586 THE TROPICAL 
garden in Ceylon, it is doubtful if the visit to the 
little garden at Anuradhapura was worth the tedious 
journey there and back. The expedition however 
lu other respects fully rewarded us. In the first nlace 
Lecauae the place is so remarkable from an archaeo- 
logical point of view, that the visit even for a 
layman is exceptionally interesting. In the second 
— and this has directly to do with the province of 
the writer of this — because it affords an opportunity 
of forming a good idea of the extensive dry northern 
Ceylon, which differs both botanioally and economi- 
cally so markedly from the better known southern 
portion of the island. 
Yet one last "bye-garden" remained to be seen, 
naniely, that of Henaratgoda, situated at about sea- 
level, at a distance of 16 miles from Colombo, a 
twenty minutes' ride from the station of the same 
name. In my visit to this branch, which thus, iu 
strong contrast with Anuradhapura, has a warm but 
at the same time equably moist climate. Mr. Willis 
had the great kindness to again act as my guide 
by coming down specially fur that purpose, some 
days after our return from the north of the island, 
whilst I came from the adjacent Colombo. 
The Garden at Henaratgoda, which covers an area 
of 39 acres, was commenced in 1876, specially for 
the cultivation of caoutchouc-yielding plants imported 
from South America. Although many other plants 
worthy of observation are met with ia this garden, 
among others a young but fine specimen of Lodoiccj, 
Sechellarum, and many cultivated plants grow very 
well there, still the chief attraction of this branch 
remains the caoutchouc-yielding trees, and more 
especially the Paia .ubber-producing Hevea hrasiliensis. 
0£ this useful tree one meets at Henaratgoda with 
such fine and vigorous specimens, that this alone 
amply repays the trouble of a visit. Here also prac- 
tice demouatrates the same as on the cultivated 
plant portion of the botanic garden at Singapore, 
namely, that the Ilcveas need a warm and moist 
climate and specially a moist soil in order to grow 
well and vigorously 
An enforced postponement of our return voyage 
for several days — in consequence of a fear of eventual 
quarantine in connection with the plague in British 
India— was utilized by us in obtaining, both by a 
journey to Point de GiUe and in Colombo itself, 
some data regarding export products of vegetable 
origin. These data were obligingl3' furnished, or at 
least the way indicated how to obtain them, by the 
Netherlands Consul at Colombo, Mr. Wennink, to 
whom once more a word of grattful thanks must be 
offered for the general help and friendly guidance 
ftffoided to us. 
Especially in the districts round Point de Galle 
much is dune in the culture of Citronella Grass, of 
the oil of which in the first half-year of 1898 no 
less than 594, 43^ pounds were exported from Ceylon. 
And the cultivation of this grass is further increasing, 
as was told me on credible authority. For Europeans, 
iu Ceylon at least, the cultivation of citronella grass 
and the preparation of the oil does not pay. A 
European proprietor, living 15 miles from Point de 
Galle, who occupied himself therewith and extracted 
the product properly, certainly obtained higher prices 
than the native people for the citronella oil prepared 
by him, but nevertheless had to give up the business. 
That locally not much profits is to be made from 
it is proved by the following figures, which were 
furnished to me there. In the first two years there 
is no crop; then every year for a space of ten to 
twelve yt'irs. Then the giass can be cut fonr to 
five times a year. From each cutting is obtained 
16 to 20 bottles of citronella oil per acre (bottles of 
22 English ounces). For this oil the native producer 
gets 85 cents a bottl?, while his total expenses of 
production come to 70 cents a bottle. Thus under 
the most favourable circumstances the profit obtained 
amounts per annum to 15 rupees per acre. 
It must be borne in mind, that all these figures 
Eis well as the following statemcut refer to 18Ub, and 
AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 190L 
that they rest pxrtly upon verbal communications 
of very experienced persons. 
The export of all kinds of products of the Coco 
palms is very considerable, which is not to be 
wondered at, since from C jlombo to Point de Galle 
one rides continuously through such enormously 
extensive and fine coco plantations, that one under- 
stands how even a Junghuhu can declare never to 
have met with anything like it in Java and Sumatra. 
The shipment of coconuts as such (from the ports 
of Colombo and Point de Galle together) remained 
about constant in the yeais 1S95, 1896, 1897 nnd II598. 
In the last half of 1898 there were shipped some 5 
million nuts. The export of " desiccated coconut " 
also remained nearly the same in recent years (with 
the exception of 1896, when much more was ex- 
ported), namely o million pounds per half-year in 
the years 1897 and 1898. Thisdiied coconut is packed 
in tin, in packages of half-a pound. Whilst of coco- 
nut oil in the first half-year of 1895 there were export- 
ed 143,329 cwt., in the" first half of 1898 it had al- 
ready risen to 177,282 cwt. Nevertheless the com- 
parison of the figures for copra for the same ytars 
gives the astonishing result that ia the firpt half of 
1895 only 4,692 cwt. were exported, and from 1 Jan. 
to 28 June 1898, 176,211 cwc. In addition the expert 
of " poouac " — the resultant of the copra after the 
extraction of the oil, which is sent in cakes to Europe 
for cattle food — increased in the same period from 
83,560 to 101,184 cwt. 
Of the fibres of the coconut, brought into the 
market, according to the method of preparation and 
treatment, under the three categories of " rope," 
"yarn" and "fibre," there were exported in the 
fiist half-year of 1S9S respectively 5,785 ; 30,984 and 
43,678 cwt ; quantities that, compared with the first 
half of 1895, taken all together, remained almost 
the same. 
The rope is made by the nitives with hands and 
toes and brought on the market in 14 numbers. 
Attempts to manufacture this produce by machinery 
have so far not succeeded; the preparation of the 
fibre however is carried out by Europeans iu 
Colombo, 
The coconut oil is prepared by the native people 
in the most primitive mills, worked by oxen or 
buffaloes. In the insta'iations in Colombo it under- 
goes a further purification, by filtration, before being 
shipped. The careful measures that have to be taken 
against leakage and also, as I remember well — the 
higher freights, cause the export of copra and that 
of coconut rope to be more profitable ihan that of 
the oil. 
In conclusion it may be mentioned that from the 
coconut, arrack is prepared (although that article 
does not appear in the export statistics accessible 
to me.j At Moratuwa a place situated on the rail- 
way to Point de Galle, at about 17 miles from 
Colombo, is an arrack distillery in which, as my 
informant told me, millions are earned. 
From the very great importance that all these 
products of the coconut have for the trade of Ceylon 
it is not to be wondered at, in travelling by rail 
to Point de Galle and in the vicinity of that 
place, one is struck by the evident prosperity of the 
population. Matara, a place yet further than Point 
de Galle and almost at the southern most point 
of the whole island, is known as the residence of 
many rich Sinhalese families of the lowlands. 
Of Cinnamon there was exported iu the first half 
of 1898 altogether (in "bales" and "chips") about 
one-and-a-half-million pounds, that is some four 
hundred thousand pounds more than in the like 
period of 1894. In spite of this still fairly remu- 
nerative trade, there is, so I was told, only one 
European who occupies himself with cinnamon 
cultivation, because it is not profitable enough for 
the European planter. The prices are on an average 
about 50 rupee cents per pound, varying between 
80 and 85 cents, according to the quality (from 
Wo. 1 to No, 5.) In recent years however the grice 
