January i, 1892.] Siipplemnt to the Tropical AgHcultiidSt.''^ 
educational advantages which would enable the 
people to light the battle of life with advantages 
of which their predecessors knew nothing. This 
and similar institutions had all his sympathy; 
and if through the press or otherwise he could 
do anything to advance what Mr. Drieberg and 
Mr. Cull and the Educational Department gene- 
rally had at heart he should only be too glad. 
(Applause.) 
The Hon. A. de A. SenevikAtne afterwards 
addressed the meeting, stating that he had been 
asked to make a few remarks from a visitor's 
point of view. Well, the institution had been doing 
excellent work, and everybody ought to feel thank- 
ful to Government for starting it, to the past 
Director for carrying it on so nobly, and to the 
present Director for making up his mind to effect 
further improvements. The duty lay upon those 
who had got certificates and were going out into 
the world to shew that the institution was profit- 
able to the country. It was not by winning 
prizes there that the thing was to be done, but 
by going amongst the villagers and inducing them 
to adopt the improved methods of cultivation. 
Eeferring to the observations of Mr. Green he 
said this place could show grandmothers a better 
way of sucking eggs. (Laughter and applause. ) 
Eveiybody could bear testimony to the fact that 
the cultivation of fruit was very much neglected, 
but he did not think it would be quite fair to 
the Sinhalese to say that they entirely ignored 
the use of milk. He had been in villages where 
there was hardly a family owning cattle who did 
not use the milk for family purposes, especially 
buffalo milk. The ordinary caitle did not produce 
sufficient milk, but the buffaloes produced plenty. 
As to improving the breed of cattle he thought 
they must not forget that there was a very good 
breed of cattle, for which thanks were due to 
the late Mr. De Soysa, and he trusted that mem- 
bers of his family would follow up the work of 
their father and keep up and improve the breed of 
cattle. He thought they must have heard before of 
the great work that Mr. De Soysa performed in 
removing from destitute villages a largo number 
of villagers and supplping them with the means 
of living and cultivation, and he trusted his 
successors would follow that example. In con- 
clusion, he said he felt it his duty to say that 
all felt thankful to His Excellency, Mr. Green 
and the Principal of the institution. (Applause.) 
H. E. the Govehnor : — It now remains for me? 
the programme having been brought to a close, 
to break up the meeting, which 1 am sure has 
been highly agreeable and interesting to us all. 
The meeting then separated, the students giving 
cheers for His Excellency and the other gentlemen 
as they left the room. 
After the ceremony tho company adjourned to 
the playground, where light refreshments were 
served, and the time was pleasantly passed with 
music supplied by tho band of the 1st Gordon 
Highlanders. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
In another cohiniu will bo found the report read 
and spt'echcs delivered on prize day. The good 
feeling disphiytHl by all tho speakers from His 
JSiCelltfucy tho Govuruor dowuwards helped to 
make the time pass very pleasantly. We greatly 
missed Mr. George Wall on the occasion when he 
was to have spoken, but was prevented owing to a 
sudden call upcountry on business. A notable 
feature in the proceedings was the large number 
of prizes offered by those interested in the School, 
and our thanks are due to Messrs J. W. C. de 
Soysa, Jacob de Mel. S. T. Muttiah, A. M. 
Chittambalam, J. Clovis de Silva, J. H. Barber, 
and Mrs. Arnold Dias, for the cheques and books 
they presented. 
We offer our best thanks to Mr. J. P. Wil- 
liams, seedsman at Henaratgoda, the enormous 
extent of whose business is little known, for the 
gift of the following plants to the School : — 
4 plants each nf Malta lemon, Begori lime, Coornul 
lemon, and Lisbon lime, 6 of bassia latifolia, 6 
giant loquat, 6 red toon, and 6 saul tree (shorea 
robusta). The last is valuable both for its timber 
(which is considered only second to teak) as well 
as for its resinous oil. 
" Would it not be a most important service," 
write.? Miss Ormerod, " if you could induce your 
pupils and other correspondents in connection 
with your School of Agriculture to note down 
the habits of your most injurious insect pests, 
and for you to form these year by year into a 
report with a figure as well as correct scientific 
and poj)ular name of the insect ? Perhaps 
you do this already, but if not, you would do 
immense good if you could T3ring it about.'" 
The fact is we have made a-n effort to do what 
Miss Ormerod wisely urges on us, but since we 
have no opportunity of moving about and 
collecting specimens of insects where they are 
pests, we can only depend upon others to send 
them to us. One or two of our Agricultural In- 
structors have been good enough to supply us with 
a few of these specimens, but in order that these 
may reach us in a condition in which they will be 
of use for identification, they (the Instructors) 
would need to be supplied into alcohol, bottles and 
cases for the purposes. There are some, however, 
who have an idea that there is no need of seeing, 
much less of identifying an insect in order to 
suggest a remedy, and with such people, who 
should know better, it is difficult to deal with. 
Will Miss Ormerod's advice have any effect upon 
them ? 
The following is a letter from Mr. P. Samara- 
nayaka. Agricultural Instructor, to the Director 
of Public Instruction : — 
Akmimane, 5th September 1891. 
Sir, — I beg to submit the annexed results of the 
16 acres of paddy land cultivated by me for the 
" Yala " season 1891 according to the improved 
system, and a comparison of the same with two 
of my neighbours' results. 3 acres planted out 
with seedlings raised from f bushel of seed paddy 
yielded a crop of 79^ bushels. 13 acres 
were sown broadcast with 19 bushels of foiu- and 
five months' seed paddy, obtained a crop of 278 
bushels, and had an average yield of 24 iV bushels 
per acre. The neighbouring cultivators who culti- 
vated according to their method had obtained 21 
bushels from 1^ acres with 3 bushels of seed paddy 
and 2ow bushels from 2ocresby using! luisliels of 
seed paddy, Tho total yield of tho o imd 1'4 ugre« 
