July i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
i i 
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, CEYLON. 
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR FOR THE YEAR 1880. 
1 took over the charge of the Gardens on 20th February, a few days after Dr. Thwaites's 
retirement. During the remainder of the year the ordinary routine duties of management 
and maintenance have oeen carried on, and require no further mention here. Since, how- 
ever, some new departures have been made and changes introduced, it may be well to put 
on record the character and condition of the Gardens, and the directions in which 1 apt 
desirous to further develop them and have already commenced to do so. 
I. — PerAdeniya Garden. 
The principles of management consistently carried out in these gardens for mauy year* 
past aimed at the preservation, to as great an extent as possible, of their natural character. 
The result has been all that could be desired in that respect, and their luxuriant and 
tropical wild beauty has been a characteristic feature of the gardens. Trees were rarely 
felled but allowed to decay, new ones were planted without regard to their surroundings, 
crowded together and never pruned, and the struggle for existence permitted to go on almost 
unchecked. 
The result of this was naturally the predominance of some plants and the more oi 
less complete destruction of others. Few were able to exhibit their full proportions and 
complete development ; even the flower-beds, never weeded, formed dense thickets under 
the shade of large trees, where it not unfrequently happened that rare and interesting 
species were choked and barely alive from the inordinate luxuriance of some dominant 
but worthless weed. The same principles forbade any arrangement or systematic classifi- 
cation of the plants in accordance with their affinities, or the attachment to them of any 
explanatory labels. In short, many portions presented more the appearance of a beautiful 
wild jungle, where plants from the tropics of all latitudes strove for the mastery, than cf 
a scientific garden for the public utility. 
My first duty seemed to be to ascertain the contents of the garden, but in the absence 
of labels, of any fairly complete or properly arranged catalogue, and of available detailed 
records referring to the past, this work will be one of some duration, and is only partially 
carried through. During the explorations necessary for this purpose, several successive 
portions of the garden have been opened out and greatly improved. The accumulated 
debris has been taken away, numerous dead, dying, and unsightly trees and shrubs have 
been removed, and those harmful from shade felled. The greatest care has however been 
takeu to conserve every specimen of interest, and of course all unique specimens ; some 
have been re-planted in more favourable positions, and thus others have had the opportunity 
afforded them of attaining their true development and taking their natural form. By the 
sacrifice of common and often-repeated sorts room has been also gained for planting 
additional species. Much more similar work has yet to be done. 
The grand scenic character of the gardens is due largely to the magnificent trees — 
palms, bamboos, and figs especially — which they contain. Effective objects of this kind 
it has been my endeavour to isolate and enhance in value in the landscape ; and I have 
not hesitated to take off unsightly or superfluous portions, and to clear away native wild 
vegetation and inferior specimens which destroyed their symmetry or hid the proper 
display of their beauties. 
Roads.— These are numerous and remarkably well planned and constructed. By far 
the greater part are adapted for carriages, a point of some importance in a tropical garden. 
It is worth putting on record that the total length now open extends to nearly four miles 
of carriage drives and one and a-half mile of foot-paths. All are in excellent repair, but 
require constant attention, especially after heavy raiu. In places a better system of 
drainage will have to be employed. ' 
"Buildings, — An addition to these is the house lately vacated by a clerk in the employ of 
the Public Works Department, which has been put into thorough repair, and is now occupied 
