^26 



1?HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1,1887. 



The average number of days ou which rain fell 

 during the five years is 210'6, aud the average monthly 

 rainfall for three and half years is f3'!t5 in. nearly. 



The wind was light or moderate until May iO, and 

 the direction was pretty steady from the S.E. It then 

 turned to N.W. and blew very strong and steady from 

 that quarter until June 22. From this to July b it 

 was unsettled, sometimes going round to S.PJ., aud 

 the force was light or moderate during that time. It 

 then settled, down to N.'W'., and continued to blow 

 from that quarter till October 21, being at times 

 very strong. From then till November 22 it was very 

 variable, and light or moderate in force. On 22ud 

 it settled down to S.E., and continued so till the 

 end of the year, and the force was generally light, 

 with the exception of December .s, i), and 10. Ou 

 these three days it blew very strong from the N.AV. 



The greatest pressure per square foot registered 

 during any 24 hours was &'S'S'.i lb., equal to 4-80 miles 

 an hour, on June 10. This is the highest recorded 

 during the three and half years the observations have 

 been taken. 



The mean daily hori:^onta] movement of the air for 

 the year was 2U7'4i» miles. The most windy month 

 Was July, with a mean daily horizontal movement of 

 340'.3l miles. The calmest month was February, with 

 a daily mean of 10615 miles. 



The barcjmetic pressure aud the temperature of the 

 air was as follows: — 



B.^ROMETic Pressure. 0,581 (ft.) 



1886. Mean llauge. 



January ... 24o47 ... "275 



February ... 24 5.56 ... •2'6o 



March ... 24-,-.57 ... -308 



April ... 24-541 ... -171 



May ... 24-480 ... '2:{9 



June ... 24-474 ... "209 



July ... 24-462 ... "152 



August ... 24-475 ... •210 



September ... 24-50:! ... '189 



October ... 24 507 ... "191 



November ... 24-523 ... "281 



December ... 24-542 ... '276 



'Ihe 12 months ... 24-513 ... "o'J5 



Highest reading... 24726 on January o. 



Lowest reading . . . 24-3;jl on May 2;!. 



Tkmi'euature of the AlK, 



18S6. Mean. Range, 



January ... 59-8 ... 2o(» 



February ... 61-0 ... 28 



March ... 66-0 ... 30 5 



April ... 05-7 ... 30-0 



May ... 65-6 ... 24-5 



June ... 64-5 ... 22-0 



July ... 63-3 ... 22-0 



August ... 62-9 ... 22-0 



Heptember ... 62-5 ... 24-5 



October .. C2-4 ... 21-0 



November ... 64-3 ... 26-0 



59-1 ... 25-0 



December 



The 12 months 



63-0 



36-0 



Jlaximum temperature of air, 7S0 on March 23-24, 



Minimum temperature of air, 420 on JJecember 25. 



The highest temperature during the year in the 

 fiun'srays was 1450, on April 20 and June 27, and 

 the lowest ou grass was 380 on December 25. 



The mean amount of cloud for the year was 7"05. 

 The cloudiest months were .lanuary and November, 

 with a mean of S'l. The brightest mouth was March, 



with 47 



6. — Interch.vn(;e or Plants and Seeds. 



My absence from the Colony during the greater part 

 of the year interfered to some extent with the ex- 

 changes with British and Foreign (iardens. but Mr. 

 Clark has kept up most of our relations, and ini- 

 tiated a few new ones. 



During the year we received "Wardian cases and 

 boxes of living plants from tlie Botanic Gardens of 

 Kew (2), Calcutta (2), .Madras, Singapore (4), Penang, 

 Buitenzorg (Java) (2), aud British (Juiaua; also from 

 Colonel Berkeley (Kaugoox), B. B. AVbite, Esq. (Scot- 

 land), and Messrs. WsiganUt, of Duaseldorff. 



Packets of seeds were received from the following 

 places and persons . — The Botanic Gardens of Kew, 

 Cambridge, Calcutta, Buitenzorg, .Melbourne, IMauii- 

 tius, Hongkong, Natal, Jamaica, aud British Guiana ; 

 the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras, the <^>ueens- 

 land Acclimatisation Society, Baron von Mueller (Mel- 

 bourne), T. Hanbury,Esq. (Ventimeglia), E. ^1. Holmes, 

 Esq., F. I., s. (London), H. Travers, Es<|. (New Zealand), 

 Adam & Sons (New Zealand), Dr. Henderson (Jamaica) 

 T. Christy, Esq. (Loudon), Messrs. Linden ((Jheut) 

 and Messrs. Haago cV Schmidt (Erfurt). I have also 

 to thank the following donors in the Colony: — Lady 

 Hamilton Gordon, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Grinlinton, 

 I^Irs. Jeffries, Rev. G. ^Y. R. Mackenize, Captain F. 

 Bayley, and Messr.s. C. Badger, P. Bois, D. P\ Browne, 

 W.J. Cotton, W. Ferguson, f.l.s., T. C. Huxley, J. 

 D. .Tonklaas, W. Jordan, A. C. Lawrie, A. G. Kellow 

 J. Kelley, H. Nevill, c.c.s., C. Strachau, A. Tatham, 

 J. Wickwar, A. Whyte, G. W. AVood, and J. H 

 AVright. 



The Parcel Post now affords great facilities for 

 the carriage or many sorts of plants, and a box 

 of CattU'jja ■■<tij) iha arrived in November in excellent 

 order from so great a distance as Demerara by this 

 means. 



We have despatched Wardian cases and boxes 

 of plants in exchuigeto the following: — The Botanic 

 Gardens of Kew (3), Singapore (5), Penang, Saharun- 

 pore, Buitenzorg (:.'), and British Guiana; to the Con- 

 servators of Forests, Kaugoon and Tavoy, to Colonel 

 Berkeley (Rangoon), R. A. White, Esq. (Scotland) 

 and Messrs. Weigandt, of Dusseldorfl. 



Seeds, kc, have been supplied to the Botaic Gardens 

 of Kew, Glasgow, Calcutta, Singapore, Penang, Hong- 

 kong, Buitenzorg, Jamaica, aud British Guiana, to the 

 Acclimatisition Society of Queensland, to I\Iessrs. 

 Haage & Schmidt (Erfurt), and to Messrs. A'eitch 

 (Chelsea). 



It may be worth putting on record here that 

 thirteen stems of our mountain tree-feru {Aiiiophila, 

 crinitti), sent home at the end of 1885, with the 

 view of using tbem as decorative plants in the Ceylon 

 Court of the Exhibition in liondon, all, with one 

 exception, survived the voyage and recovered their 

 health in the houses of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 at Chiswick. This is, I believe, the first s-uccessful 

 attempt to introduce this beautiful species into Eng- 

 land. Four of th'^ planis are liow at Kew, two at 

 Glasgow, aud one at Glasnerin, Dublin. 



We have made the customary (/i-ati.-^ distribution of 

 plants and seeds on application to public .officials and 

 places within the Colony. The Government Agents and 

 Assistants at Auuradbapura, BailuUa, Ratnapura, Ham- 

 bantota, and Kegalla ; the Museum Ground , Colombo ; 

 the Director of Public Instruction ; the Forester, North 

 Oe '.tral Province; the 3runicipalit3' of Kaudy ; the 

 Local lioard of Nuwara E!ij'a; the .Supirintendent of 

 Police, Galle; and the Stationmasters at Mataie aud 

 Rambukkana. 



7. — Principat, Additions io the Coli ections. 

 The following list, in continuation of those of piexious 

 years, contains the names of sncli of the freign plants 

 received during 1886 as are additional to those al- 

 ready in the Gardens, and seem likely to succeed 

 here. There are not among them many plants of 

 economic value, but a considerable number of urna- 

 mental ones especiailj' among the orchids, are included, 

 as well as some species of great botanical interest. 

 I hope this year to find time to complete a Catalogue 

 of the present contents of the Gardens, which is 

 greatly needed. 



(.\)— Peradeniva. kc, Gardens. 

 Dicotvledons. 

 Hibiscus liliillorus, Cav. JNIascareue Islands. (T. Han* 



bury.) 

 Sterculia quadrifida, Br. (^tueen.sland. (F. v. .Mueller, 

 Theobroraa bicolor, Humb. and Bonpl. New Grenada, 

 kc. A wild chocolate, cultivate<l and used on a 

 small scale by the Indians of Central America. 

 (Buiteuzorij.) 

 (irewia catfra, Meisn. Natal (Natal) 

 Vepris lanceulata, A. Juss. S. Africa, Mauritius. 

 (Natal.) 



