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examined, it will be found that the nutritive properties of the soil in 

 such places are such as we do not possess in the neighbourhood of 

 Port-of-Spain. A recent analysis of a typical example of the soils of 

 the Eoyal Botanic Gardens show that it is extremely poor, containing 

 no less than 88 per cent, of silica, with 6 per cent, of the oxides of 

 iron and alummia, a little over li per cent, of organic matter, a small 

 proportion of lime, and mere traces of magnesia, potash and phos- 

 phoric acid. It can easily be understood how hard the conditions 

 must be, under which the cultivator labours, who has to deal with 

 a soil of this character. It can just as easily be seen that, many 

 things cannot for a certainty be well grown unless they are supplied 

 with the requisite nutriment by artificial means, and among these the 

 grass of the tennis lawn ; for it follows that, if the grass is suffi- 

 ciently supplied with nutriment it must be stronger and better able 

 to withstand the cutting and trampling, than if left to exist upon the 

 small amount of nutriment it can gather from the atmosphere and 

 from an almost barren soil. 



On heavy clay ground, which possibly contains an abundance of 

 nutriment, the grass may be practically starved by an undue amount 

 of rolling, which would so solidify the soil as to render it almost 

 impossible for the roots to permeate it, and to courts existing in such 

 places, a top-dressing as before recommended, would be of great 

 benefit, as it would afford nutriment on the surface which the roots 

 are unable to obtain by piercing downwards owing to the hardened 

 character of the soil, due to too much compression. 



It is of course to be understood that all weeds should be 

 removed Avhen seen, as these not alone hinder the growth of the grass, 

 but if of annual growth, will most certainly die out at certain seasons 

 and leave bare patches. The cultivator should therefore select the 

 perennial grasses he finds best and maintain those to the exclusion of 

 all others. 



It appears clear therefore that we can no more expect annual, 

 or I may say Aveekly crops of grass (for all that is cut by machine or 

 scythe is a crop, and is so much removed) than we can expect succes- 

 sive crops of other products without manure ; and as we cannot dig 

 and cover our manure without destroying the grass plants, we must 

 perforce apply it in liquid form, or in the form of a top-dressing. If 

 this is regularly performed, and a due period of rest given there 

 should be no trouble — unless under exceptional circumstances — in 

 maintaining the growth of a fine sward on tennis courts and cricket 

 fields in Trinidad, 



