820 
Supplement to the '•’■TropicAl AgHcUltmisiS [May i i8<5i' 
I 
lages. The land which is generally hilly is of 
a fertile character, as is evidenced by the gene- 
ral appearance of vegetation. The inhabitants are 
nearly all engaged in Agricultural pursuits, and 
the district contains a large extent of paddy 
land, but the soil yields nothing like wliat it 
should under a proper system of cultivation ; 
yet the produce the people get by tlie un- 
satisfactory methods wliich they adopt clearly 
proves the good quality of the land. The majo- 
rity of the inhabitants supplement their in- 
come by wages received for working in plum- 
bago mines and on tea estates. The plumbago 
industry is carried on to a large extent in the 
district, and though the workmen’s wages are 
by no means high, yet, there are men found to 
undertake the unpleasant and tedious work re- 
(|uired in idumbago mining. There are many 
Tea Estates in the Korale near the Kaluganga, 
and these supply a good deal of work to the 
people. But there is yet more land suited to 
paddy cultivation, waiting to be brought under 
the plough, and it will undoubtedly be a great 
boon to the inhabitants if an Agricultural In- 
structor be appointed to the district, so that they 
may become acquainted with the advantages to 
be derived by the use of new implements and 
the adoption of an imjjroved system of cultivation. 
In the last report of the Director of the Royal 
Botanical Gardens we read : — “The first flowering 
also of the coco-de-nier (Lodoicea Sechellaruni) 
requires special notice. The tree is in its fortieth 
year, and examination of the immature flowers 
shows it to be a male. ■ The inflorescence appeared 
at the end of June (1890), being put forth from 
the stem between the halves of the split ba.se of 
one of the leaf-stalks. I regret -to say it never 
got beyond the bud stage, some mischievous 
person having cut off the whole inflorescence 
soon after its appearance. We may, however, 
now expect the production of flowers each year.” 
Antiaris Toxicaria is the upas tree which yields 
(Jims antiar a kind of green resin containing 
Antiarin, a poisonous principle. It is this resin 
which the Javeiiese msefor poisoning their arrows. 
Curiously the exudation from the same tree grown 
in the Malay Peninsula is innocuous, as proved 
by examination of, and experiment with, a sample 
sent by His E.xcellency Sir Cecil Smitli to Kew. 
The earliest forms of Cinnamon occur in the 
Caniozoic or Tertiary period of geology. In 
tlie oligocene deposits found in Europe, the 
leavc.s of cinnamon occur in the clays and 
sandstone.s, and in .some localities fosfsil speci- 
mcn.s of tlie trees are associated with tho.se of 
jialins, llic gum tree, acacias, custard-apple, 
lotus, camjdior tree, and mimosa. Later on, 
ci7)namon is found iti tin; mioceno dcqiosits 
jussociated witli tin- lig, \ inc, olive, ebony, and 
myrtle, I bus ))roving (lie (ro]hcal character of 
the climate which jircvailed ov(>r iVcsttirn coun- 
tries at that remritc jicriod. 
Tie- food of ant.s consists of in.sc.cts, fruit, 
lioney and honeydew. Tlii.s last i,s a sweet 
liquid of a vi.scid de.scription excreted 
by the aphides or plant-lice from a gland which 
is situated near the extremity of the abdomen, 
and communicates with the interior by two 
tubular filaments. The aphis is a curious little 
creature which blights our plants -and trees, and 
though it is an enemy of ' ours it is a great 
friend of the ant.«, moi'c e.specially young ants. It 
increases in numljers with wonderful rapidity by 
a process of parthenogenesis, and it will be 
noticed that wherever plant-lice aboimd ant.s 
are always present. The ant greedily devour 
the sweet excretion from the aphide.s, while 
they can also be observed to stroke and caress 
these plant-lice till the latter voluntarily exude 
the coveted liquid. In fact the ant “milks” the 
aphis, and the latter is therefore with reason 
called the ant’s cow. It is even stated that 
ants keep a])hides in their nests for milking pur- 
poses. It a common mistake among some to 
suppose that ants de.stroy plant-lice l)y feeding 
upon them. The aphides, which live iqjon the 
juices of plants, belong to the sub-order Homop- 
tera, to which also belong the Coccidce or scale 
insects and the Fiih/ora or fireflies. 
Mr. Baumgartner, Assistant Government Agent 
of Matara, has left his station on furlough, much 
to the regret of the inhabitants of the Matara 
District. He has made himself conspicuous 
among Government officials by the interest he 
took in Agriculture and Horticulture, as well as 
in the welfare of the people generally, Before 
leaving, Mr. Bauingartner sent in a complete and 
excellent collection of specimens of the raw 
and manufactured products of his di.strict for 
the Imperial Institute. 
The following articles have been received for 
the School of Agriculture Museum Samples 
of tine grains grown in Kolonne Rorale, Rak- 
wana, from Mr. T. W. Goonewardene ; an old 
porcelain plate, and a Kandyan lacquer plate, 
from Mr. T. B. Pohath Kehelpannala ; specimens 
of Garuiuhigalla from Walapana, from Mr. L. P. 
Jayasuriya and Mr. H. D. Lewis ; a beautiful 
stalactitic specimen of caju tree gum, four feet 
four inches long, from Mr. J. P Ranasinghe. 
W e have to acknowledge copies of the Jaffna 
College Miscellany, and the number for March 
and April of the St. Thomas’ College Magazine, 
Mr. Alanchanayake and Air. Cooray, late of 
this School, having both got appointments under 
the Straits Settlement Government, have left 
Ceylon for Singapore. 
Among the more notable Exhibits at the 
Grama Rakshaha Samagama Show held at Dalu- 
gama on the 27th April, were a youg buffalo, 
.'3 ^ years old, covered with tine greyi.sh hair, 
said to be cross between an Iirdian and Ceylon 
Imifalo; some .splendid coconuts of enormous size 
sent by Mr. Valerian Perera and Mr. John Rana- 
singlic ; ?> uncommon-looking mangoes, of a 
reddish line like those commonly met witli in 
Nortl) India, exhibited by Air. D. M. D. Alvis ; and 
a bunch of gigantic plantains by Mr. Weerakoon, 
