buds constitute the "spicey breezes" which indeed "blow soft o'er 
Ceylon's Isle." Hundreds of gay begonias, many and varied fuchsias, 
royal purple plunerias, festoons of red and yellow Hignonia, bicolor or 
trumpet shaped Tecomas of different colors, blue or white Plumbago 
and always Hibiscus and Poinsettia and the roses which the English 
people must introduce from love — are only a few of the beauties of this 
garden. The Curator's bungalow is banked with great pots of ferns, 
chiefly maiden hair, as most of Ceylon's bungalows are, giving a light 
green, cool effect under the awnings. A little lake is encircled with 
Calla lilies, which grow wild in profusion, and the Cri Gigantem 
from Africa, while always the palms unfold their plumes against a 
brilliant blue sky. The tree ferns abound both inside and out of the 
garden, while the moors outside are besprinkled with a rosy orchis and 
great bushes of crimson rhododendron. 
One of the delights of Ceylon's jungles, as well as India's, is the 
climbing Lily Gloriosa Superbum. The Honorary Secretary 
of the Bombay Natural History Society, is kindly procuring me 
bulbs. They will grow very rapidly under heat or in the 
middle of our summer in a sunny positon with plenty of water 
to simulate their rainy season, but no fertilizers. The jungle of 
Ceylon, of course, is interesting for its creepers, but if one can look 
down from a hillside above, the tops of the trees are gorgeous with 
bloom, Pomciana glowingly red, Spattrodias brilliantly scarlet, Bom- 
bax, known as the red cotton tree, or tulip tree, covered before the 
leaves with coral colored lily-shaped flowers, and Cassias, pink, yellow 
or white, form a riot of color. In the beautiful gardens of Peradiniya 
all these trees and many more can be seen at their best. I stop here 
appalled, for I feel I cannot describe with my halting pen even a frac- 
tion of the charm and interest of these gardens. Not only are the gems 
of Ceylon here, but all the tropical world has sent her best, and it was 
interesting to find that many of the most prized contributions came from 
South America. Her orchids were the gayest and her ferns the largest 
and her creepers the most gorgeous. The Talipot palms, which bloom 
once in a hundred years, were a towering mass of creamy blossoms, and 
the very rare double cocoanut was also in bloom. It was too bewilder- 
ing for one visit, so I came out to the Rest House and lived in the 
gardens for two days, taking pictures, asking questions and wandering 
about. 
I must write you again of one of India's most beautiful private 
gardens, where I drank tea and reveled in flowers. 
Sincerely yours, 
Anne MacIlvain, 
Member of The Garden Club of Trenton. 
We take pleasure in announcing that Miss MacIlvain has since 
written of the establishment of the first Garden Club in India. 
