3 



India. Medically they may come to occupy a prominent 

 place by the side of coca and other anti-metabolic remedies, 

 to which tlu-y would probably prove superior in consequence 

 of the tannin they contain." LaHcety April 8, 1882, page 575. 



About that time, and on seeing the above, I wrote a com- 

 munication to Mr. Morris, the Director of the Public Gardens, 

 on the subject, pointing out the occurrence of the tree in Ja- 

 maica, and how desirable it would be to extend its cultivation, 

 the substance of which letter he embodied in a note contained 

 in the Annual Report of the Public Gardens and Plantations 

 for 1882. The notice is as follows: 



" Kola Nut. This tree, which has lately attracted con- 

 siderable attention, is common in many parts of the island 

 under the name of Byssi, and seeds can be obtained, in quan- 

 tity, if required for commercial purposes. Dr. Neish, of Port 

 Royal, to whom I am indebted for a note on this product, 

 remarks, l What enhances the value of kola-nuts at the 

 present time is the fact that citrate of caffeine, a medicine 

 now much employed for the relief of sea-sickness, megrim, 

 and other nervous complaints can be readily obtained from 

 these nuts, for the reason that the nuts contain more caffeine 

 than coffee-berries; and in the kola-nut the caffeine is in the 

 free or uncombined state. These nuts are likelv to take their 

 place in the market as furnishing a nutrient and stimulant 

 beverage. Rich in the active principle of coffee, containing 

 also a large proportion of theobromine, the active principle of 

 cacao, these nuts, in addition, contain three times the per- 

 centage of starch contained in chocolate; and, moreover, they 

 also contain less fat, so that, in addition to stimulant and nu- 

 tritive properties, there is the probability that a chocolate 

 prepared from them will more readily agree with delicate 

 stomachs.' 



"The suggestion made by Dr. Neish that a chocolate 

 might be prepared from the kola-nut seems a very appro- 

 priate one, for both the cacao and kola belong to the same 

 natural order Sterculiacese, and the habits and characteristics 

 of the two are very similar. They both affect low, warm 

 situations, and in view of the probable demand for kola-nuts, 

 attention might very well be given to their cultivation." 

 From the Annual Report of the Public Gardens and Planta- 

 tions for the year ending 30th September, 1882. By D. 

 Morris, M.A., Director. 



This notice having been copied into the leading newspa 

 pers of the island, gave an impetus to the dissemination of 

 the kola tree; and two years later, namely, in 1884, Mr. 

 Morris reported as follows: 



" Kola Nut. ( Cola acuminata.) This interesting plant 



