June i, 1887J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



825 



EOYAL BOTANIC (iABDENS : CEYLON. 

 BEPORT OF DE. HENKY TIUMEN, DIEECTOR, 

 FOE THE lEAE 188(;. 

 (I'ontimu-d from puffc 815,) 

 Eoads and Fath>'. — A 'large number of npw paths, 

 -1 ft. wide, have been formed during the year, the 

 total length of such being 4-'3 yards ; 'd'd'l yards of 

 old paths were gravelled. 



The steep and unsightly path at the south end of 

 the old ornameatal pond has been done away with, 

 and the space planted up with shrubs. A stone 

 culvert was built in the gully between the plant sheds 

 and nurseries, and a wooden bridge jnade across the 

 gully in the new road to the fernery ; also one by 

 the carriage shed, and another leading over the 

 water-course by the foreman's quarters. Eetaining walls 

 were built — one to support the road leading into the 

 nursery, and one just below the carriage turn. 



Turf verges, 12 in. wide, were laid down on each 

 side of the new drive and on the sides of portions 

 of the new paths, the total length being 8-10 yards ; 

 iioS cart loads of turf were reijuired for this and the 

 turfing of the banks. Most of this was obtained from 

 the public roadsides, and the rest was kindly given 

 by Mr. AY. I. Cotton, from his property opposite the 

 Garden. The turf laid on the banks measures 1,117 j'ards. 

 All the paths have been repaired and gravelled, 

 and m est of the beds have been dug wp and mulched 

 ■with surface soil from the jungle. A light top dressing 

 of lime was forked in about May, the benefit of which 

 was soon seen in the general healthy appearance of 

 the plants where it was applied. 



The scrub and jungle on the north side of the 

 lower entrance to the fernery has been grubbed up 

 for a distance of 108 ft. long and 12 ft. broad. A 

 rockery bank has been formed here to correspond 

 with that on the opposite side. This has been plnnted 

 with mixed ferns and begonias. 



A path has been opened from the corner of the 

 flower garden leading past the thermometer shed, 

 and winding through the jungle into the fernery on 

 its upper side. The undergrowth only has been cut 

 awaj', leaving all the jungle trees; and 1,2,70 plants 

 of ferns and begonias have been planted out under 

 the trees. This path not only gives a new access to 

 the feuerj', but affords an opportunity to visitors for 

 seeing something of the hill-jungle and its native trees. 

 Borders and Shruhheries. — The chief work done during 

 the year has been the digging up of the soil among the 

 plants to let in light and air, manuring, stiking, and 

 pruning and thinning out the trees and shrubs ; 53,900 

 plants were set out during the year, the greater part of 

 these, as usual, being showy garden plants and annuals, 

 I may mention that hares have this year been most 

 destructive to young plants. All efforts to get good 

 beds of such things as verbenas, carnations, lobelias, 

 &c., have been of no avail, for as soon as they begin 

 to 'Strike into healthy growth, they are eaten off and 

 destroyed. The hares have become so bold that one 

 night they came to a border within nine yards of 

 the bungalow door, and 170 plants of choice poppies, 

 which had been planted out some time, and had put 

 on three or four inches of healthy growth, were 

 eaten oft' close to the ground. 



At different times during the year much pruning 

 and thinning out of trees has been done. A good 

 many of the casuarina trees near the gates died 

 during the year from the effects of a little borer. 

 These have been cut down and removed to the wood 

 pile. Fifty-nine cart loads of timber for the stoke 

 hole fire were cut out of the Garden from the 

 thinnings and pmniugs of the trees. From the 

 entrance gates to the old China tea plot, and running 

 parallel with the public road for 80 yards, a hedge 

 of -Di'.rrt/i^rt P/znrtjt'/'i has been planted. ' No alterations 

 were made in the arrangements of the beds, and they 

 were filled with similar plants to those of last year. 

 The only improvement to the flower garden was the 

 building of a retaining wall and culvert at the north- 

 west corner, and making a ])ath across the drain there. 

 Rose Ganlrii.—Yor the first-half of the year this 

 garden was very attractive. The gladiulus, pacsies, 



and portulacas bloomed remarkably well, and continued 

 m flower for a long time. Some of the pansies attained 

 '2.y in. in diameter. 



The rose plants for the latter part of the year 

 have not done well, and though they have received 

 every attention in the way of manuring, &c., they 

 have made but very little growth, and I fear the 

 whole lot must be taken up and new plants put in. 

 Urrhacrous aardrii-— The beds at the lower end of 

 this garden have been completed. A few plants have 

 been set out in their places, in the orders to which 

 they belong. The monocotyledons planted last year 

 have done very well indeed, and have flowered freely. 

 The planting here requires to be done persouallyj 

 and I have had little time during the year. 



JFcather.—The weather in January was remarkable 



for wet, foggy, misty days and rainy nights, and up 



to the 29th of the month, the sun was but rarely 



seen. February, March, and April were fine, rain 



scracely ever falling before 2 p.sr. During May the 



weather was variable, but up to the 16th the morninga 



were generally fine, and the afternoons more or less 



cloudy and rainy. From the lOth to the 28th it was 



very^ wet, though heavy rain only fell on one day, 



the 24th. The first h.alf of June was fine, followed 



by ten days very wet rough weather. The weather 



in July was most unusual, being generally wet and 



foggy, with very high winds, and certainly the 



roughest month in the year. August was also very 



wet and cloudy for the first nineteen days. The 



rest of the month was fine and bright and very hot, 



the thermometer in the shade rising to 751) on the 



21st, 22nd, and 29th. and on the 25th the thermometer 



m the sun went up to 142-0. In September rain was 



registered on twentv-throe days, heavy rain falling 



on the 24th and 29th. From th ^ 14th to the 23rd 



It was very fine and bright. October gave much the 



same sort of weather as September, heavy rain fiiUing 



on the 2nd, 12th, and 25th. November was remarkable 



for the absence of the dense fogs which usually 



prevail during this month. From the 15th to the 



2.0th the days were very fine and bright, and the 



nights cold, more like February than November. 



Though it was dull and wet in December up to the 



22nd, the rainfall was not heavy. The temperature 



was very low several times during the month, and 



on the 8th and 9th a very strong cold wind passed over. 



The following table will show the monthly rainfall 



from July 1, 1883, and the nimiber of days on which 



ram fell during the last five years:— 



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