Mr l^ockhart o)i the Cow-tree of Caraccas. 



were spent in proeuring. the cow-tree. I however picked up a 

 few seeds, which are sown in a mixed state at St Ann's, and 

 which are hkely to afford something interesting. I am glad to 

 hear that botany goes on prosperously in Europe. I am sorry 

 to say, that, during nine years'* residence in this part of the world, 

 I have found very few persons who take an interest in the ad- 

 vancement of science, the principal aim of the people here being 

 to make money in every way they can. For the last eighteen 

 months, from close attendance to the garden, I have had but 

 little time to devote to collecting. 



You will be happy to learn, that we have succeeded in in- 

 creasing the Nutmeg-tree, both by inarching and by laying ; for 

 from seed they cannot be depended upon, as they have been 

 found to produce so few female trees, not more than one in 

 - thirty or fifty. We have likewise ascertained, during the last 

 season, that the female trees sometimes produce male flowers. 

 A tree that was raised at the garden of St Vincent's and brought 

 hither, produced, in June 18^4, male flowers ; and in June 1826 

 the flowers were all female. The same tree this year shews 

 abundance of fruit, which are likely to ripen. In 1823, the first 

 flowers that one of our female trees produced, were all male. 

 We have now ten fine female trees in the garden, and one of 

 them has at least 700 fruit on it. We have about forty more 

 of the same sex, raised by inarching and layers. The climate 

 and soil of this island seem congenial to the Nutmeg-tree. 



Trinidad, ^^jn/ 30. 1827. 



Note by Mr Don. 



I had an opportunity of examining attentively the leaves of 

 ' the Palo de Vaca, and found them to approach very close to 

 those of several South American species of Ficus. The dispo- 

 sition of the nerves and veins was precisely similar, which, to- 

 gether with the insertion and consistence of the leaves them- 

 selves, appear to justify the propriety of the place assigned to 

 the Palo de Vaca, by M. Kunth, who has arranged it in the fa- 

 mily of Urticea, under the name of Galactodendron utile ; but 

 neither he nor myself have seen either the flower or fruit ; so 



