^i  AROII  2,  189G.]  Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agricultw  ist.” 
651 
J.  Reynolds  Green,  wliicli  appears  in  tlie  journal 
of  tlie  Royal  Agricnltairal  Society  of  England 
Tlie  first  instaliuejit  of  Prof.  Green’s  paper  is  given 
in  the  present  issue,  and  all  students  of  plant 
life  will,  we  are  sure,  bo  interested  in  the 
article  whicli  will  appear  in  parts  in  the  pages  of 
the  iUagazine. 
Tlie  giving  away  of  prizes  and  certificates  to 
successfel  stmlents  at  tlieScIiool  of  Agriculture  was 
practically  a private  function  last  year, — as  it 
generally  is  every  other  year.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  by  the  Director  of  Public  ln>triiction, 
who  took  the  opportunitj'  of  addressing  the  stu- 
dents at  some  length  on  matters  pertaining  to 
their  course  of  instruction  at  the  school.  Prizes 
were  won  in  the  senior  class  by  W.  0.  Row- 
lands and  M.I).  Aryachandra,  and  in  the  junior 
class  by  II.  P.  Ritnayaka,  B.  Lucas  lilendis,  and 
D.  P.  Goonewarda.na.  Three  of  the  senior  students 
who  have  completed  their  course  were  awarded 
certificates  of  merit  by  the  department. 
RAINFALL  TAKLX  AT  TIIF  SCHOOL  OF 
AGRICULTURE 
DURING 
THE  MONTH 
OF  FEBRUARY 
1890. 
1 
Saturday  . . 
Nil 
18 
Tuesday 
Nil 
2 
Sunday 
Nil 
19 
Wednesday  . . 
Nil 
3 
Monday 
Nil 
20 
Thursday 
Nil 
4 
Tuesday 
Nil 
21 
Friday 
Nil 
o 
Wednesday . . 
Nil 
22 
Saturday 
Nil 
6 
Thursday  . . 
Nil 
23 
Sunday 
Nil 
7 
Friday 
Nil 
24 
Monday 
Nil 
8 
Saturday 
Nil 
2o 
Tuesday 
Nil 
9 
Sunday 
Nil 
20 
AVednesdny  . . 
Nil 
10 
Monday 
Nil 
27 
Thursday 
Nil 
11 
Tuesday 
Nil 
28 
Friday 
•03 
12 
Wedne.^day  . . 
Nil 
29 
Saturday 
Nil 
13 
Tuesdaj’' 
Nil 
1 
Sunday 
Nil 
14 
Friday 
Nil 

15 
Saturday  . . 
‘8o 
Total. . 
-38 
10 
Sunday 
Nil 
— 
17 
Monday 
Nil 
Mean.  . 
•013 
Greatest  amount  of  rainfall  in  any  21  hours  on 
the  loth  instant,  ‘3o  inches. 
Recorded  by  J.  D.  S.  Jay.\w'ikrama. 
MEDICINAL  PLANTS. 
Among  other  important  experiments  which 
.should  find  a place  in  the  scheme  of  a properly- 
organized  i\gricultural  Department  in  Ceylon, 
should  bo  the  trial  of  medicinal  plants,  used  in 
European  medicine,  that  might  be  expected  to 
thrive  under  local  conditions.  We  have  often 
thought  over  the  desirability  of  initiating  such  an 
experiment,  convinced  as  we  are  that  lueful 
results  will  come  out  of  it.  We  lately  heard  that 
among  the  trials  to  be  made  in  connection  with 
the  proposed  Experimental  Farm  with  avhich  Jlr. 
Mahawnllatenne  Ratemahatmaya  has  idenlified 
himself,  is  the  growth  of  the  more  useful  indige- 
nous and  Indian  drugs  used,  we  presume,  in  native 
medicine.  Our  attention  has  also  been  drawn 
to  the  importance  of  a series  of  experiments  in 
growing  Englisli  drug  plants  by  a local  chemist. 
The  produce,  if  the  e.xperimeiit  proved  succes.sful, 
would  of  course  in  the  first  instance  be  available 
for  the  needs  (by  no  means  limited)  of  the  Medical 
Depaitment,  but  a demand  from  local  druggists  may 
also  bo  expected.  It  is  not  every  plant  that 
could  be  expected  to  thrive  under  local  conditions, 
but  if  the  proposed  experiment  be  not  limitedonly 
to  the_  lowcountry,  but  also  extended  to  higher 
ele\atious,  a fair  number  of  cultivable  medicinal 
plantfs  will  be  found.  In  India,  we  are  aware, 
a start  has  been  made  in  the  growingof  drug-plants 
and  in  the  report  on  tlie  Saliaranpur  and  Mussoorie 
Gardens  we  note  that  Ilyocyamus  and  Teraxicum 
are  grown  and  also  extracts  made  from  them. 
Ilyocyamus  extract  is  sold  to  the  Jledicnl  Depart- 
ment at  IU‘4  annas  per  lb.,  the  dried  folia 
at  4 annas  per  lb.  ; while  Teraxicum  extract  is 
sold  for  Ri  per  lb.  and  the  dried  roots  at  4 annas. 
'We  believe  some  saving  has  been  effected  in  the 
Civil  Medical  Stores  by  the  local  preparation  of 
certain  tinctures,  liniments,  ointments  and  standard 
mixtures.  We  have  no  doubt  that  if  the  support 
of  the  Medical  Department  be  given  to  local  drug 
production,  in  the  same  way  that  the  Department 
supports  the  Government  Dairj’^,  the  proposed  ex- 
periment will  start  under  happy  auspices  and 
with  many  of  the  elements  of  succe.ss  in  it.  But 
then  provision  should  be  made  for  the  trials  be- 
ing carried  out  systematically  and  thoroughly, 
and  to  this  end  a scheme  and  estimate  for  the 
e.xperiment  should  be  drawm  up  and  sanctioned. 
Wo  hope  in  a future  issue,  to  refer  to  same  of 
the  plants  which  might  bo  locally  grown  for 
medicinal  purposes. 
DAIRIES  IN  INDIA. 
The  following  descriptions  of  Indian  Dairies  (for 
winch  we  are  indebted  to  t\\Q  Lidimi  Agriculturist) 
give  a fair  idea  of  the  progress  of  the  dairy  in- 
dustry cn  the  mainland,  and  are  interesting  for  pur- 
poses of  comparison  with  the  working  of  our  local 
establishment : At  Allahabad  Government  first 
made  an  experiment  in  dairy-farmingin  1891,  when 
a lierd  of  11  buffaloes  for  butter  and  22  cows  was 
purchased,  and  the  supj)ly  of  dairy  produce  to  the 
military  hospital  most  successfully  taken  up.  The 
herd  has  gradually  been  increased  by  breedinrr  and 
purchase,  till  at  the  present  moment  it  consists  of 
12d  buft’aloe.s,  70  cows,  and  156  young  stock.  The 
average  daily  otuturn  of  milk  is  1,.5.50  pounds  (or 
/ / .1  seers),  of  which  about  oOO  pounds  is  consumed 
by  the  troops  as  whole  milk,  and  most  of  the 
remainder  turned  into  cream,  yielding  80  pounds 
of  butter  daily.  The  separated  milk  is  sold  at 
Iialf  the  price  of  whole  milk,  and  the  unsold 
balance  fed  to  the  pigs.  I do  not  here  propose  to 
encroach  on  your  valuable  space  by  enteriim  into 
the  subject  of  the  breeding  and  keeping  of '^well- 
bred  pigs  as  an  adjunct  to  a dairy  farm,  which 
•subject  is  of  equal  importance  to  tlie  public  health. 
Although  the  dairy  jiroduce  has  been  sold  to  the 
troops  at  bazaar  rates,  the  Allahabad  Dairy  is  a 
paying  concern,  and  since  its  establishment  in 
1891  up  to  date  has  resulted  in  a financial  profit 
of  over  R20,000.  I think  the.se  re.sults  show  that 
the  experiment  is  an  unqualified  success,  and  I 
venture  to  as.sert  that  no  better  system  could  be 
adopted  for  other  stations  throughout  India,  and 
that  further  delay  in  establishing  dairies  on  the 
same  footing  is  valuable  time  lost. 
