46 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[July i, 1897 . 
Vegetables, — As at the other gardens, I began in 
the last quarter of the year to make a collection of 
vegetables of all available kinds, for introduction 
among the villagers and others, The Government 
Agent, however, having opened a vegetable ge.rden 
upon a larger scale than anything that vio could 
attempt, most of the seeds and plants have been handed 
over to him. 
BADULLA GAKDEN. 
Like the two last-named, this garden suffers chiefly 
from want of labour and of manure. The cooly lines 
are in a very bad state and require rebuilding, aud the 
shed is also out of repair. A good stock of plants is now 
available for distribution, but there are few applicants. 
Tkees &c. — Most of the trees have made good pro- 
gress, and as many of them are now nine or ten years 
old, it may be useful and iuterestiug to give the 
names and measurements of a few of the fastest- 
growing trees, which may be useful to those wishing 
to plant in this locality : — 
Of Conifers, Cupi-essus torulosa, C. macrocarpa, C. 
Lawsoniana, Thuja oricntalis and Frenela rhomboidea 
thrive best; soma are 25 ft. high aud 40 in. in girth. 
Grevillea robusta, 50 ft. high, 48 in, in girth ; Ccdrela 
Toona, ^ ft. high, 60 in. in girth ; Parlda Poxbunjliii, 
50 ft. high, 72 in. in girth ; Cassia r/randis, 40 ft. high, 
45 in. in girth ; Spathodea Canipanulata, 35 ft. high, 
45 in. in girth ; Cedrcla odorata, 45 ft, high, 66 in. in 
girth ; Poinciana rer/ia, .30 ft. high, 30 in. in girth ; 
Cananga odorata, 50 ft. high, 45 in. in girth ; Pitlie- 
colobmm Sanian, 40 ft. high, 108 in. in girth ; Alhizzia 
moluccana, 60 ft. high, 108 in. in girth. 
llavea brasilensis (Para rubber), seven years old 
is 40 ft. high and 30 in. round ; Swietenia grandifolia 
(a mahogany), five years old, is 35 ft. high and 24 
in. in girth. The Palma are mostly doing very well, 
and many will soon be yielding seed. The Giant 
bamboo is growing rapidly. The Pimenta also gives 
promise of doing well in this district. 
Chrysobalanus Icaco (coco-plum of West Indies), the 
jamboo, the Malay apple, aud other fruits, besides 
the oranges, &c., are doing well. 
Weather. — A wet year on the whole, especially 
towards its close. 
ISiOTBS ON ECONOMIC AND OTHER PLANTS. 
Tea. — The year has been favourable to this crop, 
the export once more being the largest on record. 
It exceeded 108 million pounds, an increase of almost 
11 million pounds over 1895. The area^under tea culti- 
vation continues to increase, though more slowly 
than in previous years. The average price has been 
lower (about 8Jd per lb.) and exchange higher — two 
circumstances tending to check extension. 
The tea plant seems admirably suited to the poor 
soil of Ceylon, and is also remarkably free from 
disease ; this is prabably in great part due to the 
tannin in the leaves. It will not do, however, to 
assume too great permanence for this immunity. 
Tea being a leaf-crop stands mannring well, and this 
is a great ciumstanoe m its favour ; the use of 
manure appears to be steadily increasing. 
The tea industry would appear to have about 
reached its zenith, and a more critical period in its 
history seems likely to commence, demanding the 
attention of planters to scientific questions as to 
manuring, coarse or fine plucking, methods of 
manufacture, rotation of crops, and so on. The in 
creased production, and the fact that the competition 
is now less with the hand made teas of China than 
with the factory teas of India, Java, &c., will gradu- 
ally render haphazard cultivation and manufacture 
no longer profitable. 
CoFimE. — The export of this product in 1896 fell, 
partly owing to bad crops, to little more than a third 
of that 1895. 
The planting of Liberian ooffee is apparently in- 
creasing slowly. Several kinds of Coffee are on trial 
in the Gardens (see section), but none show much 
promise of usefulness, being much attacked by leaf- 
disease. Coffee stenophylla in particular suffers from 
the disease. Great expectations have been aroused by 
the success, in Java, &c., of the hybrid between 
Liberian and Arabian, and I hope to obtain this kind 
in 1897 for trail here. 
Cac.ao. — The exports show a steady incease ; 
those of 1896 exceed tho.se of 1895 by abou-. 
4,000 cwt. Much anxiety was cau=cd during the 
last quarter of the year by the rapid spread in 
Matale and Badulla Districts of a disease which 
has attacked the trees for some years past, increas- 
ing in destructiveness every year. The nature of the 
disease is at present unknown, but every effort will 
be made to aiscover its cause and to check its 
ravages. 
The Nicaraguan cacaos referred to in the report 
for 1895 are now established, and some are grow- 
ing well. 
From the report for 1896 of Mr. Hart, Superinten- 
dent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, I quote 
the following paragraphs : — 
“The ‘Old Red Dutch ’ cacao sent at my request by 
the late Dr. H. Trimen, Director of the Ceylon Botani 
cal Department, for comparison with our varieties,- 
proves to be synonymous wdth the true Criollo 
cacao of Trinidad, having the same form and also the 
same white or light-coloured seeds. The Criollo 
variety has however almost diappeared from cultiva- 
tion, being ousted by the more vigorous growing 
Forastero imported from the Mainland, with which 
it has evidently hybridized, if the numerous varieties 
or intermediate forms between the two kinds now 
to be seen growing in every plantation are to be 
taken into account. On estates where the Criollo 
form predominates the cacao produced is of the finest 
quality. The origin of the colour and form of Ceylon 
cacao has therefore been now fully ascertained. 
“ Iwould point out, however, the direct influence 
for good which a change of climate, or rather a 
change of seed from one climate to another brings to 
pass. The Forastero bas practically oustecJ the 
Criollo of Trinidad. The Criollo introduced into 
Ceylon has done well there, while the Criollo of 
Nicaragua will as certainly fall before the recently 
introduced Forastero,as the same kind has been already 
displaced by it in Trinidad. 
,,‘Cultivators of all kinds will always find that great 
benefit arises from making a change of seed from one 
country to another or from one district to another.’’ 
Coconuts. — The export of oil continues to fall off, 
but that of most of the other coconut products 
shows an increase. The area of land planted in 
coconuts is also increasing. 
Rubber. — The tree of Para rubber {Hevea brasi- 
liensis) which was tapped in 1894 was again tapped 
this year, yielding 3 lb. J oz. of dry rubber, or 
rather less than in 1894. The yield of this tree 
has been 27f oz. in 1888, 42 oz. in 1890, 45 oz. 
in 1892, 51 oz. in 1894, 48J oz. in 1896; total in nine 
years 131b. 6 oz., or about ipb per annum. The tree 
is now twenty-one years old, and should bear tapping 
every year. I desire to call special attention to this 
yield, for many persons entertain the most 
exaggerated ideas of the rubber-yielding capabilities 
of this and other trees. Of course a muon larger 
yield can be obtained for one or two years, buc it is 
at the sacrifice of the life of the tree, if the results 
of the tapping of this tree be taken as a basis, the 
yield of a rubber plantation after the tenth year (fifty 
trees to an acre) should be perhaps lOOlb. of rubber 
per acre per year, worth about £12 or £13 in London. 
In comparing this with other products, it shouid be 
remembered that the labour cost of rubber is 
very small. 
The cultivation of Para rubber seems likely to 
succeed in the low-lying wet districts of Ceylon. 
There seems little likelihood at present of any serious 
fall in the supply of rubber from wild sources, but 
the dema,nd is increasing, and by the time that the 
private plantations in the Fast come into full bearing, 
it is quite probable that the easily accessible native 
sources will be becoming exhausted. 
Little reliable information is at present available 
on the subject of rubber, and I am devoting what 
time I can spare from other duties to a series of 
experiments in cultivation aud tapping of rubber at 
Henaratg.'d and Peradeniya (see above, section 3), 
