13 



1 now have the pleasure to add a few notes and extracts 

 relating to plants, some of which are in the Garden, while 

 others have been the subject of correspondence during the year, 



Xanthorrhoea hastilis. — "Black Boy" or "Grass Gum Tree." 

 I regret to have to report that this plant died during the year 

 from attack of white ants. It stood near to the main walk, and 

 was a very attractive plant. It flowered in 1899, seeds were 

 obtained from it and plants reared. Several have been put out 

 in the Garden, but it will be a long time before they attain the 

 size of the parent plant, which was at least 40 years old, 

 perhaps more. 



Gcimum viride. — This plant, which is a native of tropical 

 Africa, is said to have the property of repelling mosquitos, and 

 it is reported that three or four of the living plants kept in a 

 room will completely free it from these pests. We received a 

 packet of seed from Sierra Leone and hope to have plants for 

 trial during the summer months. It occurred to me that our 

 native Ocimum gratissimum, Linn (0. suave, Willd) being very 

 powerfully scented, might possibly have the same property as 

 0. viride. I therefore had seeds of it collected, and this plant 

 will also be tested during the summer. 



Litsea chinensis. — I take the following from " Tropical 

 Agriculturist" of January last: — 



" If all that is said of Litsea chinensis the Sinhalese Bomi, 

 and Tamil Ellumpurukki is correct, this is certainly a remark- 

 able tree. Trimen in his Flora says no more than that ' the 

 wood is used for house-building, bark glutinous and used 

 medicinally as an external application for bruises, &c.' The 

 following extract from Ferguson's 'All about Fibres, Drugs, &c.' 

 gives an account of its medicinal properties : — ' There is a tree 

 growing in Patchalapalla District, in the Northern Province, 

 the name of which is Elamborekka, literally translated ' bone- 

 setter.' The medicinal properties lie in the bark, and the 

 native doctors are accustomed to apply the pounded drug in the 

 shape of a poultice to a broken limb, for the space of about 20 

 minutes, or as they calculate for the time a pot of rice takes to 

 boil, when it is removed and the limb bound up in the confident 

 expectation that the several parts will unite without further 

 trouble. Fabulous stories are told as a matter of course, of the 

 virtues of this remedy, but a case came under my own observa- 

 tion which may as well be stated. A Sinhalese aged about 50 

 was brought to Mr. Simon Gasie Chetty, late Judge of Chilaw, 

 having been picked up on the roadside, where he was left by 

 robbers. They had beaten him with sticks till his arm was 

 smashed from shoulder to wrist, and the Judge was for calling 

 in at once the Sub-Assistant Surgeon, but the man declined the 



