Oct. 1, 1903.] Supphmtnt to the " Tro 
In our ln.«t iiumVipr we rmde refprencfi 
to tli« fftct that the Su|)ei iiitetulent of School 
Girden^ was introciuciMg seed maize frona 
Ausrnilia for improviiia; tlie local crop. Tlie 
imported seed has now been di<tribiitei1 in 
the first instance to the Kiclicheries at Kuidy, 
Niiwara Eiiya (where the bulk of the seed went), 
B'idull:i, Kegalle, Kiirunegalle, Aniiradhapura, 
R itiiapiirs, Matara and Cliilaw, while a number of 
smaller parcel* were despatched to Seliool Gardens. 
Tivo varieties of maize seed were secured, one 
known as " 90 day maize" suitable for the wel ter 
districts, the ether "120 day maize" for the drier 
parts. We trust the fttteiupt to i'nprove our local 
■varieties of Zea mays will meet with a full 
measure of success. 
The following exchanges for the Agricultural 
Magazine can be only periodically acknowledged, 
and we do so now with much thanks to the E litor* 
of our worthy cnnf emporarie-:— ^^/vcM/^Mra/ 
Gazette of New South Wales ; Journal of the 
Department of Agriculture. Western'; Australia; 
The Journal of Agriculture of Victoria ; The Queens- 
land Agricultural Journal; The Agricultural 
Jottrnal Cape of Good Hope; The Station, tarm 
and Dairy, Sydney : The Perth Sunday Times ; 
The Capricornian ; The Veterinary Journal, Edin- 
burgh. 
Other periodicals which regularly rench are; — 
Gleanings in Bee Culture, Ohio; 2he Agricultural 
Journal and Mining Record. Natal ; The Indian 
Agricultu ist ; The Tropical Agriculturist ; Pro- 
ceedings of the Royal Physical Society, Edinburgh ; 
Proceedings of the Highland and Agricultural 
Society of Scotland; The Adelaide Observer; 
Circulars and Agricultural Journals of the Botanic 
Gardens, Ceylon. 
The Exhibits being collected for Si^. Lf^ui^ 
afford the welcome opportunity, which such 
periodic collections present, to not merely ilie 
virtuous, but to the agriculturist and scientist, 
to see the best of what the Inland can produce. 
The chief section outside the Ceylon Court 
proper for which our exliibifs are destined is 
tlie Agricultural Building, an immense struc- 
ture covering no less tluia 20 acres In this 
hall liiile CVylon has a space of 60 by 40 fnet 
whicli, however, is considered quite large eiiougli lo 
hold her commercial agricultural exhibits con-sigt- 
ing of Tea, Cocoa, and Coconuts, besides ])ro- 
duce of smaller output such as Ciiichoua, Coffee, 
Eubber, Cinuamom, etc. 
The Forestry section is also to find a home for 
certain exhibits fronj Ceylon. The C>mmitte8 
have wisely Kiitrusted the preparation of the speci- 
mens, the mounting of the exiiibits, and indeed the 
entire design for the Forest Trophy to the very best 
person to whom the woik could have been deputed. 
We refer to Mr. Frederick Lewis, F.L.S., of tha 
Forest Depnnmeut. Mr. Lewis' extensive know- 
ledge of the character ami quality of our limlters is 
invaluable under such circumstuuces, and the 
arraugemeut of our Forest Products will, as far ai 
lical Jgrimlturisl." 251 
we have been able to gather, be calculated to m^k« 
the collectir^n one of the most con-juicuous and at- 
tractive that will represent tlie Island's resource*. 
A fresh lot of silkworm ova from moths reired 
by Mr. E. E. Green, Government Entomologist, at 
Perad'jiiiya, were after a period of refrigeration by 
cold storage in Col'Mnbo, distributed to a ferr 
selected School G irdens last month. It will be re- 
membered that a very favourable opinion was passed 
on the Cocoons which Mr. Green reared in Pera- 
deniya and submitted to experts. We shall be 
glad to seud a copy of Mr. Green's useful little 
pamphlet on silkworms — either in English or 
Siiihalese — to any one applying to us. 
THE CHEMISTRY OF THE GRODND- 
NUT AND ITS PRODUCTS. 
In view of the great interest that has arisen in 
the cultivation of the ground-nut in Ceylou, we 
reproduce some interesting information from the 
Indian Agricultural Ledger, No 15 of 1893, on the 
value of ihe nut, oil, and cake, which iiiteudiug 
cultivators would no d mbt be gl id to have, 
CHEMISTKY OF GROUXD-NUT AND OF IT8 
OIL AND OIL-CAKE. 
Seed. — Church in his "Food-grains of India" 
gives the following analysis of ground nuts : — 
In 100 parts. 
Water 7 '5 
Albuminoids 524'5 
Starch I1'7 
Oil 50-0 
Fibre 4-5 
Aih 1-8 
100-0 
" The nutrietit-ratio of ground-nut," — i.e., the 
proportion of albuminoids lo "tarch in its composi- 
tion — says Church, " i-- here 1 : 5 2 and the nutri- 
eut-value so high as 151. As half the weight of 
peanuts is oil, they require a considerable admix- 
ture of starchy food in order to become a whole- 
some and economical article of diet. The green 
and unripe pods are less oily and more easily 
digested : they have an agreeable taste when 
ro isted," 
The seed, according to CorenTvinJer, contains in 
100 parts 6*7t) water, 51*75 oil, 21*80 nitrogenous 
sub-itunces, 17*66 starch with some nitrogenous 
matter, 2*03 phosphoric acid, potash, magnesia and 
chlorine. 
Oil. — In the Pharmacographia Indica it is said 
that "iiiArachis oil, the commoner glycerides, 
palmaiin and olein are partially replaced by the 
homologous glycerides of hypogaeic and arachidic 
acids (^Allen)." " Kreiling, besides separating 
arachic acid, obtained another acid which he 
identified with lignoci^rinic acid Ca H , O2, 
discovered by Hall & Hermann in 1880 in 
beech wood tar," 
Oil-cake — The following note on the feeding 
value of ground-nut cake was prepared by Dr. J. 
W. Leather, Agricultural Chemist to the Qjvera- 
mput of India : — 
' ' The seeds of Arachis hypogjea form, after being 
