Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist. 
[June I, i8gf. 
890 
plough the land shallow and then lay out the 
vineyard and plant the cuttings. All the ground 
in tliis vineyard is trenched to a full depth of two 
feet, the soil well turned up to the weather, and 
by these means a good crop of fruit has been 
secured even in dry weather.” It is such thorough 
tillage that we ought to adopt here in Ceylon in 
the culture of grapes as well as that of many other 
crops. 
Haputale, E. T. Hoole. 
22nd May 1891. 
(To be continued.) 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
Mr. J. P. Manchanayake writes from Kuala 
Lumpur, Strait Settlement : — The climate here is 
rather warmer than that of Ceylon, and the rain- 
fall excessive — June and July being the wettest 
months. The frequent showers mitigate tlie heat 
to a great extent, and the place is rendered of a 
fairly healthy nature. Kuala Lumpur which is 
the seat of Government of Selangor, is situated in 
a vailey about 22 miles away from Klang where 
tlie steamers touch at, and which is connected by 
a railway with the Capital. Wild animals are 
numerous in these parts, and are a cause of much 
danger in clearing forest lands. Tin is mined to 
a considerable extent, and gold is also found in 
some parts. There are splendid timber-trees to be 
found here, and most of them straight-grown and 
rising to a great height. The Chinese section of 
the inhabitants go in for cultivation on a large 
scale, and work with great skill, I have seen no 
plough used here, Avork being done by the 
mammoty which is handed more dexterously than 
I have seen it done in Ceylon. The cultivators 
besides using cattle and pig manure, also use 
human excreta very largely, especially for A'ege- 
tuble cultivation. Paddy is not grown to any 
great extent, and rice is imported from Siam and 
other parts. Coconuts grow well, but are not 
cultivated on a v'ery large scale— such plantations 
as I have seen being small in extent, though the 
trees in them are fine specimens. Coffee and 
tea are also culti\'ated, and the former is doing 
Avell. 
The North British Agriculturist has a long 
and interesting article on agricultural educa- 
tion, the great importance of it, and tlie 
best means of imparting it. Among other con- 
siderations it notices the importance of specimens 
and drawings as a means of instruction. It is 
Avitli tliis idea that the school of agriculture 
museum was stated, Avhich, while it is illustrative 
of agriculture in so far as it contains a fair num- 
ber of .s))ccimeiis of agricultural products or 
models of tliein, also rejiresents the allied sciences 
of Ilotany, G.iology and Chemistry and Zoology 
to some degree. The museum is yet in its infancy 
and is groAving very slowly, inasmuch as it dejiends 
almost altoget her for siqijilii's on what the students 
of the school could find in their foraging exjiedi- 
tion during the holidays. 
The oldest cotton mill in India, says the Indian 
Tcrlilc Journal the 8a\ ana iSjiinuing and Weav- 
ing Mills in Pondicherry; this concern Avas estab- 
lished in the year 1830. In Bombay the first 
cotton mill was established in 1851. In Calcutta 
the oldest mill dates from 1864. At Madras the 
first mill dates from 1874. 
To this we may modestly add that the first 
(and only) mill in Colombo (and in Ceylon) was 
established in 1889. 
The Half-yearly examinations at the School of 
Agriculture commenced on the Monday, the 25th 
of May, and continued throughout the week. 
The School Avill remain closed during the whole 
of June for the Summer A'acation. 
Received for the School Museum, some samples 
of paddy and tAvo coconuts of abnormal size from 
the Secretarj' Grama Rakshaka Samagama, and 
a mass of fossil resin, dug out of a marsh in the 
Narampitiya fields, from Dr. Drieberg. 
The Australian Irrigation Colonies, Avhich AA'ere 
commenced three years ago on the river Murray, 
in Victoria and South Australia, by the wellknown 
firm of Chaffey Bros, Limited, continue to make 
remarkably rapid progress, the number of settlers 
from Great Britain already amounting to seA'eral 
thousands, a large proportion of whom belong to 
the Aveal their classes. From the last report of 
the Directors of the Company engaged in the 
construction of the gigantic irrigation works, it 
appears that the steady influx of population x^re- 
A'iously reported has been fully maintained. The 
sale of land for the jjast six months has been subs- 
tantially in adA'ance of any previous like period. 
The area disposed of now exceeds 11,000 acres, and 
is for the most part being rapidly brought into a 
state of productiveness. Heavy crops of grapes 
have been gathered from vines planted but two 
seasons. The currants and raisins have been de- 
clared suxAerior to those imported, and the apricots 
have been pronounced equal to the finest French. 
As anticipated a great advance in theAalueof 
land has folloAA'ed these demonstrations of the pro- 
ductiveness of the soil, offers of £75 and £100 
XAer acre having been refused for lots planted but 
twelve months ago. 
The life of the agricultural labourer in Italy 
does not appear to be a happy one. He can rarely 
earn more than 6 to 7 x^ence a day, Avhich often 
has to supxAort also a Avife and family. The con- 
sequence is that many labourers can only afford 
to have one meal of polenta (Indian corn) a day, 
and this has to be eaten Avithout a sufficient allow- 
ance of salt owing to the costlines of that com- 
i luodity Avhich is a government monopoly. As a 
I result thousands are suffering from a disease known 
i as pellagra, x^i’o^iuced by bad food and want of 
salt, The x>oor Goiyas of Kolonne Korle, Walpane 
and other unfortunate districts in Ceylon have 
thus their co-sufferers in the more enlightened 
West. 
John Bechmann in his “ History of Inventions, 
Discoveries and Origins,” says that the real 
Tourmaline Avas first brought from Ceylon, and 
made knoAvn by the Dutch, about the end of 
j the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. Dr. 
