May i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
737 
THE HAKGALA GARDENS, NUWARA ELIYA. 
Apart from the references to these Gardens in 
Dr. Trimen's annual report, they deserve some more 
particular notioe in view of recent improvements, 
and especially at this season of the year when they 
constitute the most popular place of resort to the 
many visitors now at Nuwara Eliya. 
A speoial feature in the Hakgala Gardens, is the 
new fruit-garden, which is about 100 feet long by 
80 wide, and is laid out in beds 4 feet wide, with 
paths 2 feet wide between. The soil has been stirred 
to a depth of 3 feet and thoroughly drained, good 
drainage being essential to the successful cultivation 
of fruit trees. The bad soil was removed and re- 
placed by that of a suitable nature. The work 
was expensive, but it was thought best to give the 
plants the full advantage of the most favourable 
conditions in order that the trial might be as perfect 
as possible. All the plants were supplied by 
Messrs. Richard Smith & Sons of Worcester, wer e 
brought out by Mr. Nock on his return from furlough, 
and were planted at the end of February. They 
are set at a distanoe of G feet apart every way. There 
are altogether 112 plants in 71 varieties; and the full 
lists of the varieties runs a« follows : — Pears 14, 
plums 7, apples 14, peaches 6, nectarines 3, 
apricots 3, cherries 4, raspberries 3, figs 3 
damsons 3, crabs 3, quinces 3, nuts 2, hop 
1, bilberry 1, gooseberry 1 ; total 71. Neariy 
everyone has started well and the young trees 
look very healthy. The raspberries are in flower, 
and there is" some fruit on the cherries. 
In the vacant spaces between the trees are planted 
a few sets of 20 different kinds of potatoes which 
Mr. Nook brought out from England for trial. 
All the sets were counted and weighed, 30 that 
he may be able to compare their yields, the one 
against the other. 
The grubs have been troublesome, but on the 
whole, the plants look very promising. The sorts 
on trial are:— Magnum Bonum, Vicar of Laleham, 
White Rose. White Elephant, Myatt's Prolific. 
Mona's Pride, Adirondack, Weber's early white 
Beauty, Racehorse, Tom Prioe's Black Prince, Reece's 
Kidney, Cheswick Favourite, Bowycr's Kidney, Im- 
perator, Premier, Beauty of Hebron, Cosmopolitan, 
Yorkshire Hero, Myatt's Ashleaf and Sutton's Seedling. 
In the propagating house, there is a large 
number of reoently introduced thiugs, both orna- 
mental and economic, such as oamellias, azaleas, 
fuchsias and the grape vine. Of the latter there 
aie now specimens of nine varieties. The young 
plants are all healthy, but they are not expected 
to do much good at this elevation, except under 
glass, and are here more for propagating than for 
anything else. 
Some plants have been sent to the Badulla 
Gardens for trial there. There is also a pan of 
healthy plants recently raised from seed brought 
from I'ort Said grapis. 
A couple of young plants of the Adiantum tree— 
Salisbitria adianlifolia promise to do well here. 
The foliage of the tree is exactly of the same 
shape as that of the maiden-hair fern, but of 
course larger. The tree is a native of China and 
Japan and grows to a height of 60 or SO feet 
The kernels of the fruits are thought by the 
Chinese to promote digestion and oil is extracted 
trom them. 
Another interesting plant, the snowberry tree 
Symphoricarpus racemosus, looks quite at home; and 
Deutzia gracilis, the plant which bears the long white 
flowers so much used in En land for bouquets. 
Sapageria rosea, a lovely rose-colored creeper, 
several variegated shrubs, and a fine baich of rooted 
cuttings of the new fuchias, <fec, are looking healthy. 
Outside are nice plants ot variegate 1 euonymas, 
golden leaved privet, gent azaleas, golden and 
Irish yews and the silver holly, variegated box, 
Lauristinus, double flowered peach, double-riowered 
gorse, Cnjptomeria elegant and several other interest- 
ing conifers which have lately been intruduced. 
A nice bed of Stachys tuberifera, the Chinese or 
Japanese artichoke, is just beginning to grow, and 
being a vegetable of easy culture a id nice flavour, 
no doubt it will prove a very useful addition to the 
vegetables of the hill country. The jield is said 
to be above 5 tons the aore. The crop of Ullucus 
tuberosus (a plant from the Andes, of Peru and 
Bolivia) has just been lifted and the yield is equal 
to about 6 or 7 tons to the aore. One small plot of 
fairly good soil yielded at the rate of ( J tons to the 
acre. 
+ 
NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA. 
A RAILWAY TRIP ON THE NEW SOUTH WALES SOOTH COAST 
LINE — PICTURESQUE SCENERY — INTERESTING VILLAGES 
AND TOWNS — THE OVERLAND JOURNEY TO BRISBANE — 
THE GREAT COALING SEAPORT — THE DEPUESSED COAL 
TRADE — RACE HORSES — MORE TOWNS AND VILLAGES — 
THE LARGE DEMAND FOR KANGAROO SKINS AND THE PRO- 
BABLE EXTINCTION OE THE ANIMALS — SNAKES — QUEENS- 
LAND — THE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY — BRISBANE, ITS 
BANKS AND BOTANIC GARDENS — MACKAY AND ITS SUGAR 
PLANTATION — WANT OF CHEAP LABOUR AND CAPITAL 
— PLANTEK6' BUNGALOWS — GARDEN VEGETABLES — BLACK 
LABOURERS FROM THE NEW HEBRIDES — THE SUGAU 
COMMISSION — DESTRUCTIVE FIRES — THE WEATHER AND 
THE FOLIAGE — TuWiS'sVILLE AND I I'S NEIGHBOURHOOD — 
ROCKHAMPTON AND MOUNT MORGAN GOLD MINES. 
Rockhampton, North Queensland, March tith, 1889. 
On my return from the Blue Mountains a couple 
of days were devoted to a run down the south 
coast line as far as Kiarna. For the first 20 miles 
the railway passes through poor uninteresting coun- 
try, already largely taken up by speculating land 
companies who hope some day to dispose of the 
small allotments marked out. Shortly, however, 
the scenery becomes more picturesque and hilly, 
there being no less than eight tunne.s in the space 
of ten miles. As we gradually approach the sea 
the stratification in the numerous cuttings indi- 
cate the presence of coal and at Clifton, 35 miles 
from Sydney, we pass a thriving colliery, the coal 
being drawn from under the mountain range and 
carried down to the sea close by for shipment, 
very little being sent by rail on account of the 
high rates oharged. The train now makes frequent 
stoppages as we are passing through a more popu- 
lous district which owes its prosperity to the coal 
measures. Wollongong, 48 miles out, is a rising 
place with its harbour lull of shipping, waiting for 
coal ; it is also the centre of a large dairy and graz- 
ing district, its annual Agricultural Show being 
perhaps the best in the whole colony. The Iresh 
green fields were a pleasant sight after the burden 
upcouutry travelled through in the western districts, 
and there was an English U^jk about the lioiues eads 
that suggested its being a favourite locality forseitle- 
nieut. Indeed the line for the remainder of the dis- 
tance to Kiama, 7 > miles, passes through excellent 
dairy country, and large quantities of milk are daily 
sei.t intg Sydney. Had time permitted the return 
