5 



seed splits up into two distinct, equal halves, which lie flat 

 against one another; these are known in botanical language 

 as cotyledons. In the seed of the chocolate, the cotyledons 

 are not flat, but folded to some extent upon one another; 

 they are, however, two in number. All flowering plants are 

 divided into two classes according as they have one or two 

 cotyledons, palms, grasses, lilies, and orchids having only one, 

 almost all the rest bavino* two. Now it is stated on the an- 

 thority of Barter, Avho made extensive collections of plants 

 in Guinea, the native home of kola, that the number of coty- 

 ledons varies from two to five, even in seeds taken from 

 the same pod. In the few seeds which I have had the op- 

 portunity of examining in Jamaica, I have never found 

 more than two cotyledons, though they are sometimes much 

 distorted and apt to become split up in drying. Barter also says 

 that the seeds with two cotyledons are more highly prized 

 than the others. 



" The pods of chocolate and kola differ in structure. 

 In chocolate a single flower produces a single pod with five 

 divisions; but in Kola the five divisions are always separate, 

 so that each flower produces five pods, each with five to 

 twelve seeds. A single flower may therefore yield as many 

 as fifty seeds. 



" Kola is a native of Guinea, one of the hottest parts of 

 Africa, and was probably introduced into the West Indies 

 with the akee in slave-ships. It grows well at Bath, in the 

 Wag-Water Valley, Portland, and probably would succeed 

 wherever cacao grows, in a moderately rich, moist soil. It 

 is propagated by seeds, and will begin to bear after four 

 or five years. There are trees near the Botanic Garden, 

 Castlfton, which were planted over fifty years ago, still in 

 perfect health, and bearing fruit regularly. The trees should 

 be planted about 20 feet apart, which would give 108 trees 

 to the acre. The trees grow about 40 feet in height. Those 

 near Castleton produce from 500 to 800 pods each croj , 

 If each pod contains on a moderate calculation 4 seeds, and 

 if we say 50 seeds to a quart, then a tree with GOO pods will 

 give 50 quarts of nuts twice a year, or 100 quarts per tree 

 per year. A quart of dry nuts will weigh a little over ljlb 

 L25lbs a tree. A tree in full bearing, and under careful 

 cultivation, would probably produce 150lbs of nuts a 

 year." From an abstract prepared by W. Fawcett, Esquire, 

 Director of the Public Gardens.* 



* The Lecturer is also indebted to the, kind interest taken by Mr. Fawcett 

 in furnishing dried specimens of the leaves and flowers of Cola acuminata, 

 together with a number of growing seedlings in bamboo pots, which graced 

 the table. Specimens of kola-nuts from the Museum of the Institute, grown 

 in different parts of the Island, and specimens of dried pods illustrating the 

 period of maturity of the seeds, and other specimens to exhibit the cotyle- 

 dons, etc. , collected by the Author, were also shown and demonstrated. 



