November 2, 1891.] 
Supplement to the “ Tvopical Agvieultuyist." 
37i 
insisted on by our local authorities will not only 
he a measure in the interests of public health 
but also in the interests of apiculture, inasmuch 
as while such a measure will be a deterrent of 
milk adiiltenilion, it will necessitate a more 
careful and rational system of feedinj; and 
generally managing milch cows with a Anew to 
the production (d' wholesome and nutritions 
milk, and indirectly raise up a hotter milkintr 
breed. ” 
BY IIKIIIWAYS AN!) HEDGES. 
Dr. Taylor, the popular writer of Sciowc Gomn, 
has Ijoeu ectunug on the Ingenuity, Sagacity, 
and ilorality of l*lants, and in s]>eaking of 
the insectivorous phuiU, has referred to the 
Drosera nr Sundew and the Nepenthes or Ditcher 
plant. Of the former there are throe species in 
Knglaud, and no less than forty in Australia. 
There i.s more tlian one variety of Drosera in 
Ceylon, but the commonest would seem to be 
1). IJunmuoi. On the 43-ncre block of land 
lately added to the School of Agriculture, there 
LS a large plot right behind Hie school thickly 
co\ cred With this specios of Drosera which is 
not uncommon in tlie wet parts of the Cinnamon 
(liirdens. In his lecture Dr. Taylor referred to 
the Ditcher plants of the Malay Archipelago, the 
pitchers of which ho .said were so huge that 
sometimes^ they held half a gallon of ivater. lie 
also mentions that small hiials frcfiueutod these 
pitchers to drink, and after having imbibed the 
liquid within were prevented from getting out 
by two large pointed spikes, and wore ultimately 
drowned. The Nepenthes of Ceylon (fV. dUteUa- 
tonrt) known ns Bandonra-wol among the Sinha- 
lese is a much smaller variety than the Malayan 
plants. The long tough stems are used by the 
natives for tying fences, and quite lately I was 
applied to by a medical man for a few of the 
fleshy underground stcm.s, the juice of w'hich he 
was anxious to experiment with on warts which 
are said to ho removed by the application in 
n day or two. There is, not far from the School 
of Agriculture, a largo patch of ])itcher phuits 
which have been freely drawn upon by guides 
and boys who sell llowers and foliage to Grangers 
visiting our isl.and. 
the plants. Dractically this admittedly exceii- 
tional mode of nutrition by the loaf might seem 
of little moment, but it is probable that in the 
future, direct nutrition by this means will bo 
shown to be of much greater importance than 
it appears to be at jiresent. In any case, the 
fact that ammonia-solutions and ammonia-vapour 
are absorbed by loaves with incroasod manifes- 
tations of vital activity renders I his mode of feeding 
a matter of some consequence to the agriculturist; 
and the escape of aramonical vapour from the 
muck-heap may not after all ho the wasteful 
oiieratiou it is usually supposed to bo — that is, 
if the circum.stances are such that plants can 
avail themselves of the exhaled vapour.” 
Melastoma (.1/. Mninimthricum), a plant very 
common in cinnamon lajid, is known ns Bowitteya 
or Katakaloowa among the nativo.s. The 
fruit which is both astringent and sweet to the 
taste, tlyes the mouth black, and this fact 
it is that has given to the plant the names 
of Melastoma (of Greek origin) and Katakaloowa, 
both signifying black-mouth. 
Keena, or more correctly Guru-koena (Calo- 
phjilhtm fimie/itoKiim) is a tree belonging to the 
same family ns the Domlm (O. iivtjihyllum), and 
like it contains a good deal of oil iii the .seeds. 
This oil is extracted and used in the Ilatnapura 
district, among other parts, for burning. Tne 
tree is to be found in the neighbourhood of 
Colombo, and the timlier is utilized for building, 
while the bark is used externally in native medicine 
to dispel swellings, and for dislocation and bruises. 
Sera, (said to be derivetl from the Malay word 
Sireh ) which is so favorite a flavouring agent for 
curries, is the lemon-grass so largely cultivated 
in the Houtheru Drovince. It was at one time 
thought to be identical with citronella grass, 
and both were supposed to be cultivated forms 
of mnna grass. The three are now distinguished 
under the respective names of Andropngon citrn- 
tus, A. nardus, and A. martini. Both lemon-grass 
and citronella oils are e.xiiorted from Ceylon, and 
are used by perfumers for .scenting soaps and 
])oraatunis, the latter also- entering largely in 
the composition of Eau-de-cologne. 
When a minute fragment of meat is placed 
on the leaf of a Drosera, the tentacle-like glandular 
hairs of the jdants bend over to grasp the in- 
truding morsel, and a peculiar digestive fluid is 
formed as a result of the contact — just ns the 
gastric juice in the human stomach is secreted 
■when food enters that organ— and this fluid 
effects the .solution of the meat, which is then 
absorbed, bubstances, whetlier solids, gases, or 
liquids which conlain nitrogen, only give rise 
to such results. The iu.sectivorous or carniverous 
plants, says Darwin, can even extract nitrogenous 
matter from pollen, seeds and bits of loaves. 
Dr. Masters writing about those, plants sny.s; 
** The rotionu/e of this mode of obtaining nutri- 
tion seems somewhat analogous to that in the 
root, where also the acid fluid with which the 
cell-wall is ])erraeated, when it comes into contact 
with the particles of soil, detenniues their solu- 
tion, aud renders them lit for absorption into 
Mnna grass or patami grass is used as thatch 
for huts anil ns litter for cattle, while a new use 
has lately been found for it in the manufac- 
ture of tea boxes. Cattle- eat the grass when it 
is young, hut it is said that the milk, butter, 
aud even the flesh of cattle consuming it aciiuire 
a peculiar flavour imparted to them by Ihu 
grass. The occurrence of patanns was considered 
by the Rev. Mr. .\bbay to be due to the out- 
crop of a (|uartzite rock-formation, the disinte- 
gration of which results in a soil which is too 
poor to support a forest growth. This theory 
is howoi er by no menus generally accepted. 
In the llinieehiild Jleyitler of September IBth 
is given the experience of a lady, of the tendency 
of a twining plant to turn towards a sniiport 
])laced near it. The support or pole, we are 
told was on the side away from the light aud 
the phenomenon of the plant turning towards it 
is said to have been tlifflcult to uccoimt for 
