purposes is not forthcoming in any appreci- 
able quantites. The Ceylon?Technical College should 
open classes in the vernacular for teaching the pro- 
perties of raw materials found in the Island, and the 
methods of utilizing them for making articles that 
are required in modern markets. It is only at 
such an institution that a collectonof suitable models 
can be made. The latest methods of food preserv- 
ing, fruit packing and canning can be scientifically 
taught at this institution. The preparation and 
blending of colour, the manufacture of hundreds of 
varieties of useful articles out of fibre, leaves, rushes, 
rattan, reed and bamboo can be studied and 
systematically taught. Tl\e scientific staff attached 
to the institution will be capable of collecting 
information that will be of great value, they will 
be able to experiment on, and test local materials 
and find new raw materials for the use of the 
village worker, and eventually open up industries 
that will benefit a large number of people who are 
ready to work with their own hands. 
^Y. A. D. S. 
« 
ociMUM sr. 
Considerable prominence has been given to 
the value of the different species of Ocimum 
by Mr. Shipley's article in Natuj'e (.January, 
1902) which treats more especially of O. viiide 
as a cure for mosquitoes. This j^articular varie'y 
does not occur in Ceylon, but the leputation 
of the plant as a mosquitofuge (to coin a new 
term) at once suggests the close connection 
between the plant in question and 0. sanctum, 
known among the natives as madurutala or 
"the mosquito plant." 
The testimony of Ciipt. Laryraore, C.M.G., 
Resident, Kabba Province (Nigeria ?) is certainly 
very strong, when he avers that by placing 
3 or 4 of the plants round his bed at night he 
was able to sleep unmolested without using a 
mosquito curtain ; and if we may assume that the 
experience was not a solitary one, and also that 
there were no other circumstances prevailing to 
which the absence of mosquitoes could have 
been attributed, then we must admit that a 
valuable discovery has been made for British 
East Africa. For ourselves we are inclined to 
think that 0. sanctum would serve us quite as 
■well as O. viride, and we would advise all 
mosquito-ri('deii ones to take the hint from 
the native, as C^ipr. L'.uymoro has done iu East 
Africa, and make use of madurutala, tlie mosquito 
plant of Ceylon, in the manner suggested. 
Regarding O. sanctum, Trimen says, "The 
scent of the bruised leaves is faintly sourly 
(«jc) ^ aromatic ; they are used in medicine in 
oases of cough and catarrh," but he does not 
add, " also for keeping away raosquitoes-r-hence 
the native name."' 
Other species of Ocinum are : O. canum (Hin- 
tala), the leaves of which are pleasantly aro- 
matic when bruised. O. basilicum (suvanda-tala), 
the " Svreet Baril," with a very sweet aromatic 
scent when bruised. O. r/ratissimum (gas-tala) 
and its variety 0, suave, with faintly aromatic 
apple-like scent, and used in medicinal fumi- 
gations. Lastly O. adscendens. 
The majority of tropical labiates are charac- 
terised by aromatic properties, such as species of 
Mentha, Coleus, Plectrauthus, Pogostemon, &c. 
Anisomeles ovata, another member of this order, 
which possesses " a warm Oamphoraceous scent " 
must, however, take the palm for keeping off 
noxious creatures, for we read that the smoke from 
this is believed by the natives of Ceylon to drive 
away not mosquitoes but demons ! 
, » 
SOME PROBLEMS OF THE RURAL SCHOOL. 
{Continued from last issue.) 
With the better organisation of the rural school 
will come very much wider opportunities for 
the enrichment of the courses of study by the 
introduction of subjects which are directly 
related to agricultural improvement and the 
inculcation of the love of country life iu the 
minds cf the young. All round the counti-y 
school is a wealth of material for the most 
attractive and useful study which has been 
neglected for lack of knowledge and the absence 
of a teacher, Tlie secrets of air, soil, plant 
and animal are coming to be common property, 
and science no longer mere classifying and 
anming. In the United States the enthusiastic 
and successful labours of such men as Professors 
Bailey and Roberts of Cornell University in 
formulating plans for nature study in the rural 
schools have borne much good fruit. Special 
efforts are now being made to secure the interest 
of teachers and parents. 
The great obstacle to the spread of the move- 
ment to introduce nature study into the rtiral 
school, aside from the lack of competent teachers, 
is found in the conservation of the patrons of 
these schools. Reading, writing and arithmetic 
they know, but what, forsooth, is this new- 
fangled nature study ? The subject is often so 
presented to their minds that it seems to them 
as if the new study must necessarily crowd 
out some of the old ones, or at least weaken 
the already too imperfect hold which the average 
pupil has on such fundamental things as spelling, 
writing, and arithmetic. But this need not be 
so. Instruction about plants and animals and 
insects may easily and naturally be connected 
with exercises in composition and in numbers, 
which will bring into practical use from day 
to day what the cliild is learning in his lessons 
about the English language, arithmetic, or 
geograjjhy. Properly taught, nature study will 
not crowd out any essential branch of learning 
from the common schools, but, on the other 
hand, it will stimulate interest in them all as 
the pupil discovers that they may be directly 
