Oct. 1, 1899.] 
Supplement to the " Tropical AgricuUurist." 
289 
the Provinces, as owino; to the prevalence of cattle 
plague in the Kuriinegala District, where the 
first lot of animals was to have been sold, tlie 
Government Agent did not think it advisable that 
any of our stock should be sent to him. The dairy 
was free from any ejiizootic dis-ease, though 
rinderpest prevailed more than once in Colombo, 
and even in the immediate vicinity of the dairy. 
This I attribute to the careful measures adopted 
during times of disease. At such seasons our 
stock were confineti within the "ring fence" 
area, and the buildings and premises kept 
thoroughly disinfected. These precautionary 
measures entailed some exi)ense in the matter of 
disinfection and extra provision for feeding tliediy 
cows and young stock that at other times 
are to a great extent kept on the pasturage of 
the Haveloek racecourse (rented by the dairy 
for R60 per mensem as pasture ground tor tiie 
stock), but the money is, I think, well spent. 
During the year there was but one suspected 
case of rinderpest at the time when the disease 
prevailed among the Turf Club draught bulls a 
few hundred yards from the daiiy. At the first 
indication of illness the animal was removed to the 
quarantine shed, and on the symptoms becoming 
aggravated it was decided to destroy it. This 
was done and the carcase buried deep with 
lime. There were only six deaths during the year, 
two. among the cows and four among the calves. 
On March 8th a batch of 31 cows (with 14 
calves) and a bull came over from Sinde, having 
been imported at a cost of 310-17, while 20 
cows, 16 calves and one bull were sold on the 
4th March and brought in, after deducting all 
incidental expenses of the sale, R 1,358-85. The 
total quantity of milk supplied was 136,405 pints, 
of which 111,225 i)ints were produced in the dairy. 
The largest quantity produced in any one month 
was 9,000 bottles in July, when the dairy met 
the whole demand. The revenue of the Model 
Farm after deducting expenses and the annual 
rent of Rl, 350, aggregated R3,281-61. The Farm 
is a much-frequen.eci resort since the opening of 
the golf links and the clearing of the low jungle 
by the Golf Club. The grass lands attached to the 
dairy were, as before, worked departmentally as an 
annexe of the Dairy Farm, with sati^^fact'ory results. 
To briefly state the financial history of the 
dairy : Government voted a sum of R19,539 12 in 
1893 (the year in which the dairy was established) 
for building, stock, utensils, &c. In 1894 an ad- 
vance of Rll,500 more was made for working 
the daily. The latter sura was repaid in 1895, 
while of the original capital voteil (R19,539-12) 
R8,890-51 had previously been repaid to the 
Treasury. This left RlO, 648-61 as the balance due 
on capital cost. At the end of 1898 the balance 
of cash in hand or due to the dairy was R9,604'29, 
so that with stock in trade to the value of R15,000 
it will be admitted tint the dairy is in a very 
solvent condition. I would even add to the assets 
a further sum of R4,400 paid as compensation to 
the late lessee of the Model Farm, when the pro- 
perty came into the possession of the dairy, as 
this sum should without difficulty be recovered 
from any future lessee. The income from the 
Farm has more than doubled since 1893 when it 
was acquired ; and who would not be willing to 
invest R4 400 to secure an income (after deduct- 
ing rent and other expenses) of over R3,000 per 
annum ? So that the former sum might reason- 
ably be put down as a "debt receivable" and 
the present assets of the dairy increased from 
R,13,955-68 to R18,355-68. 
C, Dkiebekg, Superintendent. 
OBSEEVATIONS ON AGEICULTURAL 
EDUCATION IN CEYLON. 
(Concluded.) 
I have tried to ascertain the views of some of 
the leading native agriculturists of the island, 
and from all that I could gather, they expected 
that the Agricultural School would carry out 
experiments on the vnrious products tried on 
a small scale at the school itself and on a large 
scale outside, with a view to showing how 
economic products could be cultivated on a com- 
mercial scale. But this, I think, was too much to 
expect fi-cm a school which w^as commenced in 
such a humble way. There is a great deal for 
it to do before venturing upon such speculative 
enterprises. The Director of the Royal Botanic 
Gardens hn.s already set to work in this direction, 
and we have had TaUiable reports of his ex- 
periments in the cultivation of Fara-rubber. 
Other products will, it is to be hoped, also receive 
due attention in time. The students of the school 
ought; to be given an opportunity of acquainting 
themselves with the nature of such experiments, 
and to this end should be taken on tour at 
stated periods during the year and not kept 
conflued to Colombo alone. 
The improvement of native agriculture is so 
directlj' connected -with the education of the 
people, that I do not think it -would be wise 
to sever the School of Agriculture with the depart- 
ment of Public Instruction. 
The Sinhalese -villager is, as a rule, not over- 
industrious. There are a great many products 
that he can grow in his garden if he -will only 
take the trouble to do so, and learn how to 
grow them. He will allow the jungle to grow 
up to the very door of his house, whereas if 
be win clear it and plant something useful it 
will add a charm to his dwelling, while at the 
same time he will reap the produce which he 
can himself use or sell and procure the means 
of securing additional home comforts. Pepper, 
different kinds of yams, betel, onion, ginger, 
turmeric, chillies, cocoa, a few medicinal, foliage 
and flower plants, some vegetables, &c., are what 
should be seen around the dwelling of every 
villager, in place of -n-eeds and filth as is more 
often the case. Now and again we find an indus- 
trious villager grow some of these products 
near his house, but it often happens that his 
neighbours help themselves to the produce. If 
such cultivation as 1 have referred be more 
generally adopted, I am inclined to think that 
there will be less thieving and generally less 
crime also in the villages. Betel and ginger 
may be said to be necessaries of daily life in 
the villages ; the former for masticating, the 
latter for use in cuiries and as a remedy for 
almost every little ailment. A common complaint 
of the vilkger is that he cannot grow anything 
near his house because his cattle destroy or 
consume it. This raises another question which 
requires attention. The neglect of village cattle 
is a notorious fact, and a more rational system 
of cattle-keeping is much to be desired. If 
the cattle are looked after as they should bo 
the crops will not suffer. Another thing which 
the villager must be taught is the value of cattle 
