598 
Yme tropical agriculturist. 
[February i, 1892. 
Indian tea man need not hug the deluEion prevalent 
among the planting community there that our 
roduotion is only a flash in the pan. As lor our 
hina Iriends, they “ are not in it,” Sir Andrew 
Clark to the contrary. Improved machinery and 
withering accommodation are everywhere being 
placed or provided in our tea factories ; so that we 
shall not have such terribly low averages as we had 
in 1891. 
Laboub, which at one time was so scarce (in the 
beginning cl 1891), is now more abundant. 
Coffee (or the last 3 years has been exported 
up to 80,000 owt. It will probably run down to 
70,000 in 1693. The coffee in Helds of tea over 3 
years old has no chance. 
Cinchona want down 3,000,000 lb. in 1891. and 
for all it brings to the owners in the way of cash, 
it might cease to be an article of export. No one is 
doing anything in the way of planting fresh 
supplies, excepting, perhaps, a few plants of 
Ledgeriana. 
Cocao has jumped up 5,000 owt. in 1891 over 
18^, and it may run up another 6,000 owt. in 1892, 
as judicious shade is being cultivated and fields that 
were previously barren are now yielding 1 owt. to 
2 owt. par acre. Continued wet weather has dona 
harm to the fruit-bearing in the last half of the year, 
but moisture in the long run must tell on this 
product (or good. 
Tobacco. — The less said about this product the 
better. It has been a regular “will o' the wisp.” 
Oardahom is not a general cultivation, being 
mostly confined to the dwellers in Bangala and 
Medsmahanowsra. 
Timbeb cultivation has received great attention 
in 1891, and the fruits of it will be seen in a year or 
two in the improved appearance it will give tea 
estates, compart to what coffee estates presented. 
THE CEYLON FOREST DEPARTMENT. 
The following brief notes will give an idea of some 
of the operations in which this department has 
been engaged during the past year: — 
(1) Surveys of forest by the Survey Department 
have been made, confined chiefly to the fuel reserves 
near Mirmama, ibe forests near Battuloya, North- 
Western Province, cud the Ealngala forest in the 
Kurunegala district, North-Western Province, &o. 
(2) Reservations of forests and village forests have 
been piiblisbod in the Government Gazettes, 
(.3) Forest Ordiiiaooe.— The draft of the amended 
forest ordinance only reqnires one more reading in 
Cooucil. The chief feature is that the Government 
may place tbe Conservator in direot charge of re- 
served forests. 
(4) Plantations.— (t) Italway fuel plantations at Gal- 
boda about 300 aoiua; — Qrevillea, eucalyptus lobusta, 
pithecolobium dnlois, ptoiocarpos iudicus, bal, bora, 
pitheoolubium aaman, &d. 
(b) Strip plantations at Nanuoya planted with bine 
gam, enoiilyptuB robnsta and others, aoacia melanoxylon 
and decurrens, some oryptomeria japonioa and pinus 
loDgifoIis. 
(c) Badnlla. — Patana plantations liavebeen extended, 
grevillea chiefly. Hapntale.— Strip plsntations have 
been extended, ohiefly eucalyptns robusta. 
(d) Puttalam.— Teak olantatioiis have been e.xtendnd 
and tbe older portions trimmed. 
(e) Eastern Province.— Teak chenas have received 
attention, and sumetbiug baa been done in the way of 
weeding and reflilingi 
(f) Bstnspnra.— The Pai.l rubber plantations have 
bceu extended. 
(6) Timber Operations Supply to publio depot.— 
Chief works, Bsdnlla Kaohehen and hospital, Aniiradhn- 
pura hospital, &o., fclceporsof red doon from Sahara* 
gamuwa and kumbuk from Central Province and Nuitli- 
Western Province, supplied to public. Looal demand 
met. jCIso felling of ebony in North-' entral Province for 
China market, only a small quantity auctioned, but 
fetbrnd excellent prices. Satinwoud export to Eng- 
land has been started, with a brisk demaud. Halmilla, 
export to India lednced. 
(6) Miseellauenns.— (a) Chena cultivation was brought 
under further coutrul. 
(b) Steam saw-mill received and sent to Battioalos. 
(c) Elephant establishment started ; there were three 
elephants, one dird. 
(d) Very complete and interesting collections of 
limber and minor proluee exhibited at the Agri- 
Horticultural Show. 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN 1891. 
Tbe work at the Bobool of Agriculture baa been 
most satisfactory, to judge from the report read 
by tbe Superintendent, and the comments made 
by the apeakers, on the ooeasion of the prize giving 
in November. The olasses oonaisted of 2(i students 
— all resident pupils except two day scholars. Six 
of these passed out at the end of tbe year having 
gained oertifioates of merit after a two years' course 
of training at the Sohool. The labours of the 
Agricultural Instruotors have also been attended 
with good results, as is evinced by the fact that 
applioations for their servioea ooutinue to be made 
by Government Agents and Assistant Agents, while 
the Government has sanetioned the employment 
of six extra men during the present year. An area 
of 40 aorea of land adjoining the Sohool was panted 
by the Government (or experimental oultivation, 
and a good type of stud bull was imported from 
India, to bo stationed at the Sohool. It is likely 
that the matter of improving the native stock of 
the island will be taken up in a more active way 
in the future, and that during tbe present year a 
veterinary surgeon will be added to the stsff of the 
School. Bohemes are also in contemplation whereby 
a teohnical liranoh will be grafted on the School, 
and tbe various establishuients for training teachers 
will be centralized at tbe School of AgriouUure, 
THE FISH LEAF. 
I am much beholden to “KurolyPurdii'’(or bis friendly 
Slid instmotive notice of my short paper on this germ 
leaf, or birthoase, or navel of the tea flush. He bss 
given us quite sn iuterestiug lesson in Tamil, more 
about which further on. 
Seeing my ‘dieoourse’ in print, I observe one or 
two cipressiona that may draw upon me adverse 
critioirm. For instance, “ tite whole art of plucking ” is 
a large order, and may bo misoonstrnod. Neverthe- 
less it correctly describes the revulstiou that flashed 
into my mind, in -‘an instant,”— and not only the 
wiiole art of plucking, but the whole art of jiruning 
also. By this 1 merely mean the fundamental law 
underlying both operations, independent of age, soil, 
jat, olimate and condition of tbe bashes. How each 
of these tbinga affect both operations in aotual 
practice, is another matter, and might easily be told, 
if that were my object, ^hich — beiiig only tbe uame 
and nature ol the Firh Ticaf— 1 have nothing to do 
With. 
That part of my paper where I attempt to fix Min elei 
(flsh-leal) upon ilfiin elei (lirst-le.if) was rather ajeu-dc 
mo/s than n senous intention, becanse — ns I explained, 
I'amil rnmo too Ute on the field. 1 never heard the 
coolies call it “Muu-elei” (though I have po nted 
out to them it would not be a had name (or it), 
and, frankly, I do not believe it has anything to do 
with it. After rcidiog “Karoly Furdii'a" note miHw'M 
pooldii (glow worm), iitinnal (lightening) ran min, 
(atara) and Miuatchg (fish-eyed maiden^ will remain 
fixed in my memory, and also the root “ min ” to 
