138 
Supplement to the Tr'qncal AgricuUnrist." [August 1, 189>^. 
well-balanced supply of suu and raiu, Ur. Voelker 
replied ; — 
" I note with interest what you say wiiii regard 
" to crop production under favourable climatic con- 
" diLions, altliougli a soil may be intrinsically poor. 
" I was much struck by the same tact wlien a few 
" years ago in India, and it i<i very evident that 
"these conditions must have a most marked influ- 
" ence in enabling crops to provide tlierasel vi's with 
" food. There can be no doubt 1 think that under 
"sucli conditions, wliat food siip]>lies there are in 
" the soil Ijccome more tjuiclcly available tlian 
" where we have sucli a climate and physir-al 
"conditions of soil to deal with as are met with 
in England." 
These observations of Ur. Voelker are very inter- 
esting and beir out our own remarks, which have 
appeared in the pages of the Magazine, with refer- 
ence to the " Cinnamon sands" of Ceylon and tlie 
characteristic — aud comparatively luxuriant — ve- 
getation found on them. Considering the nature 
of these soils, which do not even posses* the slight 
loamy character which thi! Zanzibar soils are said 
to have, it cannot be doubted, a? Dr. Voelker 
remarks, that our tropical conditions are pecu- 
liarly favourable to the availability of i>lant 
food, a circumstance which would place analyses 
of tropical soils in a different light from that 
in which analyses of soih generally, and parti- 
cularly in the case of soils in temperate climes 
are read- Indeed, it would ap])ear that we muht 
attach a distinct signification to the analyses of 
tropical soils," owing to the important part played 
by sun and rain in the tropics,and any rrdinary com- 
parison between soils in the tropics and in temperate 
climes cannot be considered a fair one. We 
have had visitors to the school enquiring in their 
innocence what was the " white stuff" we strewed 
over our soil in the areas lately n'elaimed from 
cinnamon jungle, so misleading is the ojipearance 
of the surface soil, particularly during the dry 
months, when it is so l)laiiched as to lesemble 
a sheet of snow. And yet we find Ciuuamon, 
Dawata {CaralUa intcf/errinui), Dan (Eugenia 
Jambolana ami E. Cary ophyllea) Cashew [Anacar- 
dium occidmtalc.) and other forms of vegetation 
undoubtedly flourishing in this barren waste- 
Theie is, however, one point to be noted in ihe 
growth found on the Cinnamon sand, and that is, 
that the vegetation is of a deep-rooted character, 
while natural surface growth is very sparse and 
generally found loosely rooted in parts where some 
organic matter has found a lodgement- So that 
although the character of the top soil is such as 
to make one wonder that the land carries any form 
of vegetation, the sub-soil in which the deeper 
roots ramify is apparently of a better character, 
and with the aid of sun and rain, azid particularly, 
as we are inclined to think, of the supply of nitrogen 
compounds (for the formation of which we have 
speciaily fa\ ourable conditions iu the tropics) 
brought (h)\\u by tlie rain, is able to sustain 
the vitality of the trees found growing ou cin- 
namon sand. 
in an inieTfis'iacj article on the Barren Soils 
of Ceylon in the Tropical Ayrimltuiist of Sep- 
tember, 1890, the Editor considers the possibility 
f improving their fertility. 
RAINFALL TAKExN AT THE SCHOOL OP 
AGRICULTL'llK DURING THE MONTH 
OF JUXE, ibye. 
1 
Wednesday . 
, Nil 
17 
Friday 
09 
2 
Thursday 
. Nil 
18 
Saturday . . 
•28 
•6 
Friday 
. 4-.38 
19 
Sunday 
•34 
4 
Saturday 
. -37 
20 
Monday 
Nil 
Sunday 
. -22 
21 
Tu^-sdity 
Nil 
6 
Monday 
. -03 
22 
Wednesday, . 
Nil 
7 
Tuesday 
•26 
23 
Thursday . . 
02 
Wednesday . 
. -.ii 
24 
Friday 
•23 
!) 
Thursday 
•oy 
25 
Saturday 
.05 
10 
Friday 
. Nil 
2« 
Sunday 
05 
11 
Saturday 
. Nil 
27 
Monday 
Nil 
12 
Sunday 
■u 
28 
Tuesday 
Nil 
ly 
Monday 
. 131 
29 
Weiluesday . . 
•28 
14 
Tuesday 
204 
30 
Thursday . . 
•02 
1-5 
Wednesday . 
. 119 
1 
Friday 
Nil 
16 
Thursday 
. -70 
Total,. 18 17 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hourtt on 
the 3rd instant, 1 38 incites. 
Mean rainfall for the month -A-i. 
Uecorded by D. L. DiAS. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
We are indebted to Mr. J. Ferguson for a hand- 
some map on rollers, representing the planting 
districts of the Island and bhowiiig tiie areifl under 
different forms of cultivation. Thi- up-to-date 
map will form a valuable addition to the School of 
Agriculture reading-room. 
At the request of a correspondent we publish 
s-jme notes on the cultivation of the Castor Oil 
plant, for which we are indebted to Dr. NicholU. 
W e are glad to announce that there is a pros- 
].ect of Annual Agricultural Shows being lield. We 
have always been advocates of such Shows, and we 
note witii pleasure the passing of the following 
resolutions at the timil meeting of the Committee 
of the late Fruit and Flower Show, held on the 
9th of July:— "(1) That the members present do 
form themselves into a Standing Committee for 
the purpose of reviving the Agri-Horticultural 
Society of Colombo, with the object of holding 
annual fruit and flower shows, and from time 
to time larger agri-horticultural shows, at which 
all products of the Island might be suitably repre- 
sented. (2) That an invitation be sent to all the 
members of the late Agri-Horticultural Society, and 
of the Committee of the late Fruit and Flower Show 
askiug them to join the Society— paying an annual 
subscription of Eo OO from 1899— and requesting 
them to attend a meeting to be held at the School 
of Agriculture on Saturday, the 6th of August , 
next, at 7-30 a.m., for the purpose of electing a U 
pormauout Committee, a President, and other office- 
bearers, and to make rules." 
Those who have Ceava rubber (Mainhot 
Gkiziovii) growing iu their gardens should be care- 
ful that cattle do not get at the leav>:s. as we have I 
seen fatal effects resulting from a cow aud calf ' 
eating the foliage. Another plant we often see ! 
i 
I 
