May 1, 1900.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
725 
which I tackled with as mucli diligence as any 
Chinaman, getting up by 4 a.m. and woiking till 
late at night. 
"BOTRYTIS INFESTANS " OR POTATO BLTGHT. 
The year was 1846, the summer one of the love- 
liest of the century. A little burn rippled past the 
ground in which by way of relaxation I batiied, 
caught trout and culled the Nymplma from its 
margin ; but my special pride was a plot of pota- 
toes : the grand old blue kidney, nowhere now to 
be seen. No coffee jilanter ever saw witli greater 
interest his first lOOacre clearing buisfc into 
blossom. Early one July morning I got up to 
watch the flowers expanding, when I observed 
what seemed drops of soot upon the tender green 
leaves. It looked like the work of some malicious 
miscreant, but no footprints were there, and I felt 
fairly puzzled. Next morning there were still 
more "soot drops," and every day during the week 
added to the mystery, till at length the haulins 
began to blacken, and a sickening smell greeted 
me as I approached my precious plot. I was only 
14 years of age, but 1 shall never forget my first 
great discouragement as a planter; and when a 
quarter of a century afterwards I saw coffee 
attacked with a similar blight, I could not help 
remembering my early sorrow and fearing how 
little scierce could do for us. 
Like the Ceylon planter of the '■ seventies," how- 
ever, my horizon gradually expanded to other plants 
and products. I now sought and found congenial 
employment in a Nursery-garden to see how the 
various plants were propagated and learn the 
mysteries of grafting, budding and hybridising. 
He was a rough, unkindly fellow, the foreman, but 
a perfect workman ; and I have seen few gardeners 
who could handle the knife, the rake or spade 
like old T— — , but he had no taste or respect for 
science. 
"See that ynu take that horse gowan out by 
jlie root," he said toa fellow-creeper who hadn 
just come from a botanical class. "You mea, 
the Lcontedon taraxacum, sir " ? said the youth 
Avishiug perhaps to air his learning. "Ah ! I see," 
said the foreman sarcastically, " you're a bit of 
botanist." " Ay 1 " was the reply, " and lean draw 
a little too." "D n you, draw that barrow out 
of my way ?" was the rough rejoinder. 
TRAINING FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE. 
For eighteen months I laboured here ; the work 
AVas hard but interesting enough. Yet, the plants 
Avere only native trees or hardy llovvers from tem- 
perate latitudes, and I, longing to make the 
acquaintance of exotics from warmer regions, now 
,Bpprenticed myself to a garden where there were 
good hot-houses, preparing, like many abetter man, 
for what was to follow. I well remember my first 
little tropical acquaintance, viz., the sensitive 
plant. How I marvelled at the curiosity and never 
rest;ed till I knew of its native home, and had 
read everything tliat was known aljout it, little 
thinking that in after years, it, as a troublesome 
weed, would cost me thousands of rupees to keep 
it down. Through the Balsam (Inipatiens~), iVe- 
penthes plumcria and the Gloriosa supcrba, I was 
first introduced to Ceylon. I was in my element, 
and my special hobby and delight was in tracing 
every exotic I came across, to its original home, 
a labour which gave me much pleasurable 
reading, 
FIRST EFFORTS AT WRITING. 
In four years I had reached the top of my 
ambition as a gardeticr, and with the wide world 
before me began to look towards the Tropics for 
a more congenial field. [ had already begun 
writing for the local press. My first accepted 
article being on "Evergreens," a contribution 
which, led to the life-long friendship of Mr. Wm. 
Alexander, Editor of the Aberdeen Free Press, and 
one of the kindliest, purest-souled men I ever 
intimately knew. 
About this time I was introduced by Mr. Geo. 
Dalrymple to Sir John Cheape, who, d iring a visit 
to Lady Elphinstone, came to consult me with 
reference to sending out certain varieties of Rhodo- 
dendrons to Ceylon, " Will they grow in Ceylon''? 
enquired Sir John. " Tj nquestionaljly," was the 
reply. " How do I know "? "Well, I have just been 
reading Dr. Hoftmeister's delightful book in which 
he says that Rhododendrons not only grow wild 
at Nuwara Eliya and other upland districts, but 
on the very top of Adam's Peak he found a gorgeous 
display of blooms." Sir .John was good enough 
to seem interested in me, and told me all about 
his estates near Kandy, managed by Mr. Mortimer, 
" a most capable man," he said, " though he had 
not the educational advantages you seem to have 
had " (save the mark !) 
FIRST THOUGHTS OP CEYLON, 
The excellent Avork by Dr. Hoft'nieister was 
one of the first and certainly one of the best 
books on Ceylon I ever read. 
A sidendid young fel'ow was Dr. Hoffineister, 
travelling Physician to H.K.II. E^rince Waldemar 
of Prussia, the first German Prince to visit Ceylon. 
No keener, more observant botanist ever landed 
at Galle, and the fidelity of his description of 
the vegetation and natives, seen cn route for 
Colombo, has rarely been excelled. The reception 
by Sir Colin Campbell, the journey to Kandy, 
thence via Pusellawa, where the brothers Worms 
were found planting their first clearings, and 
onwards to Nuwara Eliya and BaduUa, where they 
were royally entertained by Major Rogers, is all 
grapliically described. Dr. Hoffmeister was no 
sportsman, but while the Prince accomjianied the 
Major on sundry shooting excursions, he contrived 
to extract great delight from his botanical rambles. 
The poor young physician and scientist (he wa.s 
only 25) accompanied the Prince to Indin, where he 
collected much interesting and valuable in- 
formation. Unfortunately, Britain was at the time 
embroiled in one of her inglorious border wars, 
and the Prince wishing to see fighting, went to 
the front, his faithful physician by his siile. The 
latter was killed on the spot, and the sorrowing 
