Nov.  2,  1896.]  Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist." 
367 
REPORT  OF  THE  RUPERINTENHENT  OF 
SCHOOL  OF  AGRICULTURE  FOR  1895. 
{To  be  continued.) 
Model.  Farm. 
The  subjoined  statement  shows  the  transactions 
of  the  Model  Farm  for  the  past  year.  The  lease 
of  this  Crown  land  was  acc£uired  from  a private 
individual,  who  had  been  holding  it  on  payment, 
(out  of  the  Dairy  funds,)  of  a sum  of  Rs.  4,400 
as  compensation.  A rental  of  Its.  1,360  a year 
is  paid  to  Government  for  the  occupation  of 
the  land,  and  any  profits  that  may  accrue  after 
this  obligation  is  fulllillcd  goes  to  the  credit 
of  the  Dairy  Fund. 
In  August  Mr.  Samaranayaka,  an  Assistant 
Master  at  the  School  of  Agriculture,  was  de- 
tached for  service  at  the  Model  Farm,  where 
he  was  to  take  up  his  resilience  in  order  to 
better  look  after  the  interest  of  the  farm  and 
remain  in  charge  of  such  of  the  dairy  cattle 
as  might  be  sent  there  from  time  to  tiire.  Mr. 
Samaranayaka,  has  had  on  an  average  about 
25  head  of  cattle  under  his  care  at  a time,  the 
stock  consisting  chiefly  of  dry  cows  and  grow- 
ing calves.  The  main  source  of  revenue  fi'om 
the  farm  is  the  land  under  Mauritius  grass, 
and  since  Mr.  Samaranayaka  has  taken  charge 
of  the  place  better  returns  than  before  have 
been  shown. 
Grass  Land  about  Dainj. 
These  lands  which  supply  the  dairy  cattle 
with  the  bulk  of  their  green  fodder,  the  value 
of  w'hicli  is  debited  to  the  dairy,  yielded  a not 
return  of  Ks.  750  during  the  year. 
The  financial  position  of  the  dairy  will  be 
seen  at  a glance  in  the  following  summary: — 
Rs.  c. 
Vote  from  Government  in  1893  ...  19,539  12 
Special  advance  in  1894  ...  11,500  0 
31,039  12 
Paid  in  1893  to  revenue  ...  7,627  86 
1’aid‘in  1894  ...  ...  1,262  65 
Paid  in  1895  ...  ...  5,237  35 
Balance  to  be  paid  ...  ...  16,911  26 
31,039  12 
Balance  in  hand  on  December  31, 
1895,  ..  ..  ..  K3,114-44 
Valuation  of  stock,  building,  and 
utensils,  . . . . . . R15,500 
There  has  been  some  outcry  against  the  ex- 
penditure on  the  work  of  the  School  of  Agri- 
culture. If,  as  I gather  from  the  last  Adminis- 
tration Report  of  the  Director,  the  annual  cost 
of  the  Agricultural  School  proper  is  between 
Rs.  8,000  and  Rs.  9,000,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  there  i.s  a considerable  revenue  from  its 
appertinent  in.stitutions  — the  Dairy  and  Model 
Farms.  The  net  profits  from  these  establishments 
were  in  1895  (a  bad  3'ear  for  the  dairy)  over  Rs. 
6,000.  In  .a  good  working  year,  when  the  j>ro- 
fits  of  the  dairy  should  be  nearly  double  what 
they  were  last  yeai-,  and  with  the  agricultural 
students  paying  double  the  fees  they  have  paid 
hitherto  fa  measure  which  came  into  force  from 
January,  1896),  the  expenditure  on  all  the  esta- 
blishments under  my  charge  would  be  practically 
met  by  the  revenue. 
Experimental  Cultivation. 
An  experiment  in  grape  cultivation  was  begun 
at  the  School  of  Agriculture  by  arrangement 
made  with  Signor  Zanetti,  an  Italian  gentleman, 
who  has  had  considerable  experience  in  viticulture 
in  Italy  and  Australia.  Nearly  an  acre  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  dairy  was  laid  under  vines 
in  August,  and  the  plants— 720  in  number— are 
being  treated  after  the  Continental  fashion.  The 
following  a’e  the  varieties  of  graiies  that  are 
receiving  a trial  : Gordo  Blanco,  Lady’.s  Finger, 
Champion  Muscat,  Gross  Colman,  Snow  Muscat 
Marllion  (wMiite  grapes).  Black  Prince,  Black 
Ambro  (black  grajie.s),  and  Chassalas  d Or  (a 
golden  grape).  It  is  too  early  to  speak  definitely 
with  regard  to  the  vineyard  at  the  school,  hut 
so  far  tlie  vines  have  made  fair  progress  under 
the  .system  they  have  heen  grown,  despite  the 
poor  soil  in  wliich  they  have  been  planted  and 
the  severe  drought  they  experienced  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  year.  There  is  yet  much  to 
be  done  in  the  way  of  modifying  their  treat- 
ment to  suit  local  conditions,  which  Signor 
Zanetti  is  gradu.-illy  doing  after  studying  the 
progress  of  the  plants. 
Trials  were  also  made  with  teosinte  or  reana 
{EnchUma,  Luxurians),  “Delft”  gra.ss  ( Andro- 
pogon  Schoenanthus ),  and  different  varieties  of 
the  cow  pea.  Teosinte  and  Delft  grass  were 
of  course  grown  only  as  fodder  plants.  The  yield 
of  the  former  was  at  the  rate  of  15  tons  per 
acre  per  cutting,  or,  if  live  full  cuttings  could 
be  counted  upon  in  the  year,  the  enormous 
annual  yield  ot  75  tons  per  acre.  It  should  be 
stated,  however,  that  the  soil  on  which  the 
teosinte  w'as  grown  was  a rich  black  mould. 
On  a poor  sand  the  crop  made  little  growth 
without  manure,  and  was  almost  killed  out 
during  the  dry  season. 
Delft  grass,  said  to  be  the  prevalent  grass 
on  the  island  of  Delft  oft’  the  northern  coast, 
also  proved  to  be  a heavy  cropper,  yielding  at 
the  rate  of  8 tons  4 ewt,  per  acre  per  cutting  ; 
and  four  or  five  cuttings  a year  may  be  counted 
upon. 
Unfortunately  your  cattle  did  not  take  at 
all  to  this  grass,  objecting  apparently  to  the 
strong  anisescent  of  the  leaves.  Delft  grass  is 
a close  ally  of  the  wild  grasses  used  for  hay- 
making in  Western  India,  and  ought  to  be 
well  suited  for  that  purpose,  only  that  Ceylon 
stock  do  not  take  to  hay  at  all.  Even  the 
imported  Sind  cattle  will  not  touch  hay  after 
having  eaten  Mauritius  grass  for  a time. 
Of  cow  peas,  the  most  satisfactory  variety 
proved  to  be  that  know  as  “ the  wonderful.” 
Its  yield,  when  grown  for  fodder,  was  at  the 
rate  of  5i  tons  per  acre ; and  cattle  took  very 
kindly  both  to  this  and  to  teosinte  grass.  The 
legumes  are  good  for  human  food,  and  though 
a little  coarse  found  purchasers.  The  cow  pea 
is,  however,  best  known  as  a nitrogen  restoring 
crop,  and  since  I established  the  plant  at  the 
school  I have  had  many  applications  for  seed, 
while  considerable  interest  has  been  evinced  by 
our  more  advanced  agriculturists  in  the  question 
of  the  assimilation  of  free  introgen  by  certain 
plants  and  the  important  bearing  it  has  on 
jiractical  argiculture.  The  study  of  this  question 
from  a local  standpoint^  will  no  doubt  bring 
out  some  useful  facts.  The  school  has  formed 
further  connections  with  agricultural  institutions 
in  India  and  the  Colonies,  and  the  agricultural 
Magazine  continues  to  be  a valuable  medium 
of  local  and  foreign  communication. 
C.  DRIEBERG,  B.A  , F.H.A.S., 
Superintendent, 
Statement  showing  the  receipts.  Cost  of  Mainte- 
nance, and  Frolit  of  the  Government  Dairy 
