June 1 1<S98.J 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist. 
865 
paddy grown from the Bengal paddy seed you gave 
me, and which has produced 4-5-foM, and beautiful 
rice. The other variety gave I'J-fold, but is not 
such a nice rice.” Mr. Elliott is anxious to get 20 
bushels of each for his next sowing. We are also 
glad to hear that Mr. Elliott is doing well witir 
ramie fibre, and has got rid of the gum from the 
fibre without much difficulty. 
As science advances, more and more attention 
is given to details, and it is found that often what 
are popularly considered to be very minor points 
often turn out of the greatest importance. As is 
well known in farming, to produce a good milker 
is considered to be somewhat of a lottery, and many 
a calf is reared for dairy purposes that would have 
been far more profitably converted into beef. Now, 
how are we to pick out these? A Swedish dairy 
newspaper — Mejerienias Annonsblad — affirms that 
a discovery has recently been made, the truth of 
which has been proved by a first-class veterinarian, 
that makes it possible at the birth of a calf to 
judge if it vsill become a good milch cow or not. 
it has been observed that the palps, that are on 
the inner side of the cheeks near the corner of the 
mouth, have different forms, according to whether 
tl'.e animal is a good, a middle-class, or very in- 
difierent milker. The palps being large, broad and 
flat, denote that the animal gives a large quantity 
of milk. If they are only round, the milking 
qualities are of the most ordinary description. 
While if they are pointed the milk yield is of a 
most Vv- retched description. * 
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT COCONUT OIL. 
We have received the following notes from 
Cochin with reference to the manufacture of 
coconut oil there : — 
From enquiries made in the matter, I could find 
no special causes, either in regard to the time of 
plucking the nuts, (jr in regard to the treatment 
of the trees or the nuts, or in regard to the method 
of e.xtracting the oil, which can be called peculiar 
to Cochin, Tile methods throushout this coast, 
including British Malabar, Travancore, and Cochin 
are about the .same. 
The following information may, however, be 
possibly found useful : — 
The Time of Plucking the Nuts. 
Tiie nuts are plucked every second month, i.e,, 
about six times a year. A greater number of 
pluckings than 'hat is found to result in immature 
nuts being pluoKed along with mature ones, and 
this affects the purity of the oil, and also reduces 
the quantity extracted. The period of maturity, 
however, varies with the conditions of the soil and 
climace, and also the different varieties of the 
coconut pialEgrS. 
Tbeatment of the Nuts. 
The nuts are exposed to the sw ^ for full seven 
clear days, then only are they found to give pure 
and uncoloured oil. 
i am given to understand that, in Colombo, they 
dry the nuts in smoke. If this be so, probably 
the process may, to some e.xteut, affect prejudi- 
cially the clearness of the oil. 
Method op Exthaction. 
The extraction of the oil is done by means of 
the ordinary crude native machines constructed 
on the peslle-and-mortar principle, popularly 
known a.s the chehku in these parts, as also to 
some extent by means of steam-mills. No special 
method of extraction is known to be piractised. 
Yvith regard to the terra “ Cochin oil,” I liava 
the honor to inform you that the term is almost 
unknown in those parts, and I heard of it for the 
first time from you. Perhapis, the people in Ceylon 
use the term to mean “ superior oil,” and the term 
might have originated in the real or alleged 
superiority of the oil imported into Ceylon from 
this part of the west coast. 
THE LAW OF CATTLE TRESPASS. 
The owner of a land has by law the right of 
seizing and detaining till payment of damages all 
cattle found .straying therein. 
The land should, however, before enforcing this 
right bo securely fenced according to the custom 
of the country. C.jffee, Tea, Coco Estates are not 
fenced by custom, and large Coconut Estates 
are also never fenced. Therefore the right of 
seizure and detention may be exercised by the 
owner or superintendent (servants) of such estates. 
When seized the owner of the animal should be per- 
mitted to feed them till payment and redemption. 
It is not apparently incumbent on the land 
owner to bestow much care and attention (o ani- 
mals so seized, as in several cases where the cattle 
died the owner of the lands so detaining the 
animals were held not liable to pay their value to 
the owner of the cattle. 
The remedy is two-fold, one by civil action for 
damages against the owner. The other a summary 
procedure in the Police Court under the provision 
of the Ordinance. In order to entitle one to 
summary procedure he should observe the follow- 
ing condition : — 
As soon as the animals are seized he should give 
notice to the nearest Police Station, the Ordinance 
says within 48 hours. Failing a Police Station 
the native headman should be informed. 
The Police Officer or the Headman, as the case 
may be, will at once proceed with one or more res- 
pectable villagers to assess the damages, to find out 
the owner and inform him &c. so that he may, if 
necessary, be present at such assessment and so on. 
There is also what may be termed an extraordi- 
nary remedy. That of destroying the animal 
during trespass. But the party so destroying 
will be liable to the owner of the cattle in the valua 
of the animal destroyed over and above the 
estimate of the damages. Often, however, the 
damages exceed the value of the animal destroyed; 
As in case of trespass on nurseries. Coconut 
Estates &c., no criminal action will lie against 
the owner of the land for the shooting. There is 
an extension of the right by bid which provides for 
a license under the hand of the Police Magistrate, 
In such a case no civil liability will continue. 
The conditions under which the license can be 
obtained are the following: — That the trespassing 
animals cannot be seized, that the owners are 
not known, and that the animals cannot be 
identified. 
