656 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. (March i, 1886. 



of the giant tbere were sent for publication, it 

 might be worth comparing with the older one in other 

 districts. 



Of more importance, however, than big trees, 

 whether of cinchona or cacao, to Uva, is the 

 establishment of an Expfrijientai, Botanical or 

 rather Economic Gaiidf.n. This has just been in- 

 augurated at Badulla by Dr. Trimen (who was ac- 

 companied by Mr. Nock of Hakgala), at least so far 

 as the selection of the ground and general plan of 

 operations. Twelve acres of land have been secured 

 adjoining the race-course in close proximity to the 

 town, and, when laid out and planted, the Gardens 

 will undoiabtedly add a most pleasing feature to the 

 beauty and attraction of the very Ciiarming cpital 

 of the nev/ province. Dr. Trimen could not have a 

 better lieutenant than Mr. Nock in carrying out his 

 plans, and I have no doubt the usefulness of the 

 Gardens in providing a supply of useful plants 

 (" new products ") to try on plantations, and especi- 

 ally near the native villages, will be widely appreci- 

 ated. I trust the day is not far distant when 

 every Provincial capital may be able to show its 

 branch (iardens — ornamental as well as economic — 

 instructing as well as delighting the people frequenting 

 them. Annual Provincial Agri-Horticultural Shows 

 with prizes and sports more especially for the people, 

 will follow in due course. Meantime, Dr. Trimen 

 has made a good start, for, besides liis Hakgala and 

 Henaratgoda branches, he has formally opened 

 Gardens at Anuradhapura and Badulla. Battioaloa 

 and Galle or Matara ought to be next favored. 

 Jaffna, I believe, has a Public Garden under the 

 Agent's care. 



Beturning to the Hills, I have to report that the 

 story about the " rogue elephant " and Mr. 

 Jordan's conveyance is a false alarm — an invention 

 of the horsekeeper so far as the elephant is con- 

 cerned, to endeavour to screen his own carelessness. 

 It now appears that tlie horsekeeper, in bringing up 

 the eonveyence from Wilson's Bungalow, must have 

 gone to sleep, with the result that the horse, in 

 turning in to Hakgala Gardens as a resting-place 

 to which it was accustomed, took the corner too 

 sharply, and over the culvert went the whole con- 

 cern — tortunati'ly not on the precipitous side of 

 the road. 



There was just this justification for the horse- 

 keeper in awaking fiom his sleep in supposing 

 that.tbe capsize had been effected by an elephant, 

 that a rogue tusker had been prowling in 

 the neighbourhood some weeks before. The 

 Hakgala tiardens have, it seems, been more than 

 once visited b.y elephants during the past year, 

 and the wonder is that so little damage has been 

 done. On one occasion the herd l)roke down a 

 small culvert and trampled everything in the 

 neighbourliood of one of the outhouses. On that 

 occasion their mai-ks were observed along tlie jungle 

 track and the evidence shewed that the herd was 

 followed at a respectful distance by a s'lDg'e eleph- 

 ant — a big tusker — probably cast out, but as yet 

 unwilling to lead a solitary life, and turn rogue 

 altogether. This sarac tusker, however, soon after 

 paid ai'.other visit to the (iardens — this was in 

 December last — and seemed to be especially attracted 

 by the aneniomoler stand. He in.^pccted tlie 

 instrument and gave it a push, so as to turn the 

 indicator round from N. W. to S. W.I But be 

 did not do further damage save in riding some 

 trees of their foliage. Mr. Nock could sc;ircely 

 reach with his arm outstietcbed and standing on 

 tiptoe tile part of the tree where the top of the 

 elephant's shoulder had been rubbing off Ihi' buk, 

 and the measurement of the footprint was llA 

 inches inside. Mr. Nock accordingly judged that 



his visitor was a big specimen, and this was con- 

 firmed by Mr. Spencer of Ambawella. who had a 

 short time before spent a long day in following 

 up the same animal, he thinks, a huge tusker, 

 evidently a rogue, in the neighbourhood, and who 

 would probably have secured him had not his 

 native attendant bolted with his spare rifle at the 

 critical moment. In December, Messrs. Kay-Shuttle- 

 wortli and Bagot of Udapussellawa endeavoured 

 to follow up the tracks of the visitor of Hakgala 

 Gardens, but after going a considerable distance 

 they found that he had evidently gone off to the 

 Horton Plains. Later on, however, garden coolie=, 

 sent to the jungle for material wanted, returned 

 on two occasions saying they had been driven 

 back by an elephant. There is therefore evidently 

 a good chance for a sportsman desirous of distin- 

 guishing himself by getting rid of a thorough 

 rogue, in the neighbourhood of Hakgala. 



Life in these Gardens in fact is varied by more 

 than human and elephantine visitors. Only a few 

 weeks ago, the cow of one of the employees which 

 could not be found at nightfall, having wandered 

 away on the patanas below the Gardens, was 

 discovered next morning killed at the edge of the 

 jungle. The owner suspected wandering Moorme.i, 

 and appealed to Mr. Nock for redress; but the 

 latter, on going to the spot, at once saw that 

 the "Moormen butcher" was a cheetah, death hav- 

 ng been caused in the way peculiar to that 

 animal, by a spring on the shoulders and head, 

 the neck of the cow being broken. A large part 

 of the victim had been devoured; but the owner 

 would not consent to sacrifice the rest in order 

 to lay a trap for the cheetah, which no doubt 

 returned to the spot, as is usual, the following 

 night. 



Mr. Nock's own adventure some time ago, when 

 walking along a junglepath, a cheetah dropped 

 from the bank above, some yards in front of liiin. 

 and, after a look and a snarl, skulked into the 

 jungle below, has already been recorded in your 

 columns. It is parallel to Major Skinner's experi- 

 ence on the Adam's Peak range (as related in Mr. 

 A. M. Ferguson's Eemiuiscences) when a cheetah 

 sprang out and dropped at his feet during an 

 early morning walk in a forest path. The brute 

 just looked into the eyes of the startled Major, 

 who stood stock still, and then bounded back into 

 the jungle. No doubt the cheetah had sprung 

 for a fourfooted animal, in which case he would 

 have landed on the neck. 



Talking of elephants, have you ever heard of 

 Indian or African tuskers being imported and turned 

 loose in our jungles'? It was stated the other 

 day that any big tusker now seen in Ceylon must 

 be the progeny of the introductions referred to; 

 but I certainly never read or heard of the African 

 or any Indian breed being introduced into the island, 

 and although "tuskers'' are few and far between 

 here as compared with Africa, still th?re can bo 

 no doubt of Ceylon having genuine tuskers of its 

 own species of elephant. [The idea of African 

 elephants turned loosu in Ceylon is, of course 

 absurd. The enormous ears of the African elephant 

 distinguish it markedly fioni the Ceylon animal.— 

 Ed.] 



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