( 9 ) 
During  the  year  Mr.  Nock  made  an  attempt  to  obtain  some  camphor  from  the  wood  of  a tree 
at  Hakgala,  six  years  old,  by  distillation  of  the  chips  as  described,  but  was  not  successful. 
“ Sahai  Grass  ” or  “ Bhabar  Grass  ” {Ischoemuni  angustifolmm). — Seeds  of  this  were 
received  at  Hakgala  from  the  College  of  Science,  Poona,  at  the  beginning  of  August.  They 
gei’minated  well,  but  have  not  grown  very  fast.  This  grass  is  a native  of  North  India,  and  is  used  for 
paper-making  and  in  the  construction  of  strings,  ropes,  and  mats.  It  is  common  in  the  Western 
Himalaya,  and  grows  best  on  a dry  sloping  site,  and  it  is  usually  propagated  from  division  of  the 
roots.  As  a fodder,  it  is  eaten  by  cattle  when  young. 
Riimex  hymenosepalus  (“Canaigre  ”). — A box  containing  30  lb.  of  roots  of  this  valuable 
tanning  plant  was  received  at  Hakgala  at  the  end  of  the  year  in  good  condition  from  the  Bureau  of 
Agriculture  and  Forestry,  Honololu.  They  have  been  planted  out  in  well  prepared  rich  soil  in  the 
walled-in  nurserj’-  for  trial.  If  our  soil  will  grow  it,  this  will  be  a useful  addition  to  our  minor 
products,  as  there  appears  to  be  an  unlimited  market  for  the  sliced  and  dried  roots  of  the  plant. 
It  is  a native  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  where  it  grows  in  the  driest  regions.  It  is  figured  in 
Bot.  Mag.  t.  7433.  The  dry  root  contains  about  33  per  cent,  of  tannic  acid — a higher  average  than 
the  very  best  oak-bark. 
Fruit  Trees  at  Hakgala, — Mr.  Nock  reports  : — 
Several  of  the  fig  and  peach  trees  bore  a heavy  crop,  but  unfortunately  just  as  they  were  beginning  to 
ripen  the  high  winds  at  the  burst  of  the  south-west  monsoon  blew  nearly  every  one  off  and  greatly  damaged  the 
trees.  The  English  blackberries  during  June  and  July  produced  a very  good  crop  of  well-formed  and  good 
flavoured  fruit.  It  has  now  been  proved  that  this  fruits  well  and  regularly,  and  can  be  recommended  to  all  gardens 
at  high  elevations.  It  requires  deep  rich  soil  and  to  ramble  over  a fence.  A few  apples  ripened  in  September  ; the 
largest  was  10  in.  in  circumference,  3 in.  deep,  and  weighed  six  ounces.  It  was  as  fine  looking  an  apple  as  any  one 
could  wish  for,  and  was  perfect  in  colour  and  flavour.  They  require  a rich  free  soil,  which  should  be  well  drained, 
as  they  are  very  liable  to  canker. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  year  we  received  by  parcel  post  from  the  Government  Botanic  Gardens,  Saharanpur, 
one  plant  and  six  cuttings,  each  of  fourteen  varieties  of  Asiatic  plums  and  one  Chinese  pear.  They  arrived  in 
capital  condition,  and  I am  pleased  to  be  able  to  report  that  every  one  of  the  plants  and  a good  many  of  the 
cuttings  have  grown  well.  It  was  thought  at  first  that  as  they  came  from  a very  dry  country  they  would  not  be 
likely  to  thrive  here,  but  they  are  in  growth  and  foliage  so  much  like  the  little  cooking-plum  that  grows  and  fruit 
so  well  that  I have  great  hopes  of  them,  and  from  the  splendid  start  they  have  made  it  is  quite  possible  that  we 
may  get  fruit  from  them  next  year. 
Other  Fruits. — A grape-vine  presented  by  the  Rev.  Father  Anthony  has  made  a good  start 
at  Anuradhapura  Garden,  and  promises  to  do  well.  • It  is  only  ten  months  old,  but  has  put  on  some 
strong  shoots  and  plump  eyes,  which  have  every  appearance  of  producing  fruit  after  the  next  pruning. 
Eight  plants  of  the  celebrated  loose-skinned  orange  have  been  introduced  from  Nagpur. 
They  arrived  in  capital  condition,  and  promise  to  do  well  at  Badulla.  It  is  proposed  to  propagate 
from  them  by  buds  and  grafts  as  soon  as  possible. 
“ Crawford's  Cutch  Company T — This  Company  has  obtained  from  Government  a monopoly 
for  the  collection  of  the  bark  of  the  mangrove  trees  growing  on  Crown  land  in  the  Trincomalee 
District,  where  they  have  established  a manufactory  of  “ cutch,”  paying  a royalty  per  ton  on  all 
exported.. 
This  so-called  “cutch”  is  an  extract  from  the  mangrove  bark,  and  not  the  true  “cutch,” 
which  is  an  extract  from  the  wood  of  Acacia  Catechu  manufactured  in  Burma  and  Northern  India. 
Mangrove  bark  has  long  been  extensively  used  by  the  native  tanners,  and  there  is  a small  export 
to  India. 
10.— Herbarium,  Museum,  and  Library. 
Herbarium. — No  additions  to  the  General  Herbarium  have  been  acquired  during  the  year 
but  many  additional  specimens  were  mounted  and  laid  in  the  Ceylon  Herbarium,  in  connection 
especially  with  the  Director’s  work  on  the  Flora,  during  the  early  part  of  the  year. 
The  draughtsman  and  plant-collectors  during  my  absence  made  excursions  to  Ratnapura, 
Balangoda,  and  Haputale  Districts  collecting.  The  former  has  during  the  year  made  26  finished 
drawings  of  Ceylon  plants  and  six  of  exotic  Orchids. 
Museum. — In  February  I went  carefully  over  the  collection  of  200  slabs  of  wood  received 
in  1884  under  their  native  names  from  the  Pasdun  korale,  and  labelled  them  with  their  Botanical 
names.  It  was  with  surprise  and  disgust  that  I found  that  very  many,  though  labelled  with 
different  Sinhalese  names,  had  obviously  been  cut  from  the  same  logs,  thus  20  differently  labelled 
slabs  were  “ dawata  ” wood  and  13  were  “ na,”  the  actual  number  of  different  sorts  being  reduced 
from  200  to  128. 
“ Handbook  to  the  Flora  of  Ceylon." — The  third  part  or  volume  of  this  appeared  in  London 
on  August  1,  with  a further  instalment  of  plates  (Nos.  51-75).  It  continues  the  descriptions  of  the 
plants  to  the  end  of  the  Balanogjhoraceoe,  i.e.,  734  more  species.  One  more  part  will  complete  the 
book,  and  1 had  hoped  to  do  much  toward  its  preparation  in  London  (at  Kew  and  the  British 
Museum),  but  was  hindered  by  indifferent  health.  Some  solid  progress  has  been  made,  however, 
and  I hope  to  be  able  to  finish  this  heavy  piece  of  work  by  the  end  of  the  year  at  Peradeniya. 
