﻿176 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  My 
  first 
  visits 
  to 
  this 
  garden 
  were 
  made, 
  as 
  were 
  those 
  in 
  every 
  

   other 
  instance 
  save 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  tour, 
  without 
  reporting 
  to 
  

   the 
  Director. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  a 
  student 
  can 
  take 
  things 
  very 
  leis- 
  

   urely, 
  and 
  look 
  up 
  matters 
  of 
  detail 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  right 
  or 
  

   courteous 
  to 
  trouble 
  the 
  chiefs 
  with 
  : 
  later, 
  all 
  special 
  points 
  of 
  

   interest 
  which 
  have 
  escaped 
  notice 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  out 
  

   by 
  a 
  walk 
  with 
  the 
  Director. 
  The 
  establishment 
  at 
  Peradeniya 
  

   consists 
  (1) 
  of 
  150 
  acres 
  of 
  garden 
  proper 
  and 
  of 
  arboretum, 
  (2) 
  

   of 
  a 
  museum 
  and 
  herbarium 
  with 
  library 
  attached. 
  The 
  Direc- 
  

   tor, 
  Dr. 
  Henry 
  Trimen, 
  widely 
  known 
  as 
  an 
  author 
  and 
  editor, 
  

   controls 
  not 
  only 
  these, 
  but 
  the 
  branch 
  gardens 
  as 
  well, 
  making 
  

   his 
  headquarters 
  at 
  Peradeniya. 
  

  

  Once 
  for 
  all 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  botanists 
  are 
  made 
  welcome 
  in 
  

   every 
  way, 
  finding 
  every 
  facility 
  for 
  carrying 
  on 
  systematic 
  work. 
  

   The 
  climate 
  is 
  healthful, 
  provided 
  one 
  takes 
  ordinary 
  and 
  reason- 
  

   able 
  precautions 
  against 
  exposure 
  to 
  the 
  direct 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  

   the 
  hottest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  If 
  I 
  remember 
  rightly, 
  the 
  Director, 
  

   even 
  in 
  his 
  long 
  walks 
  through 
  the 
  garden 
  and 
  in 
  his 
  excursions 
  

   seldom 
  wears 
  the 
  conventional 
  pith-helmet. 
  American 
  students 
  

   need 
  not 
  fear 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  suffer 
  greater 
  discomfort 
  from 
  the 
  

   hot 
  weather 
  at 
  Kandy 
  and 
  Peradeniya 
  than 
  in 
  summer 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada. 
  Access 
  to 
  Ceylon 
  (and 
  for 
  that 
  

   matter, 
  Java) 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  made 
  so 
  easy 
  by 
  the 
  newer 
  swift 
  

   steamers, 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  advisable 
  to 
  mention 
  these 
  facts 
  about 
  the 
  

   climate. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  material 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  

   service 
  of 
  every 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  great 
  gardens 
  of 
  the 
  equato- 
  

   rial 
  belt, 
  that 
  under 
  present 
  review 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  at 
  Buitenzorg, 
  to 
  

   be 
  considered 
  in 
  a 
  subsequent 
  note. 
  It 
  is 
  equally 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   institute 
  a 
  comparison 
  between 
  the 
  two. 
  

  

  In 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  vast 
  establishments 
  the 
  student 
  finds 
  magnifi- 
  

   cent 
  specimens 
  of 
  all 
  or 
  very 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  useful 
  plants 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  hot 
  moist 
  climates. 
  Many 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  writer 
  had 
  the 
  privi- 
  

   lege 
  of 
  seeing 
  tropical 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  of 
  Panama, 
  but 
  even 
  

   the 
  delightful 
  impressions 
  received 
  on 
  that 
  occasion, 
  which 
  had 
  

   perhaps 
  become 
  deepened 
  with 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  time, 
  were 
  forgotten 
  

   in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  abounding 
  luxuriance 
  of 
  these 
  palms, 
  bam- 
  

   boos, 
  glossy-leaved 
  evergreens, 
  and 
  tangled 
  climbers. 
  

  

  At 
  Peradeniya 
  the 
  most 
  characteristic 
  plants 
  are 
  so 
  placed 
  as 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  good 
  advantage. 
  This 
  was 
  frequently 
  observed 
  

   when 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  points 
  of 
  view 
  for 
  photographing 
  individual 
  

   specimens. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  labelling 
  is 
  about 
  perfect. 
  

   Dr. 
  Trimen 
  makes 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  staff" 
  formed 
  out 
  of 
  baked 
  clay, 
  

   shaped 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  inclined 
  surface 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  is 
  

   plainly 
  painted. 
  These 
  brick-red 
  labels 
  with 
  their 
  painted 
  disk 
  

   are 
  not 
  unattractive 
  ; 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  detract 
  from 
  the 
  

   general 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  broad 
  lawns 
  bordered 
  by 
  gigantic 
  trees. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  single 
  tree 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  is 
  the 
  Seychelle 
  

   Palm 
  or 
  double 
  coconut, 
  now 
  almost 
  fifty 
  years 
  old. 
  The 
  giant 
  

   and 
  other 
  bamboos, 
  the 
  strove 
  of 
  India-rubber 
  trees 
  near 
  the 
  

  

  