( 2 ) 
The suggestion I ventured to make in my last report as to the desirability in the interests 
of the public of removing the Peradeniya railway station from its present out-of-the-way position 
to the crossing of the Deltota road has not at present had any practical result. It has, however, 
met with almost universal approval, and is especially strongly supported by the residents near 
Peradeniya. I am therefore emboldened to again press it on the notice of Government, and to do 
so in the interests of the Gardens themselves. We should save much time, labour, and expense in 
our constant communication with Colombo and Kandy if we had the railway station at an easy 
distance, and without the intervention of a heavy toll on our carts. 
Weather. — The rainfall of 1887 was somewhat unusually distributed through the year. We 
suffered a good deal from drought in March, but this was followed by the wettest April on record. 
May was very much drier than usual, the S.W. monsoon rains setting in late. At the end of 
August and beginning of September we had unusually heavy rains, which were followed by a month 
of very dry weather. October and November gave a rainfall well up to the average, whilst Decem- 
ber was here, as over the whole Island, excessively wet, more than double the usual amount falling. 
We experienced some very cold mornings at the end of January ; a thermometer in my 
verandah registered at 7 A.M. on January 30 the very low temperature of 58° F. 
The following is Mr. Clark's record of the rainfall for the year. The heaviest fall in any 
twenty-four hours registered was 3-02 in. on December 14-15. 
The average monthly rainfall for the last 4-5 years is also added. 
Rainfall at Peradeniya. 
1887. Average. 
Rainy Days. 
7 
1 9 ]■ f or 4 years 
: n. 
19J 
151 
15 I 
12 ' 
-. q ^ for 5 years 
!? 
12j 
Rainfall. 
Rainy Days. 
Rainfall 
January 
1-26 
3 
1-69 
February 
3-16 
5 
1-49 
March 
3-48 
4 
3-51 
April 
14-43 
14 
8-52 
May 
3-76 
8 
8-70 
June 
11-23 
27 
9-83 
July 
4-75 
11 
7-81 
August 
4-43 
15 
7-59 
September 
4-68 
•V b 15 . ... 
6-67 
October 
12-68 
22 
12-19 
November 
10-05 
24 
10-18 
December 
16-15 
21 
7-84 
Total ... 
90-06 
169 
87-33 
144 for 4 years 
2. — Rakgala Garden. 
No additional works of any importance have been undertaken during the past year, though 
many small improvements have been made. All we can attempt to do is to keep up the Garden at 
as high a degree of cultivation and efficiency as our votes will permit. The Superintendent much 
complains of the want of a stock of good gardening tools, but this want (which is felt in all the 
Gardens under my care) cannot be fully relieved with the scanty means for such purposes at my 
disposal. 
The Public Works Department have done some further repairs to the Superintendent's bunga- 
low, which has also been repainted and whitewashed. 
Some damage has been caused by the very heavy rains at the end of the year to the roads, 
paths, and flower beds ; and it will take time and labour to repair and restore them to their former 
condition. 
From Mr. Nock's full report for the year I extract the following details : — 
Carriage Drive and Paths. — The carriage drive and the various paths in the garden were maintained in 
good order until towards the end of the year. For the last six weeks of the year very heavy rain fell — 33-77 inches 
falling in December — and this has greatly damaged the drive and paths in every part. On many of the steep places, 
and under large trees, the continual downpour and drip fretted out all the gravel and small stones, and the rush of 
water has ploughed up the paths to a great depth. 
A great drawback to the formation and maintenance of roads in this garden is the want of good gravel. 
There is no gravel nearer than Sita-eliya, one mile on the one side, and Alakolagala, two and a half miles on the 
other ; and even at these places it is very poor : at Sita-eliya being no more than rough sand brought down by the 
heavy rain, and limited in quantity. 
The old portion of the carriage drive now wants metalling, and an endeavour will be made to do it during 
the coming year. 
Several times after heavy rain the drive was well beaten with heavy stamps. This work, when done by hand 
takes a good bit of labour, and the want of a handy roller has been much felt. 
Rough sand was carted in from the stream at Sita-eliya at intervals of two or three months, and spread over 
the paths in the fernery and other parts of the garden, to give them a neat and fresh appearance. 
Two new paths have been made during the year — one to connect the main drive with the shrubbery path by 
the large triangular bed above the horbacoous garden, and the other from the south-east end of the propagating house 
across the gully by carpenters' quarters, and leading into the new part of the nursery garden. Two retaining walls, 
each 10 ft. long and 7 ft. deep, wore built in this gully to support a rough wooden bridge, which has been laid down 
by tho carpenter, and a retaining wall, 20 ft. long, with an average depth of two ft., was built on the lower side of the 
new path near the gully. 
Another retaining wall, 88 ft. long, with an average depth of 3 ft., has also been built at the south-east end of 
