822 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June i, 1891. 
EXPERIMEJNTAL GARDENS IN THE 
NORTH. 
A Jaffna Board of Agriculture Suggested. 
The very interesting and inst/uctive annual repoits 
which Dr. Trimeu, Director of tLe Botanic 1 Gardens, 
is so punctual in issuing through the Government 
press for the inFormation of the Public, have suggested 
to our mind a doubt ns to the general utility of these 
gardens. A considerable sum is every year spent from 
the Public Treasury on what some consider a luxury, 
others an attraction and a sight to travellers, and all 
an ornament to Ceylon. Admitting the gardens to be 
a luxury and one of the attractive sights of “the 
utmost Indian Isle, Taprobane” where every prospect 
pleases, we are not disposed to indulge in a wholesale 
condemnation of the Gardens of which we are truly 
proud. In all magnificence of Oriental display, 
watered as the garden is on three sides by the largest 
river in Ceylon, the beholder in it for the first time is 
lost in wonder, when gazing on the sublime tropical 
vegetation in all its rank luxuriance, the plants and 
vegetables laid out in systematic beds, creepers with a 
wealth of buds and flowers ontwiiiing the lordly stems 
of more robust trees, the innumerable clusters of 
fruits varying in size and colour, the richest crim.son 
blending with the ripest yellow, all inviting the passer- 
by, the melodious singing- and twitter of birds which 
find a welcome abode among the innumerable branches 
— truly all these conspire to make the vii-itor believe 
that " he treads on the sacred soil of the veritable 
Paradise of his forefathers. But a massive bungalow 
built ,in_ the Gothic style soon undeceives our visitor 
that the grand panaroma before him is but the 
result of ecien'ific cultivation. What an agreeable 
surprise ! Pact is indeed stranger tlian fiction. Such 
is the effect produced on a globe trotter who rushes 
through the world at Railway speed. But let us see, 
it apart from affording this transitory pleasure, the 
gardens cannot be turned to some profitable 
account. That the gardens have contributed in 
some degree to the benefit of the people there is 
no doubt, tut is the little good they have been 
the means of doing in any way commensurate 
with the large outlay necessary for its upkeep ? Have 
the gardens justified this expenditure f Caunot they 
bo made to yield greater profit without uimecessorily 
increasing the expenditure ? These are some of the 
questions which naturally suggest themselves to a 
thoughtful mind. "Whatever doubt we may enterlain on 
tho first two Que.stions, there can be none on the last. 
Wo cannot at present lay our hands on facta and 
figures in connection witii the gardens, but a few sug- 
gestions as to how they could be turned to advantage 
would not, we apprehend, be out of place. 
To the three Botanical gardens, Poradenia, Hakgaia, 
and Heneratgoda — the two latter branches of the first — 
we believe, with a trifling outlay, each Province coutri- 
liuting its quota, oth-.T experimental gardens on the 
same lines a.s those of the cxistiug ones, can be added 
in the provincial capitals, each to be nominally under 
the respective Government Agents, but all controlled 
by the Director, for the time b ing, of the Peradeniyii 
Botanical Gardens, A competent Agriculturist should 
he in charge of each garden nominally under his local 
siq.erior, the Government Ageiid, but responsible to 
the Directors; and -these professional men attached 
to these gardens should, in addition to keeping their 
gariicns in the highest state of efficiency, try their 
utmr.st to ipread a knowledge of the improved 
method of cul'ivation-, and send annual or quarterly 
reports to tho Direct ir as to the stale of tlieir 
gardens witli re-marks and suggestions of his own, 
118 to the economic plants and vegelaldcs suitable 
to tbe toil of tlieir gardens, putting in their re- 
(jui.sition for Midi plants us are not obtainublo 
locally and gcucrally kci ping tho Director duly iii- 
formed of every tiling which in hi.s opinion will be 
of bouefit to tliO people. Now th it through llic hvud- 
ulilo e-xerlioiiB of Mr. Green a batch of graduates 
;irc annually turned from tho Agricultural Soho 1 
with a competent knowledge of tlieir subject, tlieir 
rervicoH can bo engaged for a trifling sum, compared 
with tho cuoi'inous expento iicceesary to get down 
Agriculturists from England or the continent. If the 
Government is so minded, we think a “ Department 
of Public Gardening ” may be organised on the same 
lines as those of the “ Dei^artmeut of Public Instruc- 
tion ” and the greate.st good can be done with the 
least po.ssible ex])enditure. Apart from the Government 
gardens in each important town, there may be private 
Grant-in-aid-gardeiis receiving a small annual amount 
from Government, if they show good and satisfactory 
results. 
We say advisedly that the Government Agent of 
the Province should be the nominal supervifer of the 
Government Experimental gardens; for without his 
taking^ a lively interest in these projects, the experi- 
ment is dootned to failure. The Government Agent 
being the all-in-all in the Province the success or failure 
of a scheme depends entirely on his hearty coopt ra - 
lion or indifference. Devoid th. ugh he be cf scientific 
knowledge and training hewillbethe means of doing 
great good, if guided by a competent and responsible 
agriculturist. The whole force of headmen can be 
held in leading strings and made nolens volens to spread 
a knowledge cf improved gardening and cultivation of 
economic plants, throughout their respective divisions. 
To aid the Government Agent and advise him on all 
important matters, the formation of a Board consist- 
ing of the chief Headmen of Jaffna and a few of the 
leading landed proprietors independent of Government, 
will be_a very desirable stsp. 13uch a Board in addition 
to giving the agent tho best local opinion will also 
considerably add to the moral force of his actions. 
The Board may well claim to be a consultative sssembly, 
but we do not see why the administrative aud exe- 
cutive functions should not be vested in it. Whatever 
powers the G. A. and the Board may possess, in all 
matters of a purely scientific nature the Director should 
be the supreme authority. 
One of the first steps tbe G. A. and the Board, 
are^ to take should be the starting of an ex- 
perimental garden in a central spot where an iuex- 
hausbie rapply of water could be secured. If the 
Putoor tidal well can be fitted with a large p-amp, 
we think there can he no other belter ground for first 
operations than the plots about it. The water in the 
well is demonstrated to be practically inexhaustible 
and the analysis of the water has revealed many valu- 
able constituents necessary for plant life. The soil 
is also good and suited for the ordinary plants and for 
the first start different varieties of cotton and tobacco 
may well he tried and seeds of the best variety in 
each distributed largely throughout the villages. As 
lime-goes on more valuable plants and fruit-trees may 
be cultivated and seeds and cuttings of these distribiit.- 
ed to the people on their application with a small re- 
mittence which may from time to time be fixed upon 
by the Agent, and his Board. For the first one or two 
years the project may involve the Government in some 
expenditure but after that we are sure the garden will 
pay its own working expenses, if it will not leave a 
margin of profit for the Government. Breeding of 
different varieties of cattle imported from India, Aden, 
etc, may well form another industry connected with the 
Gardens and now that our breed of cattle is becoming, 
degenerated owing to several causes, this suggestion 
should oomiiieud itself to *our Rulers. We have put 
forward these suggestions for the consideration of those 
who have the intere,st cf the people at heart and we 
have reason to believe that if things are only properly 
represented to cur Government Agent be will give his 
best attention;— Jaffna “Patriot.” 
American Quinine — Messj-s. Powers & Weightman 
of Philadelphia, have issued a circular in response 
to the widespread reports that they had ceased 
manuf,aoturing quinine themselves, and simply 
bottled and labelled foreign quinine as their own 
brand. They aver that they have never relinquished 
the manufacture of quinim since they first began t, 
shortly after its discovery some sixty or seventy years 
ago, and say that the work of making and pack, 
ing it is all done by them in Philadelphia . — Chemist 
and Unti/aist, 
