THE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXXVII. COLOMBO, JULY 15th, 1911. No. 1. 



GARDENING IN CEYLON. 



While there is no doubt that local 

 gardens have much improved in the 

 last 15 years, the general standard is 

 none the less a low one, and, with the 

 increasing prosperity of Ceylon we may 

 hope to see it rise. The wages of garden 

 coolies are decidedly on the increase. 



Oue thing that militates against good 

 gardens is the fact that people are so 

 continually on the move, and think that 

 it is waste of time and money to lay 

 out pretty gardens. If they would re- 

 member their successors in all cases, 

 this need no longer be an operative 

 cause of poor gardening, but this we 

 fear will be long of coming. Would it 

 be possible for estate Companies, for 

 example, to compel the bungalow 

 garden to be kept in good order, the 

 V. A. to be the judge ? 



Another thing is the ignorance of the 

 garden owners, and this is perhaps the 

 most important ot all. They employ 

 only a cooly, not a trained gardener, 



and consequently are not able to get 

 really good results unless they have 

 themselves some knowledge of garden- 

 ing. It is very desirable that greater 

 knowledge of this kind should spread 

 abroad, but how best to spread it is a 

 difficult question. If every one would 

 take a personal interest in their garden, 

 spend time and labour upon it, and 

 note the results of doing everything in 

 this way or in that way, so as to learn 

 rapidly by experience, a great deal 

 would be done. 



Many of course cannot afford a good 

 earden unless they can get something 

 out of it, and to these we would suggest 

 growing quantities of vegetables or 

 fruits and thus making- the garden pay. 



With the publication of a book upon 

 local gardening, more people should 

 begin to take an interest in the subject, 

 and pay personal attention to the work 

 of the garden cooly to a greater extent 

 than merely telling him to water here 

 or there, to weed this place or that, or 

 bring in flowers for the table. 



