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The following table shows the height and girth of the fifteen selected trees, and may be compared with the 
table of growth for the years from 1884 given in the last report. The soil they are growing in is very poor, so that 
they might be expected to do as well as this in almost any soil. They are nearly six years old from seed. 
1888. 
Names. Height. Girth. 
ft. in. 
E. robusta ... 43 34 
„ longifolia ... 50 32 
„ marginata ... 51 28 
,, Gunnii ... 44 21 
„ oornuta ... Top broken 24 
,, colossea ... 42 24 
1888. 
Names. Height. Girth. 
ft. in. 
E. microcorys ... 40 29 
Sieberiana ... 35 20 
,, amygdalina ... 35 28 
,, piperita ... 29 27 
,, hajmastoma ... Top broken 2G 
,, Lehmanni ... 32 22 
„ viminalis ... 31 33 „ alpina ... 17 15 
„ botryoides ... 35 29 | 
English Oak.— About 4,000 acorns were received at Hakgala from Kew. On December 8 
Mr. Nock reports that they are germinating freely, and that in a few months' time he hopes to have 
a good stock for distribution in the hill country. 
Conifers at Hakgala. — Several of these have now attained a very respectable size. The 
following are Mr. Nock's notes on those which are doing the best : — 
CuprexMt* toniloHU, the Himalayan Cypress. The largest specimen of this ornamental pyramidal tree is G2 ft. 
high with a girth of G ft. 4 in. This species does equally well at Peradeniya. 
Oupressm macrooarpa is now 5G ft. high with a girth at base of G ft. 9 in. and a spread of branches of 40 ft. 
It is a very handsome tree and produces excellent timber. 
OupressuB, species, with small fruit. This, of which we have several large specimens, is one of the best 
trees in the garden, and is growing very rapidly now. The largest is 58 ft. high, 8 ft. 4 in. round the base, and the 
spread of branches measures 38 ft. 
Pinus limgifolia, which is one of the most valuable timber trees of the Himalayan regions, continues to thrive 
well, and the largest specimen, by the office, is now 41 ft. 6 in. high and G ft. 6 in. round the trunk at base, and through 
the branches 25 ft. This is so far the best Pimis yet tried here ; it really grows well, and being very ornamental is 
very useful for planting round bungalows at high elevations. The only other Pinus that is doing well is P. sinensis, 
but these arc all young yet, and look rather weak in the stems. 
Gryptomeria japonica. — A few of these plants are now growing rapidly and are exceedingly handsome trees. 
The tallest is 42 ft. high with a girth of G ft., well shaped and clothed to the ground with branches. 
Tlu/jd (jiijontdt is now It. high ami 1 ft. round the stem close to the ground. 
Ebony. — In response to an application from the Department of Agriculture of the United 
States, a supply of seed of this valuable cabinetwood has been sent for trial in South Florida. It is 
scarcely to be expected that this thoroughly tropical forest-tree can succeed there ; but experiments 
in the same direction are being largely tried in the State with other equatorial species, and the 
cocoanut is -already successfully grown in some places. Seed was at the same time, in November, 
despatched to Jamaica, Perak, and Fiji. 
Ceylon Oils. — At the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 there were exhibited a few 
small samples of some of our native oils from the Northern and Central Provinces. 
These were submitted to a well-known expert, Mr. L. Field, and in his report he has remarked 
on the very great suitability of some of them for soap-making. Punnai, Ulupai, and Kekuna oils 
were all new to him, and of each he speaks very highly in this respect, and expresses the opinion that 
a very large demand for them would arise, if they could be supplied at a cheap rate. It would 
appear thai there may lie here an opening for a large business in the native districts. 
Punnai nuts, the seeds of Cubmbyli '" m l/mjmylluni, can be obtained in quantity on our coasts ; 
the Illupai, or Mi tree, Bassia longifolia, is abundant throughout the drier districts ; whilst the 
Kekuna, Aleurites triloba, though not native, is to be found in every village in the moister regions of 
the Island. 
— Herbarium, Museum, and Library. 
Herbarium. — I made two botanical collecting tours during the year, one to Ilewessa and 
neighbouring parts of the I'asdun korale, and the other to the very little known mountain, Kitigala, 
in the North-Central Province. In these expeditions I was successful in adding a few plants 
to the Ceylon flora. The Ceylon Herbarium is now all in very good order, and additional specimens 
are readily intercalated in their places as they are obtained." 1 have devoted sum,' spare time to 
sorting and arranging our duplicate specimens, but have very little leisure for this kind of work. 
The late Mr. \V. Ferguson, shortly before his lamented death on July 31, permitted me to go 
over his valuable collection of Ceylon Alga) (seaweeds, &c), to select from it a series for Perddeniya 
where this class of plants was poorly represented. A list of the Ceylon species has been published 
during the year by Mr. (I. Murray of the British Museum, and 1 have now arranged our collection 
in accordance with it. 
The whole of Dr. Thwaitcs' accurate analytic drawings of dissections of Ceylon plants have 
been laid into their places in the collection <>f coloured draw im's. 
Th» ({rut rut Herbarium has been enriched during the year by the follow ing donations : — 
From the Uoyal Herbarium, Kew : — Collections from Malacca and other parts of the M da\ 
B&insula, collected h\ I lervey. Curtis, and others, and from the Seychelle Irdands collected by Neville. 
