﻿Botany. 
  175 
  

  

  passing 
  beauty. 
  Above 
  the 
  garden 
  is 
  a 
  frowning 
  double 
  cliff 
  

   1,500 
  ft. 
  high, 
  and 
  all 
  around, 
  the 
  views 
  are 
  most 
  attractive. 
  

   The 
  Gate 
  affords 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  these. 
  The 
  landscape 
  reaches 
  

   over 
  the 
  Uva 
  district 
  towards 
  the 
  Haputale 
  gap 
  and 
  the 
  Madul- 
  

   sirna 
  hills. 
  On 
  entering 
  the 
  garden 
  the 
  bewilderment 
  begins. 
  

   On 
  every 
  hand 
  one 
  sees 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  grotesque 
  juxtaposi- 
  

   tion. 
  Plants 
  from 
  Australia 
  such 
  as 
  Casuarinas 
  and 
  Acacias 
  are 
  

   perfectly 
  at 
  home 
  with 
  East 
  and 
  West 
  Indian, 
  Japanese, 
  and 
  

   English 
  plants. 
  Of 
  the 
  latter 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  which 
  seemed 
  

   thrifty 
  and 
  well 
  established. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  garden 
  is 
  used 
  primarily 
  for 
  experimental 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  laid 
  out 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  effectiveness 
  of 
  grouping 
  

   and 
  with 
  remarkable 
  success. 
  A 
  botanical 
  visitor 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   constantly 
  trying 
  to 
  separate 
  in 
  his 
  mind 
  the 
  different 
  plants 
  from 
  

   the 
  curious 
  collocations 
  which 
  everywhere 
  abound 
  and 
  demonstrate 
  

   better 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  place 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  seen, 
  the 
  wide 
  range 
  

   of 
  tolerance 
  of 
  climate. 
  The 
  superintendent, 
  Mr. 
  TV. 
  Nock, 
  who 
  

   has 
  had 
  large 
  experience 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  has 
  carried 
  on 
  some 
  

   interesting 
  experiments 
  in 
  acclimatizing 
  plants 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  

   hemisphere, 
  such 
  as 
  " 
  cherimoyer 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  

   plants 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  more 
  attractive 
  from 
  an 
  economic 
  point 
  of 
  

   view 
  than 
  the 
  vegetables 
  of 
  doubtful 
  promise, 
  such 
  as 
  Arracacha, 
  

   and 
  those 
  of 
  assured 
  culinary 
  position 
  "Choco 
  " 
  or 
  "Chocho" 
  

   (Sechium 
  edule) 
  for 
  example. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  medicinal 
  plants 
  in 
  

   hand 
  were 
  doing 
  well 
  in 
  every 
  way, 
  while 
  others 
  have 
  proved 
  

   somewhat 
  disappointing, 
  for 
  instance, 
  jalap 
  and 
  ipecacuanha. 
  

  

  The 
  ferns, 
  especially 
  the 
  tree 
  ferns, 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Eucalyp- 
  

   tus 
  form 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  marked 
  successes 
  at 
  this 
  garden. 
  Mr. 
  Nock 
  

   stated 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  troublesome 
  weed 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  is 
  a 
  species, 
  

   (perhaps 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  species) 
  of 
  Oxalis: 
  it 
  is 
  simply 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  eradicate 
  it. 
  

  

  (5) 
  P&rddeniya. 
  — 
  The 
  gardens 
  are 
  four 
  miles 
  from 
  Kandy, 
  and 
  

   about 
  eighty 
  from 
  Colombo. 
  The 
  railroad 
  passes 
  through 
  low- 
  

   lands 
  and 
  rice-fields, 
  past 
  native 
  villages 
  surrounded 
  by 
  plantains 
  

   and 
  coconuts, 
  and 
  through 
  occasional 
  jungles, 
  until 
  it 
  reaches 
  

   higher 
  ground. 
  The 
  scenery 
  changes 
  rapidly, 
  forests 
  now 
  and 
  

   then 
  appearing 
  in 
  the 
  foreground, 
  with 
  occasional 
  views 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   tant 
  castellated 
  mountains. 
  As 
  the 
  mountains 
  rise 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   terraced 
  rice-tields 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  shrubs 
  of 
  the 
  jungles, 
  the 
  eye 
  

   catches 
  on 
  every 
  hand 
  glimpses 
  of 
  groups 
  of 
  bent 
  coconut 
  palms 
  

   and 
  straight 
  arecas. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  realize 
  that 
  these 
  palms 
  

   mean, 
  perhaps 
  without 
  exception, 
  human 
  habitations 
  at 
  their 
  feet. 
  

   Through 
  these 
  scenes 
  of 
  enchanting 
  beauty, 
  the 
  railroad 
  has 
  

   made 
  its 
  way, 
  demanding 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  very 
  skillful 
  engineering. 
  

   The 
  track 
  is 
  lined 
  with 
  Lantana 
  which 
  is 
  slowly 
  giving 
  way 
  

   before 
  the 
  encroachments 
  of 
  a 
  still 
  stronger 
  invader, 
  a 
  Compo- 
  

   site 
  from 
  Mexico. 
  Mimosa 
  pudiea 
  is 
  also 
  widely 
  spread 
  as 
  a 
  

   strong 
  weed. 
  

  

  The 
  drive 
  from 
  Kandy 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  garden 
  is 
  through 
  a 
  well 
  

   shaded 
  street 
  lined 
  with 
  native 
  houses. 
  These 
  are 
  gathered 
  at 
  

   short 
  intervals 
  into 
  villages. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Third 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  248. 
  — 
  August, 
  1891. 
  

   12 
  

  

  