37° 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1892. 
hybrids  as  tested  by  results  of  alkaloids  in  the 
barks.  At  present,  certainly  we  in  Ceylon  must 
give  first  and  second  place  to  Java  and  India  in 
regard  to  cinchona  culture.  As  to  tea  we  can  hold 
our  owd.  but  we  suspect  the  statement  of  our 
good  friend  Mr.  Young  that  Wynaed  is  no  more 
likely  to  succeed  with  tea  than  the  higher  slopes 
of  the  Nilgiris,  will  be  sharply  challenged, — 
judging  from  sanguine  letters  in  the  Madras  papers. 
Having  thus  given  a general  idea  of  the  con- 
tents of  Mr.  Young’s  pamphlet,  we  now  proceed 
to  take  over  a few  interesting  extracts  : — 
The  usual  mode  of  travelling  in  Southern  India 
is  by  a curious  vehicle  called  a Tonga,  which  is 
usually  drawn  by  two  horses  or  good  sized  ponies.  It 
has  two  seats  back  to  back,  suspended  on  two  wheels, 
and  is  covered  by  an  awning,  and  being  very  light  is 
admirable  adapted  for  hill  travelling  and  I cannot 
understand  why  it  has  never  been  introduced  into 
Ceylon  in  place  of  our  Cumbrous  Coaches. 
At  the  top  of  the  Coonoor  pass  the  road  skirts  two 
or  three  estates  under  European  management;  and 
near  the  road  itself  I saw  some  fairly  cultivated 
coffee  ; the  trees  looked  healthy  and  vigorous  and 
were  kept  in  good  order  and  reminded  me  of  tile  days 
of  yore  when  the  bushes  flourished  in  our  midst ; 
but  further  back,  the  coffee  fields  had  a weedy  and 
semi-abandoned  appearance,  and  I was  told  by  planters 
this  was  the  customary  cultivation  in  that  part  of  India. 
The  public  gardens  are  a most  agreeable  resort ; 
they  are  well  cared  for,  and  laid  out  prettily  and 
with  taste,  and  contain  many  rare  and  interesting 
plants  from  all  quarters  of  the  globe.  They  appear 
to  be  singularly  adapted  by  nature  for  charming 
scenes  and  this  has  been  cleverly  taken  advantage  of 
and  augmented  by  art,  and  the  delightful  results  are 
probably  heightened  by  the  beautiful  views  afforded 
all  around  over  mountain,  hill,  and  dale  ; with  bun- 
galows peeping  out  here  and  there  from  amidst  the 
forest  of  Acacias  and  Bluegums. 
I made  several  pleasant  visits  to  these  gardens, 
and  carried  away  a deep  impression  of  their  beauty  ; 
they  are,  I believe,  about  50  acres  in  extent, 
and  have  an  extensive  conservatory,  a Herbarium, 
and  a good  Library  which  contains  many  rare  aud 
valuable  works ; end  the  whole  reflects  the  greatest 
credit  on  those  in  charge.  I have  seen  nothing  in 
the  East  to  compare  with  them. 
Surrounding  the  Sanatorium  are  large  plantations 
of  Bluegums  the  property  of  Government.  These 
woeds  are  of  all  sizes  and  agep,  and  add  greatly  to  the 
beauty  of  the  place,  and  give  it  a homelike  and  cosy 
appearance,  recalling  Scotland  to  one’s  mtmory;  in- 
deed Ooty,  with  its  environments,  reminded  me 
greatly  of  the  neighbourhood  of  Dunkeld. 
The  Eucalyptus  globulus  not  only  adds  to  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery,  but  forms  a shelter  to  the 
whole  town  during  the  prevalent  winds  ; and  is  a most 
profitable  cultivation  for  fuel,  affording  also  a useful 
essential  oil  which  has  found  a sound  footing  of  recent 
years  in  the  pbarmacopaeia. 
Eucalyptus  oil,  distilled  from  leaves  of  Eucalyp- 
tus globulus,  is  now  used  in  hospitals,  as  the  best 
cure  for  Influenza,  Rheumatism,  and  Lumbago ; and 
is  an  antiseptic;  and  has  moreover  replaced  in  Sur- 
gery Carbolic  acid. 
I tried  this  oil  for  an  attack  of  Lumbago,  and  found 
its  effect  marvellous  ; the  best  way  to  apply  is  to  put 
about  a table  spoonful  into  a hot  bath,  and  then, 
lie  in  the  bath  for  some  time  ; the  result  is  speedy, 
and  efficacious,  and  I can  recommend  it  in  the  same 
manner  for  Golds  and  Chills ; and  also  to  remove 
aches  and  stiffness  after  long  rides  and  great  ex- 
posure to  heat  or  Cold.  It  has  a most  soothing  and 
restorative  effect,  and  produces  sleep.  No  bungalow 
should  be  without  a bottle  of  this  invaluable  medicine. 
It  is  now  distilled  in  considerable  quantities  at  the 
Ooty  Botanical  gardens ; and  the  Curator,  Mr.  Jame- 
son, very  kindly  initiated  me  into  the  secrets  of  ex- 
tracting the  oil 
The  distillation  is  carried  out  in  the  usual  way  ; 
and  a still  such  ae  is  used  lor  Arrack  or  Whisky  would 
answer  the  purpose  perfectly,  care  being  exercised 
that  the  oils  should  be  distilled  at  as  low  a tempera- 
ture a?  possible. 
Adult  leaves  and  small  twigs  are  the  best,  and  are 
richest  in  oils  during  the  dry  months.  It  takes  70  to 
80  lb.  green  leaf  to  yield  1 lb.  of  essential  oil,  valued 
atpresentjfrom  4s  to  10?.  per  lb.  in  the  London  market; 
while  to  extract  the  oil  the  co  t is  (from  first  to  last 
nearly  HI  per  lb.,  although  it  cun  undoubtedly  be  done 
for  much  lees  when  carried  out  on  an  extensive  scale. 
The  gardens  find  a ready  local  sale  for  the  oil  at 
R5  per  quart  bottle.  The  natives  buy  eagerly,  and  are 
great  believers  in  its  curative  properties. 
To  facilitate  extraction,  ani  also  to  increase  the 
yield,  the  leaves  aud  young  twigs  are  put  through  a 
Chaff  cutter  ; this  operation  breaks  up  the  oil  cells, 
and  I consider  it  would  be  a still  further  improve- 
ment, (and  suggested  the  idea  to  the  Curator,)  to 
pass  all  the  leaves  &nd  twigs  between  rollers  made 
somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  Tea  machinery. 
The  present  sjBtem  is  to  root  np  the  tree,  tell  the 
w.od  for  fuel,  and  extract  oil  from  the  leaves  ; this 
struck  me  ss  a very  wasteful  method,  aud  I suggested 
that  by  topping  the  lateral  branches,  one  tree  would 
continue  to  yield  leaves  for  many  years,  aud  thereby 
prove  a still  greater  success  commercially. 
There  is  no  reason  why  Ceylon  Planters  should  not 
go  in  for  this  cultivation  ; particularly  towards  Dlm- 
bula  and  Nuwara  Eliya,  wters  the  blue  gum  grows 
to  such  perfection,  as  it  would  pro\  e a remunei  ative 
aojunct  to  tea. 
I am  strongly  of  opinion  that  tho  Ceylon  Govern- 
mep.t  should  be  guided  by  the  Madras  Authorities 
and  plant  up  extensively  all  sorts  of  trcts  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Nuwara  Eliya,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Forest  Department.  It  would  add  greatly  to 
the  beauty  of  the  place,  and  would,  I cm  certaiu, 
iu  the  long  run  prove  renumerative. 
Dodabstta  is  about  three  miles  from  the  Ooty  Club; 
and  is  on  the  steep  side  of  a hill  overlooking  the  town. 
A friend  took  me  up  there  one  afternoon,  and  we 
rode  all  over  the  place.  It  is  planted  with  officinalis, 
or  Crown  Bark  ; with  a few  Hybrids  interspersed, 
and  is  a fairish  cover,  the  trees  being  thinned  out  in 
many  parts  ; they  are  well  growD,  strong  and  healthy, 
and  I could  not  discover  a sickly  or  (cankered  tree. 
This  garden  was  originally  opened  25  to  30  years 
ago,  aud  the  trees  have  all  tho  appearance  of  their 
age,  and  are  well  grown  and  set. 
The  soil  and  clima'e  seemed  to  me  perfect  for  this 
cultivation  ; the  former  is  a dark  rich  friable  loam  of 
any  depth,  without  the  slightest  sign  of  clay,  or  a 
stone  anywhere  about  ; and  with  all  the  appearance 
of  what  we  call  in  Ceylon  “ Patnasoil.”  The  aver- 
age annual  rainfall  is  about  50  inches. 
Mr.  Lawson  informed  me  that  very  recently  at 
Dodabetta  12  acres  of  the  crown  bark,  25  yesrs  of 
age,  wore  uprooted  and  yielded  4,400  lb.  dry  bark  per 
acre  ; the  trees  in  question  had  been  barked  some  6 
or  7 times,  and  the  plot  was  the  worst  on  the  Estate. 
After  a most  enjoyable  drive  without  incident  or 
adventure,  we  arrived  safely  at  Mr.  Lawson’s  hospi- 
table bungalow  iu  good  time  for  breakfast,  and  re- 
ceived a hearty  welcome  from  our  kind  host. 
The  bungalow  is  at  the  very  top  of  Naduvatam, 
at  an  elevation  of  6,000  feet  above  sea  level,  or 
say  at  the  altitude  of  Nuwara  Eliya;  and  the  view 
from  the  front  of  the  house  surpasses  anything  Ihave 
ever  6een.  I can  call  to  mini  no  other  place  with 
such  grand  glimpses  of  nature  ; nothing  equal  to  it. 
Many  beautiful  scenes  are  to  be  met  within  our  own 
little  Island  but  they  dwarf  into  insignificance  in  com- 
parsion  with  the  magnifieant  view,  spread  out  like  a 
panorama  in  front  of  Mr.  Lawson’s  house. 
At  our  feet  stretches  the  Wynaad,  estates  being 
seen  dotted  here  and  there,  with  the  cart  road 
leading  to  the  seaport  at  Calicut_,  winding  down  the 
face  of  the  bills ; till  at  last,  all  is  lost  in  the  haze 
of  the  low  country. 
Gold  is  found  in  the  hills  immediately  below;  and 
companies  have  been  started  with  a view  to  working 
it  but  the  results  so  far  have  been  small,  yet,  I believe 
sufficient,  to  give  encouragement  to  continue  working. 
Towards  the  north  is  a parklike  country,  inter- 
