158 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Sept. 1, m?,- 
VISIT TO THE COLOMBO STOCK 
GARDENS 
USEFUL AGKICULT0EAL AND ECONOMIC PEODUCTS. 
The work of the distribution of the Beads -and 
plants, formerly carried on by the old Agricultural 
School, is now continued by the Colombo Stock 
Garden. Anyone driving along Thurston Eoad cannot 
fail to notice, on the grounds of the old Agricultural 
School, the trim and well-kept gardens, from where 
plants and seeds are sent out to various school 
gardens in the island, and through them introduced 
among the goiyas. The latter, it is recognised, should 
be taught to cultivate something more than the liinited 
variety of food products and those not of the best, 
to which they are confined at present. The distri- 
bution of useful food products among the school 
gardens had been carried on for some time, but, with 
the Oriental antipathy to take to anything '• foreign " 
the villagers could not bs induced to cuUivata in a 
systemetic way the good things a beneficent Govern- 
ment provided for them. 
A TBEE SPINACH. — Of the very few foreign agri' 
cultural products which were successfully diffused 
through the school gardens, and which have become 
established in the villages are two varieties of vege- 
tables. One of these is the Australian spinach, which 
has taken a hold, principally in the Sabaragamuwa 
Province, between Ratnapura and Balangoda. The 
' leaves of it are eaten, but it is not anything like the 
Ceylon spinach which the bungalow podian purchases 
from the vegetable man, The Australian spinach is 
a bushy tree, about four feet in height, and it produces 
a thick crop ^ of leaves, which make excellent 
eating. 
A Substitute fob Cabbage. — The other vesefcable 
which has also found a home in the village, is kuown 
as the Swiss chard. In appearance it is like a sturdy 
turnip plant. Its leaves which are eaten, make a very 
good substitute for cabbage. It is grown chiefly in the 
interior villages of the Western Province. 
The Ground Nut. — It is not generally known that 
an afiort was made some five years ago to introduce 
the ground nut {Aracliis Hypogma) into the country. 
Seeds were procured from India and crops success- 
fully grown in the Agricultural School grounds, and 
the nuts distributed through school gardens to 
villagers. The school gardens in those days did not 
possess the facilities they do now, and the proper 
cultivation of the "pea nut " was neglected all round 
until, gradually, its cultivation was dropped al- 
together — whether owing to deterioration of seed or 
want of method in the growing was not ascertained. 
Since that time the scope of the work of the Agri- 
cultural School has increased, and school gardens 
now possess every facility for dealing in a proper- 
manner with agricultural products and distributing 
them to the villagers. The Colombo Stock gardens are 
now growing a variety of new agricultural and 
economic products, and year by year there is an 
appreciable increase in the introduction of new 
Bpecies. As regards the ground nut a consignment 
of the seed of the large Mauritius variety has 
been received ; and with the better facilities now 
obtaining in school gardens, it is hoped that the 
natives may be induced to take more fnvourably to 
this valuable product, A crop of the Mauritius 
variety flourishing excellently, is now to be seen iu 
the Stock Gardens, and its superiority over the Indian 
variety, of which also there is a quantity growing 
in the Gardens, is noticeable at glance. The ground 
nut will grow all over the island up to a medium 
elevation, and it should add considerably to the 
food-stock of the villagers, 
Japanese Buckwheat. — Another valuable adjunct 
to the limited food stock of the cultivator should 
bs the newly introduced Buohwheat (Fagopyrmi escu^ 
Icmtum). A patch of giound in the stock Gardens 
is cultivated with the Japanese variety, and the 
plants are now in flower. Buckwheat is a small shrub 
and bears no resemblance to the cereil wheat. It 
is a fast grower, and would do very well in poor' soils 
sandy heaths, etc., in the North- Western and Eastern 
Provinces and in the Vanni district. It can be 
grown as a catch crop when the cultivation of staple 
crops fails, and during times of scarcity. 
Esculent Roots.— -Then there are in the Stock 
Gardens some new varieties of sweat potato ( Batatas 
eduHs) recently introduced. They are an American 
species, and, while being of better flavour than the 
Ceylon varieties, are said to be free of the fibrous 
matter which is found in ttie Sinhalese batala 
Another welcome addition is a new African yam 
introduced this year. As the natives of the island 
show a tendency to take to the cultivation of esculent 
roots, there is every prospect that the new potatoes 
and yams will come to be cultivated regularly by the 
villagers. 
" Pop Corn."— In cereals a new variety of Indian 
corn has been get out, viz., Americnn sweet corn 
and cobs are now available for planting. In Ceylon 
nearly every one is familiar with " pop corn " the 
roasted Indian, corn. It is also boiled and eaten in 
tiie interior parts of the island. In the Kurune^ala 
district, and all along the north road, the Sinhalese 
grow their IrinQu in the cheiias. The American 
sweet corn should therefore find no difficulty in 
establishing itself in the island. 
The Tonga Bean The Pook Man's Fbiend."— 
The wonderful Tonga beau— a perenuiat, whole- 
some vegetable— is also grown in the Stock Gardens 
and seeds are being distributed. It is claimed for 
this bean that two plants will provide a small goiua 
family with a good and nourishing vegetable for nine 
months in the year. Of plantains nearly a dozen 
varieties of Queensland and other jaf^- new to the island 
have been imported, and some of the trees are now in 
fruit in the Stock Gardens. The clusters of fruit on 
the trees are, however, small, and do not compare 
favourably with. the ordinary native varieties. 
Cotton Gbowing.— Turning to economic products, 
much attention is beicg devoted to cotton growing 
and there are some six varieties airea,dy planted in 
the Stock Gardens, including the brownish-coloured 
Nankin cotton. The seeds will be distributed in the 
North-Central and Northern Provinces. There is 
nothing to prevent the systematic cultivation of large 
tracts of land in the north with some of the well-known 
varieties of cotton. Much waste land in that quarter 
could be planted up with it, and, with the opening of 
the Northern railway, there should be every facility 
to increase the cultivation of so valuable a product, 
Foddeb Grass.- Male Bamboo.— The cultivation 
of fodder plants ngain, shouid receive earnest attention. 
A fine crop of the useful fodder grass Paspalum dila- 
tatum, which is suited for any elevation, has been 
raised in the Stock Gardens, nod roots are to be 
distribu'ed among school gardeut;. Among other 
products grown in the Stock Gardens are jute and 
camphor, and the male bamboo f Dendrocalamus 
stnctus). This is a very u?eful bamboo. Unlike the 
other kinds it is perfectly solid and is, therefore ad. 
mirably suited for building and other purposes in 
the interior. The seeds, like those of camphor, were 
got from the Botanic Garcfftus and grown, and a 
fine clump of bamboos raised. Beds of Portulacu 
showing a blending of colour, and tastefullv arranged' 
brighten the appearance of the gardens," which are' 
under the supervision of Mr. C Drieberg and are 
looked after by IVlr. Alexander Perera, Manager 
Stock Gardens, who has had along training at the 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. To those in- 
terested in the cultivation of Agricultural products 
a visit to the Colombo Stock Gardens at this time 
will afford much that is of interest.- Local '• Times " 
