Aug.  1,  1895.] 
Si(,pplement  to  the  “ Tropical  AgriculturistT 
141 
RAINFALL  TAKEN  AT  THE  SCHOOL  OF 
AGRICULTURE  DURING  JULY,  1895. 
1 . . 
•13 
13 
. . Nil 
25 
..  •oi 
2 .. 
•01 
14 
. . -01 
26 
..  -01 
3 .. 
Nil 
15 
. . 04 
27 
• • Nil 
4 .. 
Nil 
16 
. . Nil 
28 
• • Nil 
0 
Nil 
17 
. . Nil 
29 
• • Nil 
6 .. 
Nil 
18 
. . Nil 
30 
••  Nil 
7 
Nil 
19 
..  Nil 
31 
..  Nil 
8 . . 
Nil 
20 
. . Nil 
1 
. . Nil 
9 . . 
Nil 
21 
..  -07 
— « 
10  .. 
Nil 
22 
. . Nil 
Total 
. . -84 
11  .. 
Nil 
23 
. . -23 
12  ., 
•24 
24 
. . -22 
Mean 
..  -027 
Greatest 
amount 
of  rainfall  in 
any 
24  hours 
on  the  12th  instant,  ‘21  inches. 
Recorded  by  P.  Van  Db  Bona. 
LAWS  OF  CEYLON  RELATING  TO 
AGRICULTURE. 
Chapter  VIL — {Contd.) 
7.  Tlie  Governor  in  Executive  Council  may 
call  upon  the  Central  Board  to  report  on  similar 
works. 
8.  On  receipt  of  such  report  and  estimate 
the  Governor,  with  the  advice  of  the  E.xecutive 
Council,  may  ask  the  Legislative  Council  for  a 
money  vote. 
9.  The  Central  Irrigation  Board  shall  cause  the 
specific  works  in  aid  of  wliich  money  shall  have 
been  voted  to  be  undertaken  and  executed  by 
the  Provincial  Irrigation  Board  of  the  province 
in  which  sucli  works  have  to  be  constructed  ; the 
sum  voted  shall  be  expended  upon  such  specific 
work  exclusively,  and  for  no  other  purpose. 
Provided"  that  any  unexpended  balances  may  be 
reserved  so  that  tlie  same  may  be  applied  in  re- 
duction of  the  amount  which  the  Legislative 
Council  may  be  asked  to  vote  for  other  specific 
works. 
10.  (1.)  The  cost  of  irrigation  works  shall 
be  a first  charge  on  allotments  of  land  bene- 
fited thereby,  except  in  case  of  exemptions 
by  the  Central  Irrigation  Board. 
(’2.)  The  Government  Agent  shall  have 
power  to  alter  and  amend  tlie  specification 
from  time  to  time,  and  to  enlarge  it  as  addi- 
tional lands  may  be  benefited. 
(.3.)  Such  specification  shall  be  conclusive 
on  the  point  that  the  several  allotments  of 
land  mentioned  in  it  are  liable  for  the  repay- 
ment of  the  said  cost,  which  shall  be  a first 
charge  on  the  allotments,  and  shall  take 
precedence  over  all  mortages,  hypothecations 
and  encumbrances  whatsoever. 
(4.)  Every  specification  prepared  under 
this  chapter  and  all  amendments  and  altera- 
tions of  the  same  shall  from  time  to  time  be 
published  in  the  Govennnenf  Gazette. 
11.  Such  charge  sliall  extend  as  respects 
each  allotment  to  the  proportion  due  from  each 
allotment  as  assessed  under  the  provisions  of  this 
Ordinance,  and  shall  be  recovered  in  the  manner 
provided  iu  Chap.  IX.  of  this  Ordinance- 
12.  The  Provincial  Irrigation  Board  shall  caiisj 
all  irrigation  works  to  be  executed,  the  option 
being  left  to  the  proprietors  to  perform  the  neces- 
sary earthworks  at  their  own  expense,  unless  such 
proprietors  shall  have  been  specially  exempted. 
Provided  that  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  work 
shall  cause  the  earthworks  to  be  otherwise  per- 
formed if  the  proprietors  fail  to  perform  the  work 
when  required  to  do  so,  or  perform  the  same 
unsatisfactorily. 
13.  If  land  be  wanted  for  keeping  watercourses 
and  channels  free  from  obstruction,  or  for  the 
construction  or  repair  of  any  irrigation  work,  and 
there  is  any  hindrance  to  its  acquisition,  the 
Governor  may  declare  that  the  land  is  needed 
for  public  purposes,  and  order  the  land  to  be 
bought  by  Government  according  to  the  laws  now 
or  hereafter  to  be  in  force  for  the  acquisition  of 
land  for  public  purposes.  The  sum  paid  for  the  land 
shall  be  included  iu  the  cost  of  the  work,  to  bo 
recovered  as  hereinafter  provided. 
H.  A.  J. 
(To  be  continued.) 
BAZAAR  DRUGS  IN  VETERINARY  PR.\CTICE. 
Arsenic. — White  arsenic  or  aisenious  acid  is  often 
sold  in  the  native  drug  bazaars  under  the  name 
of  S.  Sudti  j)asana7)i  or  Tamil  Vella  jjdxdnaM. 
White  arsenic  is  prepared  by  heating  arsenical 
iron  ores,  it  is  either  met  with  in  the  shape  of 
a white  powder  or  porcelain-like  pieces.  When  a 
small  quantity  of  the  powdered  arsenic  is  heated 
in  a glass  tube,  the  vapour  which  escapes  cools 
on  the  sides  of  tlie  glass  in  the  form  of  minute 
crystals.  Arsenious  acid  dissolves  in  water  very 
sparingly,  generally  about  1-100,  but  in  the 
presence  of  an  acid  or  an  alkali,  it  dissolves 
more  easily.  Arsenious  acid  is  an  irritant  poison 
and  is  used  medicinally  only  in  very  small  doses. 
Animals  often  tolerate  this  drug  to  a great 
degree,  but  this  toleration  depends  on  their  res- 
pective humours, — if  the  term  may  be  used, — -for 
cases  are  on  record,  where  even  dram  doses  of  arsenic 
administered  daily  have  not  affected  animals, 
and  in  other  instances  twenty  grains  have  often 
killed  an  animal.  It  is  a cumulative  poison,  as 
even  small  doses  of  the  drug  repeatedly  given 
have  known  suddenly  to  develop  serious  symptoms 
resulting  in  the  death  of  animals. 
Arsenic  in  medicinal  doses  acts  beneficially 
in  the  stomach  by  promoting  appetite  and  increas- 
ing the  functions  of  the  organ.  It  readily  enters 
the  blood  and  even  all  the  tissues,  and  organs, 
but  is  as  readily  expelled.  The  drug  increases, 
the  tissue  changes  and  acts  as  a valuable  al- 
terative and  tonic.  It  is  useful  in  chronic 
rheumatism,  nervous  diseases  such  ns  epilepsy 
and  paralysis,  also  in  chorea  in  the  dog.  By 
increasing  the  tissue  changes  it  acts  beneficially  in 
mange  and  other  .skin  diseases  by  tending  to 
cast  off  the  .scaly  diseased  portion  of  the  skin. 
Externally  arsenic  is  an  irritant,  caustic  and  an 
antiseptic.  It  is  useful  in  troublesome  skin 
diseases  when  applied  iti  the  form  of  a paste 
coutistingof  one  of  arsenic  to  five  of  charcoal  and 
ten  of  lard.  But  this  must  be  used  with  great 
caution,  as  any  abraded  surface  of  tlie  skin 
would  cause  absorbtion  of  the  substance  into  the 
system  with  serious  results.  In  treating  scab 
