February i, 1892.] 
Supplement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist T 
609 
A pes follows this. It is a large cylindrical 
vessel made of bambo or rattan, and will con- 
tain about 10 amunnnis. 
The other minor receptacles of paddy are of 
little importance and too well known to need 
mention. Certain incantations are uttered by the 
goyiya in the act of storing paddy as a pre- 
ventative against the attacks of moths and other 
injurious insects. 
The goyiya and the parties interested use 
peculiar technical terms during threshing nam- 
ing iliflerent agricultural implements, &c. These 
terms though used' from time immemoial are 
yet never mentioned in ordinary language, and 
are not in keeping with native idioms and 
dialects. This mode of communication is called 
Govi-bamwei, or the goyiya’s language. I was told 
by a well-informed liaudyan Chief that the object 
of the goyiya in adopting this course is in order 
to prevent the TnkAhos (devils) from stealing 
the paddy and consequent misfortunes 1 
The following are a few of the technical terms 
referred to, and 1 believe they will be of in- 
terest to the readers: — 
1. Otmtjahnnawa for 
2. i'atura „ 
3. Goi Leila „ 
4. Sukawaliya „ 
0 . Bolgediyo „ 
6. Pubboruwoo „ 
7. Katta „ 
8. Kotabnnawa „ 
9. llntte ilahat- 
karapan „ 
10. Pellni 
1 1 . Goyan Madinawa „ 
12. Beta 
ploughing. 
winnow. 
leveller. 
sweeper. 
butfaloes. 
rice. 
lire. 
eating. 
to kindle a 
bags. 
ploughing, 
paddy. 
fire, &c 
Before taking paddy for household consump- 
tion, a portion is first reserved called Akkiyata 
as Dehiyanyb, Panyuwa or god's share. This is 
given in the name of the god to the Kapurala 
who is supposed to have officiated throughout. 
Another portion called Alut Bat Dane, is sent 
cooked to the neighbouring I’ansala for the priests. 
A quantity of paddy is then put into the 
mortar, and three women clad in white with three 
pestles in their hands pound the paddy at an 
auspicious hour. A grand feast is next given 
to relations, at which all the guests including 
the goyiya and his family make merry, after- 
wards dispersing with every good wish' for the 
coming harvest. 
T. B. I’oHATii Keuelpannala. 
Kehelpannala AValauwa, 
Gampola, 7th Dec. 1891. 
TIIK NITROGILX (jUKSTlON. 
The first Quarterly Journal of the Royal Agri- 
cultural Society for the year contains a papoi 
cy fc>ir John Lawcs and Dr. Gilbert, in wind 
are given the experimental facts in support ol 
ilellriogels theory that the leguminous crop: 
are able to obtain nitrogen from the air b\ 
means of the microbes in the wart-like nodule! 
on their roots. A paper by Dr. Gilbert, lateh 
published, also refers to the Rothamsted e.x 
periments to prove the doctrine of Hellriegel 
It vnii bo rewemberod tUat a little more tUou 
twelve months ago Dr. Lawes delivered himself 
to the effect that he was no believer in the 
truth of the latest theory regarding nitrogen, 
or rather that his (Lawes’} own experiment did 
not warrant his belief in the teaching of tlie 
German Scientist. Ilellriegel's doctrine, it was 
said, was anticipated by I’rofessor Jlc.Vlpine of 
Kdinburgh, who, we can ourselves vouch, explain- 
ed in his class-room the peculiarities, of the legu- 
minosae, as regards their supply of nitrogen, on 
the same hypothesis ns that adopited by the 
German, at least a year before the latter jmb- 
lished his ideas to the world. IVe now have 
the results of a series of careful experiments, which 
it is not necessary to detail here, and we will 
therefore merely give a resumd of the conclu- 
sion which the Rothamsted e.xperiments have 
led to : — 
" As to the explanation of the fixation of free 
nitrogen, the facta at command did not favour 
the conclusion that under the influence of the 
symbiosis the higher plant itself was enabled to 
fix the free nitrogen of the air by its leaves. 
Nor did the evidence point to the conclusion 
that the nodule-bacteria became distributed 
through the soil and there fixed free nitrogen, 
the compounds of nitrogen so produced being 
taken up by the higher plant. It seemed more 
consistent, both with experimental results and 
with general ideas, to suppose that the nodule- 
bacteria fixed free nitrogen within the jilant, 
and that the higher plant absorbed the nitrogenous 
compounds produced. In other words, there was 
no evidence that the chlorophyllous plant itself 
fixed free nitrogen, or that the fixation takes 
place within the soil, but it was more proba- 
ble that the lower organisms fix the free nitrogen 
If this should eventually lie established, we have 
to recognise a new power of living organisms 
— that of assimilating an elementary substance. 
But this would only be an extension of the 
fact that lower organisms are capable of per- 
forming assimilation- work which the higher 
cannot accomplisli ; whilst it would bo a further 
instance of lower organisms serving the higher. 
Finally, it may here be observed that Loow has 
suggested that the vegetable cell, with its active 
protoplasm, if in an alkaline condition, might 
fix free nitrogen, with the formation of ammo- 
nium nitrate. AVithout passing any judgment 
on this point, it may be stated that it has fre- 
quently been found at Rothamsted that the con- 
tents of the nodules have a weak alkaline reaction 
when in apparently an active condition— that is, 
wliilst still fleah-recl and glistening. 
“As to the importance of the fixation for agri- 
ciilturo, and for vegetation generally, there is 
also much yet to learn. It is obvious that dif- 
ferent I’apilionaceaj growing under the same ex- 
ternal conditions manifest very diffeix'nt sucop- 
tibility to, or power to take advantage of, the 
symbiosis. The fact, as shown by I’rofessor 
Nobbe, that Papilionaceous shrulis and trees, as 
well ns herbaceous plants, are susceptible to 
the symbiosis, and under its influence may gain 
much nitrogen, is of interest from a scientific 
point of view as serving to explain the source 
of some of the combined nitrogen accumulated 
through ages on the surface of the globe - and 
also from n practical point of view, since 
pe«ially iu tropigal countries, «ugU pltuns 
