784 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[_May 2 , 1898 . 
the prodaction of hornless or polled breeds. It 
is generally performed when the animals are 
very young before the development of the external 
horns, the rudiments of which are quickly and 
with very little i>ain removed with a sliarj) 
knife. Anotlicr way of destroying the horn is by 
making cross incisions into the corny tissue 
where tile horns afterwards appear and inserting 
a small piece of caustic potash which has the 
effect of destroying the root of the horn. 'Where 
cattle are kept in enclosed yards, or large 
numbers are herded together, the operation of 
dehorning has the result of quieting the animals 
and so indirectly causing them to improve as 
fat stock or milch cows. There was some time 
ago a dead set ag.ainst dehorning as .a cruel 
practice ; but the operation is now looked upon 
as more humane than otherwise where goring 
and worrying may be expected to take place 
among crowded confined herds. — Yours truly, 
X. 
STOCK AND USEFUL HINTS. 
Rosewood, Nuwara Eliya, April l(i. 
Dear Mb. Editor, — I enclose a slip taken from a 
a newspaper, it might be useful to some people. I 
shall thank you to publish the same in your local 
paper. — Youri faithfully, E. J. T. 
DEHORNED CATTLE. 
Nowadays most of us accept the belief that cattle 
ought not to have horns. It is best to breed them 
oS. There are as good animals of the beef breeds 
that are polled, as those that have horns. It is quite 
time that horns should be bred off all the milk breeds. 
If this has not been done, the next best thing is to 
prevent the horn starting to grow on the calf. The 
operation does not take five minutes. Use common 
concentrated lye, such as women use for softening 
Water and making soap. While the calf is less than 
ten days old is the proper time. Simply wet the 
bump where you expect the horn, and rub on as 
much powdered lye as will equal three grains of maize 
Do not wet elsewhere. Let the calf alone hereafter- 
The scabs will come off, and the hair grow out as 
nicely as on a natural poll. 
SHELTER BENEFICI.AL TO STOCK. 
Calves will not thrive if they are gradually being 
transformed into roast veal under the burning rays 
of the sun. There is no species of farm live stock 
that pays better for being made comfortable, and 
the absence of protection from the summer heat is 
felt equally as much by the animals as by man. 
Every paddock should have its place of refuge, either 
a thick clump of trees or a shed open on all sides, 
placed on the highest point in the paddock, to allow 
the breeze to sweep through it. Protection in sum- 
mer is almost as necessary as in winter, and is a 
duty that might be urged upon the sense of right 
of ihe stock-owner. Those amenable to appeals of 
this kind will need no urging to provide this needed 
protection. 
THE CUCKOO (SINHALESE “ COVAH.”) 
Sir, — T he advent of the cuckoo (Sinhalese “ Covah ” 
in the Western Province of Ceylon, is an annual 
occurrence. It generally takes place by the middle of 
April or the beginning of May; but this year they 
have come iu unusually soon. Early in the morning 
of the 14th inst., the hills around Maligakande re- 
echoed with the welcome “ Goohoo " “ Coohoo," which 
told us unmistakably that the cuckoo had arrived, 
much to the discomfort of our wily friend, the 
crow ! It is said that the cuckoo has no architec- 
tural proclivities, it does not care to build, but is 
content with what the crow does in that direction 
—it stealthily gets into the crow’s nest, lays its eggs 
and departs ; leaving the hatching of her eggs, the 
care and feeding of her offspring to pater and 
plater crow. 
Very often the deception is detected and the inter- 
lopers are ejected, to this is attributed the sparse 
numbers in the cnckoo tribe. We have two varieties 
of the cnckoo in Ceylon. The black and ihe spotted 
(the kalu and pulley covahs of the Sinhalese). Fine 
specimens of both are to be seen in Mr. Sanmugsm's 
beautiful aviary at Devon Ilouse. C. 
ARTIFICIAL MANURES (RONES) IN 
AGRICULTURE : USEFUL INFORMATION. 
Colombo, April 2nd. 
Di'AR Sir, — 'W ith reference to your article 
on tlie value of bones in agriciiltnre, the fol- 
lowing table, showing the results of some ex- 
periments carried on at home, may prove of 
interest : 
Out of 100 parts of phosphoric acid there was 
removed by the first year’s crop : 
Supei phosphate 63. 
Bone-meal 7. 
Out of 100 parts of phosphoric acid left by 
the first crop, there was removed by the three 
succeeding crops : 
Superphosphate .30. 
Bone meal 13. 
The phosphoric acid in raw hones is now 
generally recognized to have the same manurial 
value as that ot insoluble mineral phosphates. 
If bones exercise a better influenci, as they 
undoubtedly do, it is due to the nitrogen they 
contain, and to nothing else. Out liere bones 
ought to have a slightly superior value as our 
climate has a decided influence on the decom- 
position of organic matter, of which bones are 
largely composed, but this more favourable 
action is to a great extent counteracted by the 
coarser state in which bones are used .— 1 am, 
dear sir, yours faithfully, A. RAUR, 
The Ceylon Manure Works. 
MANURING OF TEA vs. CHEAP PRO- 
DUCTION. 
Dear Sir, — The difficulties besetting the Planting 
Industry have received such prominence of late, that 
it may not be out of place to examine whether there 
are not means to extricate the same from the pre- 
sent unsatisfactory position. Such a resource — lying 
within practical reach of every planter — I hold a 
proper system ot Manuring to be. 
Before referring to the practical side of the question, 
it may be well to note how this subject of manuring is 
thought about at home and out here. There, man- 
uring has been generally adopted, because it has 
been recognised to be the only means of making 
cultivation pay, whilst in Ceylon manuring is looked 
upon rather as a luxury, which is resorted to only 
reluctantly and by few. What then, it may be 
asked, is the difference between manuring at home 
and manuring out here ? The conclusion is simple. In 
Europe manuring is and can be carried on economically 
owing to the progress of and aid given by agricul- 
tural chemistry, whilst in Ceylon manuring has 
always proved expensive, owing to want of guidance 
and of knowledge as to its proper principles. 
If manuring in Ceylon has not proved the success 
it ought to be, considering its exceptionally favour- 
able climatic conditions, and if, in consequence, 
it has not been more generally resorted 
to, it is simply because the system of 
manuring is bad. It is not the planter, who is res- 
ponsible for this. He cannot look after his business 
and be an agricultural chemist besides. But, as in 
other countries whose welfare is largely dependent 
upon agriculture, it should have been the duty of 
Government to keep a staff of agricultural chemists 
entrusted with the solution of matters of practical 
interest to the planter. Instead of that, agriculturists 
have been left to their own resources, and it is not 
surprising therefore that Ceylon should not have 
benefitted by the progress made in agricultural 
