538 
Supplement to the ^'Tropical Agncultmist. 
[January i, 1891 
but I am of opinion from all the information I 
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 put the question to 
Mr. Drieberg when 1 came into the room whether 
during his travels about the country he had seen 
good work being carried on in agriculture as the 
result of the money spent on it, and he un- 
hesitatingly answered in the affirmative, and I 
think we may take his opinion as one of con- 
siderable value. His opinion is, moreover, of an 
independent character, because he belongs to 
this country, and it is not as if he were speaking 
of the results of his own labours, but of those 
who have gone before him. Some people have 
tried to throw cold water over the scliool : but if 
the boys only worked quietly and persistently their 
labours would bear much fruit. (Applause.) Tlie 
Principal has referred to a pupil who had gone 
to the district of Walapane. Well, I know of 
no one who is likely to do more good to that 
unfortunate part of the district than one who 
would instil into the poor people there some 
knowledge of agriculture, and if he did that he 
would certainly accomplish more than wliat 
Government officials and Colonial Secretaries had 
yet been able to achieve. In conclusion, I have 
only to express the great pleasure it has given 
me today in taking part in the prize-giving this 
year. (Loud applause.) 
The Hon. Mr. J. J. Ghinlinton followed, and 
in the course of a spirited address urged on the 
School the desirability of experimenting upon 
the system of transplanting paddy. In some parts 
of the country this system was a success, while in 
other parts it was a failure, chiefly because inmany 
cases transplanting took place at the wrong 
time and the plants died. He hoped that the 
matter would occupy the attention of the Princi- 
pal and his puplis, for transplanting was carried on 
on an extensive scale with various other products, 
and he saw no reason why they should not carry 
out experiments in transplanting paddy. With 
regard to the remarks "which fell from the 
President and Mr. Green that cold water was being 
thrown on what they did by some people, he 
believed that these people were everywhere in 
the world, and the very men who had not lifted 
a finger to help them and had done all they 
could to discourage them would whenever they 
heard that success did attend their efforts, say 
“We told you so.” (Laughter aud applause.) 
He counselled the young men not to trouble them- 
selves about the ciiticisms levelled against them, 
but simply to work on steadily and success would 
assuredly follow. He was sorry to find that the 
)Sinhalese nation were not giving that attention 
to cultivation which they did in the ancient days. 
In those days their one ambition was to possess 
and cultivate the land, but now the majority of 
the young men only tried to get educated and 
seek einjiloyment under Government on the 
•^malle-st jjittance. This, the speaker said, was 
what ought to be discouraged; and he thought 
the be.^^t thing for our young men to do was to put 
their HboulderH to the plough and to give their 
nttetition to agriculture. ( A])plaus(!.) In addition 
to agricultural knowledge, a knowledge in mer- 
cani ih- matters was also indispe.nsable. Ho would 
iiulanco the case of those gmitlemen in England 
who were trained to agricultural pursuits in 
preference to a berth under Government, and he 
maintained that if the young men oiily considered 
the advantages to be gained from a knowledge 
of agriculture, they were bound to succeed in 
life. In conclusion, the speaker proceeded to 
advocate technical training. The School was only 
in its infancy, and they had heard of the success 
which had attended their elforts ; and if success 
had attended efforts where difficulties had to be 
surmounted before, he had no doubt that a school 
for technical education would also meet "with 
success. (Applause.) Without technical educa- 
tion the School could not prosper, aud he would 
be very glad if technical education was brought 
to the very doors of the natives. (Loud applause.) 
Mr. H. W. Gheen referring to Mr. Grinlinton’s 
remarks regarding the system of transplanting 
said that was the first thing he started with, as 
it was the system which brought out the best 
returns. In China and Japan this system of trans- 
planting brought enormous folds, and even trans- 
planting in the sandy soil at the back of the 
room resulted in a yield of .o39-fold. Another 
great advantage in favour of transplanting was 
that 10 measures sufficed to plant out an acre of 
land, whereas the people usually used two or two 
and a half or three busliels an acre. The system 
too could also be carried by means of a nursery 
in one corner of the field, and during a period of 
drought the cultivator would be able to water this 
small piece of ground from liis cluitty and thereby 
to tide over the period of drought without being 
starved. (Applause). 
The PiiESiDENT said that in bringing the pro- 
ceedings to a close he wi.shed all the pupils a 
successful career. He might mention that in con- 
nection with the eleven students who had left the 
institution for the various provinces, the fact that 
five had been employed by private parties indi- 
cated that they had shown an independent appre- 
ciation of the worth of the School. ( Applause.) 
Three hearty cheers having been given to Sir E. 
Noel Walker for presiding on the occasion, follow- 
ed by rounds of cheering for the Principal and 
the visitors, the gathering adjourned to the green, 
where light refreshments were partaken of: the 
Band of the C. L. I. V. treating the people to 
some excellent music. 
GENEEAL ITEMS; 
Mr. II. S. Holmes Pegler, Author of “ The 
book of the Goat,” vuiting to the Agricultural 
Gazette on the milking properties of goats, says 
that two Cjuarts a day is a fair average for a 
good milker. A goat which was exhibited at 
the Royal Aquarium Show and won the milking 
prize gave nearly a gallon a day. In Switzerland 
and Malta much attention has been given to the 
'improvement of the milking qualities of goats. 
Regarding quality, Mr. Pegler says that in 
almost every case goats’ milk is richer than of 
the cow ; heavy milkers, however, as a rule 
supply a comparatively poor yield. In order to 
compare the comparative richness of the milk of 
the goat and the cow, an analysis was made of the 
milk from a Cashmere goat belonging to the 
Queen, and that of a Shorthorn cow, wijiner of 
