886 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist.” 
[June I, iSgr. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
We omitted to make mention in our notice of 
the Grama Eakshaka Samagama’s Show at Da- 
lugama, of a locally made plough exhibited by 
Mr. Lobus Dharmaratne, Notary. It attracted 
much attention from the fact that it was of an 
improved type, wa.s made in the district, a nd had 
been long used without showing signs of deterio- 
ration. On enquiry we found that the gentleman 
above-mentioned had some years ago seen one of 
the improved ploughs introduced by Mr. Green at 
work and being struck with the efficient manner in 
which it turned over the soil, was led to 
believe that it would be an advantage to have 
an implement of that kind to work up his paddy- 
land. In fact there is little difference 
between the Dalugama plough and Howard’s 
“ Cingalee,” except that the share in the 
latter is about two inches broader than that 
in the former. The arrangement for the regula- 
tion of the depth of furrow is simple and conve- 
nient. There was some mistake about the cost of 
the plough as stated at the show, the price named 
there being that which was paid to the workman 
who was supplied with the materials. The true 
cost is twelve rupees, and it is marvellously cheap 
at the price. One of these implements has j ust 
been sent to the school of agriculture at our 
request for trial, and we hope to fully test its 
work shortly. Considering that the implement is 
the work of a village-smith it is a most creditable 
piece of workmanship. 
The latest volume of “ Proceedings of the Royal 
Physical Society” includes a paper on the classi- 
fication and distribution of earthworms by 
Frank E. Beddard, m.a. f.b. s.e. f.l.s. Of the 
species allotted to the Oriental region, the follow- 
ing are given as occurring in Ceylon, and as having 
been identified in a trustworthy manner : — Peri- 
chaeta cserulea, P. affinis, P. Houlleti, P. Ceylonica, 
and Deodrilus Jacksoni. The iusufliciently-known 
species found in Ceylon are given as Perichoeta 
leucocycla, P. Viridis, P. Brachycycla, and P. 
Cingulata. 
The Saturday Review is convinced that the 
three best oriental fruits are the Mango, the 
coconut, and the Durian. The Mango is lauded 
as a “ divine ” fruit — the ‘ real ambrosia.” 
Few in Ceylon will be inclinded to agree with the 
Saturday Review in its opinion as to the three 
best fruits of the east. 
Dr. Bonavia, in his worlr on the oranges and 
lemon.s of India and Ceylon, recogni.ses two dis- 
tinct types of “ Sweet-oranges ” : — The Malta or 
Portugal orange which is close-skinned, and the 
Suntara orange of India, a loose-skinned fruit. 
Botli these he tliinks came into India originally 
from China or Cochin China. The Seville orange 
which was tlie first to reach Europe is found wild 
in Cochin China, and, in only one place, in 
India ; but Dr. Bonavia does not believe it could 
liave been the progenitor of (he ot her two. The 
pummolo, which De Candolh,' rankl'd as a di.s- 
tinct sj)ecies, is considiired by tin; author to he a 
giant variety, develo])ed under ti'0])ical and sub- 
tropical conditions of luxuriance from the Poitu- 
gal orange, and to have acquired its modern charac- 
ters in the Malayan Archipelago. The original 
wild pummelo has never been discovered. The 
Keoula orange is placed in a distinct group, in 
which Dr. Bonavia includes the mandarin. This 
latter says the Indian Ayriculturist is grown ^^■ith 
some difficulty in India. It is mentioned as 
growing well in the Peradeniya Gardens in Ceylon. 
Besides the above varieties there is the “Khatta ” 
or “Karva” orange, the pulp of which is very sour 
though free from bitterness. Of this it is said that 
it is very distinct from the others, and that it is 
not certain whether it should be classed as an 
orange or a lemon. “I am informed,” says Dr. 
Bonavia, “ that this Khatta orange makes a good 
sweet jelly, and also a good marmalade. I know 
the decoction of its fruit is a good febrifuge, and 
also a good sijlenifuge.” 
Dr. W agner is reported to have said in a lecture 
recently delivered at Darmstadt, that “ our experi- 
ments show clearly that green manure enables us 
to make cheap atmosphere nitrogen accessible 
even to those plants Mdiich are not capable of 
taking it up directly. The only condition is that 
we employ as green manure i^lants which are 
really “ nitrogen increasers,” viz. lupins, peas, 
clovers, horsebeans, serradella, vetches &c. Dr. 
Wagner is evidently an upholder of Hellriegell's 
theory, regarding the source of nitrogen in legu- 
minous plants, which, however, English experi- 
ments have negatived. That the leguminose 
have peculiar facilities for collecting nitrogen is 
admitted on all hands, but that they do so from a 
source other than the soil still remains to be 
proved. The results of foreign and British experi- 
ments have differed before now. In the early 
days of agricultural chemstry. French experi- 
ments tended to jirove that plants absorbed free 
nitrogen from the air through their leaA'es, but 
this idea is now quite exploded. 
♦ 
THE CULTIVATION OF MANIOC. 
(Concluded.) 
II. (Jatropha UtilhimaJ 
By W. A. De Silva. 
The use of the Manioc yam as food is restricted 
to certain districts of the Island esiiecially the 
Western and the North-Western In other pro- 
vinces the cultivation is only sparsedly carried on, 
probably as the demand is so small, as well as 
because people are naturally afraid of being pois- 
oned by eating the yam. Cases of poisoning by 
manioc are very rare and they verj>- seldom occur 
in the districtspvhere it is largely consumed. One 
possible reason of this is, that by repeated culti- 
vation the manioc in these districts may have lost to 
some degree its poisonous properties, for by cul- 
tivation plants are improved to a great extent. 
Even in places where the yam is largely grown it 
sometimes proves to be poisonous and occasionally 
causes death. The disastrous results often occur by 
using the yam without proper preparation, 
either by means of drying or boiling. 
The poisonous principle in the manioc is be- 
lieved to be hydroc3'anic acid, a nitro-carbon 
compound, and in proof of the presence of this 
acid it may be mentioned that the leave* and yams 
