B88 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1900. 
been discoveired mixed up with the other bides and ths 
whole shiomeut has beeu confiscated. On 8tli tiepteiu- 
ber. 1899, theSociety was courteously aud considerately 
invited by the Hon. the Collector of Customs to inspect 
a shipment of deer and sambur horns about to be 
Bhipppd. A few Committte members of the Cevlon 
liame I'rotection Society who were able t* attend did 
so witli very interesting results. Though the propor- 
tion of (ip[i(Li-cnfUf shed to apparently " cut " 
*.e,, killed horns, was satisfactory front a game 
protectionist's jjoint of view, unfortunately the 
Inspecting Committee were convinced that a 
\«ry iarge proportijn of the so-called shed 
horns were what is vulgarly called " faked " 
being really cut " horn^. 
There is small doubt fhat there is a tremendous 
illicit sliuighter of game. The number of game 
licenses issued in the past year were .S61, of which 
175 were taken out by Europeans, leaving 18G 
among natives. This small number is proof that 
the low-country Headmen do not exert them- 
selves sntticieutly to check illicit killing of game. 
The repeated efforts of this Society to get a reform 
in the Game Ordinance which would put a stop 
to the indiscriminate slaughter of Jeer aud sambur 
in the low-conntry, have not been hitherto 
Buesessfu-l, chiefly due, I think, to the fact that the 
members themselves are not agreed as to what 
is the best scheme. The Snb Committee, how- 
ever, drew up a scheme aud issued it in the 
form of a circular to the Committee members 
for suggestions and the replies will be laid before 
the eeneral meeting and it is to be hoped that sume 
definite scheme may be elaborated for presentation 
to H.E. the Governor for his approval. That a re- 
form in the present Game Ordinance is necessary, 
is allowed by the Government OfiS.i.'ials themselves. 
The country lying between Yala River and the 
Kumbnkan Aar was proclaimed bs a sanctuary, on 
22nd E^ebruary, 1899. The Government Agent, Southern 
Province, asked the Ceylon Game Protection Society 
for help towards paying for extra watchers during 
the close season, as it was then that poaching was 
rife. The Ceylon Game Protection Society granted 
them R500; but it w^a gratifying to learn that Gov- 
ernment had allowed an extra grant of R500 and 
our contribution was returned to us. Tne thanks of 
this Society ate due to that thorough sportsman, Mr. 
A. F. 15rovin, Conservator oi Forest>, for looking after 
the sanctuary, it being in charge of th^ Forest 
Department. 
It is a common idea that Government Officials, as a 
rule, are more or less opposed to the interests of 
the Society. Far from this being the case, I am 
glad to say that the Ceylon Game Protection Society 
has invariably met with the greatest courtesy and 
assistance whenever it has been in the power of the 
officials referred to to give it, and from His Excel- 
lency the Governor downwards there is a decided wish 
to further the Protection of Game, should a reaily 
workable scheme be laid before Government ; and the 
object of the Society should be to formulate such a 
scheme. 
Subscriptions and Finances : — The total number 
of members on the roll is 231, of these 60 
have not paid their subscriptions for 18'.)9, 
and of these GO, 15 have not paid for 1898. At 
a general meeting in Kandy, held 24lh May, 
seventeen members b ^ing present, it was decided to 
raise the subscripiion from R5 to RIO. As there were 
only 17 members present and as the resolution did 
not, of course, refer to subscriptions for the curren, 
year, the Hon. Mr. Lee took upon himself to inform 
members that trie subscriptions for 1899 was R5 
as before and rec' ived ov^r sixty letters protesting 
against raising the subscriptions. At the general 
meeting Mr. J Wi' kwar is bringing forward areso- 
Intion that the subsci iplioii remain at lri'5. As a 
glance at the balance sheet wi 1 nhow the funds are 
in a saiisfactory state and w I li I he adilitionHl help 
of R3f)0 for watchers in the N W Eiiyii dist.ict, 
the present year suould see ua uurng niuns in the 
low-country as it is there that illicit slaughter is 
quite unchecked. I annex balanee-aheet, which ahows 
a balance to credit of the Ceylou Game Protection 
Society of Rl. 857 99 exclusive " of say RSOO due by 
members. 
North C DAvii.rox, Hon. Secretary, C.G.P.S. 
1899. 
KALANCE SHEET. 
R 
28th Feb. To balance as per balance sheet 
in Mercantile Bank . . 1,362 41 
Do To auce as per balance sheet 
in National Bank . . 00 
Do To balance Cash .■sheot . . 10 00 
190U. 
28th Feb. To Donations received during 
past year ... .. 203 50 
Do To Subscriptions received 
during past year .. 870 00 
Do To Interest allowed bj' Mer- 
cantile Bank . . . . 31 35 
R2,530 26 
1900. 
28th Feb. By Paid wat-'hers . . 522 00 
Do By Printing. Advertisements, 
Stamps, Statioi:ery. &c. . 146 27 
Do By Bank Commission . . 4 00 
Do „ Balance in .Mercantile Bank 1,776 49 
De ,, do National Bank. 81 50 
R2.530 26 
North C. Davidson, Hony. Secietary, C.G.P.S. 
28th February, 1900. 
Cocos Keelixg.— There are on thp Island some 
ni.'igniKceut specimens of Cicsns Elastica. The 
trees are al)out 10 years o\d — Briti>fh and Colo- 
nial Druggist, Feb. 16. 
Viticulture in North Ceylon.— The ap- 
pended paragraph reminds us of an omis- 
sion in discussing products available for our 
dry Northern regions. The late P. A. Dyke 
showed how the vine could he successfully 
grown on a .'mall scale in Jaffna. Why- 
should not the country fr'om Anuradhapura 
Northwards suit it as well as Uruguay ? 
The sooner Mr. Willis has an experimental 
pioneer vineyai'd established the better :— 
The Vine in UruCtUay.— From a recent report 
by the Uruguayan Bureau of Agriculture, we 
learn that in the Careloues department, in 1896-97 
there were 230.200 American Vines in nurseries' 
and 617.800 at the end of August last. The number 
of Vines transplanted and growing were for 
1896-97, some 149,000, and for the year ending in 
August last 196,334. The amount of Grapes pro- 
duced in the department increased last year to 
383,.530 kiloarammes— showina; that the pe.stofthe 
phylloxera had actually increased the production 
owing to the restoration of vineyards and the 
augmented acreage devoted to their culture In 
the department of Monte Video the plants in 
nurseries, in 1898-97, were 1,288,800 of the American 
variety, aud 2,826.100 in 1899. The Vines trans- 
planted in the former period were 262,900, and 
in the latter term 104,300. The small ness of 
the latter figure, compared with the former, is 
due to grafting— there having been 12,700 Vines 
grafted in the nurseries, and 379,782 in the vine- 
yards. The production of Grapes in 1897-97 was 
9:38,403 kilogi-ammes : for last vear the production 
Avas 1,481,740 kilosrarames. It will thus be seen 
that the joint vineyards have improved in pro- 
duction, notwithstanding the plague of the vine- 
louse, and this improvement is due to restoration 
of Vines aud increase in number of vineyards. 
