Sept, 1, 1899.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
187 
that the dealers witli the new conditions coming 
into effect will lower their bids ("Oh, no.") It is 
impossible for a dealer with a loss of the 1 lb. 
draft to bid at the same rate as one who had 
before got the allowance. I refuse to agree to 
this proposal for the abolition of the draft. In 
the price the buyer pays the draft allowance is 
allowed for. I do not like the system, but the 
point in favour of the alteration is really the 
need for more simplicity in our books. Had the 
buyers been approached differently and the mat- 
ter put to them differently, in all probability 
they would have agreed to the change. I think 
we could have approached them saying we wanted 
to do away with the draft in order to get more 
simplicity in our books, and we could have said 
that we expected to receive lower bids on ac- 
count of the abolition. (A laughter.) 
The motion was carried with only one dissen- 
tient. 
The proceedings ended in a vote of thanks to 
Sir H. Seymour King for presiding, Mi. Stop- 
ford Sackville, who proposed it, remarking amid 
laughter that the buyers at their mass meeting 
had produced a Lord Mayor, but that the growers 
had gone one better, for they had plajed the King. 
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
It is, as we supposed : the services of Mr. 
Oldham have neither been lent by the 
Indian Government nor* is he under an 
engagement to stay in Ceylon at this time. 
Mr. Oldham is on furlough, and, having 
been in correspondence with His Excellency 
Sir West Ridgeway as to a Ceylon Survey, 
he has utilised part of his holidays to visit 
Ceylon in order to get an idea of what is ex- 
pected by the Ceylon Government, to have a 
look at the country and, perhaps, to give his 
opinion as to how a Survey should be 
carried out. In the first place, it is no 
secret that Mr. Oldham is of opinion that, 
in Ceylon, a Geological should be combined 
with an Agronomic Survey — as has been 
done in some parts of India with markedly 
useful results. This brings the work into 
close connection with the futiu-e Agricultural 
Department or Board, if such should be the 
outcome of the Agricultural Commission. 
It should be remembered that Agriculture 
often benefits even more than Mining by a 
Geological Survey, not simply from what 
may be said (agronomically) of soils; but 
in the discovery of phosphatic rocks or 
deposits. Besides plumbago, Mr. Oldham 
is interested in the mica of (Deylon, and he 
tells us there is one kind exported from 
this island— probably that found in ITva, 
below HaldummuUa ?— which is very rare 
in India and is much prized; while the 
more ordinary kind (probably found in our 
Western districts ':") is commonly associated 
with phosphates which are of speicai value 
in agriculture. Will any of our readers 
acquainted with mica deposits or workings 
in the island, kindly inform us of the same, so 
that Mr. Oldham may be able to judge 
whether he can visit the place or places 
during his present stay in Ceylon ? 
THE AGKI-HORTICULTURAL SHOW. 
So much has been written by way of des- 
cription in our columns that we have only 
left the pleasant duty of congratulating the 
Committee — and especially the Working Com- 
mittee — on the great success attained with 
the present Exhibition. Whatever minor 
defects may be pointed to by critics, no one 
can deny that the Show as a whole gratified 
the very large gathering of visitors and ad- 
mirably answered the end of bringingtogether, 
for purposes of comparison, useful products 
and works of art as well as specimens of 
live-stock. If we may trespass on the role 
of our reporters, we would remark espe- 
cially on the floral display, which was very 
delightful ; while regretting Avith Mr. Nock 
(who was as usual enthusiastic in his work 
of arranging and judging) the inadequate 
show of ferns. For Colombo this was cer- 
tainly inadequate. In one or two other 
sections there was room for improvement 
and we may agree with one gentleman that a 
little more advertising immediately before 
the Show would be good. Say for a 
month previous that a single prominent line 
about the coming Exhibition appeared in 
the daily press. But really the wonder is that 
the indefatigable Honorary Secretary, Mr. 
Drieberg survives his many and prolonged 
labours. It is questionable, in fact, whether 
Government does not want to kill off this 
most useful officer ; for even now, what 
with Exhibition and Conmiissions, Mr. Drie- 
berg will be as three single gentlemen rolled 
into one, even after he has got his hands 
clearof the present Agri-Horticultural display. 
May he survive them all and get the sub- 
stantial reward he will have so fully earned, 
apart from the comforting assurance that his 
work is one directly and decidedly for the 
public good. We trust further that the 
Colombo Agri-Hobticultural Exhibition 
may be considered to be established on a firm 
basis as an annually recurring event, whose 
influence for good is bound to widen and 
increase with each succeeding year. 
THE INSECT ON YOUNG TEA IN THE 
MORAWAK KORALE. 
A LOCAL EXPERIENCE— NOT LIKELY 
TO SPREAD. 
The attack on young tea in a corner in 
Morawak Kcrale must be quite a local mat- 
ter, of no special importance as regards the in- 
dustry generally even in the district re- 
ferred to. We must, however, confess that 
we have not yet identified the insect concerned 
and tliat from the account given to us lately 
by the Visiting Agent, it is a novel as well 
as mischievous and very disagreeable visi- 
tor. It cannot be called a beetle, for its 
motion Is crawling after the fashion of the 
lowest form of life. It is discovered crawling 
up the tea bush in all sizes from a green 
speck up to a creature half-an-iuch long by 
one-fourth at widest, nearly oval, green 
like the tea-leaf save for one or two 
reddish or orange specks ; but the strik- 
ing peculiarity is in small bristles on the 
back and sides which when touched 
give a decided electric shock. This, of 
course, prevents the coolies from touching 
them with their hands and the process of 
gathering is therefore a slow one. There 
is no sign of the surrounding jungle being 
affected hj them ; but they do not despise 
