CENTRE FOR BOTANICAL RESEARCH, 
23 
interesting pieces of wild country, and a short excursion by 
road or rail brings many good collecting grounds within 
reach. 
Next to Peradeniya, the most important garden is at 
Hakgala, about six miles from the great mountain sanitarium 
of Ceylon, Nuwara Eliya. The garden lies on the steep side 
of Hakgala mountain, at an elevation of 5,600 feet (1,680 m.), 
and in a very good centre for exploring the mountain vege- 
tation of Ceylon, On the west the hill jungles stretch away 
in an almost unbroken sweep for 25 miles, and on the east 
lies a vast expanse of dry grass country, with a peculiar and 
interesting vegetation. The garden itself contains a large 
reserved area of both jungle and grass (patana), and a very 
interesting collection of plants, from Europe, Australia, 
South Africa, the Himalayas, and other tropical mountains. 
It contains a small laboratory with living accommodation 
attached to it. The laboratory has two working places, and 
contains a small local herbarium of the plants of the hills 
and those cultivated in the garden. It has also a small 
dining room and two small bedrooms, so that, by taking a 
servant and arranging for supplies from Nuwara Eliya 
twice a week, it is possible to live and work there in comfort. 
A charge of one rupee a day is made for the use of the 
building by visitors, who must supply their own linen and 
knives and forks, but everything else is provided. 
Another interesting station is the branch garden at Hena- 
ratgoda, 17 miles by rail from Colombo on the Kandy line, 
and reached in three hours from Peradeniya. There is a rest- 
house close to the station, and the garden lies about | mile 
away. It contains among other things a piece of untouched 
jungle. The climate here is very hot and steamy, the 
garden lying almost at sea level. Many interesting plants 
are cultivated in it, and it contains a little working room, 
with a few simple necessaries for botanical work ; anything 
required can however easily be taken from Peradeniya. 
From here an excursion may be made to the lagoon at 
