January i, 1S92.] 
Supplement to the '^Tropical Agncultudsf," 
523 
The sedimentary deposits taken from ponds 
and lakes, says a writer to the North Hritish 
Ayriculturust, forms a very useful dressing if 
spread alone over a barren part of a field, 
but it would be more desirable to have it 
mixed with lime before application. The lime 
hastens the decomposition of the organic matter 
m the leaves and other debrix of vegetable forms, 
and materially adds to the usefulness of the 
dressing. This stuff may also be profitably used 
in covering dung heaps, ns it will serve not only 
to waterproof the dung heap, but also to 
absorb any ammonia that might otherwise escape 
from tile ilecomposiug dung. This is seasonable 
advise in view of the dredging of the Colombo 
lake. 
a bushel of the dry material should be used 
("without fear of injuring the young growing 
parts) to sprinkle about the tops of coconut 
palms so ns to keep off grubs and caterpilars. 
This of course would only be practicable whore 
men are sent up the trees to pluck the nuts, 
on which occasions they should bo made to carry 
a supply of the para'fllnated substance in a bag 
slung across their shoulders. 
U round-nut oil is expressed in Formosa 
something after the fashion in which coco- 
nut oil is expressed by the natives. One hun- 
dredweight of nuts gives about 25 pounds of 
oil, worth :5() sliillings. Tlie oil, whicli is in 
great demand, is used as an article of food 
and for lighting purposes. The leaves and 
stalks of the plant form a nutritions cattle 
food and a good green manure. Mr. T. P. Jlan- 
chanaynke, one of our old boys now at Kwala 
Lumpar, where he is successfully cultivating 
ground-nuts, tomatoes, potatoes, &c., writes that 
ground-nut is found cultivated in almost every 
garden, and sends us an interesting and 
detailed account of its cultivation. Each 
])lant bears from 20 to 40 pods or more. The 
seeds nro oaten fried ns well as boiled, and 
are also curried and eaten with rice. The 
oil, referred to above, is known as Mujn Ratchan 
among the Malays. 
Among the enemies of the paddy plant is the 
caterpillar of a small moth named by Mr. Wood- 
Mason the Parapony.x oryzalis. This caterpillar 
IS to be about a quarter of an inch long, and in 
this condition to live a purely aquatic life, 
breathing by means of traclueal gills, nnd'<!to 
change to chrysalis in a cocoon of whitish silk. 
Miss Ormerod uggests throwing lime intOj^the 
Water of paddy-Selds to destroy the pest. ' 'I 
Another suggestion put forward by Miss 
■Ormerod is that sand, ashes or dry earth sprinkled 
with paralliu in the proportion of one quart to 
