shade
trees. When in full bloom, under the dazzling rays of an equatorial
sun, they seem to be all on fire, forming a strong contrast to the
prevailing dark green of the tropics.

The flower of the cinnamon-tree is white, and when a range of country
containing many acres in bloom comes into view, the effect is very
beautiful. The best cinnamon gardens are nearest to the sea coast, and
those so situated produce the most pungent bark. On the occasion of
our visit, special notice was taken of a group of bamboos in the Kandy
garden, the bright yellow stems being over a hundred feet in height,
and each stem at the base measuring from eight to ten inches in
diameter. It was a native of the spot, and, as we were assured, was a
chance development. The rapidity of its growth, which is a remarkable
characteristic of this tropical grass,--for that is its family,--is
almost incredible. The cluster here spoken of was a little more than
ninety days old, and, as the superintendent informed us, it increased
in height twelve inches and more each twenty-four hours. This group of
bamboos formed a grove by itself, two hundred feet in circumference,
its feathery, misty foliage yielding gracefully to every pressure of
the breeze, softly fanning the surface of the still water on whose
brink it flourished. The bamboo, like the palm, is one of the most
valuable and universal products of the tropics. It would require an
entire volume to enumerate the various uses to which these two are
applied by native skill. The division of the garden called the fernery
is a delightful resort, presenting a collection ranging from the
low-growing maiden-hair to the tall tree-fern with broad-leaved,
tufted top and declining branches.

One can well understand how easily a botanist may become absorbed in
the study of this interesting family of plants. The variety and
delicacy of form which they exhibit is infinite, ranging from the
minutest specimens, almost like moss, to trees of thirty feet in
height, with palm-like plumes. In the famous gardens just outside of
Calcutta, the author visited a large conservatory occupied solely as a
fernery, in which over thirty thousand specimens were classified.

Mischievous flying foxes abound in the neighborhood of Kandy, proving
a serious annoyance to the planters, often taking the lion's share
when the fruit is ripe, always selecting with greedy intelligence the
most desirable product of the trees. They move in flocks, a