pm u 1887.1 



THE TROPICAL AG!?lCt7LTUMST. 



S15 



Oranges. — In answer to request, a fine selection of 

 choice grafted oraniifes, &c., of twenty-tive kinds, was 

 despatched from the Queensland Acclimatisation Society 

 early in October. I regret to say, that in consequ'^nce 

 of a series of careless blunders the cases coutaiuiDg 

 these were twice carried past Colombo, first to Aden 

 and then to Calcutta. On finally arriving ^t Peradeniya 

 (on January 2ud) they were, it is needless to say, all dead 

 from drought. These were intended for the new Garden 

 at BaduUa. Another collection has been applied for. 



Jamaica Billberry {Taccuiium meridiouale).— On this 

 plant Mr. Nock has the following: — A few plants of 

 this fruit were raised three years ago, hut until this 

 year they remained almost stationary. They have, 

 however, now made a start, and look as though they 

 will yet do well. This plant in the mountains of 

 Jamaica grows into quite a big tree ; the wood is very 

 hard and durable, and one of the very best for 

 posts. It bears heavy crops of fruit, which i«t very 

 good cooked, at elevations from 2,00i' ft. to 6,000 ft. 



Eucalyptus Plantation.— Mr. Nock reports: — The 

 high winds at the end of May did much damage to 

 the plants in this plantation. Some of them were 

 blown clean out of the ground, and many others lost 

 their heads. The trees are now nearly five years old 

 from seed, and the following measurements of the 

 fifteen kinds selected for measuring in 1884 

 will show the rate of growth for four years : — 



rapidly during the last two years. It stands the wind 

 well, and the growth is as straight as an arrow. At 

 live years old from the seed it is 32 ft. high and 28 

 in. in circumference at the ground. E. alpina has a 

 curious swelling at the base, which seems to be 

 natural, as all the plants have it. Close to the ground 

 it measures 25 in. round the stem, and 6 in. higher up 

 only 12 m. This and a few of the other species are 

 now flowering. 



Conifers at Hakgala. — Though several species of 

 Thuja, Cupressits, Junipcrus, A raucaria, Frencla, Cri/pto- 

 meria, &c., grow well in the hills fas also lower down), 

 nearly all the pines and firs that have been tried have 

 been more or less failures, and I believe very few will 

 succeed in our climate. There is, however, a large tree 

 of Pinu.t hngifolia, which must be of some age, by 

 the OfiBco, 40 ft. high, with a girth, close to the 

 ground, of 6 ft. 4 in. It has produced cones freely 

 during the year, but none of the seeds were fertile. 

 Some other young plants of this species, raised from 

 Indian seed and planted in good soil in the Garden, 

 are doing well, but those in the old cinchona plot 

 have not come on at all well. 



Seed of Pinus sinensis was obtained in 1884. The 

 largest plant in the garden is 11 ft. high, but one left 

 in the nursery bed, where there is probably better soil, 

 is 20 ft. high and 10 in. round the stem at base. 

 The plant evidently requires rich soil, as others of 

 the same age in other parts of the groimds are not 

 more than 18 in. high. 



Eeceipts I'KOi-n Sales. 



The commence Jient of more prosperous times is 

 indicated by somewhat improved returns from sales, 

 especially at Hakgala, where the dealings are mainly 

 with the planting community. At Peradeuiya the 

 p incipal purchasers are still travellers, and the 

 chief thing purchased aie Wardian cases or boxses of 

 orchids, &c., for taking away from Ceylon. No less 

 tbep tbirty-foiar of these were supplied in 1886, 



The following are the receipts for the year ; — 



R. c. 



From Peradoniya . . . . . . 2,136 99 



Hakgala 877 68 



Henaratgoda 191 82 



Anuradhapura . . . . . . 34 44 



EaduUa 24 16 



Total .. .. 3,265 

 [For parts omitted here, see further on.] 



THE KANDY AGEI-HORTICUTURAL SHOW- 



' 6th May, 1887. 



The second Agri-Horticultural Exhibition of 

 Kandy was opened today. The arrangements for 

 the public were in many respects better than the 

 former Show : there was more room and conse- 

 quently less crowding. The buildings — mere sheds 

 — 'acked the artistic beauty or finish of those of 

 two years ago — doubtless the effect of the hurry- 

 scurry at the end — nevertheless to have got such 

 houses up in so short a time, and decorated them 

 as they were decorated said much for the energy 

 of all concerned, and reflected considerable credit 

 on the Committee. 



There is so much floral wealth in Ceylon which 

 even in inartistic hands readily lends itself to de- 

 corating a building that we are all more or less 

 accustomed to seeing the effects in some style or 

 another. But I do not remember to ha^e seen 

 anything so perfect in form, colour, and lightness, 

 as a kind of canopy over some splendid ferns. It 

 was, indeed, " a thing of beauty " apt, however, to be 

 missed by the sight-seer owing to its height. 



Perhaps the best Court in the Show was the one 

 at the East-end, filled without art treasures. Here 

 there were collections of native jewels of untold 

 vt.lue ; fine displays of moonstones ; ivory carvings 

 to please the eye of the connoisseur ; samples of 

 Kandyan painted pottery, the usually too glaring 

 colours considerably toned down. Heaps of em- 

 bossed silver work, for which some districts of 

 Ceylon are so famed, and a fine silver salver, 

 made in the Kegalle district, and lent to the 

 exhibition by His Excellency. There were also 

 rich cloths embroidered with gold, furniture, brass 

 work, paintings, photographs, and a book of great 

 beauty, gorgeously illuminated, and written in clear 

 characters, a gift from the King of Siam to some 

 of the Buc'dhist temples. 



This Court was always crowded, it had colour 

 and glitter in it, and had evidently attractions which 

 were not present anywhere else within the walls 

 of the Show. 



There was a line display of Ferns of all kinds 

 and the cut flowers were in greater plenty and 

 variety than formerly. Some of the flowers too 

 in pots were pretty, and told of care, but there 

 was much in this division of the Exhibition un- 

 worthy of a place. 



As to the new feature — the Cattle — there is nothing 

 special that lives in one's memory. You saw a 

 notice " gold medal," " silver medal " tied on the 

 forehead of very ordinary animals, the owners of 

 which must have been more astonished than the 

 public, at their being deemed so highly worthy of 

 honour. It evidently did net want very many 

 high points to get a first position on the list of 

 prize cattle. 



The Fruit and Vegetables were poor as compared 

 with what might have been. They were only a shade 

 better than the Estate Products, which may 

 be pronounced all but a failure. It wt*a almost 

 laughable, the meagre display. Whatever pro- 

 duct you were interested in, the poverty of 

 the show was sickening. As to tea, the com- 

 petitors were so few that the day before the 

 K^fhibitioQ, Irantic efforts were ]sad« to get an)^> 



