512 
tHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 1, 1901. 
large and small specimen a.re to be found at the 
entrance to our botanical gardens), which being 
present in large numbers coustilu'.e one of the beauties 
of the garden at Peradeniya. Finally 1 cannot leave 
nnmentioned a peculiarly pretty, although not long, 
lane of relatively still young specimens of Corypha 
umbraculifera, the justly famed Taliput palm. 
Although the nurseries have been lately improved 
they are as yet not to be compared with what one 
Bees at Penang and Singapore: From that part 
where the nurseries are, when one goes along the 
broad way which runs right through the garden 
parallel to the river, one comes on to a plot that 
is specially set apart for culture, plants. To us with 
our extensive culture-garden at Tijkenment, this 
gives no occasion for a special visit inside. It 
should only be remarked, as regard Cephaelis Ipeca 
cuanha,—!is lately attention has been directed to the 
cultivation of this plant— that its cultivation in 
Ceylon has not been attended with much result 
as the Ipecacuanha pHnt, according to the statements of 
Mr. Willis, " seems to need some special conditions 
of soil or climate ", That the land cannot be sucoesa- 
fully cultivated in the open ground has been re- 
peatedly demonstrated first in Java and lately again 
in the Straits Settlements. It is only by garden 
culture in covere 1 plots as evidenced by practical 
experience that any results can be expected. It is 
evident that the portion of ground reserved for 
culture-plants now in Peradeniya cannot be compared 
with a large garden specially set apart for cultivation. 
'There appears to be however in this respect a pro- 
ject of great and interesting changes now in contem- 
plation. During the latter portion of our stay in 
Ceylon, rumours reached ns of a serious intention 
to transfer the seat of a languishing Agricultural 
College now in Colombo, to a large tract of ground 
close to Peradeniya, to serve as an experimental 
garden and place for instruction in agriculture. At 
the same time, so the rumour ran, the arrangements 
devoted to pure and experimental botany and its 
allied branches should together form a special branch 
of the service— an " Agricultural Department 
in the spirit of the homologous establishments 
working under expert direction and with a specially 
trained expert staff, such as work so usefully in the 
other British colonies, and especially in North 
America. 
How far these remours will become definite plann, 
and what are the chances that these in their turn 
will reach fulfilment, the writer of this, speaking 
of his own knowledge, cannot say. Should the 
plans however be carried out, they would create a 
role of great importance at Peradeniya, of much 
use to agriculture in a colony where, just as in ours, 
though it may be in a somewhat less degree and cer- 
tainly on a very much smaller scale, agriculture is 
the chief source of revenue, 
The botanic garden at Peradeniya issues annually 
a detailed report of its operations, besides, at indefi- 
nite periods, according as occasion demands, small 
" Circulars." The little bivchures, the publication 
of which was begun by Mr. Willis (they are somewhat 
like our " Korte berichten uitgaande van den directeur 
van's Lands Plantentium " which are published in 
Ti'yumannia], relate exclusively to practical experi- 
ments of value to the colony. 
The annual reports also include the reports of 
the " Honorary Entomologist," Mr. Green, who in 
a general way by his meritorious publicatioos on the 
injurious insects of Ceylon had already been able to 
furnish very useful advice to agriculture there. 
On 27 June we set out on a journey, with the 
object of going to visit, under the guidance of Mr. 
Willis one of the four branch estabhshments of 
Peradeniya, namely BaduUa. For that purpose we 
had to travel by rail until evening as far as Bandara- 
wella where the night was passed, in order to reach 
Badulla by the mail coach the following morning. 
la this expedition we had the pleasure of being 
accompained by Mr. J. Parkin, a young English 
botanist, who was engaged at Peradeniya in very 
interesting experiments with caoutchouc. 
In spite of the fact, that all the lower and medium 
sized mountains that one passes are eqaally entirely 
denuded of jungle on behalf of cultivation, this 
railway journey is nevertheless from the point of 
view of natural beauty really astonishing. Again 
and again the eye is struck by the frequently im- 
pressive beauty of the environment. To attempt, 
from a tourist's standpoint, to give some idea of 
the landscape, would be a very difiicult task, and 
one that in any case would be out of place here. 
The two principal impressions of those made upon 
us during this journey belong however to categories 
certainly coming within the scope of this report. 
The one is of an agronomic, the other of a botanies 
nature. 
Everyone acquainted with Ceylon knows that by the 
influence on agronomic grounds can only be meant 
the extent and importance of the tea culture. 
The tea district begins near Peradeniya. Immedi- 
ately opposite to the garden, at a distance of a couple 
of paces, are the gardens of the "New Peradeniya" 
estate, which yields about one per cent of the whole 
tea product of Ceylon. 
Shortly after leaving the station of Peradeniya 
Junction, as far as and even above the station of 
Nanuoya situated at 5,300 feet, one rides literally 
continuously through tea plantations. I do not be- 
lieve that one will anywhere else — unless indeed in 
the wine-growing districts— meet with a culture, 
carried on upon so large a scale, predominating so 
greatly in a whole stretch of country. 
When one considers, that, as I found stated, in 
1875 only -.^82 pounds of tea were exported from the 
whote of Ceylon, and the export in 1898 amounted 
to nearly 120 million pounds, then one must have 
great respect for the energy of the Ceylon planters. 
The more so when one also knows that just in 
those districts great losses were suffered through the 
coffee-leaf disease. On many places where tea now 
stands coffee was earlier found, and partly also 
cinchona ; in addition many waste lands were 
also cleared and planted with tea. It was originally 
attempted to obtain these lands at as high an 
elevation as possible, it being known that a high 
situation above the sea has a favourable influence 
upon the quality of the product. Estates are even 
met with going up to 7,000 feet ; among others a 
well-known estate above Nuwara Eliya famed for 
its good product. During the past few years the 
Government have, in order to prevent further devasta- 
tion of the forest jungle, given no more permission 
to denude lands situated higher than 5,000 feet of 
jungle and bring them under cultivation. 
When one sees tea planted everywhere and every- 
where, from the immediate neighbourhood of the 
railway to as far as the eye can reach, on mountain and 
in valley, upon the steepest slopes and the most un- 
likely-looking places, there involuntarily arises, 
with all respect for the strength of spirit developed 
by the Ceylon planters, the question, whether 
the praiseworthy energy has always gone accom- 
pained by a corresponding caution ; and whether, 
with falling prices, by means of increasing 
competition and other operative factors, the 
plantations formed on less favourable lands will, 
in comparison with the favourably situated estates, 
not have a very hard struggle. In very many 
places the soil of the tea gardens possesses extremely 
little humus, belonging in general to what one calls 
a poor soil. According to what Mr. Willis told me, 
this is met by some by means of manuring with ablo 
manure and guano. 
Whilst those persons living in Java who have a direct 
concern in tea cultivation are naturally in the highest 
degree interested in Ceylon tea statistics, it ia at 
the game time perhaps not unimportant to refei t9 
