748 
Supplement to the '^Tropical Agncultunst. 
[April I 1891, 
GENEKAL ITEMS. 
Mr. T. W. Goonewardene, Agricultnral In- 
structor at Kolonna, writes : — Kolonna is a small 
village situated fifteen miles to the east of 
Eakwana, and consisting of about sixty dwelling 
houses surrounded by hills on three sides. The 
average temperature may be fixed at 82°, and the 
rainfall, as calculated last year, 50’38. The 
small rainfall at present is no doubt partly trace- 
able to the destruction of the forests for chena 
cultivation. The inhabitants depend mainly on 
kurakkan, and, to a smaller extent on paddy. 
They devote most of their time to chena cultiva- 
tion, owing no doubt, for one reason, because it 
is less troublesome than paddy cultivation. 
Parangi and fever, whether due to the common 
diet of dry grain and elk’s flesh or other causes, 
are very common among the people. Both clayey 
and sandy soils are found in the district, and 
these overlie a dolomitic limestone formation 
which is seen on the sides and bed of the river. 
The natives burn this limestone and prepare lime 
for washing their house walls. There was hardly 
any rain during January last, and the drought 
coupled with the prevalence of fever makes it 
hard to carry on any experimental cultivation 
on a large scale. There is also no tank to which 
we can look for water to irrigate the fields dur- 
ing the dry seasons. There are only two tanks 
in the korale, one near Maduwanwela Ratema- 
hatmeyas’ residence, tlie other at Hulandawa. The 
R. M. is doing inuch philanthropic work, and the 
poor and afflicted inhabitants owe much to him 
as well as to Br. Vethecaii. I have been engaged 
in preparing a piece of land for the cultivation 
of dhall, which I shall endeavour to popularise 
among the inhabitants as a nutritious food. 
Mr. Juanis writes from Nildandahinna. The 
weather at present (March 3rd) is very warm, 
there having been no rain for two weeks past. 
This sudden drought and heat is most inoppor- 
tune, and not having been calculated on, is doing 
much harm to the young crops, especially those 
in hilly i^laces where it is so difficult to water 
them by the hand. If there is no break in the 
weather before long, andthe drought holds out for a 
month or two, the paddy crop must prove a total 
failure, and the people must look for bad times 
owing to short food supplies. The dhall and' 
arrowroot I planted are holding out well, under 
adverse conditions. 
Mr. Jayasuriya, head-teacher Walapaue, sends 
a translation of a curious “disquisition on 
water” from the “ Yoga-arnawa” of Meyrupada, 
an eminent and learned priest who lived in the 
reign of Rrakrama Balm III. A. D. 1267 : — 
Of all waters rain-water is the best — it is 
Jiglit, promotc's appetite, destroys the three dos 
('^■iz.,,bile, jililegm nndwiiidj,aud is an antidote for 
jjoison. Tlie same wlien it enters into the earth, 
well.-), Ac. acquires different tastes and loses 
mucli of its virtue. Tlie water of rivulets is 
tasteless, but it jn-oduces flatulency; tlmt of 
lakes i.s sweet and light; that of tanks pre- 
vents liolh jihlegm and llalulency, that of 
j) 0 )ids jiromotes flatulency, that of pools is 
tasteless and induces hunger,! liat of waterfalls and 
rapids is liglit and destroys phlegm, that of wells 
promotes hunger and flatulency, that of water" 
springs destroys bile, and that which proceeds 
from mountains, washing them in its course, as 
well as that contained in natural lakes, causes 
pulmonary diseases, affections of tlie head, boils 
in the necks, Ac. River-water which flows east- 
ward is light, and that which proceeds westward 
is heavy; the same if in a muddy locality is heavy, 
but in stony places is light. The water of a first 
shower of rain, by reason of its coming in contact 
with dry organic matter, and engendering worms 
and insects, produces coughs, cold, asthma and 
inflammations. Rain water should not be used 
during autumn, since it is said to fall on account 
of serpents. But above all, let not water teem- 
ing with animalculae or filthy water, or water 
mixed with sevel (Valisneria) in stagnant pools, 
or water which lias seen the light of neither the 
sun nor moon, be used. 
The following answer is given to a correspon- 
dent to the Agricultural Journal of Cape Colony 
who puts the query, “Has the Banana seed, and 
can it be propagated from seed as well as from 
the tuber .P Also at what age does it begin to 
bear.P”: — 
Answer . — The Banana, like most plants culti- 
vated from time immemorial, has altered enor- 
mously from the wild form. There are dozens 
of varieties ; andthe ones most prized are those 
absolutely without seeds. Obviously such plants 
can only be propagated by vegetative method, 
analogous to cuttings, suclters, layers, &c. The 
custom is to allow the stem of the year to rix^eii 
its fruit, then to cut it down a little above the 
ground. A little mulching of old banana leaves 
is heaped loosely at the base, and in a few weeks 
new shoots spring up from the side of the old 
stool. The largest of these shoots has been known 
to show bloom in the third month after appear- 
ance aboveground. But if the major part of the 
old stool is cut away and the root mass or 
rhizome be transplanted, it will not show fruit 
till the tenth and eleventh month. Some varieties 
of Banana, however, have seed. Finlayson, in 
his Siamese Journey, found examples of culti- 
vated bananas with a few seeds, and mentions a 
wild sort full of seed, but deficient in pulp. 
(Journal Voyage to Siam, London, 8vo., 1826, 
I>. 56.) Meyer describes the “ Plantano de Pepita,” 
in the Island of Luzon, which though propagated 
as usual by shoots from the rhizome, is full of 
fertile seed, and is good eating. 
Practically, at the Cape and Natal, shoots are the 
only mode of propagation. Even if seeds were 
obtained the result would be unsatisfactory, as 
the seedlings would be sure to “ throw back,” or 
revert to the Avild state, more or less. This 
custom of using seedlings of orchard trees for 
fruiting, instead of for stocks to graft on, is 
ruinous to the character of Cape fruit, and 
accounts for our mostly tasteless apples, our 
leathery peaches, and thick-sldnned oranges. I 
have known a banana shoot bear in the third 
year, but it is mostly a question of climate. 
An excellent remedy for hoven in cattle is 
said to be carbonate of soda. The soda— one 
ounce— must be given in a bottle of warm water 
and slowly poured doAvn the throat. This is 
recommended even for horses, 
