Aug.  t,  1896.) 
I'RK  tropica  I , AGRICULTURIST. 
l)l{.  TlliMRN  M WOIMC  IN  I'lO  LOX 
AND  LDCAFi  (M!iT!C(S.M. 
On  the  eve  of  tlie  liii.il  dcpaitiu'e  of  the  Di- 
leetor  of  Liie  Jiotaiiie  OarJen.s,  it  may  seem 
a little  uiikiml  ami  iiivulious  to  eiitoi'  on  a 
coiitiovevsy  as  to  the  merit  ami  usefulness  of 
his  administrative,  economic,  and  scientific  ser- 
vices to  the  community.  Unt  to  compare  Dr. 
Trimen’s  work  witli  that  of  i\Ir.  Hart  of  Trini- 
dad— useful  officer  as  tlie  latter  is  in  his  own 
sphere— as  was  recently  done  by  a plantinr.’' 
correspondent^  of  the  ObservcT,  is  simply  absurd. 
Take  Dr.  Trimen’s  latest  work  : “ Tiir  Flora 
OF  Ceylon”  in  three  volumes — why,  it  is  im- 
possible to  overestimate  the  value  of  this  work 
for  practical,  educational,  and  scientific  pnr|>oscs 
in  tlie  Colony.  Tor  thirty  years,  we  hail  been 
accustomed  to  listen  to,  ami  read,  the  late  Mr. 
A.  M.  Fermison’s  earnest  desire  tliat  sncli  a 
work  should  be  prepared  for  the  benefit  of  all 
wlio  took  an  intelligent  intere.st  in  tlie  vegeta- 
tion of  the  island.  Dr.  Tliwaites’s  great  work 
on  Ceylon  plants  might  well  be  complained  of 
by  any  “ practical  planter  ” as  above  his  head 
—being  essentially  a scientific  botanist’s  book. 
Hut  Dr.  Trimen,  while  taking  care  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  science,  and  to  be  as  full  and  cor- 
rect as  any  reasonable  botanist  could  desire, 
has  added  a series  of  most  useful  economic 
notes  which  simply  make  his  work  a treasure- 
house  to  the  ordinary  intelligent  readers, — to  all 
in  fact  svho  wish  to  know  what  can  l)e  said 
about  each  of  our  plants  (useful  and  ornamental) 
and  especially  about  the  timber  trees  and  eco- 
nomic products  of  the‘  island.  That  the  highly 
accomplished  and  worthy  Director  should  have 
persisted  in  this  important  undertaking  to  the 
sacrifice  of  his  liealth,  if  not  of  all  tliat  makes 
life  worth  living,  speaks  highly  for  his  con- 
scientious devotion  to  duty  and  deserves 
the  grateful  acknowledgment,  not  only  of 
the  Governinent,  but  of  every  right-think- 
ing man  in  the  community.  iSo  much 
for  the  most  important  single  work,  perhaps, 
which  has  marked  Dr.  Trimen’s  Administration. 
But  we  are  miually  clear  that  never  before  in 
the  history-  of  the  island  has  more  attention  been 
given  in  our  Botanic  Gardens  to  every  (question 
bearing  on  the  economic  as  well  as  scientific  side 
of  planting,  and  tropical  .agriculture  generally, 
than  during  the  jiast  fifteen  yetu's.  Me  speak 
of  that  we  do  know  ; for  us  editor  both  of  ilaily 
and  monthly  issues,  we  have  continuously  liec'n 
made  the  medium  of  requests  for  information,  of 
puzzling  (piestions,  of  plants  forwardeil  for  identi- 
fication by  ]danters— not  to  s]ieak  of  our  own 
many  editorial  queries — ami  we  have  never  f.ailetl 
to  receive  the  most  prompt  and  satisfactory  at- 
tention from  Dr.  Trimen, 
But  we  are  prepared  to  meet  the  planting 
criticism  referred  to  at  closer  quarters ; for,  in 
reality,  it  must  have  been  written  with  entire 
forgetfulness  of  the  policy  which  has  guided  both 
the  official  and  planting  world  in  India,  ami 
Ceylon,  for  many  years  back.  The  critic  is  per- 
haps nuitware  that  in  recommending  the  Govern- 
ment Gardens,  or  any  portion  of  them,  to  be 
devoted  for  the  growth  for  ?iinr/re^' purposes  of 
cacao  or  any  other  product,  for  which  planting 
attention  is  given,  he  is  contravening  the  principle, 
so  stoutly  fought  for  in  India  even  in  the 
present  day,  of  non-interference  by  Government 
with  priv.ite  enterprise.  Merchants  .and  planters 
in  India,  for  inst.ance,  have  protested  on  this 
ground  against  even  the  Government  Cinchona 
U 
^05 
Gardens— although  nearly  all  the  b.ark  is  nou- 
mamuactnred  on  the  sjiot  info  alk.aloids  for  dis- 
tribution under  ollicial  .auspices,  .and  little  or 
none  sent  into  the  open  market.  The  Ceylon 
authorities  long  ago  learned  the  lesson  not  to 
Intel feic  with  private  enterprise  in  any  plant- 
ing diiection  : and  we  feel  sure  that  tlie  vast 
m.ajority  of  our  planters,  as  of  intelligent 
natives,  desire  the  s.ame  policy  continued,  by 
which  while  all  new  products  arc  carefully  tried 
find  ciilti\fitGd  find  fi  .stock  of  seed  or  plfints 
m.aintained  for  sale  and  distribution  of  new  and 
certain  old  products  or  plants,  no  attempt  is 
made  to  rival  the  tea,  cofi'ee,  cacao,  cinchona, 
inbiici,  cvc.  planter,  even  in  a small  way  by 
est.ablishing  a permanent  g.arden  of  .any  one  of 
.such  products. 
c.aii  oniy  smile  at  the  ide.a  of  biinging  the 
West  Indies  into  comparison  in  such  a connec- 
Indian  planters— .as  Messrs. 
Aitiuu  Siiiciiiir  niid  II.  IlOss  told  u.s  lon^  jitco 
**.^'"^**y  behind  those  of  Ceylon.  Dr, 
Morns  bewailed  to  us  not  long  ago ‘that  there 
_wa.s  not  even  one  enterprising,  intelligent  editor 
in  tlie  West,  to  stir  up  and  lead  the  planters  in 
respect  oi  new  ,st.aple.s  and  industries;  and  very 
tew  planters  who  would  take  the  trouble  to  try 
or  plant  anything  new’.  No  wonder,  therefore, 
t longli  Mr.  Hjirt,  and  other  sujierintendents  of 
gardens  have  h.ad  to  turn  to  w’ork  .as  iilanters 
and  tropical  editors  in  a small  ivay.  But  how 
c illerent  the  ca.se  in  Ceylon  : is  there  a new  pro- 
duct  incntioned  in  onv  Tropical  Apriculturht,  or 
Teradeniya  annual 
lepoit,  th.at  IS  not  at  once  indented  for,  planted 
and  tried  in  several  districts  in  Ceylon? 
c it  coca,  riibljer  in  new  species, 
cacao  in  fresh  varieties,— are  there  not  planters 
wl?mi  Government  ^cials, 
whether  at  Peradeniya  or  Hakgala,  from  doing 
more  chan  give  them  a lead  with  all  the  in- 
formation and  instructions  available,  in  order  to 
find  the  fullest  and  amplest  trials  given  and 
that  too  in  the  most  practical  fastiion  ? As  to 
the  Innidad  monthly  or  quarterly  bulletins  being 
<dlei;ed  as  an  e-vamide  worthy  of  copying  at  Pera- 
deniya,  or  Hakgala,  we  not  only  jirotest  as 
editois  and  publishers  in  the  name  of  common- 
.=emse  and  private  enterprise ; but  we  take  it  as 
unkind  (only  it  was  from  w'ant  of  thought)  on 
the  part  of  the  planting  correspondent,  to  offer 
such  criticism  or  suggestions,  forgelful  of  how 
completely  the  Iropical  AgricuUnrist  covers  the 
ground.  l.iis  monthly  periodical  has  been  olli- 
cmlly  recognised  not  only  in  Ceylon  and  India, 
m Governments! 
in  New  South  Males,  Itiji,  South  Africa  &c., 
and  IS  carefully  filed  by  the  Agricultural  De- 
partment at  Mashmgton,  Dnited  States.  Dr. 
iruneii,  and  his  subordinate  oflicers,  especially 
Mr.  Nock,  have  ever  been  .among  our  re.adiest 
supporters  in  supplying  information  and  sugges- 
tions for  the  improvement  of  this  almost  umniie 
tiopical  periodical  wdiich  is  so  wddely  distributed 
and  generally  prized  not  only  by  planters  but 
by  garden  and  scientific  authorities.  We  feel 
suie  that,  on  reilection,  the  pl.anting  critic  of 
Many  Mill  see  that  the  points  of  complaint  he 
puts  forward  against  the  administration  of  our 
lioyai  Botanic  Gardens  are,  in  re.ality,  pointless 
and  indeed,  tend  rather,  to  justify  tiie  sound- 
ness of  the  policy  i>nrsued  ; while  we  are  absolutely 
clear  that  no  more  valuable  Reports — both  froiii 
an  economic  and  scientilic  point  of  view— re.ach 
ns  fiom  .any  IJotanic  or  Government  Gardens 
the  wulo  world  over,  than  tho.se  that  bear  the 
imiinnt  of  Per.adeniy.a. 
