AND THE MALAY STATES 23 



From the station I rode through a most densely populated native 

 village, with narrow streets and a smell of stale fish that was simply 

 appalling. Here we gathered a lot of flies, but as they ultimately settled 

 on the bullock's hump, no especial annoyance came from their presence. 

 Finally we reached the entrance to the gardens, turned in, and in due 

 time found Mr. Perira, who at once put himself at my disposal. On the 

 way he showed me some Ceara rubber trees which appeared to have 

 grown well, but as that tree in Ceylon has not proved profitable, .it was 



EXPERIMENT GARDEN, PERADENIYA. 



[Ceara rubber in foreground.] 



to me of only transient interest. I did, however, measure one, twenty 

 years old, which was two feet in diameter three feet from the ground, 

 and was probably fifty feet high. That it contained some latex I proved 

 by cutting into it. 



A short distance away, on a somewhat lower level, was a grove of 

 Hevcas twenty years old, sixty to seventy feet high. They were planted 

 about ten feet apart, and had taken full possession of the soil, no weeds 



