376 
Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist.'" [November 2, 1891. 
hemp, and is cultivated ia Indiafor its fibre which 
is soft, white, and silky, capable of being bleaclied 
or dj^ed in every shade and colour, and suitable 
for the same purposes to which jute is applied. 
Dr. Watt.s says of it, were a demand to be 
created for this iibre as distinct from tliat of 
sun hemp (the Sinhalese Ilnna) or other fll)res, the 
cultivation of the plant might be indefinitely ex- 
tended, and with profit to many needy cultivators 
who are unable to produce either jute or cotton. 
When it is considered, says the Board of Trade 
Journal, that Russia annually consumes more than 
150,000,000 of sacks, a third of Avliich is im- 
ported, it may easily be seen that the appea,rauce 
of a new textile on the Russian market is an 
event of no slight importance. The leaves of 
Hibiscus Gannabinus are said to be used as a pot 
herb and eaten like spinach, while the seeds 
are sometimes exported from India to England 
as an oil seed. 
M. Raoul, a French Colonist of Tahiti, is re- 
ported to have succeeded in growing a hybrid 
obtained by crossing the Sea Island cotton, which 
produces a beautiful silky fibre that is however 
difficult to manipulate, and a wild cotton shrub 
of Guadaloupe. The richness of the yield and 
the quality of the fibre are highly spoken of. 
Mr. Tiathonis, Agricultural Instructor, writes : — 
Wellanduru is a small village situated on the 
mail-coach road to Rakwana, and 6 miles distant 
from PelmaduUa. It consists of about 50 dwell- 
ings, a small number of boutiques, and a Govern- 
ment boys' school. T)ie climate is fairly 
healthy, and is influenced no doubt by the 
situation. There is a very useful rivulet whicli 
flows by the road which the inhabitants 
have unfortunately allowed to become very filthy, 
neglectful of sanitary requirements. The villagers 
chiefly carry on the cultivation of paddy, areca- 
nuts, and chena grains. The paddy-fields are 
fairly fertile owing to the wash from the 
neighbouring hills, bvit cultivation is irregular 
as much from the poverty as the indolence of the 
inhabitants. The four seasons for paddy are 
known as pera-maha, maha, pera-yala, and yala. 
The Experimental Garden has been, after some 
difficulty in clearing and preparing the ground, 
extended to nearly 2 acres, and is partly occupied 
with betel, English and Native vegetables, and 
mustard, the rest to be devoted to cotton and 
tobacco. 
It has been suggested that investigations 
should be made with a view to ascertaining 
the extent to which the bark of trees can be used 
as cattle food after being milled. Besides the 
saving that the use of barks as cattle food will 
elfect, it is contended tliat wlien intelligently 
used, they will prefserve the health of stock, 
and i^rove preventatives against infectious and 
contagious diseases. 
A writer on the subject of village sanitation in 
the Indian Agriculturist, offers some practical 
suggestions for the improvement of the sanitation 
of villages. He suggests that a committee should 
be constituted, called the Sanitary Committee, for 
each village, consisting of several members, and 
placed under the direct control of an executive 
officer. That every village wliich possesses several 
tanks or natural reservoirs should reserve one or 
two strictly and exclusively for drinking -^xxx- 
poses, and that where the.se are absent, deep wells 
should be dug in sufficient number to supply 
the village with a coi^ious supply of fresh water. 
To free the atmosphere from miasma, the stag- 
nant pools in the vicinity of eacli house should at 
least be cleared of the overhanging verdure 
that works the double mischief of intercepting 
light and air from above, and by dropping down 
leaves fills the water below with vegetable 
matter that in decomposing pollutes the water 
and the air. 
The yearly record of butter production, .says 
the Breeders' Gazette, has been everlastingly 
smashed by the Holstein Friesian cow, Pauline 
Paul, whicli has just completed a 365 days 
test, which yielded a total of 1,153 lbs. lof oz' 
of marketable butter salted 1 oz. to the lb. This 
exceeds the highest previous yearly record by 208 
lbs. 6f oz., the excess itself being above tlie 
estimated yearly yield of our common dairy cows. 
A large body of water has been discovered at 
El Golea, in the Sahara Desert, about 120 ft. below 
the surface. It throws up nearly forty gallons 
per minute at present, and it is anticipated that 
the yield will be much greater when more per- 
fect access to the water is attained. The dis- 
covery is regarded as of high importance, ns this 
is the first time that water has been found in the 
Sahara at such a slight depth under ground. 
