May 2, 1892.] 
THE TRdPlCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
865 
DH, TIUMEN’S REPOKT ON THE 
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS. 
Dr. Trimen’s reporls are alwaja fall of intereet- 
ing information regarding the valuable iostitutione 
under bis care and the plants oulivated in them 
or distributed from them. On this ocoasion fresh 
interest attaches to the report for 1891, juet is- 
sued, on aoeount of the descriptions given of the 
kindred institutions in the Btraits and Java. All 
who have visited the Buitenzorg Gardens and the 
Library, Museum and other aceossorios of the 
Gardens will fei 1 that the truly imperial liberality 
of the Dutch Government deserves all the praise 
which the emiacnt| Ce>lou botanist bestows on the 
institutions of which Dr. Treub is the very effi- 
cient head. The publication which Dr. Trimen 
mentions under the title of ‘ Teijsmannia" per- 
petuates tho name of a previous able Director of 
the Buitenzorg Gardens. — If we have it not already 
in Ceylon, wo cannot doubt that Dr. Trimen will 
at once take measures to introduee and naturalize 
the tree known botanioally as Eusideroxylon, the 
hard wood of which is never attacked by termites. 
The pepper so valued in medicine known as cubebs 
seems already to have been suoaessfully iiurodueed 
into Peradeniya, and no doubt plants will be avail- 
able a lew years hence. — The tank which has 
been formed at Peradeniya and which enables 
water plants to be grown in sunk pots is a great 
improvement, as well as the substitution of the 
Scythe for the grass knife in the treatment of 
portions of lawns, which the mowing luaobines 
cannot effectually deal with. The prolonged wet 
had acted dclotoriously on giant b.amboos and young 
palmyra plants. The palmyra is essentially a palm 
of the dry zone ; but we are familiar with some 
fine spooimens close to the seashore at Colombo. 
On this ocoasion, as on all others, we would 
impress on the Government and the members of 
the Forest Department the duty of extending the 
cultivation of this useful palm in the northern 
and eastern portions of the island. As Dr. Trimen 
shows, valuable fibre is now added to the ex- 
oellent timber, fruit and saccharine juice 
which the tree yields. There was a consider- 
able increase of visitors to Peradeniya and 
Hakgala during 1891, including the heir 
to the Russian throne, who planted an iron 
wood tree at Peradeniya opposite to a bo-tree 
which had been previously planted by tho heir 
to the British throne. '1 he year to which tho 
report refers was exceptionally wet in the south- 
west and central regions of tleylon, the rainfall 
at Peradeniya showing excesses of 34 inches of 
ram and 63 rainy days over the averages. The 
Ra'cm^ '*®re 117 71 inches, against an average of 
212 rainy days against an average of 
14 j. Of the rain 27 ’73 inches fell in October. 
Dimilar weather, varied by drought and frost, 
prevailed at Uakgala, to the groat detriment of 
walks and tho destruction of plants. Mr. Nock 
complains of the dilatoriness of the Public Works 
iiopartment in regard to a reservoir to provide 
against drought, »nd states that he is using brick 
^ distinguish the plants grown at Uakgala 
alter tho example sot at Peradeniya. It is interest- 
>ng to learn that in tho mountain gardens a 
quantity of oowslips and oxlips flowered amongst 
the ferns in February. Plums of superior kinds 
grafted on common stocks and good kinds 
introduced from Japan promise to be very suc- 
cessful at Hakgala, whence they can be distributed 
to the gardens of planters and others. The 
American blackberry also promises to be a success, 
xhe same cannot yet bo said of sherries and 
raspberries. It is encouraging to learn that some 
of the conifers in the gardens have begun to 
yield good seeds, for deodar seeds from the 
Himalayas have, wo believe, uniformly failed to 
germinate in Ceylon. What is said by Mr. Nook 
about the roots of Acacia decurrent shows that 
this wattle and its congeners ought not to be 
grown amongst or even near other plants. The 
tree and its roots and root shoots simply mono- 
polize the soil. Cupreatut macrocarpa is a suceess 
at Hakgala. The more 'a tho pity that plants of 
this tree and of freneta, piiius, &c., which had been 
grown successfully on the patanas were destroyed 
by a fire supposed to have been wilfully kindled. 
The putting out of plants on the patanas goes 
on. Mr. Nock is justifiably enthusiastic about the 
effect of a bed of phloxes of thirteen different 
colours. Us dwells on the necessity of manure and 
slates that be has opened a permanent limekiln. 
Two of his cattle were killed by a leopard. Tho 
weather at Hakgala, it will be seen, was abnormal. 
The minimum temperature on the grass registered 
five times below 40“ and nineteen times below 50" 
in January. On the 30th of that month the frost 
was very severe at Sita Eliya, more native plants 
having been blackened by it than Mr. Nook had 
ever observed before. Severe drought and heavy 
rainfall wore equally trying. The toUl rainfall 
for the year was 118 65 which fell on 206 days, 
being 33*51 inches above the average fall of seven 
years, but only one above the average of rainy 
days, a curious result, surely. The rainfall in 
October was 22-83 inches, Tho temperature of the 
air was— maximum 73*', minimum 41-5°. Highest 
in the sun’s rays 148 8*', lowest on tho grass 33-8° 
on March 1st. — The rainfall of the tropical gardens 
at Henaratgoda is given for the first time: 120*17 
inches on 172 days, 22-51 falling in October. Dr. 
Trimen laments tho paucity of visitors to these 
gardens, which we believe is largely due to incon- 
venient railway arrangements. There is a favour- 
able report of the growth of trees and plants in 
tho Anuradhapura gardens, in which, however, the 
people intended to be benefited appear to take not 
the slightest interest. The few purchasers of plants 
are all 'I'amils. What is wanted to waken up the 
inert Sinhalese is the extension of the railway. A 
like good account is given of the Badulla gardens 
where conifers specially flourish, but nothing is 
said of how the Uva natives appreciate tbs plants 
grown for them. The year was excessively wet, 
1-12 48 inches of rain having fallen, of which 87 74 
came in the last quarter, October ehowing no less 
than 11-67 inches. Badulla has been visited by 
heavy rainstorms in 1892 also. — Dr, 'Trimen’s notes 
on economic plants are, as usual, valuable and 
suggestive. Ha rightly attributes the deteotivs 
quality of Ceylon tea in 1891 to the excessive 
rainfall. From bis report alone we learn that 
helopellia baa done little damage on lowcountry estates. 
In India and Java, the insect is a formidable pest. 
Dr. Trimen is of opinion as a result of bis visit 
to Java that the cultivation of Liberian coffee 
was too hastily abandoned in Oeylon. There were 
two reasons ; the fungus was prevalent and injuri- 
ous in proportion to tho size of the leaves, and 
the proportion of skin to fruit was great and 
pulping very difficult. Prices also were not so 
good as they now are. As to cinchona, the real 
advantage of Java is the possession of tho high 
quality species, 0. Icdgeriana. Dr. Trimen remains 
of opinion that the high prices paid for Oeylon 
cacao is due simply to the superior treatment of 
the beans by our planters. Government are trying 
experiments with indiarubber trees, and Dr. Trimen 
gives an interesting account of the cultivation 
and preparation of gambier in Singapore. On this 
subject Mr. Ridley baa prepared a most exhaostiyq 
