Oct. 1, 1903.] SmpUmeni to the " Tropical Agriculturist." 
280 
without theno, the radish has never been heard of, 
and no use is beinp; mndf! of sncli comtnin vege- 
tables as baiidiikkMi (Hibiscus esculentus) and 
alanga {Ipomce muricatn) ; and yet the people are 
content to eut flower buds of k.-ihata (Oareya 
arboren) and other wild products of unknown lood 
value, A visitor from the Gold Coast, whom 1 
supplied with a collection of native vegetalile 
seeds, rec gnized among them species that were 
found in West Africa, but the uses of which were 
unknown. The same state of affairs exists in 
parts of the Island, which for want of exploiting 
by an agricultural ofBciul have so long remained 
ignorant of the value of mnny edible products. 
But the constant supply of seed of native vege- 
tables, exotics possible of cultivation, and new 
varieties introduced from abroad (some of which 
like Australian spinach — Chenopodium album — 
have taken to the soil and with the people) that 
has gone out to the school gardens has done a 
great deal towards meeting the wants of the 
country districts. The useful work done in this 
way it is of course not possible to gauge at present, 
but should be soon apparent. 
In 1896 the Indian Government felt justified in 
expending a sum of no less than Es. 108,000 in 
the purchase of carrot seed for free distribution 
throughout India. With the knowledge — through 
piinted reports — of the unfortunate history of this 
magnificent experiment, I venture to think our 
system of supplying seed through the agency of 
the school g&rdens, where, however, their cultiva- 
tion is demonstrated, is a surer, if less conspicuous 
means of inducing the vilhige cultivator to grow 
a larger variety and better quality of food crops. 
In the stock garden I am making as complete 
as possible a collection of native and foreign 
varieties of the yam, the cultivation of which 
cannot, 1 think, be too largely taken up in the 
outlying parts of the Island. 
Besides vegetables, the school gardens are grow- 
ing fruits suitable for cultivation in the different 
localities, so that it will not be long before there 
■will exist at each school garden so many agencies 
in the shape of fruiting trees for the extension of 
fruic cultivation in the island. 
At present fruits like the sapodilla {Achrai 
sapota), which, as in Calcutta, should when in 
season be found in quantities in our markets, are 
rarely seen, and the tree is only found growing in 
old gardens. 
Tlie plants for the nursery of fruit trees in the 
stock garden were supplied by the Royal Botanic 
Gardens, as well as raised from seed. From Mr. 
W. H. Wright of Mirigama I received seeds of the 
excellent mangosteens grown by him, from the 
Trinidad Botanic Garden seeds of a highly recom- 
mended guava, from the agricultural Department 
of Queensland eight of the best varieites of 
bananas grown in that Colony. The bananas are 
now well established in the stock garden, and are 
already throwing out shoots, which will be shortly 
available for distribution. The varieties received 
are named '' L'ldies' fingers." " Sutrar," " Moku," 
" Butter," " Delana." and " Decca." I am expect- 
ing a further supply of banana plants from Fiji. 
From the Director-General of Agriculture for India 
1 have received three varieties of American sweet 
potatoes found suitable for cultivation in India, 
viz., the " Nancimond," "New Jersey," and 
"Virginia." These I hope to gradually spread 
about tliH country. 
The Ceylon goiya is not, as is generally supposed, 
an expert mnrket gardener. The contrary is only 
true of special communities and districts, where 
a knowledge of horticulture, as if carpentry or 
basket-making, may be said to be hereditary. So 
that technical instruction in this, as in other 
industrial occupations, must be recognized as 
supplying a want which, though it may not be 
po])ularly admitted, really exists. 
In addition to the advantages of school garden- 
ing as a desirable occupation for children from a 
physical, sanitary, and recreative point of view, 
there is the advantage that must follow a 
study of plaTits and the details of their cultivation 
and growth, and the opportunities afforded for 
observation and reasoning on i Qis suggested by 
such study. I am convinced tliat the children 
who work in school gardens are acquiring much 
useful information of a practical character. 
With the idea of develoj^ing the educational side 
of the scheme, pamphlets and leaflets in English 
and Sinhalese have been printed and freely cir- 
culated. The first, prepared by the Director of 
Botanic Gardens, treats of school gardens and 
nature study. The laying out of a garden was the 
subject of a leaflet written by me, and I have also 
prepared a junior and senior course in the study 
of plant life. The Government Entomologist has 
contributed a Paper on the Silkworm and Silk. 
An attempt is being made (through the agency 
of school gardens) to popularize sericulture as 
a home industry in the villages. I have supplied 
twenty-sight schools with mulberry cuttings for 
providing a stock of food for the silkworms. A 
few schools were also supplied with silkworm eggs 
provided by Mr. Green, but these failed to hatch 
out owing to the eggs not having been previously 
subjected to refrigeration. It is intended to 
shortly distribute a fresh lot of eggs after the 
necessary refrigeration. In the meantime I have 
placed myself in communication with Professor 
Mukerji, an Indian authority on Sericulture, as 
well as the Piincipal of the Sericultural School at 
Eampur Boalia, Eajshahi, with a view to 
drawing supplies of eggs from India. 
In Apiculture the experimental working of a 
frame hive is still being continued. Through this 
means I have gained some useful information in 
the management of Ceylon bees. Though my 
efforts to induce the bees to store honey in a "super" 
have proved unsuccessful, it is a satisfaction to 
know that they can be suificiently domesticated to 
build in frames, and that there is a prospect of 
rational method of keeping bees for honey and 
wax, displacing the rough and ready devices in 
vogue among the natives, necessitating the employ- 
ment of drastic measures for securing the houey 
and resulting in the loss of valuable insect life. 
The garden honey I have produced has proved to 
be infinitely superior to ordinary wild honey. 
Not the least important aspect of the experiment 
in Apiculture is the possible advantage of bee-keep- 
ing to the Plantii'g industry, as insuring more 
rtaia fertilization in the case of fruit-bearing crops 
