December i, 1891,1 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
415 
flomewhal over 2,0C0 ftot. " The climate liero is scmg- 
what drier than on the western tiiJo of tbo hill region, 
receivintf but little raiu with the southwest mouse oa,” 
(2) Auurodhuimrn, dating from 1883, about a bundled 
miles I orth ot the large gsrdco, is the ancieat capital 
of the islRLd. Bceides the interesting ruins at this 
point which arc well wtirlh sceicfi’, there exists tie 
oldest historical tree iuthe world, Ficuts reli^osa, (the 
sacrel Bo), assigned to 288 B. 0. This gorden has 
a short rainy season and n hot dry climate. (3) 
Heuuratgoda, 33 fqefc above Iho »ea, and thoroughly 
tropicdl, is on the railroad running from Colombo to 
Kandy. It was founded in lS70. ilcro curtain plan's 
which cannot Lc grown at Peradeniya are very suc- 
cessfully cuitivalcd. (4) llakgala, established in 18(50, 
R8 a nursery for Cinchona oaitivatiou, ie utarNuwara 
Klija, (commonly prouuuuced “ Newralia”) tbo famous 
eauitiiriurn. It is almost C,000 teeb above loa-level/ 
in u place of surpassing beiuly. Above the garden is 
a frowning double cliff 1,500 feet, high, and all round, 
the views are most attraeiive. The Gate olforda one 
of tbo be6t of these. The landscapo reaches over the 
Uva district towards the Haputulc gap and the Madul* 
sima hilli. On entering the garden tho bewildormeut 
begins. On every band one sees species in the most 
grotesque joxtaposition. Plunti from Australia such 
as Oasuarinss and Acacias are perfectly at home with 
Ifiaat and West Indian, Japanese, and Knglish plants. 
Of tho latter there arc many which sceuied thrifty 
and wall established. 
Although the garden is use 1 primarily for experi- 
mental pnrpo^jes it has been laid out with regard to 
cti'ectivcncsB of grouping and with remarkable aocccss. 
A botanical visitor is, however, constantly trying to 
separate in his mind tho different pluut.8 from the 
curious collocations which everywhere abound and 
demonstrate better tlinn in any other place I have 
ever seen, Iho wido range of toleraiico of climate. 
Tho Supriutendcut Mr. W. Nock, who has had largo 
experience in the West Indies, h«e carried ou some 
interesting experiments in Hcoliraatizing plants from 
the western hemisphere, sneh as “ chcrimoycr ’* and 
the like. There are few plants in the garden more 
attractive from an economic point of view than tho 
vegetables of doubtful promiBc, buoIi as Arraoaoha, and 
Ihoso of assured cnliuary position *' Ohoco’’ or **(Jhocho” 
(6VcAtM//* tdule) for example. Botno of the mediciuul 
plants in band were doing well in every way, while 
others have proved somewhat dicappuinting, for in- 
stance, jalap andjpecacuanha- 
The ferns, especially the tree ferns, and the species 
of Kucalyptas form one of the marked succobscs at 
this garden; Mr. Nock stated that tho most trouble- 
some weed in the garden ie a species, (perhaps more 
than a single species) of Oxalis: iiisBimply impofcsible 
lo eradicate it. 
Pernflfcniya.— Tho gardens are four miles from 
Kandy, and nboat eighty from Colombo. Tho rail- 
road paasis through lowlands and rice*fielJs, past 
native villoges surroimfly(j jjy pjautains and coconuts, 
and through occasiooil jungles, until it toiobes higlur 
ground. The Ecenery chaiigta rapidly, ibrests now and 
then appearing lu the foreground, with occasionai 
views of distant castellated mountains. As the moun- 
tains rise out of the terraced rice-flelds and from the 
shrubs of the jongles, the eye catches ou every band 
glimpses of groups of bent coconut palms and straight 
areoas, ** diflicult to realize that these palms mean, 
perhspa without exception, human habitations ot their 
ft-ot. Tlircugh thwo ecenes of enchanting beauty, the 
railro.d has made its way, demanding here and there 
very skilful engineering. The track is lined with 
hantaiM^ which is slowly giving way before the en- 
croachmonts of a still stronger invader, a Composite 
from Mexico.f Mhnoaa jyudica h also widely spread as 
a strong weed. 
Tho drive from Kandy to the groat garden is through 
a well shaded street lined with native honsos. These 
are gathered at s hort inte rvals into villages. 
would bo more correi 
* Somewhat over 6,000, 
T. A. 
t The “ Californian daisy, reallv a neranni 
Bunflower. i, referred lo.-Ei). V. ^ 
My lirst visits to this garden were made, as were those 
in ovtry other instance save one on tho whole tour, 
witluul rcpiirliug to tho Director. In this way a 
student otin lake things very leisurely, ond look up 
matters t)f de tail which it is not right or courteous to 
trouble -the chiefs with: later, all special piuuts of 
interest which have escaped notioa aro likely to be 
brought out by a walk with the Ui rector. The estab- 
lishnient at I'e-adriiiya oousiets (1). of 160 acres 
of garden proper airti of arboretum, (2) of a museum 
aud herbariuni with library altached. Tho Director, 
Dr. Henry Trii:ien, widely kuown ns an author aiiil 
editor, oenttols n:)t only those, hat the hrsnob gar- 
dens as well, making his head-qaartcra at Poradeniya. 
Ouoe for all it may be said that botanists are made 
weleome in every wav, finding every laoility for carry- 
ing on syBlomatio work. The olirnato ia healthful, 
provided ooo t.akee ordinary and rcasouublo preoau- 
tione against exposure to the direct ray a of tho sun 
in the uotteat part of the day. If I remember rightly 
tho director, even in hia long walks through tho gar- 
den and in his excursions seliiom wears tho oonven- 
tioual pith-helmet. Ametiesn students need not fear 
that they will suffer greater disoomfort from the hot 
weather at Kandy and Porndeniya than in summer 
in the United States and Canada. Access to Coylon 
(aud for that matter, J.ava) hae now been made ao 
easy by tho newer swift steamers, that it seems ad- 
visahlo to meution these facts about the olimate. 
It ia impossible to desotibe tho wealth of materi:il 
p'aoed at the service of every visitor to tho two great 
gardous of tho equatorial bolt, that under prosent 
review end tho one at Buiteuzorg to be oousidered in 
a subs: queut note. It is equally imp 'ssible to institute 
a ooinpnri!on between the two. 
In both of thc.ae vast establishments, tho student 
finds miignificeut specimens of all ot very nearly all 
the useful plants belonging to hot moist climates, ilauy 
years ago tho writer had the privilege of seeing tropical 
plants at tho Iathn:na of Panama, but even tho de- 
lightful imprcssiotia rooeivod on that uccasloD, which 
hud perhaps liocome deopened with tho lapse of time*, 
were forgotten in tbo presence of the abounding lux- 
uriance of these palms, bamboos, glossy- leaved ever- 
greens Mid tongled climbers. 
At Peradoniya the most oharsetetistio plante aro 
ao placed as to bo seen to good advan tage, This was 
frequently observed when in sesroh of points of view 
for phot 'graphing individnsl speoimeiis. Moic- 
over, the svstem of labelling is abont perfect. Dr. 
Trimen makeo use of a largo stuff formed out of 
baked clay, shaped so ss to give au inoliiied surface 
on which the name is plainly painted. These brick 
red labels with their paiuted disk are not unattractive- 
at any rate, they do not detract fiom the general' 
effect of tho broad lawns bordered by gigantic trees. 
The most remarkable single tree iu tbe garden ia 
the Seychelles Palm or double coconut, now almost 
fifty years old. Tho giant aud other bamboos, tho 
grove o( India-rubber trees near tbe main entrance, 
and the avenue of Orsodoxs, aro only a few examples 
of the finer groups of single speoics. Tho moat im- 
posing group ot different species is that of the palms 
not far from the gate. Tho classified arboretum is 
rich iu fine specimens, Iho principal orders being re- 
presented on a generuns scale. 
The nurseries, kitoben-gardon, rockery for suocii- 
lents, ferneries, and olustcrs of oconomio plants aro 
on a scale commensurate with the arboretum. As 
might bo expected, the orchids are by no moans so 
fine as the ooHlo'ious one sees in large privatu estab- 
lishments in Kugland and on the oontinenfc ; it is 
not possible lo command the conditions of grf>wth for 
all the finer species with the same degree of certainty 
as in colder regions where a stove mesui something. 
At the time of my visit, ylts/isrsfio nobili.i and the 
great orspo myrtle were iu full tljwer, and a largo 
Talipot palm in bloom was one of the most con- 
spicuous objects. I was a little too early in Oeylou 
for some of tho tropical fruits, and too late for a 
few others, but fortunately was able to remedy thi.s 
lack farther on in Queeualaud and Java. 
Amoi:g the finest of tho photographic views of the 
gardens in Feradeniya ere the lollowiDg;— (1) thg 
