THE 
COLOMBO. 
Added as a Supplement Monthly to the TBOPICAL AQIUGULTURIST" 
The following paoes include the Contents of the Agricultural Magci'/ine for 
March : — 
Vol. XV.] MARCH, 1904. [No. 9. 
OCCASIONAL NOIES. 
^f^\ R. George Cempere, State Eti- 
>^£l M totnologist, Western Austra- 
lia, writing to us under date 
29th January from Sydney, 
says: — "By this mail I am 
sending addressed to you a 
pneknge which contains the 
larvae and pupiie of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, 
the lady bird which destroys the various species of 
mealy bug. These larvae will all have reached the 
beetle stage by tlie time they reach you, and if 
alive liberate them on any plants infested wirh 
mealy bug. I am now on my way to Brazil, and 
on my return to Australia will write you. I may 
return via London, and in that case will call upou 
you on reaching Colombo. 
We regret to say that the consignment of lady 
birds was found to be quite dry on arrival, the case 
in which they were packed having been damaged 
en route. We shall look forward to another inter- 
esting meeting with. Mr. Cempere, and hope before 
loug to secure live specimens of the beetles destruc- 
tive to the mealy bug, so troublesome a pest 
in our gardens. 
A small lot of young silkworms sent to us by 
the Government Entomologist from Peraduniya 
about the 20lIi of January —in order to test how 
tliey would travel tlirough tlie post — reached us 
in good order. At date of writing (26th February) 
the moths are just gpt'.ing out of the cocoons. 
We found that the greatest precaution is necessary 
to protect the worms and chrysalids from rats and 
Other enemies. 
According to the new American food standards 
in spices, pepper is so defined as to e.xclude from 
the standard product pepper hulls, pepper dust, 
or other pepper by-pioducts. Tiie ash standard of 
black pepper is made a maximum of 7 per cent, 
and for while pepper a minimum of 4 per cent, 
of which not over lialf per cent shall be sand. 
Miiciissar and Bombay maces are not considered as 
standard mace. Standaid mustard is given a 
ma-ximum of 2|- per cent of starch derived from 
mustard. In the c( coa schedule, standard cliocolate 
is defiiied as the product made by giinding kernels 
of the cocoa bean without removing the fat or 
adding other substances, the fat standard being a 
minimum of 4.5 j)er cent. The amount of sugar in 
sweet chocolate is not limited by the standards. 
Cocoa is prescribed as the kernel deprived of part 
of its fat and pulverized. The standard sweet 
cocoa has a maximum limit of 60 per cent of sugar, 
but no minimum limit of fat is fixed for either 
cocoa or sweet cocoa. Chocolate coatings are 
treated as sweet chocolate. 
Two small plots of Jaffna yams taken up at the 
Government Stock Garden were found to have 
produced a total weight of yams equal to 148 lbs,, 
16 tubers weighing from \ to Sli lbs. each. 
We have not heard of several potatoes being 
propagated from seed, but this has been done in 
St. Helena. The seedling vines are said to have 
produced large and sound tubers. 
Nut grass {Cyperus rotundas), known by the 
native name of kalanduru,h:ii long been the subject 
of discussion, as to tlie best means of eradicating 
it from cultivated land. We now hear of a well- 
known I'^lorida farmer asking "What do you want 
to get rid of nut grass for P It is the best mate- 
rial forage for pigs," and this, it appears, is the 
actual fact, 
