ApRUi 1, 1898.] Supplement to the Tropical AgricuUurisV' 72f 
available to plants by tlie different climatic con* 
ditions (temperature, rainfall, humidity of the air 
&c. ) in the tropics? Again, is the gradual con* 
version of insoluble into soluble phosphate sufS- 
cient for the needs of perennial vegetation such 
as tea and coconuts? Theseandmany morequestions 
occur to us as they will to our readers. We should 
like to know whether any one of our coconut 
planters have pitted bone-dust against super-phos- 
phate and noted re.sults ? The views of Mr. Cochran 
and Mr. Hughes on the subject w'ould be 
interesting. 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
The students of the School of Agriculture were 
taken over Messrs, de Soysa’s coconut mills on 
Friday the 11th March, and witnessed the various 
processes in the manufacture of dessicated coco- 
nuts, while the preparation of copperah, coconut 
oil and coir was also explained to them. Our 
thanks are due to the proprietors of permitting 
the agricultural students to vi.sit their works, and 
to the manager of the mills for kindly showing 
them over the premises and carrying out Special 
operations for the benefit of the visitors, 
Asale of .stock drafted for the Government Dairy 
herd was held at the School of Agriculture on the 
4th March, Mr, A. Y. Daniel acting as auctioneer. 
In spite of the w'Ct weather the attendance w’as 
fair, and among those present were a few well- 
known Estate proprieters, such as Mr. F. Beven, 
Dr. Rockwood and Mr. W. Jardine. The following 
statement gives particulars of the sale : — 
Cotvs. — Nancy, R33, Mr, Abdul Raiman; Maggie, 
R26, Mr. F. Beven; Tulip, R41, Mr. W. Jardine; 
Sunny, R55, Mr. W. P. D. Vanderstraaten ; Bee, 
R31, Mr. Beven ; Molly, R60, Mr, A. Raiman ; 
Ellen, R44, Dr. Rockwood; Jes.sie, R25, Mr. Vati- 
derstraaten ; Pearl, R52, Dr. Rockwood ; Polly, 
R91, Mr. A. Raiman ; Ila, R30, Mr. Raiman ; 
Phyllis, R72, Mr. Jardine; Cowslip, R55, Mr. 
Chas. Pieris ; Hilda, R85, Mr. Vanderstraaten ; 
Mary, R42, Mr. J. de Vos ; Edith and calf, R62, 
Mr. Kretser ; Effie and calf, R65, Mr. de Vos ; 
Minnie and calf, R36, Mr. Vanderstraaten ; Frixy 
and calf, Rs 31, Mr. Beven; and Ranee and calf, 
R38, Dr. Rockwood. 
Calves. — 1. Dr. Rockwood, R47 ; 2. Mr. R. 
Pereria, R41 ; 3. Mr. Dias Bandaranayake, R45 ; 
4. Mr. Chas. Pieris, R20; 5. Mr. Pieris, R19; 
6. Mr. F. Beven, R17 ; 7. Dr. Rockwood, RSO ; 
8- Mr. Pieris, R28 ; 9. Mr. Vanderstraaten, R31 ; 
10. Mr. Jardine, R70; 11. Dr. Rockwood, R45; 
and 12. Mr. Jardine, RIOO. 
Mr. G. W. Sturgess, Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, 
who left Colombo for Karachi by the S.S. 
“ Laos” about the middle of February, returned to 
Colombo on Saturday the 12th March by the S.S. 
“ Independent” with some fresh stock for the 
Government dairy. The herd consisted of 32 cows 
(14 with calves) and a bull. The animals arrived in 
good condition and were safely landed the same 
evening — under the supervision of the Superinten- 
dent and Manager of the Dairy— and after being 
driven to the School of Agriculture, were placed in 
quarantine in the Government Dairy quarantine 
shed. The cattle are a nice lot, and are all of 
the Sind breed. 
In an article on the Coconut, contributed to the 
January number of the Queensland Agricultural 
Journal, by Mr. E. Cowley, the writer says : “The 
one great factor that must be considered in this, 
a.s in other tropical pursuits, is that of labour. 
Machinery of modern type has, of coutse, 
been introduced to deal with the coconut, and 
it is highly probable that as yet the fibrous cover- 
ing has not been dealt with, so that tlie most 
economical results have been obtained. The ex- 
traction of the kernel known in commerce as 
copra, has also to receive attention from the 
mechanical inventor. The difficulty here 
is the hard shell and the e.xtraction of the 
kernel. The old-fashioned method of break- 
ing the shell and scraping out the contents 
with the curved sharp knife will have to be 
improved. Once the kernel is removed, the 
after-manipulation is simplicity itself.” We 
would only add that the old and slow process of 
breaking the nut and liberating the kernel has now 
been entirely superceded by the use of the circular 
saw worked by steam power, with the result that 
the work is done with wonderful rapidity, the 
kernels being got out entire, while it is doubt- 
ful whether the excellent mechanical devices 
for treating the fibre could be much improved 
upon to give more economical results. To 
those who have been used only to the slow, 
tedious methods of dealing with the coconut 
once in vogue, the work of our modern coconut 
mills will come as a revelation. 
Ngai or Ai Camphor is the subject of an in- 
structive contribution to the January number 
of the Queensland Agricultural Journal for 
January last. As far back as November, 1895, 
an account of this substance was given in the 
Kew Bulletin where the plant yielding Ai Camphor 
was identified as Blumea hahamifera. In the 
Agricultural Ledger No. 5 of 1896, “Camphor,” 
reference is again made to it under the head of 
Ngai Camphor of Burma and China. VYe there 
read that the Camphor is manufactured very largely 
at Canton, and that it is probably got from several 
species, that most frequently employed being 
B. balsatnifcra. Ngai Camphor is said to be che- 
mically more allied to Barns Camphor (Urgobala- 
nops camphora) than to China Camphor {Cinna- 
momum camphora), and is in point of price in- 
termediate between the two latter forms. 
Good Bai'us is said to fetch as much as RSO per 
lb., wdiereas common Camphor is little more 
than half that sum per cwt. Triiuen in his Flora 
has the following note referring to tlie plant 
under notice: — Balsatnifcra I). C. fCongza haU 
samifera L. ) is recorded for Ceylon by Moon whose 
locality is Kandy, and by Thwaites whose so named 
.specimens collected in Trincomalee by Glenie in 
1862, which are C. P. 3665. (See Laggera aurita), 
Tlie truejS. balsamifera is native to As.sam, Burma, 
and Malaya; it was, however, called Conyza abor 
Zeglonensis, &c. by Plukeuet, and on that aocount 
got included in Burm, Thes. 74, 
