42 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1897. 
(Extracts from lleport of the Director for 1S9G.) 
2BJC 1. — Changes and Movements in the Staff. 
During the early part of the year Mr. Noclt, 
Superintendent of Hakgala Garden, acted as 
Director. The late Director, Dr. Trimen, re- 
turned from leave in England on March 8, still in 
very poor health, and retired on pension on June 
30. A special allowance was voted to him for the 
remaining six months of 1896 to bring up his pension 
to the equivalent of full pay, and enable him to re- 
main in the Colony to work at the last volume of 
his Flora of Ceylon. He persisted in this work in 
despite of great physical indrmity, but unhappily did 
not live to see its completion. He died at Pera- 
deniya, somewhat suddenly, on October 16, 1896, and 
was buried in Kandy. 
Prom July 1 to September 11 Mr. Nock again 
acted as Director. On the latter date I arrived from 
England, and at once took over charge of the De- 
partment. Some months were naturally spent in 
familiarizing myself with all the details of the con- 
dition and working of the Gardens, and no changes 
of importance were initiated until towards the end of 
the year. I subjoin, according to precedent, a brief 
account of the general condition of the Gardens, 
indicating those directions in which I have begun or 
contemplated any change. 
2. — GENERAL CONDITION OF THE GARDENS. 
Peradeniya. — The area not occupied by offices, 
stores, bungalows, &c., is about 120 acres, employing 
about 100 coolies. Of these men many are employed 
in road-making (there are about 4k miles of carriage 
roads and 21 miles of footpaths), sweeping, grass- 
cutting, &c. Of the great beauty of the garden little 
need be said here, except that any change which 
would injure it is much to be deprecated on every 
ground, artistic or utilitarian. The number of visi- 
tors from other countries is large and increasing, and 
would probably be even larger were there any accom- 
modation at Peradeniya. 
The general condition of the garden is excellent, con- 
sidering the drawbacks which have to be contented 
with ; the chief of these are poor soil and want of 
manure and water. It would be hard to choose a worse 
site in this neighbourhood for horticultural work , the 
southern end of the garden is very rooky with shallow 
soil, and the northern part is composed almost en- 
tirely of old river deposits of gravel and sand. The 
beautiful sylvan character of this part of the garden is 
deceptive, giving the impression of a rich soil rather 
than the reverse. Most of this land (some 60 or more 
acres) is quite unsuited to the cultivation of anything 
but hardy shrubs or trees. It is now occupied by the 
Arboretum, a collection of trees and shrubs from all 
tropical lands. These are not at present arrang; d 
in any very sytematic order, but the greater 
part of the ground is appropriated in plots of suit- 
able sizes to the various natural families of plants. 
When a new tree is planted it is placed in 
its proper systematic position in the Arboretum, and 
in felling trees care is taken to remove those occu- 
pying wrong positions in the grouping. This process 
has been going on for ten years or more, and ulti- 
mately it will result in a properly classified Arbore- 
tum, where it will be easy for visitors to find any 
desired tree instead of having to search as at present 
over 60 acres of ground. The south end of the garden 
also contains many young trees, but these were 
properly arranged at the time of planting. The 
Arboretum contains about 800 jak and sapu tress, 
which are used for timber and firewood, new ones 
being started as old ones are cut down ; it is intended 
gradually to eliminate these trees from the regular 
Arboretum, and confine them to a timber reserve in 
one part 
The second great natural disadvantage is the want 
of water. Owing to the position of the garden in 
a river bend, and to the formation of the laud itself, 
there are no steams within the garden, whilst the 
river is at too low a level to be available. All the 
water supply is brought from a distance in pipes 
over the southern part of the garden in small bricked 
channels. More of these are wanted, as well as an 
increased water supply. A branch pipe to the bun- 
galows is desirable, water at present having to be 
carried long distances. 
The buildings in the garden are numerous ; the 
bungalows, Museum, &c., are kept up by the Public 
Works Department, and are at present in fair order; 
the remainder are maintained from the garden vote, 
and I found them in urgent need of repairs, which 
were taken in hand at once. The chief of these 
buildings are (1) the cattle shed, (2) the octagon 
house, (3) the conservatory, (-1) the glass-roofed plant 
house, (5) the fern house, (6) the carpenter’s shop, 
(7) the cart shed, (8) the Gardner memorial, (9) the 
Thwaites memorial. 
The garivvning staff, apart from coolies, consists 
of five “ selected coolies ” (50 cents a day), who do 
more skilled work than ordinary coolies, 4 ‘‘gardeners” 
(K12'50 to I115 a month), 1 upper gardener ” 
(17-50), 1 “ kaugany ” (E15), 2 “ plant collectors ” 
(E20 and R35), and 1 “head kangauy ” (K55), besides 
the European Curator. The plant collectors act as 
kanganies or gardeners when not on tour. Most of the 
officers mentioned are rather kanganies than gardeners 
and there arc few who are capable of doing really skil- 
led horticultura.1 work. It was hoped when the class of 
upper gardeners was created a few years ago that a 
supply of educated young men would be (frawn to 
the Gardens to learn the work, and that they would 
afterwards be able to get well-paid posts in other 
employ as gardeners. This hope has not been re- 
alized. Of the three posts of this nature, the two 
upper (at Hakgala) are still held by their original 
occupants, whilst the successive holders of the third 
(Peradeniya) post have left the Department to compete 
for clerkships in other branches of the Public 
Service. It is a pity that this should be so, but there 
is no opening for skilled gardeners in the Colony 
outside of this Department. If good work in horti- 
culture and experimental cultivation is to be done, 
it is absolutely necessary to have educated and 
well-trained gardeners, and this is impossible if the 
best that such men can obtain is a salary of K20 
or E25 a month ; the better-paid posts in this Depart- 
ment are so few that a man can rarely get one 
before he is forty or forty-five years old. At present 
if any really skilled work has to be done, it falls to 
the Director or Curator, whose time should rather 
be devoted to general superintendence and to the 
initiation of new work. The most important work 
of the Department is in this way much Handicapped. 
Hakgala. — The total area is 550 acres, mostly jungle 
and pataua. The cultivated area is about 25 acres, 
employing about 50 coolies, besides 2 “ upper gar- 
deners” and 1 “ clerk and foreman.” The garden is 
upon a steep slope with much rainfall and rather 
poor soil. A considerable part of it is devoted to 
the cultivation of ornamental plants, and forms a 
pleasure resort of extreme beauty, in great favour 
with residents _ and visitors at Nuwara Eliya. A good 
deal of land is occupied by nursery pl/.ts for the 
growth of flowers and vegetables for stocking the 
garden and for sale to the public, ;,nd' other por- 
tions are used for experimental cultiv.itions of econo- 
mic plants, &c. The general condition of the ga: - 
den is excellent in every way in spite of the ravages 
of deer, &c., from which protection is much Loaded. 
The garden has proved of much service in the in- 
troduction of economic plants into Ceylon (notably 
cinchona in the past and many fruit and vegetables 
in recent years). Its great elevation renders it, 
however, of use to a corrrparatively limited area of 
country. 
Henaeatgoda.— This little garden of 39 acres, em- 
ploying about 12 coolies and a native conductor, is 
one of the most useful iu the Deparfment. Its hio-her 
night ternperaturo renders it much more favourable 
to the growth of tropical plants than Peradeniya, and 
it has a good rainfall and fair soil. Most of it is 
devoted to the growth of irnportano economic plants 
suited to the wet low-country districts. Au increased 
labour vote is urgently required, as well as a new 
visitors’ shed and loom for carrying on experimental 
