$2S THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURlST. [Nov. 2, 1903. 
THE POISONOUS SEAWEED. 
The poisonous seaweed is a very common alga, 
found extensively not only around the coasts of 
Ceylon but also in European and British waters. 
Id is a bright green (ilimeiitous alga, forming 
great mats, and look- like a thick mass of c larse 
green hairs. It is of various shades of grtjeu and 
darker brown or black when the spores are pre- 
sent, and Dr Willey showed sampler of it in 
his study, some preserved in spirits, some dry as 
it is founu on the shore. Dr Willey has not yet 
determined its scientific appellation, but the 
native name for it here is "Makkara pasi." During 
the blowing of the South West Monsoon masses 
of this sea weed are cast up on the shore 
in certain parts of the island and particularly, 
it seems, on Iranativu. 
. Some of this weed Dr. Willey offered to a 
horse, but it refused to eat it; but when concealed 
in grass it ate it readily and immediately 
showed the symptoms of disease expected, 
thu3 showing that the horse instinct- 
jvely knew it to be poison. When the weed 
isicastup on the shore it frequently gets mixed 
and entangled with another seaweed, rather 
similar in appearance though coarser,— specimens 
of which Dr. Willey also showed us — and which 
is perfectly wholesome, and then the animals, 
evidently not detecting the presence of the poiso- 
nous alga, devour it. 
The result of eating this mukkara pasi is a 
violent bowel complaint, and taken in the initial 
stages it is cured by cast;or oil treatment. The 
we6d has not yet been properly analysed to as- 
certain what particular poison is contained in the 
plant cells, but this will be carefully done at the 
Museum, and Dr. Willey will before long make 
his report to Government on his investigation. 
PLUMBAGO MINING IN CEYLON. 
Mr T Hutchings, now in Colombo, his 
been in Ceylon for the last four years, 
engaged in mining for plumbago in the 
Kalutara district. He is a practioal miner of 36 years' 
experience and has been in Johannesburg for a period 
of 15 years as foreman of the Saliabnty and Jubilee 
nrinea where he worked a shaft of 5,000 feet, the deep- 
est he ever woiked on. In Ceylon his deepest sliaft 
waa only 125 feet and he says that mining in Oeylon, 
asitia done now, is quite in its infanoy and there is 
much room for improvement. The native system of 
mining is only a surface one, they go a little in to 
the ground and then commonceH tunnelling while in 
naost instances the deeper the shaft the better is the 
formation of the veins and success is sure to be met 
with if the Ceylon pits are worked deeper ihan they 
are now. At present the good veins, which yield 
rlnmbago are left in the rocks below and only a few 
feet of tlie surface searched, Mc Hatchings having left 
his pit vvhich changed hands and has not yet decided 
whether he will stay inCeylon or return to South Africa 
where prospects are more rosy. 
CEYLON CROWS IN SELANGOR. 
Kuala Lumpur,— The imported crows 
from Ceylon have made their appear- 
ance here. Over 40 of them were seen in 
search of a place where they could roost. 
Once they are here, it may safely be assumed 
that they come to stay, and this town is 
large enough for the execution of their scaveng- 
ing characteristics.— PcnanflT Gazette. 
SAMPLE SEEDS TO HAND. 
We learn on enquiry that ihe Peradeniya 
auHiorities have just received a 5s packet of 
Ocymum viride. the "mo.'quito" plant, from Messrs. 
H Uannell & Son, Swanley. Eiighmd, and on 
cppning the packer i: wa- fou'id ihic ir c>n(HitiHd 
the large qu^,ntity of 8 mi 'Ute s^eed* ! Pour of 
these have been sent to H.kuala, and the other 
four sown at Peradeniya. If success is attained 
in rai.«ing plants, it is probable that the charge 
will be R5 each for them. The native ocymum 
sanctum {Maduru tola of the Sinhalese) or 
ocymum gratissimum, is said to be probably quite 
as effectual as ocymum viride. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Cotton-Growing Experiments.— The Govern- 
ment experiments in cotton have so far been of 
little value in Tirhoot, the area sown being far 
too small and the drought having killed off a lot 
of the young plant, but at Arrowah in Chupra 
Mr J McGiegor is, we are told, putting down 
several acres in Egyptian and other sorts of 
cotton and from his experiments some valuable 
data may be obtainable next year. — Indian 
Planters' Oazette. 
Indian Botanical Gardens.— The Re- 
port (1902), on the Botanical Gardens, Sdharanpur 
and Mussoorie, is again very satisfactory both as 
regards finances and the worit accnmplished. 
Fair crops were obtained from the fruit trees, 
and the distribution of fruit and food plants 
showed a considerable increase in number over 
the previous year. There was a very fair 
demand for young plants of agave sisalaua (the 
Sisal Hemp), and every plant raised was dis- 
posed of, to the number of 15,000. The cash 
receipts of the two Gardens was R27,312, while 
the expenditure was R25,821 ; the total reventie 
was R31,500 — leaving a profit in favour of the 
gardens of R5,679. 
Liming Soils. — Clay soils, when wet by rains 
are not porous enough to allow- the water to 
pass through them with sufficient rapidity. In 
consequence they become water-logged, and the 
air which is necessary for the healthful deve- 
lopment of plant roots within the soil is excluded. 
In dry times such soils take readily. Liming is an 
effective preventive or remedy for all of these 
conditions. Upon certain loamy soils containing 
considerable clay, liming often renders the sur- 
face more friable and less liable to form a 
crust upon drying. The improvement of drainage 
brought about by I ming is one of the most eflfpctive 
means of preventing surface washing. Wlien 
heavy rains occur on limed soils the water sinks 
into the soil instead of rushing over the surface. 
Soils which are composed of siliceous sand are 
frequently benefited by being rendered more 
compact by liming. On such soils carbonate of 
lime is preferable to air or water slacked lime, 
owing to the caustic nature of the latter, and the 
best material to employ where it is obtainable is a 
clay marl containing a fair amount of carbonate of 
lime. The clay as well as the lime tends to mate- 
rially improve the physical condition of the soil. 
It should also be the aim to increase the amount of 
organic matter in such soils by the use of muck 
and stable manures, or by tlie occasional ploughing 
under of a green crop or of awsad.—rJourncU of 
Horticulture, >"i \.ii'o von ii.v^ .1 
