CEYLON. l' :; 



its beautiful pale blue flowers, reach to the very tops 

 of the highest, trees. Orchids, pitcher plants, the gor- 

 geous passion flower and several species of rhododen- 

 drons are worthy representatives of the rich flora of the 

 island. 



CLIMATE. 



When Nature goes to work to create a botanic garden 

 she must necessarily have at her disposal a fertile soil 

 and a hot, moist climate, a climate congenial to luxuri- 

 ous vegetation, but hostile to man. Such is the climate 

 of Ceylon. The intensity of the heat is made almost in- 

 tolerable during the rainy season, from February to 

 July, by the saturation of the air with moisture. When 

 I arrived at Colombo the rainy season was practically 

 over and yet the atmosphere was so surcharged w T ith 

 moisture that in the absence of a breeze, natural or arti- 

 ficially produced by fan or punkah, breathing was a 

 difficulty and the sense of heat distressing, although the 

 thermometer in the shade only showed a temperature 

 of 92 degrees F. The coolest months are October, No- 

 vember, December and January, and the hottest corre- 

 spond with our spring months. In Colombo it is al- 

 ways hot and the use of blankets is almost unknown. 

 The continuous heat from one end of the year to the 

 other is depressing and Europeans find it necessary to 

 seek a cooler climate every three or four years to re- 

 cuperate, and have to abstain from hard work, mental 

 and physical, as much as possible during their entire 

 residence. In the mountains at an elevation of 2,000 

 and more feet the nights are cool, and even at Kandy, 

 1,600 feet above the level of the sea, the nights are 

 often chilly. The chains of mountains traversing the 

 island have a marked influence on the rainfall and tem- 

 perature of the high altitudes. It is often the case that 

 on one side of the range it is sultry and fogs and rain 

 prevail, while on the opposite side the atmosphere is 

 dry and cool and a bright sunshine adds to the cheer- 



