February i, 1892.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agviciiltuvist 
609 
A pes follows this. It is a large cylindrical 
vessel made of bambo or rattan, and will con- 
tain about 10 amunams. 
The other minor receptacles of paddy are of 
little importance and too well known to need 
mention. Certain incantations are uttered by the 
goyiya in the act of storing paddy as a pre- 
ventative against the attacks of moths and other 
injurious insects. 
The goyiya and the parties interested use 
peculiar technical terms during threshing nam- 
ing different agricultural implements, &c. These 
terms though used from time immeinoial are 
yet never mentioned in ordinary language, and 
are not in keeping with native idioms and 
dialects. This mode of communication is called 
Goin-basawa, or the goyiya's language. I was told 
by a well-informed Kandyan Chief that the object 
of tlie goyiya in adopting this course is in order 
to prevent the Ynkhhos (devils) from stealing 
the paddy and consequent misfortunes ! 
The following are a few of the technical terms 
referred to, and 1 believe they will be of in- 
terest to the readers:— 
1. 
Gotiyahanaiva 
for 
ploughing. 
'2. 
Yatura 
0 
winnow. 
3. 
Goi Leila 
;> 
leveller. 
4. 
Sakawaliya 
)> 
sweeper. 
5. 
Bolgediyo 
>t 
buffaloes. 
6. 
Pubboniwoo 
)) 
rice. 
7. 
Eatta 
»i 
lire. 
8. 
Kotabanawa 
eating. 
9. 
Eatte Maliat- 
karapan 
to kindle a 
10. 
Pellai 
;) 
bags. 
11. 
Goyan Madinawa „ 
ploughing. 
12. 
Beta 
I) 
paddy. 
Before taking paddy for household consump- 
tion, a portion is first reserved called Akldyala 
as i)ehiyanye^ Tanyuwa or god's share. This is 
given in the name of the god to the Eapurala 
who is supposed to have officiated throughout. 
Another {.ortion called Alut Bat Dane, is sent 
cooked to the neighbouring Pansala for the priests. 
A quantity of paddy is then put into the 
mortar, and three women clad in white with three 
pestles in their hands pouiul the paddy at an 
auspicious hour. A grand feast is next given 
to relations, at which all the guests including 
the goyiya and his family make merry, after- 
wards dispersing with every good wish for the 
coming harvest. 
T. B. FoHATH Eehelpannala. 
Kehelpannala Walauwa, 
Gampola, 7th Dec. 1891. 
THE NITEOGEN QUESTION. 
The first Quarterly Journal of the Eoyal Agri- 
cultural Society for the year contains a paper 
by Sir John Lawes and Dr. Gilbert, in whicli 
are given the experimental facts in support of 
Ilellriogel's theory that the leguminous crops 
arc able to obtain nitrogen from the air by 
means of the microbes in the wart-like nodules 
on their roots. A paper by Dr. Gilbert, lately 
published, also refers to the Eotliamsted ex- 
periments to prove the doctrine of Hellriegel. 
It -^vill bo remombertHl that 11 Jittl« more tliau 
twelve months ago Dr. Lawes delivered himself 
to the effect that he was no believer in the 
truth of the latest theory regarding nitrogen, i 
or rather that his (Lawes') own experiment did ' 
not warrant his belief in the teaching of the ■ 
German Scientist. Hellriegel's doctrine, it was 
said, was anticipated by Professor McAlpine of 
Edinburgh, who, we can ourselves vouch, explain- 
ed in his class-room the peculiarities, of the legu- 
minosae, as regards their supply of nitrogen, on ! 
the same hypothesis as that adopted by the J 
German, at least a year before the latter pub- 
lished his ideas to the world. We now have \ 
the results of a series of careful experiments, which ■ 
it is not necessary to detail here, and we will 
therefore merely give a resum6 of the conclu- 
sion which the Eothamsted experiments have 
led to : — 
" As to the explanation of the fixation of free 
nitrogen, the facts at command did not favour 
the conclusion that under the influence of the 
symbiosis the higher plant itself was enabled to 
fix the free nitrogen of the air by its leaves. 
Nor did the evidence point to the conclusion 
that the nodule-bacteria became distributed \ 
through the soil and there fixed free nitrogen, 
the compounds of nitrogen so produced being 
taken up by the higher plant. It seemed more 
consistent, both with experimental results and 
with general ideas, to suppose that the nodule- 
bacteria fixed free nitrogen within the plant, 
and that the higher plant absorbed the nitrogenous 
compounds produced. In other words, there was 
no evidence that the chlorophyllous plant itself i 
fixed free nitrogen, or that the fixation takes ; 
place within the soil, but it was more proba- ' 
ble that the lower organisms fix the free nitrogen \ 
If this should eventually be established, we have \ 
to recognise a new power of living organisms \ 
— that of assimilating an elementary substance. 1 
But this would only be an extension of the ! 
fact that lower organisms are capable of per- • 
forming assimilation-work which the higher ; 
cannot accomplish ; whilst it would be a further ) 
instance of lower organisms serving the higher. ! 
Finally, it may here be observed that Loew has ' 
suggested that the vegetable cell, with its active j 
protoplasm, if in an alkaline condition, might | 
fix free nitrogen, with the formation of ammo- i 
nium nitrate. Without passing any judgment i 
on this point, it may be stated that it has fre- 
quently been found at Eothamsted that tlie con- ' 
tents of the nodules have a weak alkaline reaction 
when in apparently an active condition — that is, 
whilst still flesh-red and glistening. 
" As to the importance of the fixation for agri- 
culture, and for vegetation generally, there is 
also much yet to learn. It is obvious that dif- i 
ferent Papilionaceie growing luider the same ex- 1 
ternal conditions manifest very different sucep- 
tibility to, or power to take advantage of, the 
symbiosis. The fact, as shown by Professor 
Nobbe, that Papilionaceous shrubs and trees, as 
well as herbaceous plants, are susceptible to 
the symbiosis, and luider its influence may gain 
much nitrogen, is of interest from a scieutitic 
point of view as serving to explain Uie source 
of some of the combined nitrogen accumulated ; 
througli ages on tlie surface of tlie globe ; and 
also from a practical point of view, since, es- 
pecially m tropical coiwlries, sucU plants yieI4 
