610 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 27, 1893. 
TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 
At a meeting of the Aberdeen County Council, held 
in Aberdeen, on Friday, igth inst., the Technical 
Instruction Committee submitted their report for 
the past winter session. The committee was 
appointed at the statutory meeting of the Council, 
held on 20th December, and a remit was made to it 
to carry out the Technical Instruction Scheme of 
the Council, sanctioned at the meeting on 1st July, 
1892, in so far as that had not already been done. 
The committee, therefore, in framing its report, 
finds it necessary to refer, not only to the work it 
has itself undertaken, but also to the scheme of 
appropriation of the Residue Grant ratified at the 
July meeting of the Council, and to the work of the 
former Technical Instruction Committee, as em¬ 
bodied in a statement entered in its minutes at the 
period of its demission of office. 
The scheme of appropriation sanctioned by the 
Council has been, says the report, closely adhered to 
throughout, and the present committee’s work has 
consisted in carrying through, in regard to the 
several items of it, the arrangements that had 
previously been inaugurated. The experience of 
last year showel that the work in the departments 
of agriculture and horticulture could be overtaken 
by three instructors, and the number was accordingly 
reduced to this by combining geology and chemistry. 
The instructors appointed last year had given such 
general satisfaction that the committee offered 
re-engagement to as many of them as the scheme 
admitted. These were :—1: Chemistry and Geology 
of Soils, Dr. Milne, King Edward, Banffshire; 
2: Botany of Cultivated Plants, Mr. Robert 
Turnbull, B.Sc., Edinburgh; 3: Natural History, 
Mr. Alexander Meek, B.Sc , Dundee. 
The method of itineration, and the organisation of 
the classes, were conducted on pretty much the same 
lines as last jear, save that the courses of instruc¬ 
tion were somewhat lengthened. The attendance at 
the classes has been on the whole remarkably good. 
The numbers w T ere :—First group, 385 ; second, 307 ; 
third, 440; fourth, 577; total 1,709, giving an 
average of 46 per class, as compared with 45 last 
year. These numbers are calculated on the average 
attendances, and there were many occasional visitors 
in addition. Looking at all the drawbacks with 
which the classes have had to contend, the results 
must be regarded as very satisfactory. Of the fresh 
departures in the committee’s work, by far the most 
important has been the establishment, in every 
parish willing - to undertake them, of classes taught 
by public school teachers in connection with, chiefly 
as preparatory to, the itinerant classes. In order 
that these teachers might in some measure be quali¬ 
fied for their task, the committee arranged for a 
vacation course of training for teachers in the 
University of Aberdeen, conducted by the Fordyce 
„ Lecturer, assisted by the Professors of Botany, 
Natural History, and Natural Philosophy. 
The course was attended by forty-five teachers 
from the county, ana though, necessarily, a short one, 
was, within its limits, in every way successful. 
Subsidiary classes, to the number of forty-four, were 
taken up (a few were subsequently dropped), by 
certain of the teachers thus instructed, and by others 
who had previously been qualified by attendance at 
EdinDurgh University, at South Kensington, or else¬ 
where. It is rather premature to speak of the results 
of these classes, as they have not been quite finished 
yet. The average attendance will probably be found 
to be about twenty, so that by them some 700 or 800 
pupils will have been brought under tuition. In 
many cases the classes have been composed of pupils 
just beyond the compulsory standards, In a few 
instances they have been taught under the rules of 
the Science and Art Department, and independently 
of the scheme of itinerant instruction. 
Uniformity has been studied as far as it was pos¬ 
sible, and to secure this, a syllabus was drawn up by 
the committee for the guidance of the classes ; but, 
as this was the first year of the scheme, it was felt 
that it ought in every way to be encouraged, and 
with a view to this, modifications of the syllabus 
were in many cases admitted, which will disappear 
by another year, if the classes are continued. So 
far as can be judged, the results are most hopeful. 
The committee desires to acknowledge the heartiness 
with which the proposals were taken up by the 
teachers, and the great diligence that has been shown 
in the teaching of the classes, often under consider¬ 
able drawbacks. The pupils have (many of them) 
been of a susceptible age, and there is every reason to 
believe that a considerable number of them will follow 
up the subjects they have now begun. In future it may 
perhaps be found advisable to work the subsidiary 
classes to a much greater extent, if not entirely, in 
connection with the Science and Art Department. It 
must also be borne in mind that the action of the 
Department itself in withdrawing its grants for appa¬ 
ratus and for passes in the second class of the 
elementary stage, has thrown the duty of encouraging 
such classes on the County Councils more directly 
than heretofore. 
-—i-- 
THE HAKGALA GARDEN, 
CEYLON. 
The Hakgala garden is the mountain branch of the 
botanic gardens of Peradeniyia, Ceylon, and is 
situated at an elevation of 5,581 ft. above the level 
of the sea. As the highest mountain in Ceylon, 
Pidurutalagala, is 8,296 ft. high, the climate varies 
very much, both as regards temperature and moisture. 
Any one who can afford it has here a chance of living 
in a climate of anything they like between go° Fahr. 
in the shade in the low country, and 25° Fahr. on the 
grass in the highest locality, with an annual rainfall 
varying from 250 ins. at Padupolla, in . the Western 
Province, to 30 ins. at Hambantota, in the Southern 
Province. 
The average mean temperature of Hakgala is 62° 
Fahr., the maximum being 78° Fahr., and the 
minimum 35^ Fahr. I have, however, registered as 
high as 150 9 Fahr. in the sun, and as low as 25? 
Fahr. on the grass. This latter reading has only 
occurred once in my experience of eleven years, 
namely, on February 12th., this year, lasting only a 
few hours. Very little damage was done by it. The 
average rainfall here is 90 00 ins., but the average 
number of raining days is as high as 204. Occasion¬ 
ally we get droughts of from three to four weeks’ 
duration. These generally occur at the beginning of 
the year. Heavy rains fall, usually, during the last - 
three months of the year. I have registered as much 
as 3377 >ns. in one month, December, 1877. We 
have our share of wind, too, June and July being the 
windiest months. The calmest months are Decem¬ 
ber, January, and February, but we never get much 
wind until the burst of the monsoon in May; it then 
continues more or less until October. Notwithstand¬ 
ing heavy rains and strong winds this is without 
doubt one of the healthiest climates to be found in 
this or any other country. The surroundings, too, 
are perfectly lovely. At our back, the south-west, 
stands the grand twin mountain of Hakgala, with its 
almost perpendicular face, covered for the most part 
with forest trees and scrub, but in places quite bare 
and overhanging. The top of this mountain reaches 
to a height of 6,981 ft., or exactly 1,400 above the 
garden ; and as the intervening space is covered with 
thick forest, it forms a splendid background. To the 
left, or northwards, is a mountain nearly as high as 
Hakgala, with a deep gorge between, the whole 
being covered with beautiful forest, thousands of 
acres in extent. The rich deep claret colour of the 
young foliage of the Eugenias, which occur plenti¬ 
fully in this forest, often dotted with masses of the 
white flowers of Calophyllum Walkeri and other 
trees, and the numerous and ever-varying shades of 
green, are special features in the scenery. 
Looking at the garden, in front, from the north 
right round to the west, the eye rests on a series of 
mountains : those in the foreground steep and undu¬ 
lating, covered with patana, or grass-land, with 
patches of forest here and there, the hills rolling 
down 3,000 ft., when the Paddy fields are visible, 
five or six miles away, their sites being marked by 
silvery streaks, caused by the sun shining direct on 
the water which irrigates the Paddy fields after 
sowing, or, later on, by the rich golden hue of the 
ripening corn. 
Monkeys, leopards, elephants, and plenty of Sam- 
bur deer and other smaller game inhabit the forests 
round about. The leopards occasionally take a calf 
or some stray goat or dog that comes in their way. 
The Sambur deer give trouble by eating off the tops 
of Fuchsias, Habrothamnus and other shrubs. The 
other animals named rarely do the garden any dam¬ 
age, but hares and porcupines do. Hares go in for 
almost everything we grow—Carnations, Iresines 
and \ erbenas they are particularly fond of, and this 
year they have taken a liking to Alternantheras ! 
Porcupines pay special attention to all bulbous 
plants, apparently preferring Liliums. 
The garden contains over 3,000 species and varie¬ 
ties of plants, having representatives from many 
parts of the globe. Growing side by side, or within 
a few yards of one another, are such things as 
Cinchona and Heliotropium from Peru, Cryptomeria 
from Japan, Musa Ensete from Abyssinia, 
Musa and Stillingia from China, Morasa Robinsoni- 
ana from Lord Howe’s Island, Gentian, Daisy, 
Violet, Myosotis, and Primrose from Europe ; Cobaea 
and Opuntia from Mexico, Acalyphya from Fiji, 
Fuchsias from Chili, Tacsonias and Passifloras from 
Brazil and North Grenada, Carica from Colombia, 
Franciscea, Yucca, and Bocconia from the West 
Indies, Ceroloxylon from South America, Phoenix 
from Arabia, Calla and Mesembryanthemum from 
the Cape, Salix from the Caucasus, Cupressus from 
California and Himalaya, Dammara from Queens¬ 
land, Olearia from Tasmania, Myrtus from the 
Mediterranean, Aberia from Africa, Amygdalus and 
Punica from Persia, Neillia from North America, 
Callistemon and Eucalyptus from Australia, Pimenta 
from Central America, Eugaenia from Malaya, &c. 
The fernery, which is partly natural, contains 
about 30,000 plants of ferns, Begonias, &c. Some 
of the tree ferns have stems 18 ft. to 20 ft. high, 
with a spread of fronds of from 12 ft. to 18 ft. high. 
There are two pieces of ornamental water, three 
summer arbours, herbaceous and Rose gardens, 
nurseries, and over two miles of paths and drives. 
The borders and shrubberies contain many interest¬ 
ing trees and plants. 
We have also a glass propagating house and two 
propagating pits, and the staff consists of a Singalese 
foreman, two educated Singalese young men as 
students, who are being taught general horticultural 
work, and about twenty-six Tamil and Singalese 
labourers. The extent of the enclosure in which 
the garden is located is 550 acres. It is six miles 
from Nuwara Eliya, the sanitarium of the Island, 
and is visited by persons from all parts of the world. 
— W. Knock, in the Journal of the Kern Guild. 
-—S-- 
A MANUAL OF ORCHIDACEOUS 
PLANTS.* 
The ninth part of this useful work is now in the 
hands of the public, and shows that it has been 
executed with the same care and with the same 
amount of collated information as in former parts. 
As in the case of Parts VII. and VIII. the 
present one is devoted to a description of all 
the more popular and useful species belonging 
to the great tribe, Vandeae. Fifty-one genera, some 
of which are now reduced to sections of genera, with 
their cultivated species are described, including 
Cymbidium, Zygopetalum, Lycaste, Maxillaria, 
Acineta, Stanhopea, Trichopilia, and others of minor 
importance. Besides numerous woodcuts dis¬ 
tributed through the text, there are five full-page 
illustrations of some of the more notable species on 
tinted paper. We miss the maps of former parts 
indicating the geographical distribution of the 
species described, but this deficiency can hardly 
make any difference to the value of the work as far 
as horticulture is concerned. 
The genus Zygopetalum is a large one and 
includes Zygosepalum, Huntleya, Bollea, Pesca- 
torea, Warcewiczella, and Prominea, as well as a 
number of species which used to be included, though 
erroneously, under the genus Batemannia which is 
now reduced to B. Colleyi, the species on which the 
genus was founded by Lindley. At p. 31 a figure 
is given of what portends to be Grammatophyllum 
Fenzlianum var. Measuresianum, but which is 
really G. F. Seegerianum. If the one is deserving 
of a distinct varietal name so is the other, for both 
are quite distinct from the type and from one 
another. Reichenbach’s name of Bifrenaria Har- 
risonise is accepted for a species that may be seen in 
different collections under the names of Lycaste and 
Maxillaria Harrisonise. Paphinia is also separated 
from Maxiliaria on account of the difference in the 
pollinia and the pendulous, two or more flowered 
scape. Colax jugosus is also retained as distinct on 
account of the structure of its pollinia. Warrea is 
reduced to one species, namely W. tricolor, five 
others being relegated to Zygopetalum and one to 
Aginisia. We have now four species of Cochlioda, 
and which have been relegated to their proper place 
instead of being muddled and mixed up with 
Odontoglossum and Mesospinidium as they usually 
are in gardens. They are certainly widely distinct 
in structure from Odontoglossum. 
Many cultural notes are given, and occasionally 
information about the conditions and environments 
under which certain Orchids are found in their 
native habitats, with the view of assisting cultivators 
in growing those species which hitherto have proved 
m >st troublesome and baffling in all attempts to 
successfully establish them in gardens. 
* A Manual uf Orchidaceous Plants, cultivated under glass 
in Great Britain. Part IX.—Cymbidium, Zygopetalum, 
Lycast-, etc. James Veitch & Sons, 544, King's Road, 
Chelsea, S.W. 1S93. 
