84 t 



tHE TROPICAL AdSICULTURlST. 



[JoNB 1, x886. 



conlinuci;! year after year trom borrowed capital- 

 Tlic liij;h interest is large ; and advauces for labour 

 given without BuDieient discrimination. Moisture, 

 ■wliich is reijuisitc. is diminished by over-felling, 

 the cultivation is careless, and so on. The Govern- 

 ment are not responsible for these mistakes. For 

 special reasons the remissions conceded to nearly 

 two lakhs lately to certain groups of estates, 

 but a strong case must be made out before the 

 Government could lessen the demand on the coffee 

 lands in Coorg.— il/!«'i«s Mail. 



COL-IND EXHIBITION. 



(From the Joiiniul of the Sucielij af Arts, April IGlh. 



CliVLON. 



The Executive Commissioner for Ceylon is Mr 

 Arthur N. Birch c. M. ii. ; and Mr. W. E. David- 

 son, the Honorary Secretary, is busily engaged 

 BUpcriutending the installation of the exhibits. The 

 Genrriil Committee at Colombo is presided over 

 by the Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton (iordon, o.c.M.o., 

 and includes amongst its members the Govern- 

 ment Agents for the various provinces of the 

 island, the Director of the Botanical Gardens, 

 and the Chairmen of the Chamber af Commerce, 

 the I'lanters' Association and the Agricultural 

 Association. Sub-Committees also represent thf 

 different provinces. 



Of llie exhibits from the " Spicy Island, the 

 most important will undoubtedly be the repre- 

 sentation of the planting industry, to which Ceylon 

 owes much of its past prosperity and to which 

 it will, it is hoped, be much indebted in the 

 future. The collection of tlie exhibits has been placed 

 in the hands of the Planters' Association of Ceylon ; 

 and tea and coffee will here be more adequately re- 

 presented than at any previous exhibition. 



A handsome building, designed by Mr. J. G. 

 Smither, to be known as the Ceylon tea house, 

 has been erected in the gardens between the 

 court and " Old London." It will be devoted 

 to the sale, exclusively, of these Ceylon products. 

 The entrance to the court will be through a 

 Kandyan porch in carved woods, flanked on either 

 side by a dwarf wall, pierced and ornamented in 

 the fashion of the ancient decoration of Kandy. 

 The porch and wall are faithful representations 

 of portions of the Daltula Ualiinin-a, the Buddhist 

 Temple of the Sacred Tooth. On either side of 

 the porch, the lirst exhibits to catch the eye will 

 be, appropriately enough, trophies of the chase ; 

 for Ceylon is perhaps the most accessible country 

 for sportsmen in search of big game. On the right 

 hand, charging out of a jungle with unlifted trunk, 

 wU be a notorious rogue elephant, shot expressly for 

 exhibition here. On the left will be represented the 

 leopard, elk and varieties of deer, grouped with the 

 aniidv birds of the tropics. 



The decorations of the court have been faith- 

 fully copied, both in colour and design, from the 

 Buddhistic art of Ceylon. Facing the entrance 

 will be « coloeeal gilt figure of Buddha, sitting iu 

 the attitude of contemplation, the representation 

 being especially appropriate as coming from a coun- 

 try where the doctrines and the learning of Bud- 

 dhism have been maintained in their highest purity; 

 and a special case will be devoted to a series of 

 Buddiiistic figures and ornaments. Below this rigure 

 stands a gateway, elaborately carved iu ornamental 

 Wood, an exact reproduction of the principal gateway 

 Bt y'lqnihii. an ancient capital of Ceylon, whose ruins, 

 though not so majestic as those of some others of 

 the buried cities of the interior, are the most pictur- 

 es(iuc of any. 



On the left of this gateway will be ranged a 

 Eollgctitfu of tlie tiiubcK ul Ccylou. Some two 



hundred " hand specimens," so cut as to show 

 the grain in every section, will be backed by 

 specimen planks of ornamental and cabinet woods, 

 such as calamander (or coromandel), ebony, 

 tamarind and satinwood. On the other side 

 will be seen the same native woods when carved 

 by native carpenters into cabinets and articles of 

 furniture. This group will be relieved by a collec- 

 tion of elephant tusks mounted on stands of ebony 

 and calamander. 



Precious stones, especially those for which Ceylon 

 is famous— the catseye, sapphire, ruby and pearl — 

 will be represented by a collection which will 

 include some of the finest gems in existence. On 

 stands, adjacent to the central jewel cases, will be 

 arranged specimens of the filagree gold work of 

 .Jaffna, and of the repousse silver work of the 

 Kandyan districts, as well as characteristic sets of 

 Sinhalese and Tamil jewellery, and a special collec- 

 tion prepared by the Kandyan Art Association. There 

 will also be shown, in the front half of the court, an 

 exhibit of lace— the making of which is an important 

 industry in the maritime provinces — as well as 

 tortoiseshell work and ornamental work in porcupina 

 quill, carving in ivory, ebony and coconut (the latter 

 a specialty of Ceylon) and a collection of the quaint 

 Kandyan pottery and of the painted masks used in 

 Sinhalese drama. Basket and lacquer work will 

 appear in this r.ection ; and a number of paintings 

 and photographs on the walls will supplement and 

 illustrate the table exhibits. Models of fishing canoes 

 and boats of the pearl fisheries, Ac, will aid to 

 illustrate the industries and peculiarities of the people. 



The second half of the court (which is divided by 

 a cross thoroughfare) will be mainly devoted to 

 exhibits of the economic sections. Plumbago, the 

 only mineral of Ceylon which is at present remunera- 

 tively worked, will be adequately shown in com- 

 mercial samples and by photographs of the industry 

 and its uses. Cinnamon and the products of the 

 coconut palm, the mainstay of low country cultiva- 

 tion, will be represented by complete collections. A 

 model distillery and casks, containing the various 

 qualities of the spirit, will show the arrack industry 

 as befits its importance, considering the revenue 

 derived by the Government from the arrack farms in 

 Ceylon, and the large export of arrack to Southern 

 India. 



Mention must also be made of the unique collec- 

 tion from the Maldive Islands acquired from Mr. 

 Ilosset, a German traveller who has made the group 

 his special study. 



Several fine examples of ferns, sent over from 

 Ceylon some months ago have been housed during 

 the winter by the Eoyal Horticultural Society at 

 Chiswick. 



Six Sinhalese, two of them expert cabinet-makers 

 and carpenters have arrived, and will be etuployed 

 in the court during the Exhibition. 



NOTES ON SCIENCE AFFECTING 



VEGETATION. 

 Bv Dr. .T. E. Taylor, f. i, s., f. o. s., &i. 



Mr. F. Darwin has just read a paper before the 

 Liunean Society on the "Bloom of Leaves." The 

 " r>loom ' is a waxy coatiug which can be removed by 

 hot water, or even by the beat of the fiugeis. Mr. 

 Darniii fiuds that leaves devoid of ■•bloom" on both 

 surfaces have 54 per cent, which possess uo Stomain 

 or "breathing-mouths" ou their upper surfaces. Leaves 

 wliich have no " bloom " on the upper surface have 

 81! per cent, cout.iining stomata on their lower surfaces 

 only; leaves liaviug " bloom " ou their upper surfaces, 

 but none below, liiive IdO per cent, of stomat^i ou 

 the upper eurfoce, whilst I .ives with "bloom" on 

 both ■^".rfaces have 6i per Ciut. poisseefliBg 6tonj»t» 



