April 1, 1904.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturists 
111 
of the bed covered over with old straw or lenf 
mould. Within a few weeks the cuttings branch 
out and grow up luxuriantly, when the beds 
are weeded and dressed with manure and soil. 
In six months the crop is dug out. Even in 
the best of lauds not more than four or five 
hundredweights of tubers are obtained from an 
acre of land. There is a second way of growing 
Innala, where the soil is fairly good : instend of 
making beds and planting out cuttings, holes 
about a foot square are dug two feet apart, 
manured, and two tubers planted out in each of the 
holes thus prepared. After the plants come up and 
give out branches, the branches are covered with 
a layer of fresh soil thinly placed over them. 
The produce obtained by this method of planting 
i.s not 80 satisfactory as that obtained by planting 
out cuttings. No attempt has ever been made 
to impiove Innala, tliough judging from 
its flavour and the large percentage of starch 
found iu the tubers, it is a product that can be 
greatly improved by a little attention. With 
careful selection a superior quality could 
be produced, and the matter is fully worth the 
attention of those entrusted with agricultural 
experiments here. 
Manioc (Manihot utilissima). — A good deal has 
been written on this plant. It is at present grown 
largely in the Island, and its value is well under- 
stood. The plant is said to have been introduced 
into Ceylon by the Dutch in 17&7. There are 
two distinct varieties of Manioc, one the bitter 
and the other the sweet Manioc. In Ceylon 
about seven different varieties are found growing 
in different places, these being slight variations 
from the two distinct types. The bitter Manioc 
contains a poisonous property in its roots due to 
the presence of Hydrocyanic acid, and there are 
many instances where people have been poisoned 
by the use of the roots. Under cultivation the 
plant loses its poisionous qualities. The bitter 
Manioc is a more prolific producer than the 
sweet variety, hence this type in its various 
forms is largely grown. The leaves of the bitter 
Manioc have seven divisions, and their under 
veins are of a reddisii colour. Sweet Manioc 
has paler leaves with five segments. Manioc is 
grown iu chena lands, as well as in new clearings, 
as a subsidiary product. It is propagated from 
cuttings of the stem, which, when placed on the 
ground, give out buds from almost every node. 
The land for Manioc cultivation is prepared by 
hoeing and burning, and the cuttings, about two 
feet in length, are planted in shallow holes 
about four feet apart. Two cuttings are usually 
placed in a hole, A bush comes up rapidly and 
grows eight to ten feet in height. The crop 
is ready in» about ten months from planting. 
Under moderately favourable circumstances a bush 
will yield, on an average, about 15 lbs of roots. 
W. A. De SILVA. 
THE CONCLUSIONS OP THE DAIRY 
COMMISSION REPOKT. 
We have been favoured with a copy of the 
Report of the Commission appointed to sit on the 
Ceylon Government Dairy. It occupies no less 
than 31 pages of foolscap size, and contains a large 
amount of statistics, analyses, and figures 
generally in support of the conclusions arrived at. 
A special report on a typical Colombo pasture 
is qtioted by us elsewhere. 
We are aware that the Commissioners met fre- 
quently, carried on a good many experiments and 
exercised much observation, besides taking the 
evidence of a number of persons qualified to speak 
on the points on which they were examined. So 
that it is to be inferred that the conclusions are 
souud and worthy of being acted upon : — 
From the evidence before us we conclude that 
the Aden breed of cattle should be tried, if they 
can be obtained ; that for the present the Sind 
breed of cattle is the best which can be easily 
obtained ; that with the present condition of the 
Dairy it is cheaper and better to import and keep 
on importing than to try to rear Sind cattle ; that 
under the existing circumstances it is not advisable 
to waste time and money in trying cross breeding; 
that a drier diet as set forth in the rations should 
be tried, and that experiments should be made 
with various rations to see which produces the 
best milk ; that a large number of improvements 
are required at the present Dairy ; that we do not 
think it is possible to very mardelly improve the 
quantity or the quality of the milk in the present 
Dairy owing to the proverty of the soil. 
We conclude that there are three possibilities 
before Government : — ■ 
(rt) To do nothing and let matters go on as they 
are going on at present, except that the Model 
b'arm should not be considered part of the Dairy.' 
{b) To improve the present Dairy, This will 
require — 
(1) To improve the soil : («) the Mauritius 
grass soil; (6) the sandy soil; (c) the 
Racecourse soil. 
('2) To increase the grass area by adding the 
plot suggested to the Dairy, 
(.3) To try experiments on grasses : (1) 
whether better grass than Mauritius 
can be grown for fodder ; (2) whether 
a pasture can be made. We do not 
think it will ever be possible, even 
after a great outlay, to make hay on 
the present site. 
(4) To try different rations ; to attempt by 
giving different and calculated rations 
to get, if possible, to a less artificial 
method of feeding, and if possible to 
obtain better results. 
(.5) To improve the buildings : — 
(1) Provide a milk room. 
(2) Separate the Manager's house from 
the Dairy. 
(3) Build a house for the Superinten- 
dent, so that supervision may be 
improved. 
(4) Cement the courtyards and covet 
them with sand. 
(5) Provide more water taps. 
(6) Make a proper storeroom. 
(7) Provide a drinking trough. 
(8) Provide manure receptac^ 
