THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May I, 189I. 
796 
The sample instrument in my possession was 
shown to Sir J. Gordon Sprigg, and as he approved 
of it, he gave an order home for six dozen. They 
have probably come by this time, and may be at 
the disposal of the Colonial Secretary. The intention, 
I suppose, was 10 place them in the hands of 
magistrates or other public oflicers, so that they 
might be seen by farmers and others in the rural 
districts, besides being used. No farm-house should 
be without a cupping instrument for snake-bite ; 
puff-adders and other snakes are so numerous, and 
there are so many children, servants, cattle, horses 
and dogs liable to be bitten. The cupping glass 
will also bo serviceable for the sting of the scorpion, 
the bite of the tarantula, the stings of wasps, 
and if applied at the moment, for poisonous blood 
or matter getting into a scratch. — Andrew Smith, 
Note. — The cupping instruments have come, and a 
set will be sent on application to any Civil Cornmissiocer 
or qualified medical practitioner. I may add that it 
has for a long time been ray habit, in travelling, to 
carry, in my pocket, a small glass funnel for use in 
sucking the puncture in ca.se of a snake bite. This, 
of course, does not act so poweriully as a cupping 
instrument, but has the advantage of being small enough 
to be easily carried in one’s pocket.— Editoe, — Agricul- 
tural Journal- 
❖ — — 
POULTKY NOTES. 
Change the straw or hay in the nest boxes fre- 
quently. 
In shipping fowls give them plenty of room, but make 
the coops a.s light as possible. Bxpre.ss companies have 
no souLs and rates are high, and all we can do is 
to protest and pay. 
It is only necessary to examine a chicken’.s crop to 
ascertain that a good variety of food as well as bones 
or gravel is essential, and ordinarily a good supply of 
a variety of f.od will be found much better than any 
kind of medicine. 
Bran is excellent for poultry, but the bens care 
but little for it unless scalded. To make it “ stick,” 
and a handful of linseed meal to every point of bran. 
The two substances are an excellent combination, and 
will greatly aid the hens in producing eggs. 
Do not be tempted to keep a cock that is not a 
thoroughbred, or that is related to the hens, no 
matter ho iv promising he may seem. Change the cocks 
every year, and the flock will gradually improve in 
vigor, resulting in a greater number of healthy chicks, 
as well as an increase in the supply of eggs. 
The coarse grain so universally fed to poultry is 
both expensive and unprofitable ; being swallowed 
hurriedly and olten in unwise quantities, it frequently 
produces indigestion or other serious disorders. A 
mixture of four parts of wheat bran to one of meal 
is what I feed, with signal success aud satisfaction 
to both laying hens and growing chicks. — Florida Agri- 
cvX-.urist. 
OKCIIID HUNTING 
appears to be a fine adventurous sport — not so 
exciting, perhaps, as Waterton’s snaring of the 
caymans with baited hooks in the great rivers of 
Brazil, but getting on that way. Unfortunately, 
the most prized of our orchids are reported to 
be rapidly disappearing from their native places. 
According to the “ Journal des Orohideee,” in the 
environs of Pacho (Ecuador), where hundreds of 
thousands of specimens of the Odontoglossum 
Alexandra: have been collected, only a few plants 
are now loft. In other places where it once 
fiouriehed, it has entirely vanished. Though not 
in the true sense of tho word a parasite, this 
beautiful plant prefers to grow upon the trunks of 
trees, which the natives dread to climb on account 
of the scorpiona and stinging ants. Hence the 
praotico is to fell the huge tree, withjtho frequent 
result that no orchid is found. ,c4The hunters, it is 
Btatcd, separate into parties of five or ten, and dis- 
appear for a fortnight in the dense South American 
forest, relying for food in great part upon their 
guns, and sleeping at night in hammocks, When 
sufl5.cient specimens have been collected they are 
cleaned, wiped dry, placed carefully in crates on 
the backs of mules, and thus carried to the point 
of embaikatioii — Honda — on the river Magdalena. 
The journey occupies at least five days, even if the 
parly are lucky enough to escape the frequent 
tropical rains which convert peaceful brooks into 
raging tonents, Sometimes it is found necessary 
to throw temporary bridges over these suddenly 
swollen water-ccurses and to carry the crates across 
by hand, while the mules, relieved of their burdens, 
swim across as they best can. The withering torrid 
heat is the greatest difficulty. — Fuhlic Ojiinion . 
^ 
Paddy and Dey Grain Crops in Ceylon — 
From the Abstract of Season Beports for March 
1891, published in the latest Gazette, we learn 
that in the Colombo district the condition of the 
paddy crops was good generally, with the exception 
of portions of Siyane Kotale West, where recent rains 
had done some aamage. It is also slated that “there 
is no distress or want of food anywhere, and the 
health of the district is on the whole good.” In 
other parts of the Western Province also the prospects 
were favorable. In the Central Province, on the 
other hand, the paddy crops in the Kandy district 
were reported as generally poor ; while the kurak- 
kan crop, where cultivated, was only fair. In the 
Matale district, however, the paddy crops, where 
they were in existence, were “much benefited by recent 
unexpected rains.” In the Nuwata Eliya district 
paddy and kuiakkan were only fair or poor, 
owing to poverty of soil and drought, except in 
Kotmale, where the paddy crop was good. With 
regard to the Northern Province, the report from 
Jotfna on the paddy crop was : — “Heaping throughout 
district completed. Crop on the whole good, though 
there has been failure in some viltagas as already 
reported.” And on kurakkan : — “ Good crop ex- 
pected owing to benefit by rain.” It was also 
added : — “ Tobacco in some places out — prospects 
of a very good crop.” P’rom the other districts of 
this province the reports were not very satisfactory ; 
the dry grain crops seem to have been better than 
the paddy. In the Southern Province good showers 
had fallen, aud the prospects generally were favor- 
able. From the Battioaloa district of the Eastern 
Province it was reported ; — “ Prospects of grain 
crops most favorable. Harvesting of early munmari 
proceeding, and very extensive cultivation for kalla- 
wellamai in progress. The new paddy one rupee 
per bushel. Supplies of vegetables and Indian corn 
abundant, and cheap. Indian corn 75 cents per 
bushel. Manioc unsaleable though ofiered at 50 ots, 
per cwt. Plenty of water in tank, and rain at inter- 
vals.” In the Trinoomalee district progress was 
slow on account of cattle murrain. In the iNorth-; 
Western Province rains had fallen, but too late to do 
much good, except in the Wanni and Chilaw. The 
tobacco crops in the latter division were excellent. 
From the North-Central Province ihe report was ; 
“ Partially distributed ruin filled some tanks in east, 
west, and south of Nuwarakalawiya. Maha crop 
nil owing to drought, except in Kalpe korale and 
a few villages of Nuwaragam palata. Chenas 
partially revived by recent ram. Kurakkan crop 
generally middling. Abnormal rainfall in Taman- 
kaduwa. Maha crop, where cultivated late, good, 
Chenas average half crop, and being reaped. Drink- 
ing water bad, and scarce in many villages.” In the 
Badulla district of the Province of Uva the kurak- 
kan and Indian corn crops were fair except in 
Buttala, where excessive drought had made the 
h6n poor. In the Province of Sabaragamuwa the 
crops aud prospects were generall7 good, 
