January i, 1892.] 
Supplemenl to the '^Tropical AgncuHuiist}' 519 
educational advantages which would enable the 
people to light the battle of life with advantages 
of which their predecessors knew nothing. This 
and similar institutions had all his sympathy ; 
and if through the press or otherwise he could 
do anything to advance what Air. Drieberg and 
Mr. Cull and the Educational Department gene- 
rally had at heart ho should only bo too glad. 
(Applause.) 
The Hon. A. dk A. Seneviratnk afterwards 
addressed the meeting, stating that he had been 
asked to make a few remarks from a visitor’s 
point of view. Well, tlie institution had been doing 
excellent work, and everybody ought to feel thank- 
ful to Government for starting it, to the past 
Director for carrying it on so nobly, and to the 
present Director for making up his mind to effect 
further improvements. The duty lay upon those 
who had got certificates and were going out into 
the world to shew that the institution wa.s profit- 
able to tlie country. It was not by winning 
prizes there that the thing was to be done, but 
by going amongst the villagers and inducing them 
to adopt tlie improved methods of cultivation, 
lloferring to the observations of Air. Green he 
said this place could show grandmothers a better 
way of sucking eggs. (Daughter and applause.) 
Everybody could bear testimony to the fact that 
the cultivation of fruit w'as very much neglected, 
but he dill not think it would be quite fair to 
the Sinhalese to say that they entirely ignored 
the use of milk. He Imd been in villages where 
there was hardly a family owning cattle who did 
not use the milk for family purposes, especially 
buffalo milk. The ordinary cattle did not produce 
sullicient milk, but the huflaloes iiroduced plenty. 
As to improving the breed of cattle he thought 
they must not forget that there was a very good 
breed of cattle, for which thanks were due to 
the late Air. De Soysa, and lie trusted that mem- 
bers of his family would follow up the work of 
their father and keep up and improve the breed of 
cattle. Ho thought they must have heard before of 
the great work that Air. Do Soysa performed in 
removing from destitute villages a large number 
of villagers and suppiping them with t he means 
of living and cultivation, and ho trusted his 
successors would follow that example. In con- 
clusion, he said ho felt it his duty to say that 
•ill felt thankful to His Excellency, Air. tireon 
and the Principal of the institution. (Applause. ) 
H. E. the Govbrxob It now remains for mo 
the programme having been brought to a close, 
to break up the meeting, which 1 am sure has 
been highly agreeable and interesting to us all. 
The meeting then separated, the students giving 
cheers for His Excellency and the other gentlemen 
as they left the room. 
After the ceremony the company adjourned to 
the playground, where light refreshments were 
served, and the time was pleasantly passed with 
music supplied by the baud of the 1st Gordon 
Highlanders. 
— • — 
OGGASIOXAL NOTES. 
In another column will be found the report read 
and speeches delivered on prize day. The good 
feeling displayed by all the speakers from His 
Hxcelleucy the Governor downwards helped to 
make the time pass very pleasantly. AVe greatly 
missed Afr. George Wall on the occasion when ho 
was to have spoken, but was prevented owing to a 
sudden call upcountry on business. A notable 
feature in the proceedings was the large number 
of prizes offered by those interested in the School, 
and our thanks are duo to Alessrs J. AV. C. de 
Soysa, Jacob de Alel, S. T. Aluttiah, A. Af. 
Chittambalam, J. Clovis de Silva, J. H. Barber, 
and Airs. Arnold Dias, for the cheques and books 
they presentetl. 
AA’e offer our best thanks to Air. J. P. AA’il- 
liams, seedsman at Henaratgoda, the enormous 
extent of whose business is little known, for the 
gift of the following plants to the School: — 
4 plants each of Alalta lemon, Begori lime, Coornul 
lemon, and Di.sbon lime, 6 of bassia latifolia, d 
giant loqiiat, (> red toon, and (> saul tree (shorea 
robusta). The last is valuable both for its timber 
(which is considered only second to teak) as well 
ns for its resinous oil. 
" AV'ould it not be a most important service,” 
writes Aliss Ormerod, “ if you could induce your 
pupils and other corre.Hpondents in connection 
with j-our School of Agriculture to note down 
the habits of your most injurious insect posts, 
and for you to form these year by year into n 
ri'jiort with a figure ns well as correct scientific 
and popular name of the insect? Perhaps 
you do this already, but if not, you would do 
immense good if you could bring it about.” 
The fact is we have made an effort to do what 
Aliss Ormerod wisely urges on us, but since we 
have no opportunity of moving about and 
collecting specimens of insects where they are 
pests, we can only depend upon others to send 
them to ns. One or two of our Agricultural In- 
structors have been gooil enough to supply us with 
a few of these specimens, but in order that these 
may reach us in a condition in which they will be 
of use for identification, they (the Instructors) 
w'ould need to be supplied into alcohol, bottles and 
cases for the purposes. There are some, however, 
who have an idea that tliere is no need of seeing, 
much loss of identifying an insect in order to 
suggest a remedy, and with such people, who 
should know bettor, it is difflcult to deal with. 
Will Aliss Ormorod’s advice have any effect upon 
tliem? 
The following is a letter from Air. P. Samara- 
nayaka, ■ Agricultural Instructor, to the Director 
of Public Instruction ; — 
Akmimane, Cth September 1891. 
Sir —I i'cg to submit the annexed results of the 
1 6 acres of paddy laud cultivated by me for the 
“ Vala ” season 1891 according to the improved 
system, and a comparison of the same with two 
of my neighbours’ results. 3 acres planted out 
with seedlings raised from f bushel of seed paddy 
yielded a crop of 79^ bushels. 13 acres 
were sown broadcast with 19 bushels of four and 
five months’ seed paddy, obtained a crop of 278 
bushels, and had an average yield of 2-1 busliels 
per acre. Tlie neighbouring cultivators who culti- 
vated according to their method had obtained 21 
bushels from 1^ ncre.s with 3 bushels of seed paddy 
and 2r)i bushels from 2 acres by using 4 bushels of 
seed paddy. The total yield of the 3 and 13 acres 
