154 
JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CBYLON). [VOL. XVIII. 
Island, where Kew road now is, but this only continued for three years, 
and in 1813 the garden was moved to Kalutara. It is pleasant to think 
that those early gardens were in the direct line with our present Botanical 
Institution, but the actual Peradeniya Gardens of the present day were 
only established in 1821. The history of their development has been 
a most natural one. As was natural and right it began with a collection 
of the plants of Ceylon, in a dried state, and as living specimens in the 
garden, and after a great many years those in charge of the garden com- 
pared and studied and worked out their various inter-relations and uses. 
Just after I came to the Colony the thing took a further start, in that 
an Experimental Station was established at G-angaroowa. On this we may 
pride ourselves, as it is the first of its kind, and the only one of its kind, 
that has been established in the East, its chief feature being not so much 
that it is a garden or a collection of plants, but a place where, in the 
most scientific way possible, plants of a utilitarian kind are given every 
possible chance. Just about two years ago, when the Government was 
buying Gangaroowa, I visited the spot. It was certainly a beautiful 
place, but far too overgrown to be of any use. It was simply a hotbed 
of botanical disease. Then, again, I visited it within the last few weeks. 
The change was most remarkable, and promises great practical results. 
Its success has been due partly to the scientific sta4 of the Botani- 
cal Gardens, and partly to the excellently selected body of planters who 
have brought their practical knowledge and joined it to the scientific 
knowledge of the Peradeniya staff, and the result has been just about 
as good as it could possibly be. I have heard practical people, estate 
owners here, say that had they known two years ago before Government 
bought it what Gangaroowa could be turned into, not merely from a 
scientific but even from an agricultural point of view. Government 
would not have got it, or at least not so cheaply. It seems to me, there- 
fore, that Gangaroowa is a crowning point, I will not say a final 
crowning point, in more than a century of Government Botanical 
work in Ceylon. 
Meanwhile various branch gardens were established. Hakgala was 
established for the cultivation of cinchona, but since the interest in 
cinchona lessened Hakgala has become partly an experimental garden 
for plants which will only grow in Ceylon at that altitude, and partly a 
garden in the larger and truer sense of the word, a place for the entirely 
delightful growth of up-country plants; and any one who goes there can 
seethe excellent results achieved. In this connection I cannot help saying 
a word of regret at the departure of the man who had made the success 
of Hakgala, Mr. Nock, who is shortly to be lost to the Colony, about 
as great a loss as any one could be ; certainly of men of his kind the 
Colony has never had any one as good as Mr. Nock. 
Quite recently, also under Mr. Nock, a garden has been established 
at Nuwara Eliya ; and this serves to bring out the interesting fact 
that plants will grow there which will not grow at Hakgala, which is 
only 6 miles off. Another specially interesting feature in the Nuwara 
Eliya gardens is the experimental growth of exotic pasture grasses, 
which it is hoped may eventually be substituted for the almost useless 
indigenous grasses of the patanas of Ceylon. 
In 1876 a garden at sea level was established at Henaratgoda for 
quite another purpose. The Indian Government had imported South 
American indiarubber trees, but it was found that the climatic con- 
ditions of India did not suit the young plants, and Ceylon, being asked 
to take them over, established a nursery at Henaratgoda, from which 
