January i, 1891.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
487 
to note tliat the advantages of employing such men 
consisted not merely in having an intelligent manager 
but also a disciplined and honest employee. The 
report concluded by speaking of the loss of their 
old Director, Mr. Green, to whom the School owed its 
existence and success, but they had also to welcome 
the presence of Mr. Ou’l, whose established reput ation 
as an educationalist insured the successful direction 
of the Department of Public Instruction. 
Mr. J. B. Cull, M. A., the new Director of Public In- 
struction, then rose and said : — Sir Edward Walker, Mr. 
Principal and ladies and gentlemen, — I congratulate 
myself in the fact that my predecessor, Mr. Green, has 
come amongst us this evening prepared with a speech. 
The School is pre-eminently a poem of his own com- 
position ; and the fact that I am so completely new to 
the use of the plough makes it impossible for me 
to comment on the nature or the results of the 
School in any way as adequately as I would wish. 
I congratulate you, Mr. Principal, on the record you 
have been able to present for the year. I learn that 
'that there are 26 students on the roll, and the report 
of those students who have been sent forth to 
work in the various districts is entirely satis- 
factory. (Applause.) I leave it to my predecessor 
to comment upon" the various modes of agricnltnre 
that are carried on in the island with unvarying success 
in the various pirovinces. As regards the School itself 
1 note with great pleasure that it embodies oae of the 
most noble feelings, and, what is best, it teaches the 
dignity of labour. (Applause.) Passing the compound 
the other day I was struck by seeing the boys engaged 
in mammottying and other kinds of operations, and 
in a country like thi.s, such kind of work is 
eminently satisfactory. It has been wisely remarked 
that a man who makes a blade of grass to grow in 
a p'ace where there was no grass at all is a bene- 
factor to the country, and this is the great object of 
the Agricultural School — multiplication of the fruits of 
the earth ; making nature yield more abundantly aud 
tending to eliminate as far as human agency can 
eliminate the ill-effects arising from untoward climatic 
conditions in the island. (Applause.) Heading in 
cmnection with this subject a poem written many 
centuries ago, entitled, “ Georgis de Virgil,” I was 
struck with the rule laid down regarding ploughing 
in which the author recommends that as a preparation 
for ploughing one should take his coat off, and put 
his shoulder to the plough, and it is universally true 
that a man who cannot take bis coat off and put his 
backbone into his plough is a very incomplete agri- 
culturist. (Applause.) I will not occupy your time 
any longer in view of the speeches which are to follow; 
save to express my great gratification at being present 
here this evening and to express the ;interest I have 
always taken on behalf of the School of Agrioultnre. 
('Loud applause,) 
Mr. H. W. Green next rose, aud slid that the 
students of the Agricultural School, unlike other ordi- 
nary educational establishments, were limited to a 
certain number. They had a great many applications 
for boys, but their number was limited to 23 
ill his time and now he saw it was 26. They only 
wanted a select number of boys, who had the interests 
of agriculture at heart. He read in the newspapers 
that one of the boya had been sent from the School 
to tho clerical e.xaminatiou, but he hoped that the 
Priccipal would never allow this to occur again, for the 
one object with which the boys entered the School of 
Agriculture was to quality themselves in agricultural know- 
ledge and to go forth and spread forth that knowledge. 
■\Vben he first thought of an Agricultural School, ha had 
many discuuragemeuts to contend with, but he was 
now glad to flud that he had successfully broken the 
ice. There wrre eleven agricultural instructors, seven 
of whom were paid by Government aid five private’y, 
s) that all their old students were not s'mply em- 
ployed under Government. The improved plough bad 
douo a great iloal to foster agricu ture, and from 
tho reporls to hand, bo found that the crops bad 
more than doubled their umal yield by the use of 
the p'ouglu They had sent out their young men to 
work with the improved ploughs aud they had all 
done good work. The other day he sent out a hard- 
working man to work in a place some 19 or 20 miles 
from Triiicomalee. The people there were not inclined 
to work at first, but the speaker himself spoke to 
the peop'e and told them that if they did work 
they could share the profits equally and so ward 
off starvation. At last they did set to work and 
they got a good return and shared the pofits. 
He moved the instructor on to the next st tiou, 
aud the result was so eminently gratifying that here 
were several applications for the ploughs. Their ob- 
ject was to disseminate a knowledge of agriculture so 
that others might follow the example ; for ho found 
the Sinhalese people always ready to take advantage 
of opportunities offered to them. They wanted the 
young men to work, A good many had already taken 
advantage of employment on estates, and he was quite 
sure that the education received here would not be 
thrown away in vain. In conclnsion he wished all 
success to the institution and wished the pupils good- 
bye. (Applause.) 
The distribution of awards then took place accorde 
ing to tho following lisf, each recipient as he cams 
up to receive his gift being heartily cheered by hi 
comrades : — 
Seniors. — Agriculture, Chemistry, Botany, Ziology, 
Eatomology, Eaglish, History and Geography, 
Mathematics, and Practical Chemistry (the late Mr. 
de Soysa’s prize) all gained by J. A. Kodippily ; 
Veterinary Science was won by A. Drieberg; aud 
Practical Agriculture by J. P. Banasingbe. 
Juniors.— Agriculture and Geology by P. V. Cooray , 
and Chemistry, Botany, English, History and Geo- 
graphy, Mathematics, and Field Surveying (the Grenier 
prize) all by E. M. Johnannes. 
THE president’s speech . 
The prize-giving over, Sir E. Walker said Mr. 
Principal and ladies and gentlemen : — It gives me 
great pleasure to come here today and to make the 
acquaintance of the School of Agriculture and to join 
with you by your presence in the expreasion of en- 
couragement to the masters who have been engaged 
in teaching the boys during the past year and con- 
gratulating the boys themselves on their course of 
study. (Applause.) I trust that those who have 
received prizes today will find in them an en- 
couragement to persevere in after Ufa and to exer- 
cise that industry which have enabled them to attain 
certifioateSi I am not altogether a stranger to the 
School of Agriculture. The deservedly high terms in 
which Mr. Green has spoken of the institution I am 
well aware of, as it has been my good fortune to have 
been much associated with Mr. Green, and|from him I 
have from time to time heard a groat deal of the 
School and have been much impressed with the zeal 
and the interest he has taken in it. (Applause.) I 
think the Principal in his Beport has very rightly 
expressed regret at his loss, but it is not a very real 
loss after all, for you have in his successor a gentleman 
who has the interests of praotioal edneation at heart, 
and I feel sure that he would use his beat efforts in 
furthering the work of agricnltnre. (Applause ) And 
you have Mr. Green in a position to help you at the 
Governor’s elbow and as my principal colleague and 
assistant. As regards the work of the School I have 
heard of several accounts disparaging and discouraging 
the work and utility of the edneation given in this 
institution. Of course it would be difficult by statistics 
to show how valuable the School wag, but I am of 
opinion from all the information! have gathered, that 
those boys who have been sent forth from this School 
into the various provinces of the island are doing good 
work in agriculture, (Applause.) I pat tho question 
to Mr. Drieberg when I came into the room whether 
dorieg his travels about the country he had seen good 
work being carried on in agriculture as the result 
of tbe money spent on it, and he unhesitatingly 
answered in the affirmative, aud I think we may take 
his opinion as one of considerable value. His opinion 
is, moreover, of an independent character, because ho 
belongs to this country and it is not as if be wore 
speaking of tho resnlts of his own labours, but of those 
who have gone before him. Some people have tried to 
