J [arch I, 



1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



645 



paid a small royalty, and possibly an addition made to the 

 c.)Ionial re%'enue. A clause to be stringently enforced should 

 bi! inserted iu all such contracts, namely, that for every 

 ti-ee cut down, two or three should be planted in the place 

 tliereof. 



The Indian Government, acting on the advice of the 

 liite Mr. Howard, F.u.s., Mr. Markliam, Dr. Spruce, and 

 o-hers, did, with rare forethought, undertake the initiative 

 iu introducing the cultivation and acclimatisatiou of the 

 ciachonas, and private planters, seeing the success achieved, 

 h we also taken up the matter. They have also taken up 

 the Indiarubber question. The Colonial Government should 

 n >w take up the question of gutta-percha. Borneo, Labuan, 

 the southern portions of the Malayan Peuiusula, are the 

 u itural homes of these trees ; possibly the Nicobars, Ceylon, 

 aid some parts of Assam, would prove equally congenial, 

 and Singapore could be used as a nursery for the young 

 plants. — Journal of the ^ocietf/ of A rts. 



lARTICULAES OF SEEDS AND PLANTS LATELY 



I.XTRODUCED TO JAMAICA BY THE DIRECTOE 



OF PUBLIC GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS. 



Botanical Department, Gordon Town P. 0., 4th Dec. 1883. 



Sir, — I have the honor to report that while absent 

 f;*om tTamaica, on vacation leave, I was enabled to make 

 <■ illections of seeds and plants for the Botanic Gardens in 

 i:iis Island, most of which had not been previously in- 

 troduced. 



2. My chief aim was directed to obtain and introduce 

 s.;eds and plants of economic and iudustrial value, in order 

 (liat, ultimately, their produce might contribute a quota 

 ti> the wealth an I resources of the country. 



S. Although the number and value of the seeds and 

 l>lants thus obtained were considerable, I anticipate that, 

 having established relations with new correspondents 

 iu different parts of the world, I shall obtain, by ex- 

 ( hanges and otherwise, many other important plants which 

 are not at present in the Island. 



4. From the Royal Gardens, Kew, I was permitted, by 

 the kindness and courte.sy of Sir Joseph Hoki:er, to 

 make a valuable selection of economic and ornamental plants, 

 some of which came out by the mail of the ITth October, 

 and others under my own charge by the mail of the 2nd 

 November. 



5. Amongst these valuable plants was a fine well-grown 

 set of Cnichoiut Ledyeriuna raised at Kew. These will be 

 kept at the Government Cinchona Plantations as types of 

 the best forms of this species. Other Cinchona plants 

 were C. Cidoptem, new to the Jamaica plantations, and C. 

 Calisaya var Josephiana. 



6. There was also included a good strong plant of 

 Soammony (Convolvulus Scammonia), the dried root, as 

 well a.s the resin from the root of wliicb, is an important 

 article in medicine. This is intended to be cultivated on 

 the hills. 



7. Amongst other plants obtained from Kew were Aloe 

 Sucroti-ina, one of the plants supposed to yield the famous 

 Socotrine aloes of commerce ; as also Aloe I'en't/i, the true 

 plant ; the latter, however, I regret to .say has not survived. 



8. Garcinia Manyostana, which bears the celebrated 

 Mangosteen fruit of the Eastern Archipelago. Although 

 plants of this were already established in the island, I was 

 fortunately able to supplement them by half-a-dozen more 

 from Kew, which, when recovered from the effects of the 

 voyage, will be planted in favourable situations. 



9. Owing to the interest taken, at the present time, iu 

 fibre-producing plants, I brought out with nie two authen- 

 ticated plants of Ai/ave Lvtli, the source of the celebrated 

 Sisal hemp of commerce. The cultivation and extraction 

 of fibre from this plant, in Yucatan, form a large and in- 

 creasing industry, estimated to reach an annual value of 

 £100,000. As much time and money is lost in fruitless 

 experiments with many so-called fibre-plants, it is a matter 

 of the highest importance to be able to determine accurately 

 what plants are known to yield remunerative results in 

 other countries ; and, also, those for which satisfactory 

 machines have been invented to extract the fibre. These 

 plants Ar/ave ixt/i have been put out at the Parade Garden, 

 Kingston, where they may be seen by persons interestcil in 

 the subject . 



10. In a subsequent letter I hope to discuss, fully, the 

 means for obtaining large supplies of these plants, in order 

 to distribute them widely amongst those anxious to under- 

 take their cultivation. 



11. QuUlid Sapoiiaria. — This is a large tree, native of 

 Chili, rich in .--aponine, a vegetable soap-priuciple. A few 

 plants have been introduced for experimental trial, as it is 

 anticipated that a demand will arise for the bark for use in 

 the arts and manufactures. 



12. Piper meihi/siicum. — This is described by Mr. Home 

 in "A Year in Fiji " as follows: — "Piper niethiisticiim is 

 grown to some extent by the natives for makiug their 

 favourite bevi-rage at/onn or k-Rva. When well grown it is a 

 noble pvicturi-sque-lookiiig plant, worthy of cultivation in 

 our English hot-houses. The root is the part used, and 

 the plant is easily propaga'ed by cuttings. Of late, atten- 

 tion has been called to the medicinal properties which the 

 plant is said to possess, and a quantity of it has been ex- 

 ported to the Australian colonies. The Fijiaus give presents 

 of its roots to their chiefs, friends, and any one that they 

 wish to propitiate. Between them and some of the traders 

 it has a recognised market value, at which it is bought 

 and sold, varying according to the supply aud demand. 

 The best quality is grown in the mountains where it 

 grows most luxuriantly and in great abundance." The 

 plant obtained from Kew arrived safely in Jamaica, in 

 spite of its delicate character, aud it is hoped it will be 

 fully established at the Castleton Gardens. 



13. Numerou.s other plants from Kew were also intro- 

 duced at the same time, consisting chi(;fly of new, orna- 

 mental and decorative foliage plants for the plains. These 

 in due time will, no doubt, find a congenial homo in the 

 numerous well-kept gardens which exist in the Island. 



14. While at St. Helena I received much valued as- 

 sistance in making collections of seed of the numerous in- 

 digenous and introduced plants at present thriving there. 

 To His Excellency the Governor of St. Helena, Lady Ross, 

 the Hon. George Moss, Lieut. -Colonel Phillips, I\Ir. Bazett 

 N. Kuipe and many others, I am indebted for great court- 

 esy and kindness in these respects, which I am glad to 

 ackiiowle ge here. 



15. Having been so long a calling station for ships from 

 all parts of the world there are found, at St. Helena, 

 plants from nearly every quarter of the globe ; but more 

 especially from India and the East, from Madagascar, Aus- 

 tralia and the Cape. 



IG. Among the seeds obtained from St. Helena were 

 the following: — Royenia htcida or wild peach — a pretty 

 white-tlowereil bush, useful for hedges and shrubberies. It 

 bears a fruit, a kind of purple plum, enveloped in an 

 outer covering resembling the Cape gooseberry. lioi/eniu 

 pallens or poison peach — similar to the last but taller. The 

 wooil is of a like nature to ebony. 



17. 01 ea KnroDQ^a or true Olive. — Two varieties of this 

 important and interesting tree are completely naturalized 

 in St. Helena, aud by the kindness and courtesy of the 

 Hon. George Moss I was enabled to biing witli me about two* 

 bushels of fine ripe seed for distribution in this Island. 

 Although so many other plants have been introduced to 

 Jamaica from time to time, the Olive has apparently not 

 been successfully cultivated here. Mr. A. AV. Heron, of 

 Shooter's Hill, has or had a couple of plauts of the Olive 

 which were obtained a short time ago, which if now alive 

 are probably the first olives introduced to Jamaica. As 

 the best varieties of the Olive are propagated by cuttings 

 or slips, iu order to supplement the present supply of 

 seeds, it is intended to procurr (through the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew) a consignment of stock plants from known and 

 reliable sources in Spain or Italy. 



IS. As regards the cultural treatment of the Olive I 

 would quote the following extract from an article ou 

 " The Vine and Olive iu Siena," in the Journal of the 

 Socinty of Arts for October 19th 1883, pp. 1005-6:— 

 " The Olive is cultivated on the hills. In some places 

 it is grown in plantations, and in others the trees are 

 gemrally planted in rows .ilong the fields in combination 

 with other cultures. The varieties most generally gri>wu 

 are the correyijiohi, the moruiolo, which ripens e.^rly, and 

 the olix-a^tro. 



19. "The trees are grown from slips cut in the spring, 

 which are planted in holes in ground that has beeu well 

 broken up and covered with mould and watered as re- 



