928 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1883. 



No new kinds of rubber-producing plants have been received in the past year. The 

 "apocynaceotis" rubber sent out by Mr. T. Christy recently (see his "New Commercial Plants," 

 IV., p. 13), has flowered, and proves to be a Cryptostegia, probably not distinct from C. grandi- 

 Jiora, a common plant in Colombo gardens. It is therefore not "apocynaceous, " but asclepiadeous. 

 The species was long ago advocated in India as a rubber-yielding plant, but the quality of the 

 product remains to be tested. 



All the climbing caoutchouc plants — Landolphia (including Vahea), Urceola (including 

 Cluwannesia) and W'lUughbe'ia — grow very much better at Henaratgoda than in the Peradeniya 

 garden, which is at too high an elevation for them ; Landolphia florlda succeeds best in the latter 

 locality. L. Kir kit makes but slow growth here compared with Henaratgoda, where the stem of one 

 (now nearly three years old) is fully three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The milk of this species 

 I find to be extremely thick, solidifying with rapidity into a very tough, elastic rubber ; it should 

 be a very good sort, but will be ditficivlt to collect. The Urceola ( Chavannesia) esculenta, which 

 completely failed at Peradeniya, has made astonishingly rapid growth in the tropical garden, 

 ■where in the course of a few months it has completely covered trees of considerable size with 

 its long close-twining stems. I may mention that the leaves of our plant are thin, dark green, 

 and roughly scabrous-pubescent on both surfaces, thus differing greatly from the description of U. 

 (;s«/&«<« in the recently published "Flora of British India": it has not yet flowered. Mention 

 of this book reminds me to note a slight change of nomenclature. The W'dlughbeia Burbidgei of 

 the Kew Report for 1880 (and mine for 1881) proves to be identical with a species already described, 

 W. firma BL, found also in Sumatra and Borneo. Also, I find that the plant in P6radeniya 

 sent by Mr. Mnrton from Singapore some years back (and which I had not previously distin- 

 guished from the last) is W.Jiavescens, Dyer {Chilocarpus in Kew Report, 1880). Both these 

 species seem to afford the "Gutta Siuggarip" of Singapore, 



Seeds of Hancornia speciosa, the Mangabeira rubber, have been received from Kew and 

 from Mr. T. Christy, but none have germinated. The Tabernoemartana crassa seedlings have also 

 died off at Peradeniya, but one plant at Henaratgoda is doing well. 



Gutta Ferc/ia,— The " Gutta Sundek" trees (Paj/efia, sp.) are doing well ; naturally, they 

 grow more rapidly at Henaratgoda, where the largest are now 3 feet 9 inches high. I have not as 

 yet been able to get any nearer to the name of this tree. Prof. Oliver, of Kew, to whom I sent spe- 

 cimens, is inclined to refer it to Pajjena (KeratepJioriis) Leer'ii (Hassk.), in which M. Beauvisage, 

 of Paris, agrees, but Mr. Clarke, iu the new " Flora of British India," thinks this an erroneous 

 determination. 



I am again greatly indebted to Mr. Low, of Perak, for seeds of a second Gutta Percha tree. 

 These were received in September, germinated well, and are now promising seedlinga. These 

 were sent under the name of " Gatah taban putih," but Mr. Low has since expressed some doubt 

 as to this source. They are however clearly from a species of Dic/wpsis (or Bassia?). To judge 

 from the leaf-specimens of " Gatah taban putih," afterwards sent by Mr. Low, this can scarcely 

 be separable from B. Gutta; the leaves are somewhat broader, and their primary veins more pro- 

 minent than in that species. Mr. Low writes with them : " This is the most common of the species 

 of Gutta Percha, but I have never been able to find it in flower; it is a very large tree." 



There still remains the best sort — " Gatah taban merah"— of these Gutta trees to be 

 collected, and Mr. Low is energetically endeavouring to secure the seed of this also. 



Medici7ial plaids. — It is my intention to cultivate such of the plants used iu medical practice 

 in the Colony as will grow well in Ceylon, and especially to devote a part of Hakgala garden to 

 this object. 



Jalap.— Mx. Nock reports as follows :— " The half-dozen plants here have been increased 

 to about 150, which are now iu a veryhealthy condition, and promise to do well." I hope next 

 year we may be able to send home some samples for report. 



Taraxacum.— 1\\\s valuable drug is largely used in the Colony, and it would be very 

 advantageous to have the fresh root at hand. A supply of seed was obtained from Saharunpore 

 in April, and was at once forwarded to Hakgala. Mr. Nock has taken much pains with its 

 cultivation, and sends the following report : — " Small plots were at once sown in five different 

 places. Of those sown in pataua laud, in an old tea clearing, and in a poor place in an abandoned 

 cinchona plantation, scarcely a plant grew further than to make two leaves. Their death was jiartly 

 due to the great heat of the sun for a few days j ust after they germinated, and partly to the poorness 

 of the soil. The seed sown under shade, and that on rather better soil and iu a damper situation, 

 came up well, and the plants are now looking very healthy and promise to turn cut well. A portion 



