Aug. 1, 1903,J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
117 
specimens of pure white oil, ;is clear as 
water— both commercial samples and cold 
drawn King-Coconut Oil which is highly 
valued by the Sinhalese i^r the head. So far 
as may be, exhibits should be manufactured 
for the Show— or at most since the date of 
the previous Show in the Province or the 
District. Another point is, that the judging 
should be complete before the Exhibition 
opens, and that while the judgin? goes on, 
the outside puhlic should be excluded — sare 
exhibitors who are bringing in or arranging 
the special articles which are permitted 
time till the morning ot the Show. Among 
these must be included Dairy produce ; but 
there is something ludicrous in fresh milk, 
brought in early in the morning in a hot 
steamy climate, being judged late in the 
afternoon, perhaps after it has solidified in 
the bottle ! 
So much for criticism which, it will be 
understood, is not offered in a captious spirit. 
The lists we have published, the prizes 
awarded, and the descriptive testimony of 
our Report, declare the many successful 
features of the Show, which would have been 
still clearer, but that the weather and the 
season were against some of the fruits. The 
betterpartof those onshow weresplendidspeci- 
mens, and we were specially struck with the 
size of the ash-pumpkin, which must have 
been difficult to grow in such wet weather 
as we have had for the last two or three 
months. We cannot but think that if the 
Headmen had done their duty, and informed 
the cultivators betimes, there would have 
been a far better show of plantains, oranges, 
market vegetables, grain, chillies &c., and 
the prizes would have gone to the culti- 
vators themselves,— one of the chief objects 
of Village Shows— and not to influential 
collectors. Among industries which we have 
consistently advocated, we were glad to find 
Mr. Charles Andree of Kurunegala with his 
model hive ready for demonstration and 
instruction in bee keeping. As .an outsider, 
he could not compete in the Western 
Province Show ; but he had evidently 
an apt pupil in the winner of the 
Silver Medal who exhibited .some clean, 
large sized corab.s, most of them full of 
transparent honey— taken, we under- 
stand, from a hive obtained from Mr. 
Andre. The result should be a splendid 
advertisement of his wares, for which we 
are told there is already a demand. The 
improvement in the breeding of cittle is 
another point which the Show brougiit out. 
But we must stop, with one word of satisfac- 
tion at the encouragement which His Exel- 
lency the Governor and the Lieut.-Governor 
offered to the Exhibitors and the Organisers 
by their presence. Sir West Ridgeway, in 
acknowledging the loyal a'lcl grateful 
address, said much that was worth remem- 
bering ; and we trust his final direct words 
to the agricultUL'ist— pity they could not 
be interpreted on the spot— will be trans- 
lated and circulated in tiie villages. The 
full attendance at the Show, especially of 
the peasant classes, was a vei-y gratifying 
feature, and we trust the Agri-Horticultural 
Society will add to the many obligations 
under which they have already placed the 
people, one more, by furnishing them with 
the Rajjuniiuo's counsel and ' appreciation 
which they will value with all the reverence 
which Orientals show to high statiou and 
authority. 
C Bi/ our Special Representative. ) 
There is no show or exhibition which proves 
more attractive to tiic f^eneral public than an 
ac;ricaltural and horticultural one, and the present 
display in the Gardens at Heneratgoda has proved 
no e.x'ception to the rule. The event has 
aroused the keen interest of Europeans and native.i 
throughout the district, and the complete success 
of the show is mainly due to the untirint; eft'orts of 
Mr C Driebers;, the Hon. Secy., Messrs J C Willis, 
MacMillan, W Nock, H W Perera, and Mrs 
Drieberg and Miss Barber, backed by a strong 
and representative committee, with H E tlie 
Lieut. -Governor as President. A more charming 
spot for the show could hardly be imagined — the 
lawn of the Heneratgoda Sports Club in the 
middle of the Botanical Gardens. These Gardens 
with their wealth of grand tropical foliage 
plants are nearly 40 acres in extent, and under the 
supervision of Mr H W Perera have been 
greatly improved, and much good work is 
being done there. The town was full of 
interested villagers, and decorations have been 
put up in great style. The station was profusely 
ornamented, and immediately opposite the station 
and at the entrance of the Gardens two line paa- 
dals have been erected. The chief building is in the 
shape of a cross, lofty and decorated in good taste. 
Each wing of this building is 130 ft. long by .30 
ft. wide and contains stalls down each side, and 
also down the middle. The centre of the building is 
occupied by the dais draped in red cloth and deco- 
rated with plants and flowers, from which H E 
the Governor distributed the prizes. One wing of 
the building faces the lawn, the second opens into 
the refreshment rooms, the third leads to the 
poultry pans and stables, while the fourth leads 
to the shed where lace-work is exhibited. The 
sole object of the Colombo Agri-Horticultural 
Society in promoting a show of this description 
is to encourage agricultural and horticultural 
pursuits among the villagers. Agriculture has 
frequently been stated to be the backbone of 
England, this statement applies even more to this 
Colony ; and as H E the Governor stated in his 
speech yesterday at the show, by agriculture 
Ceylon must stand or fall. The methods of 
cultivation among the native villagers are primi- 
tive, slow, and by no means productive of the h&^t 
results, the best way to improve matters is by 
example, by the school gardens which are being 
established throughout the Colony, and by holding 
shows, such as the present Heneratgoda one in 
many villages. 
These shows should be real gala days for the 
villagers; the exhibition of agricultural and indus- 
trial product^ of every kind should be folbwed 
by native games aud races jironioted among the 
people, prize.s shoa'd be award.eii, aud the occasion 
be regarded as a special holiday in the district ; 
thus in a measure, taking the place of the 
holidays proclaimed by former chiefs. The show 
of products sliauld, of course, be kept to the front 
