March 1, 1899.] Supplement to the '^Tropical Agriculturisi." 
66S 
Government have decided not to sell any of the 
young stock belonging to the Dairy but not 
required by it foi its own use, in Colombo, but to 
send them to the chief provincial towns in rota- 
tion. The first batch was to have yone to 
Kurunegala, but the prevalence of cattle plague 
in that district interfered with the sale. It is now 
likely that the first sale will shortly take place 
in Galle. 
Mr, C. Brooke Elliott, Advocate, (an " old boy" of 
Malvern College) delivered a most interesting lec- 
ture on Public School life to the student? ot the 
Shcool of Agriculture on the 17th February. 
The following are the records of rainfall taken 
at the Fort and the School of Agriculture during 
1898:- 
Fort. 
School. 
School. 
1898. 
1898. 
1897. 
January 
. 2-32 
201 
3-51 
February 
. 1-98 
-68 
2-80 
March 
. 4-21 
1-69 
235 
April 
. 22-81 
25-26 
11-82 
May 
. 5-80 
7-14 
11-02 
June 
. 10 94 
1317 
11-80 
July 
. 61.5 
607 
5-37 
August 
. -97 
112 
11-30 
September 
. 6-90 
&-63 
6-:^2 
October 
. 10 60 
19-92 
4-32 
November 
. 17-38 
17-66 
10-56 
December 
. 3- 
4-85 
8-41 
Total.. 
.103-06 
107-70 
89-58 
The wettest mouth in 1898 is thus seen to have 
been April ; the heaviest rainfall at the School was 
recorded on Tuesday morning, the 19th April. 
We also give in the third column the rainfall at 
the School for 1897, to show how differently 
the rainfall was distributed in 1897 and 1898. 
The Queensland Agricultural Journal in taking 
over our article on Chillies (which appeared in the 
Agricultural Magazine of October last) says: — " The 
above remarks on chilli-growing should induce 
some one to make the e.xperiment of growing 
chillies for export in Queensland. Tlie plant 
grows to the greatest perfection in all parts of the 
Colony, and bears heavily for many months. 
Nearly all the varieties are to be found here. A 
sample bottle of pickled chillies was sent from 
London to the Department of Agriculture lately, 
with ati intimation that chillies put up in that 
form would be readily saleable in London. Those 
interested could j-ee the sample at the llead OlBce." 
We thank the editor of the Q- A. J. for the hint 
regarding pickled cliillicj, \*^liich readers of our 
Magazine will be glad to have. 
The Principal of the Queensland Agricultural 
College has decided, after feeding the farm dai y 
cattle with Indian corn fiukler, tliat it is excellent 
as a milk-producing diet. It does not, lie says, 
tend to put on fat, but undoubtedly tends to 
increase the milk yield. 
CEYLOJir AND JAMAICA, 
A late visitor to Ceylon from the West Indies 
in deciding as to the comparative merits of 
Ceylon and Jamaica put the matter pre ty 
tersely when he said : "Ceylon is not in it with 
Jamaica in the running for the Garden of Eden." 
W-e had no idea till -we met the visir.or 
referred to above, that the lattor Colony was 
such a paradise from an agricultural point of view. 
It would appear that the soil fs so fertile that 
cultivation and manuring have as yet demanded 
little consideration. Of cro]i^, coffee, cacao, 
coconuts, sugar cane, bananas, fruit trees and 
fibre plants all have a place and are gro-wn with 
much success, while the rainfall is so satisfactory 
that throughout the greater part of the Colony 
it is said that some rain falls every day. 
Guinea grass and Mauritius grass grow there 
without any attention, and t!ie plantain trade 
is so well established that some two or three 
hundred tliousand bunches of fruit are shipped 
weekly to supply the American markets. There 
is a ricliness and vitality about the general 
vegetation that tlie boasted verdure of Ceylon 
looks pale and artificial after it. Horse and 
mule breeding is a regular industry, but a 
satisfactory breed of milch cattle seems to be 
a desideratum. The experiment of introducing 
pure bred stocli from England has proved a 
failure owing to the tropical conditions, which, 
as regards temperature, are very similar to 
Ceylon. Tliis want may, however, be soon 
supplied by the plan (already being adopted) 
of introducing the hardier cross-breds from 
America, and the contemplated experimeiit of 
importing the better types of Indian cattle (Zebus) 
and establishing a cross breed between them and 
English stock. 
The botanical and agricultural interests appear 
to be well looked after. A number of excellent 
Botanical and Experimental Gardens have already 
been established, and though there is no seiiarate 
agricultural department, its place is apparently 
well supplied by an Agricultural Society, the 
Secretary of which is Mr. George H. Douet. 
FLEMINGIA CONGESTA. 
No. 16 of 1898 of the Indian Agricultural Ledger 
deals with this leguminous shrub which is indigenous 
to Ceylon. The surface of the pods of the Flemiu- 
gias possess a number of red-coloured glands, the 
product of which has been the subject of examina- 
tion and has proved to be of value. The only other 
glandular product which bears any resemblance 
to that found on the pods of these leguminous 
shrub is the red-coloured powder well-known as 
kamala which is obtained from the capsules of a 
euphorbiaceous tree, Mallotus pkiltippemii, also 
indigenous to Ceylon ai-.d known by tlie Sinlialese 
name of Hampirila. Kalama is a well-established 
dye in India (.it referred to in past numbers of 
the Agricultural Magaziui'), and its bnanic:il origin 
has been long known, but it is (inly within the 
last few years that the ancient Arilnaii drug 
known as" waras" or " wurs" has been relerred to 
as a species of Fleminga gro-.ving in the East. The 
drug engaged the attention of Messrs. Alien and 
