THE MAGAZINE 
OP 
Tf)G U^OOl OF AGKIOULTUKG, 
COLOMBO. 
Added as a Supplement monthhi to the “ TltOPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
The following pages include the 
Agriculture for July 
OURSKLVKS. 
ITn this number we enter upon 
our third volume of the Magaitino 
of the School of Agriculture. So 
far the contributions to the Maga- 
zine have been solely from the pens of the staff of 
teachers at the School and the old boj’s of the 
Institution, to whom our thanks are duo for 
their help in the endeavour to fill the Magazine 
■with interesting and varied contents. To judge 
from the kind notices in our daily contem- 
poraries, to whom also we owe a debt of grati- 
tude for their encouragement, we have not 
wholly failed in this endeavour. We must how- 
ever take this opportunity of appealing to all 
those who have severed their direct connection 
with the School of Agriculture to make a more 
determined effort to send us news and notes 
from the various parts of the Island over which 
they are scattered : and especially to those who 
have the advantage of occupations which ne- 
cessitate travel do we appeal (in the absence of 
oonaJUIe Agricultural Inspector^ for such reports 
as they can find time to send us in the midst of 
their other duties. Such reports, coming as they 
will from those who are capable of careful 
observation as well as judgment in agricultural 
matters, while they will, when published, make 
our publication more interesting, will at the 
same time keep us alive to the condition of 
native agriculture— which, owing to various con- 
trolling causes, is full of vicissitude— and place us 
* position of greater advantage than we are 
able to attain to any otherwise, inasmuch as 
we shall thereby have a more extended range of ob- 
servation to our mental eye, and be bettor able 
to deal with matters affecting remote places. 
contents of the Magazine of the School of 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
Jlibiscua Cannahinus, of which mention was 
made in our last issue asbeing grown together with 
cotton in India, is being grown experimentally 
at the School of Agriculture, where the plants 
have come up fairly well. It is mentioned in 
Thwaites’ Enumeratio, as growing “ near Trinco- 
malee.” Like if. Eaculentus (Bandikaij the bark 
yields a libro of some value. Wight mentions 
that the loaves are eaten as spinach. The plant 
resorablos the if. Stibdanffa or rozelle from the 
fleshy acid calyx, of which e.xccllent jelly is 
prepared. Wo are informed that it is grown about 
Anuradhapura both as a fibre plant and a food- 
product. 
In the School of Agriculture groimds are a few 
trees of the order Leguminosm which, according 
to Dr. Trimen, belong to the genus MUettia. 
The seeds were originally sent to Mr. II. D. 
Lewis, late Head Master of the School, by a 
gentleman in America, and was by the latter 
referred to ns “Mndro do Cacao.” This term is 
in Ceylon associated with the Erythrinas, usetl 
ns shade for cocoa plantations, and it is to ho 
inferred that the specimens of Miiottia wo have 
are used for the same purpose elsowhore. These 
trees are of an uncommon appearance with long 
supple plume-like branches. Two of them flowered 
for the first time early this year and displayed an 
abundance of pretty pink and white blossoms. 
It has been found that any broken branch or 
twig stuck into the ground in a moist place 
grows without difliculty. The specimens at the 
School are probably the only ones in the Island. 
There seems to be a good ileal of uncortanity 
about the identity of the resinous substance known 
as Dragon's blood. In Cooley’s Cyoloptedia, Dra- 
gon’s blood (sanguis dretetnUs') is described as a 
rich red resin, obtained from various species of 
Calamus. In a list of economic products of the 
vegetable kingdom, published by Robert Hard- 
