Feb. 1, 1898.] 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturists 
581 
of the Technical College have been the indirect 
means of draining the sources from 'which Agri- 
cultural Students have been drawn. 
In this connection I should like to read to 
you a passage from the Eesolution of the Govern- 
ment of India on the Eeport of the Bengal 
Agricultural Dejj.artment for 1896-1897. It runs 
as follows: — “The Agricultural Coiifeience held 
in Calcutta in 1896 recommended (1) that the 
course of study in primary and middle schools 
should be so revised as to include a graduated 
series of lessons in agriculture and in other sub- 
jects of Elementary Science ; (2) that agricul- 
tural classes should be opened in connection with 
Sibpore Engineering College ; and (3) that a cer- 
tain number of appointments in the Public 
Service should be reserved for those who have 
received an agricultural education. Sir Alexander 
Mackenzie accepted these recommendations. The 
sanction of the Government of India has recently 
been received to the opening of the agricultural 
classes at Sib])ore, and the del.ails of' the scheme 
which will soon be published for giving effect 
to all these recommendations of the Conference 
are now being worked out. There should 
therefore be a hopeful outlook for agricultural 
education and agricultural reform in India, and 
if a similar “resolution” of the Governor of 
Ceylon be passed, we of this institution will 
have good cause to congratulate ourselves and 
set to work with better cheer; for the result 
will be that a number of students of fair in- 
telligence and respectability will be di’awn to 
the school each year, and that the teachings of 
modern agriculture will find in them a good 
nidus and eventually leaven the whole mass of 
our rural population. 
Suggestions have come from diff’erent soui'ces, 
but agreeing in the main, for giving agricultural 
instruction in Ceylon a more practical turn, 
and these will no doubt receive full consideration 
at the hands of the Commission, which, it has 
been announced, is dealing -wnth the school, and 
which we must sincerely hope will succeed in 
formulating a scheme that will be more fruitful 
of good results than the present routine of work 
has been. 
Of the financial condition of the Dairy Farm 
and Model Farm I have a good account to give. 
The gross receipts of the Government Dairy 
alone for the year should not fall below 1119,600, 
those of the grass lands attached to the Dairy 
ought to exceed E3,000, w’hile for the Model 
Farm 1 put down the gross receipts at over 
E4,000. The profits, after deducting all working 
expenses, rent, &c., from these three sources, will 
be between R5,000 and R6,000. 
The Dairy was started in 1893 with a vote 
of R19,522'12 from Government, but later on it 
was found necessary to procure an advance of 
El 1,500 in order to meet the losses resulting 
from an outbreak of cattle plague and also to meet 
the demand for a sum of E4,400 as compensation 
for acquiring the lease of the Model Farm. Of 
this advance the Dairy has been paying back 
over E7,000| and the balance due about E4,000 
will be easily met this year. Against the capital 
of R19,000 odd must be placed a sum of nearly 
119,000 credited to revenue in 1893 and 1894. So 
that the position of the Dairy, at the end of this 
year, may be roughly sketched out as follows 
Capital cost ... ... E10,000 
Cash in hand ... ... 2, -500 
Value of stock, &c. ... 12,000 
This, I think, may be considered satisfactory, 
and if tlie Government decides to dispose of the 
whole conceru the capital cost will be cleared 
by the sum realized. 
The experiment in vine growing, which 
attracted considerable notice while it lasted, 
terminated at the end of one year for which 
period it had been originally arranged to make 
the trial. 
We have now made a small beginning in 
apiculture, and 1 would draw attention to the 
new hives on the premises, for the designing and 
construction of which I am indebted to Mr. Chas. 
Andree of Kurunegala. 
The Agricultural Magazine still continues to 
appear regularly every month, having now had 
a continuous life — by no means common in the 
history of Ceylon Magazines — of over 9 years. 
The Magazine, I can assert, has done good'work 
in the cause of agricultural education by bringing 
much useful information before the pubiic, and 
it now' travels to mo.st parts of the world, both 
independeutly and in company with the Tropical 
Agriculturist, while it serves as an exchange for 
all the important agricultural journals and papers 
published. 
I stated at the outset that I had not much 
to give you in the way of a report this evening, 
and I will therefore conclude by thanking my 
assistants both in the Schools and Dairy and 
Model Farm for their co-operation, thanking you, 
ladies and gentlemen, for the kind support which 
you have given me by your presence here today, 
and last but not least thanking you, Mr. Chair- 
man, for the honour you have done us in presidino- 
on this occasion. ^ 
The prizes were then distributed by the Chair- 
man, Mr. Drieberg calling out the names of the 
prize winners, w’ho were the follow'ing: — 
Senior Class, 1896.— Proficiency in Agricul- 
ture: C. E. Wickremeratne,;(he was absenrbeing 
employed as an Agricultural Instructor, and 
the Chairman testified to the good work done 
by him at Balangodn). Proficiency in EimJish 
and Mathematics : C. E. Wickremeratne. 
Junior Class, 1896.— Proficiency in' Science : 
W. E. De Silva; Proficiency in English and 
Mathematics : W. E. De Silva. 
Senior Clas.«, 1897.— Proficiency in Agricul- 
ture A. E, Jeremiah ; Proficiency in Eno-lish • 
G. W. De Saram; Proficiency in Englisir and 
Mathematics: D. C. De Silva; Proficiency in 
Science: J, E,!Fernando ; De Soysa’s prize for Agri- 
culture :E. E, Jermiah ; Prize given by the Manager 
of the Dairy, for proficiency in Dairy work : E. E 
Jeremiah. 
School Certificates, 1896.— First class C E 
Wickremeratne ; .second class, D. J. Dassenayake' 
School Certificates for 1897,— First class’ 
E. E. Jeremiah ; second class, D. W. De Saram! 
Mr. B. Cull, the Director of Public Instruc- 
tion, W'as the next speaker. Ue said, that there 
was an old proverb which many of them knew 
which ran to the effect that the cobbler should 
Stick to his last. Ue felt that in addressing a 
