256 



[September, 1908. 



HORTICULTURE. 



SOME OTHER ORNAMENTAL 

 TREES. 



By J. P. Lewis. 



Mr. Macmillan, in his interesting paper 

 on "Some Beautiful Tropical Trees," in 

 the June number of the lias 

 omitted to mention some of the best and 

 most suitable trees for planting along 

 the l oads. 



I do not know whether he has been to 

 Jaf'i'na ; but I should sa;^ probably not, 

 or he would have referred to the fine 

 avenue of Mahogany trees on the main 

 road to the Kachcheri and Ohundikuli. 

 planted by Sir William Twynam, and, it: 

 he had made the journey by road, the 

 similar but much younger avenue at 

 Vavuniya, planted by the same veteran 

 Vice-President of the Agricultural. 

 Society, soon after the Vavuniya Kach- 

 cheri was opened in 1880. 



This tree, which was identified by Dr. 

 Trimen as the "Marsh Mahogany" 

 (Swietenia mahogani), was introduced 

 by Mr. Dyke into Jaffna, and the largest 

 trees then at the Kachcheri, Nellore and 

 Ohundikuli, were planted by him. 



In 1842 he applied to Peradeniya for 

 seeds, but he does not seem to have been 

 able to get them. In June, 1844, however, 

 he received a dozen plants from the 

 Calcutta Botanic Gardens (presumably 

 through Peradeniya), and in April, 1846, a 

 quantity of seeds. He planted some of the 

 trees at the Kachcheri, Ohundikuli and 

 Nellore, and gave one ortwo to the Moor- 

 men of Jaffna to plant at their mosque. 

 Several of the former and one given to 

 the Moors were still standing: 60 years 

 later. The plants were 10 or 12 feet high 

 in August, 1847 ; over 18 feet with 

 circumference of 7 inches at 4 feet from 

 the ground in May, 1848. 



The height of one tree near the gate of 

 the Ohundikuli Mission compound was 

 measured in 1864 or 1865, by Mr. Reginald 

 Pole, Office Assistant, and found to be 60 

 feet. 



Mr. Henry Pole of the Civil Service 

 planted two at Mullaittivu, in the 

 Assistant Government Agent's compound 

 in 1846 or 1847, and these are still stand- 

 ing. 



The first pods in Jaffna were obtained 

 from a tree in front of the Piscal's Office. 

 The original trees planted did not fruit 

 until very late, and then not freely. The 



younger trees grown from the seeds 

 fruited early and somewhat freely, es- 

 pecially one close to the Kachcheri resi- 

 dence. 



Mr. Dyke remarks with regard to 

 these trees that "they grow as if indi- 

 genous and require very little watering, 

 even in this arid climate and in very 

 exposed situations." * 



The Vavuniya trees were grown from 

 seed obtained from the Jaffna trees. 

 From Jaffna they have been introduced 

 also into Trincomalee and Anuradha- 

 pura. Mr. Le Mesurier introduced them 

 into Kandy (I think from Jaffna), about 

 25 years ago, and there are two large 

 trees in front of the Kachcheri, which he 

 planted ; also some smaller trees on the 

 green alongside of the Audience Hall. 

 In 1904-5 the writer sent some dozen 

 plants from Jaffna to Mr. S. M. Burrows 

 at Kurunegala, and I believe they are 

 flourishing there. I planted another 

 dozen plants obtained from Jaffna in 

 Kandy, in 1906, but it was a case of taking 

 coals to Newcastle, for afterwards there 

 were discovered some plants in the Old 

 Palace Garden below the wall which 

 bounds the green referred to, the only 

 tree apparently out of nine in Kandy 

 which bears seed. The plants from Jaffna 

 are doing well, some of them are now 

 6 feet high and others would be the same 

 if they had not been broken by mischiev- 

 ous persons in spite of the tree guards. 

 I have also introduced the tree into 

 Gampola and Nawalapitiya, and expect 

 to see it soon at Matale. 



I sent at his request two plants to Mr. 

 T. R. Ward, P. E., at Badulla in 1904, and 

 when I saw them last in October, 1905, 

 in the Provincial Engineer's compound, 

 they were then 10 feet high. 



I think the Jaffna climate suits them 

 better than that of Kandy ; though they 

 grow well in both places — they flourish 

 especially in Jaffna. 



Another tree is the large-leaved Maho- 

 gany {Swietenia macrophylla), if any- 

 thing, a finer tree than the first-named. I 

 introduced this into Negombo in 1894- 

 1895 from Henaratgoda Gardens. The 

 trees were planted in front of the Rest 

 House and grew very fast ; they are now 

 quite large trees. In July or August last 

 the Secretary of the Local Board sent 

 me a pod from one of the trees I planted 



* This account of the introduction of the Maho- 

 gany tree into Jaffna is taken from the Kachcheri 

 records. 



