36 



Chrvsobalanus Icaco ; and the Tamarind, Tamarindus 

 indie a, the pulp of whose pods, preserved in sugar, is exported 

 from the West Indies. 



Growing on the upper slopes are Sapium aucuparium, a 

 rubber tree of British Guiana ; the Bead tree, Adenanthera 

 pavonina ; Anacardium surinamensis ; Trachylobium 

 vernicosum, the source qf Zanzibar copal, Enter olobiitm 

 cyclocarpiim, with handsome feathery foliage and curious 

 circular twisted pods ; and the Sandbox tree Hitra crepitans, 

 the seeds of which yield a purgative oil. When mature and 

 dry the valves of the fruit separate with much violence. The 

 seed cases are sometimes filled with lead and used as paper 

 weights. Note also two specimens of the Silk Cotton or 

 Kapok tree, Eriodendron anfraetuosum. These two trees, 

 though of the same species, are representatives of the two 

 types producing fibre, the colour of which may be either white 

 or brown according as to whether the type belongs to the 

 Eastern or the Western Tropics. The colour of the fibre of the 

 former is white, and is superior to that of the latter which is 

 brown. The fibre is known as Kapok and is largely used for 

 stuffing pillows, mattresses, etc. 



The largest supply of the superior article comes from 

 Java. In the West Indies the brown fibre is used locally for 

 the purpose mentioned above. 



The hill path which connects at this point leads to the 

 upper garden path, and also to Morne Bruce, a plateau 300 

 feet above the level of the Gardens, on which are situated the 

 lime nurseries, various experiment plots, and the collection of 

 Eucalypts. 



Bordering the lower portion of the hill path are clumps of 

 different kinds of bamboos, amongst which is the common 

 bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris ; the Male Bamboo, Dendrocalamus 

 strictus ; the handsome Cephalostachyum pergracile, from the 

 Himalayas ; and Thyrsostachys siamensis. The innumerable 

 uses to which the bamboo can be put have often been written 

 about at considerable length. It may be sufficient to mention 

 here that the common bamboo supplies the many thousands 

 of pots used annually in the nurseries, and that in the dry 

 season its leaves afford valuable fodder. The early stages in 

 the growth of a new shoot are very interesting, and may be 



