Sttpplenmi . to the "Tropical Agricnltunst. 
[August I, 1891. 
iS4 
the matter of ploughing. The usual course 
adopted where the surface soil overlies one of 
extremely poor character is to use a siihsoil stirrer 
which, while it moves and loosens and, through the 
agency of water, aerates the subsoil, does not at 
the same time bring it to t he surface. 
Dr. Voelcker hints that the re.sult of the use of 
an English plough will Im that the furrow slices 
will be baited as hard as brick. The rule adopted 
in ploughing up paddy land with the improved 
implement is to plough when the, land is dry, about 
six weeks before the usual ploughing time. The 
dangers of putting a heavy implement on stiff wet- 
land, and ploughing deep, are well known, but 
given that such land is well drained and dry, 
“ baking "of tlie ftirrow-slices, or the “poaching" 
of till? land need not bo feared. 
It Ts of the highest economic importance that 
the cultivator should improve and add to his soil 
by working to a proper depth and not merely 
scratching the surface of his land. While advan- 
tage is taken of silt brought on to the land by 
irrigation water, it is a palpably weak system 
which wilfully neglects the improvement of land, 
and solely depends upon irrigation waters (that 
are liable to fail) for a few inches of transported 
soil. 
We shall look forward with interest to the 
official report of Dr. Voelcker, to seo whether he 
will give any well-grounded reasons ( which he has 
hitherto failed to do) for the statement he has 
made that tliere is no room for improvement in 
native agricitlturo in India and Ceylon in the 
matter of idoughing: for this statement is directly 
opposed to the results of experiments both in the 
Empire and the Island. 
OCCASIONAL 50TES. 
We have to acknowledge with thinks the receipt 
of the July number of tbo Richmond College 
Magazine. Among other interesting matter is a 
column of curosities, in which mention is made of 
the insectivorous Drosern, amphibious fish and 
the phenomena known ns “ flsh-rnin." Drosma is 
not uncommon in the marshy ]>ortions of the 
Cinnamon Gardens of Colombo, — as i.s also the 
I’itcher, another insectivorous plant. Darwin 
has describeil both these, and noted e.vperiments 
made to test their power of digesting animal 
niutter, in his work on insectivorous plants; but 
the insectivorous nature of the.se plants bus (juito 
lately been questioned by .some scientists. The 
fall of fishes, apparently from the clouds, is an 
instance, of the “prater-natural rains "which have 
caused great constemaliou among ignorant races, 
other examjjlesof pratiter-natural rains arc “ blood 
rain” and “ black rain," due to tbe solution of 
very fine desert or volcanic dimt that has been 
carried into the njiper regions of the atmosphere, 
“ yellow “sulphur shower” due to the 
presence of the |)ollen of the Scotch fir, “wheat 
and manna falls’ resulting from wheat or esculent 
lichens being carried away by hurncaiics, which 
have also caused falls of fish, frogs and molluscs. 
It is recorded by Qeikie that many thousands of 
hei-ringa fell near Edinburgh in IrtI?; and tli.at 
similar showers took place near Loch Leven in 
IHil.'j, ill Roasshire in 1828, and in I'lva in 18,80. 
These are all due to the effect of strong winds. 
The fact that these hurricanes are generally 
accompanied by thunder and lightning may 
account for the fact mentioned by the writer of 
a few curio.sitie.s ’ that gome ignorant races 
connect these “fish-rains ” with electric phe- 
nomena By curious coincidences falls of manna 
are said to have taken place at Ooromiah during 
a famine in legff, and again at Herat while that 
place was being beseiged. 
for June, Prof. Huxley, 
in a postscript to his article entiled “ Hasisadra’s 
Adventure, refering to the “overthrow” of 
Darwins theory as to the origin of coral-reefs, 
which, according to the Duke of Argyll was 
patent to every unprejudiced person, goes on to 
eaythiitlie has recently become acquainted witli 
a work, in which Dr. Laiigenbnch, a really com- 
petent authority, thoroughly acquainted with all 
tlie new lights which have been thrown upon tbe 
subject during the last ten years, pronounces the 
judgment; firstly, that some of the facts brought 
forward by Messrs. Murray and Guppy against 
Darwins theorj’ are not facts; secondly, that 
others are reconcilable with Darwin’s theory'; 
and, thirdly, that the theories of Afessrs. Guppy 
and Murray “are contradicted by a series of 
important facts.” in an early issue of this 
Magazine we noted the two theories of Darwin 
and Murray as to the origin of coral reefs and 
islands. Darwin has been thought by many to 
have assumed toomuch when he premised a general 
subsidence of the sea-lloor ; Mr. Murray’s theory 
depended on facts elicited during the celebrated 
voyage of the VhaUen;,er,~UeU which did not 
supjiort the general sub.sidence " of Darwin. 
JVlien, however, so competent an authority as 
Lnngenliach avers that some ofthese facts were not 
J((W, ftTid that tJiG tlioorifts of Murray aiul Guppy 
are contradicted by a series of important fact's. 
It would seem likely that modern geologists will 
think of shifting back tli. ir belief to Darwin’s 
theory. 
■Mr. T.B. Rchelpanabifurnish('.s the following iii- 
terpslingnotesregarding the well-known Muturaja- 
vvea ehls: The name Aluturajawela literally sig- 
; and the place has been' long 
a, s tir; t, 
i cidl. ? namo o,ves its origin tothe following 
tnv» of ^ king owned these fields in 
during bis proprietorship, a 
cultivntoi --lor reasons not very evident— sowed 
e am Mitli the husks of paddy' from the 
a ail a or thre.shing-floor. Contrary to all ex- 
liiricn e am expectation, the ears of corn, instead 
o jennng nt lejipt pnddy, enrried strings of puarlrf 
on t le panicles. The cultivator, overjoyed at the 
range result of his experiment, went with all 
iffr* m . '’“'etcigii ami communicated the 
c 0 hia majesty, who accompanied by his nobles 
ost no time m inspecting the field in question- 
ti were struck dumb with wonder at 
the siglit. The late Mr. Advocate iluttiah gave 
me a very good explanation of this parable, wliich 
he thought was intended to show the extreme 
fertility ot the Muturnjawehi fields, that were 
capalile ot producing, with a sowing of " 
quantity of seed that was linrdly appreciable, » 
harvest a.s valuable us pearls. A part of these 
lands i.s noiy under paddy, and notable among the 
i-iiltivatora is Air. Jacob de Aiel. This eiitarpris' 
