May  I,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
747 
UPPER  DIMJ3ULA:  ITS  VEGETATION 
AND  SCENIC  BEAUTY  : 
VARIETIES  OF  TlMBER-TKEiiS  ; INCREASE 
OF  BIRDS. 
In  the  early  days  of  coffee  i)lantiii<(,  Diiiibula 
was  divided  'into  “Upper”  and  “Lower.”  In 
reality  there  was  not  much  difference  between 
the  elevation  above  seadevel  of  the  plantations 
in  each  division — Union  and  Bogahawatte  ran  as 
high  as  Louisa  and  Radella  ; but  the  approach 
to  the  one  was  from  Kotmale,  while  the  otliers 
bad  their  outlet  vifi  Nuwara  Eliya.  There  is 
no  question  now,  however,  as  to  the  estates 
which  run  over  4,500  to  5,500  feet  meriting  for 
their  district,  the  distinction  of  Upper  Dimbula. 
We  refer  especially  to  those  between  Great 
Western  and  Nanuoya,  above  or  on  each 
side  of  the  railway  line  ; and  the  plantations 
along  the  headwaters  or  crowning  the  slopes 
between  the  Nanuoya  and  the  Agraoya  until  we 
come  under  the  shadow  of  Kirigalpotta  or  touch 
the  far-extending  Bopatalawa  patanas. 
It,  on  the  one  hand,  the  railway  has  done  inestim- 
able service  in  enabling  lowcountry  residents  and 
visitors  to  enjoy  some  of  our  finest  mountain 
scenery,  how  much  is  lost  froni  the  inclination 
to  hurry  through  each  district  f^nd  to  be  con- 
tented with  a glance  at  the  general  outline? 
The  old  Gampola  and  Ramboda  and  still  more 
the  Ramboda  and  Nuwara  Eliya  coaches  were 
tedious  and  trying  in  many  ways;  but  what  en- 
joyment they  afforded  in  the  details  of 
mountain,  stream  and  valley  scenery,  now 
seldom  or  never  seen  by  the  ordinaiy 
'’isitor  or  travellei'.  In  the  same  way  ive 
may  say,  after  a brief  sojourn  within  its  limits, 
how  little  is  known  of  the  attractions  and  scenic 
beauty  of  Upper  Dimbula  from  a mere  trip  by 
the  railway  along  the  one  side  of  it.  'fo  see 
and  appreciate  Dimbula  (as  well  as  the  adjacent 
dist  icts)  nothing  but  a driving  or  riding  (or  to 
a less  extent  a bicycle)  trip  covering  every  mile 
of  its  “pucka”  roads  can  suffice.  In  any  case, 
let  no  one  say  tliey  know  anything  of  tiie  dis- 
trict, until  they  have  travelled  by  the  Agraoya, 
up  as  far  as  the  Agras  road  wdll  take  them  ; 
and  from  Lindula  alongside  the  Lambagastalawa- 
oya  past  Kowlaliena  and  Henfold,  Maria  and  Lip- 
pakelle,  Macdulf  and  Cyinru  right  into  what 
Will.  Smith  u.sed  to  call  “ Molesworth’s  Railway 
Gorge  ” at  the  foot  of  Elgin  estate ; and  yet 
again  until  they  have  traver.sed  the  road 
between  Matakolle  and  Lamiliere  and  along  a series 
of  plantations  the  Dimbuldanda-oya  till  they 
enter  the  line  avenue  shaded  by  grevilleas  or 
eucalyjits  on  Lome  and  xVbbotsford  and  pass  on 
to  the  Longdeu  Road  ca  route  for  Nuwara 
Eliya.  This  is  becoming  a favorite  route  for 
bicyclists  who  think  nothing  of  running  from 
the  Sanatarium  to  Talawakele  or  as  far  as 
Hatton  (a  Colombo  visitor  and  Rangoon  friend 
did  the  32  miles  2,000  feet  down,  in  4 hours 
the  other  day)  ; but  who,  though  they  enjoy 
a shady  avenue  for  several  miles,  are  far  too 
much  occupied  in  engineering  sharp  turns — of 
which  unfortunately  tliere  are  too  many — or  in 
giving  “ample  room  and  verge  enough”  to 
bullock  bandies— to  lind  proper  opportunity  of 
looking  at  the  scenery,  much  less  studying 
the  vegetation.  And  yet  there  is  a great  deal  in 
both  worthy  of  note.  We  think  it  a pity  that 
in  his  recent  visit  to  Dikoya  and  Maskeliya, 
His  Excellency  the  Governor  did  not  drive 
down  the  Longden  Road  through  Dimbula  to 
llatton,  rather  than  travel  by  rqiil.  Very  likely, 
the  drive  is  only  reserved  until  the  Dimbula  dis- 
trict is  properly  honoured  with  a viceregal  visit,  on 
which  occasion,  we  trust,  all  the  main  roads  we 
have  named  will  be  traversed,  and  the  district 
thereby  properly  appreciated.  In  some  respects, 
there  is  no  more  delightful  upcountry  drive  in 
the  island  tlian  the  one  from  Talawakele  to 
Nuwara  Eliya,  or  vice  versa.  There  is  moun- 
tain and  river  scenery— big  falls,  tumbling 
cataracts,  smooth  pools,  and  long  reaches  of 
shady  stream — with  diversified  vegetation  from  the 
clumps  of  shrubby,  yellow  or  giant  bamboos, 
to  the  shady  grevilleas,  graceful  aeacias,  and 
the  towering  gum  trees — all  breaking  the  monotony 
of  tea  fields  dotted  over,  however,  with  cin- 
chonas, and  by  the  wayside  with  not  a few 
coffee  bushes,'  singly  or  in  limited  groves. 
Cultivated  native  fashion,  but  with  the  trees 
neatly  trimmed,  it  has  been  quite  a treat  to  see 
an  appreciable  number  of  coffee  trees— nob  acres— 
on  some  of  the  plantations  in  blossom,  bring- 
ing back  recollections  of  the  beautiful  fields 
of  snowy  jessamine-like  flower,  to  be  succeeded  by 
the  plentiful  ruddy  cherries  of  “ auld  lang  syne.” 
Our  higher  districts,  as  a whole,  are  becoming 
wonderfully  well-wooded— (an  advantage  which 
many  estates  short  of  lirewood  sadly  need)— 
and  this  is  especially  the  case  in  Upper  Dimbula. 
We  suppose  the  experienced  Manager  of 
Mount  Vernon  is  as  favouiable  as  ever  he 
was  to  the  grevilleas  (the  Queensland  silky  oak) 
dotted  over  his  tea  fields  on  account  of  the 
great  benefit  which  their  litter  of  leaves  confers 
on  the  tea  bushes,  while  the  big  trees  in  no 
other  way  do  harm.  The  fertilizing  material 
is  indeed' abundant,  if  we  may  judge  by  the 
roadside  gatherings  on  Lome  and  adjacent 
estates,  where  we  were  repeatedly  reminded  of 
Milton’s  line  : — 
“Thick  as  autmnaal  leaves  that  strew  the  brooks 
In  Vallambrosa.” 
The  bamboos  have  no  such  beneficial  effect  ; 
but  they  are  confined  chiefly  to  clumps  on  the 
riverside,  though  some  fine  collections  are  found 
higher  up  in  the  ravines.  The  timber  offers 
compensation  for  the  sometimes  troublesome 
litter  : — the  smaller  bamboos  split  up  making 
useful  ])alings  or  garden  fences  ; the  larger  ones 
a capital  substitute  for  spouting,  with  many 
other  means  of  turning  the  different  sizes  to 
use.  Nothing,  however,  can  be  more  pictur- 
esque in  early  morning  or  afternoon  sun, 
than  the  glancing  yellow  Ceylon,  Nilgiiis  or 
Himalayas,  or  the  dark  dark  green  Java, 
bamboos  by  the  riverside  in  contrast  with 
the  prevailing  plantation  cultivation.  All  four 
kinds  of  bamboo  are  found  on  Abbots- 
ford, and  we  suppose,  we  may  say  with- 
out any  exaggeration  tliat  Abbotsford  — 
thanks  to  the  enterprise  and  enthusiasm  of 
our  relative  and  chief,  the  late  A.  M.  F'erguson — • 
is  the  best  “ timbered”  or  “wooded”  tea  planta- 
tion in  the  island  ? There  are,  as  we  said, 
some  coffee  bushes  left  and  a very  appreciable 
quantity  dotted  over  the  tea  fields,  of  cinchona 
trees— alas,  of  no  value  unless  the  de- 
mand and  juices  increase  and  justify  con- 
tinued cultivation  and  bark-harvesting  ; — but 
these  are  nothing  to  the  number  and 
variety  of  timber  trees.  No  census  has  ever 
been  taken  ; but  the  experienced  Manager,  Mr. 
Fraser — himself  an  arboreal  enthusiast — thinks 
there  cannot  be  fewer  than  a score  of  varieties 
of  Eucalypts,  from  the  gigantic  Faucijlora^ 
running  to  100  feet  high  and  8 to  9 feet  in 
circumference,  to  the  jarrah  and  red  gum  or  ths 
