126 
April  1,  189G.]  Supplemmt  to  the  "Tropical  Agricultwut:^ 
UAl.\l''ALI.  TAlvMX 
AriincLi.TniK 
OK 
AT  TIIK  SCHOOL  oK 
1 
4 
5 
n 
7 
8 
9 
10 
n 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
Siimlay 
Moudiiy 
4'ue.■^^llly 
Wednesday  . 
Thursday  . 
Friday 
Saturday 
Sunday 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday  . 
Thursday 
Friday 
Saturday  . 
Sunday 
Monday 
Tuesday 
Wednesday  . 
during 
I'llE  MONTH 
MARCH, 
mot). 
. Nil 
10 
Thur.sday 
Nil 
. Nil 
20 
Friday 
Nil 
. Nil 
21 
Saturday 
Nil 
. Nil 
22 
Sunday 
Nil 
. Nil 
23 
Monday 
Nil 
. Nil 
24 
Tuesday 
Nil 
. Nil 
2o 
Wednesday  . . 
•o9 
, Nil 
26 
Thursday 
Nil 
. Nil 
27 
Friday 
Nil 
. -31 
28 
Saturday 
Nil 
. 04 
29 
Sunday 
•09 
. -47 
30 
.Monday 
•20 
. 2-81 
31 
Tue.sday 
•09 
. Nil 
1 
AVednesday  . . 
•05 
. 01 
4 66 
. Nil 
Total . . 
. Nil 
•15 
. Nil 
Mean . 
t of  luinfall 
in  any  24  hours  on 
the  13th  instant,  2-81  inches. 
Recorded  by  J.  D.  S.  Jayawikrama. 
the  peaty  deposits  in  the  KURUNE- 
GALA  TANK. 
Nearly  a half  of  the  surface  of  the  Kurur.egala 
Tank,  which  is  about  104  acres  in  extent,  is  covered 
with  ’a  mass  of  floating  vegetation,  about  6 feet  in 
depth  in  some  places,  and  of  greater  dei)th  in 
other  places,  possibly  identical  with  what  i.s  known 
in  Ireland,  ns  the  “ Old  Widow’s  Tow,”  Tliis  mass 
is  a veritable  eyesore,  and  completely  takes  away 
from  the  effect,  both  from  a picturesque  and  a 
sanitary  point  of  view,  of  what  has  not  been  in- 
appropriately termed  “the  lungs  of  the  town.” 
Various  schemes  have  been  at  dift’erent  times  pro- 
pased  and  tried  for  getting  rid  of  this  mass,  and 
many  attempts  were  made  to  remove  it,  but  with 
very  little  success. 
In  September,  1877,  an  experiment  was  made  to 
slice  it  and  float  out  the  detached  pieces  through 
a cutting  in  the  S.-W.  bund,  which  w.as  .secured  by 
a coflei”dam.  Blocks  of  vegetation  9 feet  square 
and  3 to  4 feet  in  thicknes.s,  and  one  6 feet  thick, 
were  floated  out  successfully,  but  as  ill  luck  would 
have  it,  the  coffer-dam  began  to  leak,  and  though 
every  means  was  employed  to  check  the  flow  of 
wate^r  the  whole  coffer-dam  wa.s  carried  away,  a 
la'rr'e  ’breach  formed  where  the  cutting  was  made 
ill  the  bund,  and  within  thiee  hours  the  tank  was 
^™AHe’r  the  bursting  of  the  tank,  the  floating  mass 
restiiK'  on  t he  soft  mud  at  the  bottom  gave  rise  to 
fresh  growths  with  wonderful  rajiidity,  and  in  the 
space  of  six  months  the  area  of  tlie  tank  became 
a iuiigle  of  rushes,  and  sedges  and  other  bog  plants. 
To  clear  this  jungle  awa\,  it  was  fired  during  the 
dry  weather  and  everyiiiing  was  huriit  off,  except 
the  peaty  dejiosits  underneath.  As  an  experi- 
ment the  peat  was  dug  and  carried  out  by  prison 
lahou’r,  hut  the  progress  was  so  slow,  tliat  it  was 
abandoned.  . • , , 
In  May,  1878,  .Mr.  Daniel  Morris,  then  .As.-i>tant 
Director  of  the  Royal  Botanic  fi  irdens.  IVra.leuiya, 
was  specially  deputed  by  Government  to  examine 
and  report  on  the  character  of  the  vegetation  and 
suggest  means  by  which  it  could  be  removed 
and  the  subsequent  re-growtii  prevented.  ^M''. 
Morris  made  th.>  necessary  ex  imiiiat inn  .uul  sug- 
gested that  the  peaty  deposits  lie  burnt  off  in 
and  advantage  I e taken  of  tlie  burning  to  destroy 
the  roots,  stems,  and  corms  of  all  trouhlosome 
weeds;  that  the  mud  and  silt  which  could  not  Le 
burnt  bo  us  far  as  possible  removed,  and  the  weeds 
along  the  sides  and  slopes  of  the  tank  be  carefully 
taken  up  before  the  tank  was  filled  again.  In 
order  to  prevent  the  re-growth  of  the  vegetation, 
Mr.  Morris  uiged  that  it  was  most  important  that 
a uniform  depth  of  at  least  6 feet  of  water  be 
maintained  over  the  whole  area;  for  when  full, 
the  greatest  depth,  namely  near  the  S.-W.  bund  is 
about  9 feet,  in  a few  other  places  it  is  o to  7 feet 
deep,  but  for  the  most  part  the  tank  has  a depth 
of  only  about  3 to  4 feet  even  in  the  wet  season  ; 
during  the  dry  months  the  depth  of  water  is  still 
less — conditions  .so  favorable  to  the  growth  of 
aquatic  plants.  Lastly,  he  recommended  encourag- 
ing the  growth  of  water  lilies  such  as  ^ymphcea 
lotus,  and  Nymphcea  stellata,  which  would  tend  to 
check  the  spread  of  plants  growing  on  the  sides 
and  keep  the  tank  free  of  noxious  weeds. 
None  of  these  suggestions  were,  however,  car- 
ried out,  and  with  the  repair  of  the  bund,  and  the 
refilling  of  the  tank,  the  floating  mass  resumed 
its  original  position,  and  goes  on  increasing  daily 
in  size. 
Being  interested  especiallj-  from  a geological 
point  of  view,  I address  you  on  this  subject,  and 
send  you  three  cases  of  specimens.  The  floating 
ma.ss  may  be  divided  into  three  parts.  The  first  is 
a compact  mass,  as  contained  in  Case  1,  and  sup- 
ports a growth  of  rank  vegetation,  specimens  of 
which  also  as  far  as  I have  been  able  to  gather  I 
‘.send  you.  The  second  consists  of  fibrous  roots 
only  and  forms  the  connectiong  link  between  the 
crust  or  the  first  part,  and  the  third,  which  is  com- 
posed of  slushy  matter  (seemingly  peat  in  the 
course  of  formation)  to  which  it  is  attached. 
There  is  water  betvveen  this  part  and  the  bottom  of 
the  tank,  with  which  it  is  apparently  uncoiiiiected. 
You  will  see  from  Case  No.  1 that  the  peaty  de- 
posit in  the  crust  is  wmpo.sed  of  fibrous  roots, 
stems,  and  partly  decayed  leaves  of  grasses,  and 
sedges,  and  a variety  of  aquatic  plants.  When  cut 
vertically  the  peat  njipears  stratified  with  each 
year’s  growth,  and  is  evidently  the  resuB  of  many 
years’  accumulation.  Mr,  Morris  at  the  date  of 
ins  visit  could  not  identify  r,he  mr>st  important 
plant  which  enters  largely  into  the  floating  mass, 
as  it  was  not  sufiiciently  grown  to  enable  him  to 
do  so.  He  identified  among  the  grasses,  Panicum 
myurus,  Panicum  interruptum  and  members  of  the 
Carex  and  Cyperus  families.  The  matted  growth 
of  these  are  mixed  with  Ceratophyllum,  Poly- 
yonum,  '/Amnophila,  Marsilea,  and  Ufriciclario, 
During  the  dry  weather  most  of  the  grasses  and 
sedges  wither  down  and  their  dead  leaves  accu- 
mulating around  the  floating  stems,  which  are  at 
times  20  to  30  feet  long,  serve  to  increase  jauiodi- 
cally  the  size  of  the  mass  and  to  gather  around  the 
fine  mud  and  other  de])Osi..s  brought  in  by  the 
rains. 
Looking  at  the  matter  from  a jtointof  industrial 
economy,  conl  l the  i»eaty  depo  its  be  ut  lized  ns 
fuel;-  1 believe  .some  attempt  was  made  in  this 
directiem  witli  tlie  peat  found  at  or  in  the  neigh- 
hourhood  of  M ut  ura  j.iwt  la  town,  luit  with  wliat 
succe.ss  as  a commercial  speculation  this  deponent 
knoweth  not. 
