14 
Supplement to the Tropical Jgncuitunst." [January i, 1892. 
this branch of agricultural work have considered 
the past year a most eventful one ; and for the 
provisions that have been made, and the facilities 
that have been granted us for the carrying on of 
our work, I take this opportunity of thanking 
Your Excellency in my own name and on behalf 
of the staff of this School. 
Since the foundation of the institution the 
students have had a great struggle with the 
adverae natural conditions attaching to the 
situation of the greater part of the land available 
to them for cultivation, — conditions which though 
science can undoubtedly cope with and alter, 
were altogether beyond our control, in-asmuch 
as the drainage outlet which should carry 
away the excess of moisture that remains to, in a 
great degree, sterilize our land, is under the care 
of another public department which has not yet 
solved the problem of the drainage of the Cinna- 
mon Gardens. To meet the difficulties in the way 
of raising such crops and carrying on such field- 
works as it is necessary to do for purposes of illus- 
tration in the teaching of the science and art of 
agriculture, we have, during the past year, 
received a grant of land, over 40 acres in extent 
and immediately adjoining the School premises, 
on which the necessary operations connected with 
our agricultural course may now be practised 
under more favourable circumstances than 
hitherto. 
_ Another matter I have to record is the posses- 
sion which we have come into of a good type of 
stud-bull, an agent that has for long been de- 
siderated at this centre of agricultural education, 
which is not least concerned with the improve- 
ment of the stock native to the island. 
Provision has also been made for the employ- 
ment of a Govornment Veterinary Surgeon who 
is to be attached as a lecturer to the School of 
Agriculture. I have already been introducing 
our students to the elements of veterinary 
science (a subject closely allied to agriculture) 
with the knowledge I possessed of its principles, 
gathered under a press of other work which left 
me little opportunity for attending to and 
mastering its practical details to the extent 1 
should have wished. But I trust T shall very 
shortly have to resign this part of the work of 
the School into more competent hands, and that 
the teaching of the expected veterinary surgeon, 
and the practical instruction which our students 
will receive at the veterinary hospital it is in- 
tended to erect on these grounds, will turn out 
men, who, as Veterinary Inspectors, will carry on 
a most useful and important work. 
If the Superintendent of the proposed Technical 
Institute were to join forces with iis in tke cause 
of education, you will admit, ladies and gentlemen, 
that these old walls which have experienced many 
Ticissitudes will support a great educational 
itrongliold, and enclose a most important edu- 
cational centre. 
There have altogether been about 40 students 
turned out by the School, 6 of whom are employed 
as agricultural instructors by Government and 5 
privately. Of the rest some are engaged in the 
cultivation of land on Mieir own account, notably 
the stu<lents from Ihi^ Southern I'rovince, while 
3 or 4 hav» h.'ft the island an<l found employment 
Vmder tli« Strait.i; Settlemouts Government, 
Mr. Laurence Perera who Avas so successful 
with cotton at Nikaweritiya is doing excellent 
work at Kuliyapitiya. His paddy cultivation 
according to different methods has given useful 
results which I shall not cumber this report with, 
but I may say that its success has been testified 
to by the Government Agent and Assistant Gevern- 
ment Agent of Kurunegala. His experiments 
with cotton have brought out the fact that the 
Bourbon variety may be remuneratively grown in 
the district ; and Mr. Perera has also given his 
neighbours practical lessons in the cultivation of 
arrowroot, potatoes and onions, all of which have 
been found suited to the locality. 
At Navadimunmarai in the Batticaloa District, 
Mr. Chinasivagam brought an extent of 26 acres 
under the cultivation of the improved plough 
with most satisfactory results. He reports that 
the yillagers in his district closely watched the 
several processes he went through, and that six 
cultivators borrowed his implement for working 
their fields, while a few applications were made 
for Massey & Co.'s cheap fjloughs. 
ilr. Tiathonis, Agricultural Instructor at Ma- 
dampe is giving all his attention to the encourage- 
ment of pepper and cacao cultivation which the 
Government Agent of Eatnapura is very wisely 
urging the natives to adopt, by distributing seeds 
and plants with instructions as to cultivation and 
curing. 
The splendid work which is being done in 
Happy A'' alley is I doubt not well-known to Your 
Excellency. Mr Hoole, the Agricultural Instructor, 
reports the comparative immunity of the paddy 
cultivated by him both from insect attack and the 
evil effects of drought. It is quite apparent that 
the villagers about this centre are being appre- 
ciably influenced by the work at Happy Valley, 
and encouraged to carry on the .systematic culti- 
vation of different kinds of garden produce. 
The Agricultural Instructor at Xadugannawa, 
Mr. J. A. P. Samarasekera., reports that he has in- 
troduced horse-gram, green gram, and arrowroot 
to the natives, to whom these crops were quite 
unknown, and that they have already begun to 
grow and prepare arrowroot for consumption. 
Mr. P. Samarasekera, Agricultural Instructor at 
Akmimana, has been engaged in the cultivation of 
10 acres of paddy and 4 acres of arrowroot, dhall 
and vegetables. He reports that two ploughs have 
been purchased by the villagers, and expects that 
more will before long be imported into the district. 
Mr. Ranasingha writes from Kolonna Korale 
that he has been distributing dhall seed from 
trees raised in his experimental garden, and that 
the villagers are beginning to cultivate this most 
desirable product in their own gardens. 
Mr. J. W. P. Samarasekera, Agricultural In- 
structor in Kegalla District, furnishes me with an 
interesting report in which he states that he has 
conclusively proved to the cultivators in his 
vicinity that he is able to produce twice the ordi- 
nary crops of paddy by his method of cultivation, 
and that his plough has been in great requisition 
among them. The crops, whose cultivation has 
been demonstrated by this instructor are arrow- 
root, tobacco, dhall, green gram, horse-gram, and 
ludinu corn, besides paddy. 
