May I, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 837 



Guide-Book to the Gardens.— The want of some assistance in finding plants of interest ia 

 the gardens having become a pressing one, 1 drew up a sliort descriptive itinerary in a small 

 Hand-guide of 32 pages. This, accoujpanied by a litliographed plan, was printed and issued in 

 November, and is sold at the garden gate and at Colomlio for 12^ cents. It is the first attempt 

 to give any information to the public on the contents of this Government garden, and has met 

 with full appreciation. I am now occupied in compiling, as accurately and completely as I can, a 

 Classified Catalogue of the plants now growing here. There are, however, a considerable number 

 of foreign trees which have never flowered, and many of these are as yet undetermined; but to 

 endeavour to attain absolute completeness in the list before publication would be to indefinitely 

 postpone it. 



2. — Uakgala Garden. 



Considerable progress has been made in the directions pointed out in my last year's report, 

 and the garden has made great progress in every way. The principal works of the year have been 

 the commencement of the extension of the carriage drive and the erection of the propagating 

 house. As, however, the vote for laliour is insufficient to do more than allow of the ordinary w(n'k 

 of the place, the former of these undertakings has been mainly carried out by coolies from Pcrd- 

 deniya. I have made au effort to spare labour from the larger gardens to the amount of Rs. 500, 

 and shall endeavour to do the same in 188-t, but, of course, Pcradeniya suffers to a corresponding 

 extent. 



Details as to the propagating house are given below. The votes for this necessary part 

 of the hill garden amounted to Rs. 1,850 ; the actual cost has somewhat exceeded that sum, the 

 surplus having been met by savings on the vote for the meadow-mower. Messrs. Boyd have 

 supplied us with a first-rate building, the benefits of which would have been experienced five 

 months sooner had it not been for the annoying delay caused by the overcarriage of two cases as 

 far as Sydney. The furnace, damper, and other ironwork were made by a native blacksmith at 

 P(5radeniya. 



The hope expressed last year that the water-course would give no further trouble has not 

 been realized ; indeed, the future of the sujjply to the garden gives me some concern. A serious 

 breaking away of a farther portion of the channel oci'urred in July, and this has not yet been 

 repaired. Hence there has been wo regular supply of water for nearly half the year, the garden 

 having been dependent upon a little rivulet coming down from the mountain forest. This begins 

 to fail after about a week's drought, and has on several occasions run very short, necessitating 

 extra labour in carrying water from elsewhere. The delay in the matter, which was at once 

 reported to Government, has been caused by the necessity for considering whether it might not be 

 in the long run a saving of expense to abandon the old course, which is badly traced and con- 

 stantly liable to damage, and either construct a new one in a dift'erent line, or form a reservoir in 

 the garden capable of containing sufficient water to last through any period of dry weather likely 

 to occur. I have recommended the latter plan, and the subject is still under consideration.* 



A complete set of meteorological instruments was, in answer to my repeated requests, 

 received from the Surveyor-General at the end of June, and on 1st July the Superintendent 

 co^imenced his observations. The records at this remarkably situated station cannot fail to be of 

 exceptional interest and value. 



I am glad to report most favourably of the continued zealous activity of Mr. Nock who 

 takes an earnest interest in his work. I trust that the repairs in his bungalow may be carried 

 out without further delay. It is also much to be wished that some accommndation were provided 

 for the Director on his visits to Hakgala. 



From a very full report on the condition and progress of the garden for the past year, 

 which the Superintendent has sent in, I extract the following details : — 



"Buildings. — No repairs or painting having bceu clone (o the Superiutemlent's bungalow dui-hig the 

 year, the plaster in many y)laces has continued to crack and fall off, and the walls and woodwork are now 

 in a very untidy state. 1'he store-room, out-buildings, aud foreman's quarters also require wliitewasliing. 



"A new span-roofed shed for the carpenter to work in and for the storage of lumber has been built, 

 and also a large potting shed for storing soil aud manure, and for general use in connection with potting work. 



* The breakaway lias since been temporarily repaired by Mr. Nock, who has also put in a new sluice, with a 

 small vote taken over from the Public Works Department. \_Note added.'] 



