114 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ainu. 10, 1915. 



In ill.- beginning of Wesl Indian colonization the 

 •only travellers to visit the islands were explorers ami 

 naval men. \ considerable debt is owed to the British 

 Navj in respect of importations. It is recorded thai 

 Lord Rodney was the original introducer ol the much- 

 soughted X". II variety ofMango, and Captain Bligh 

 thr introducer of the Breadfruit, was also a Daval 

 man. [n fact it isevident generally that navigation as 

 a qualification in tin- case of early introducers of plants 

 was a s, a, ,/,i,i non. 



The advent "t' institutions in the matter of the 

 introduction of economic forms was gradual. \- regards 

 plants, the Royal Gardens, Kew, have figured always as 

 the central establishment in this respect, and deserve 



special i sideration. According to Thiselton Dyer's 



most interesting historical account,* the Gardens first 

 ami into existenci about the middle of the sixteenth 

 ■iiiiiiix over 350 years ago. The Gardens were then 



simply Royal domains, ami hail i fficial st.it us as they 



have at the present time. It was not until tin- time 

 of Francis Masson iITTi'i that Kew's [mperial work 

 began. Masson was one of the pioneer collectors sent 

 from Kew, ami following him, in fairly quick succession 

 were others. Most of these early botanists were attached 

 o i xploring or surveying ships, and although theirwork 

 was principally confined to collection lor Kew itself, this 

 work resulted in a distribution of plants from Kew in 

 later years to different parts of the world. Even before 

 1841, in which year Kew became a Gpvernmenl 

 institution, considerable botanical assistance was given 

 to the Colonies. In answer to Dr. Lindley's report on 

 the Gardens (1838), in which it was stated, that no 

 * communication with Colonial Gardens is apparent from 

 the < larder) hook of I >elivery,' John Smith (at that time 

 Foreman) showed that this statement was based on 

 a misapprehension, and referred to the tact that in 1818 

 Mauritius was supplied with European fruits from 

 Kew: New South Wales was also earlj supplied with 

 useful fruits, 'and there was a considerable intercourse 

 with India and China through the East India 

 Company s ships. In some cases, on an extensive seal,., 



as for instance, iii the Spring of 1806, fourteen boxes of 



plants were -mi 1>\ the ship "Tha s" to India.' No 



reference is made to tin- West Indies, hut it is unlikely 

 that Kew failed to participate even at this early date 

 in the botanical establishment of these < !olon 



In 1841, Kew became a Government institution 

 under the old Woods and Works Department, and the 

 famous botanist, Sir William Hooker was appointed as 



* A'...- Bulletin, No. 60, L891. See also The I: yal Botanic 

 dent, Kew. Historical and Descriptive. Bj VV, .1. Bean, 

 lasistant < 'urator. 



the first Director. From that time up to the present 

 Kew lias played nn integral part in the agricultural 

 development of these ( Jolonies. 



An\ attempt to enumerate the plant introductions 

 to the West [ndies for which Kew has been responsible 

 would he impossible in the spaci of this short article. 

 It will answer, however, our present purpose, to refer 

 to general statements made from time to time by the 

 Colonial Office. In a speech delivered in 1895, the 

 Marquis of Ripon, KG Secretary of State tor the 

 < lolonies, said: ( lieai work ha- been done and is being 

 done [by Kew | . . . .to aid the Colonies in the introduc- 

 tions of new plants*' Special reference was made to the 

 West Indies in this respect. 'Almost all our natural 

 products have been, through the agency of Kew, 

 introduced into Jamaica ^.gain in 1898, Mr. Cham- 

 berlain said: Let me express . . . my deep sense of 

 obligation to the authorities at Kew for the assistance 

 they have given me in regard to the West Indies and 

 oi her colonies.' 



( )n the formation ol the Imperial Department of 



Agriculture for the West Indies in 1898, Kew was 

 relieved of a considerable amount of its West Indian 

 work in fact of the reasons for the new Depart- 

 ment was to effect this relief. The relationship, 

 however, between the Imperial Department and the 

 Royal Gardens has from then up to the present 

 never ceased to be most intimate, lor not only is Kew 

 the most authoritative botanical institution, but it also 

 has personal ties with the [mperial Department as well 

 as scientific, since its former Assistant Director was 

 selected as the first Imperial Commissioner of Agricul- 

 ture for the West Indies 



A noteworthy feature of the last twenty years has 

 been the formation of other agricultural departments 

 in the Colonies, and these have conferred considerable 

 benefit on the West Indies m the matter ot plant 

 exchanges. The Tropics at the present time possess 

 well-defined lines of botanical communication, hut all 

 these lines meet at Kew, which may he regarded as the 



central exchange. The.- unt of local literature on 



economic botam has also \astly increased, and, as 

 a whole, communication is so good that hardly has 

 a new economic plant proved asm-cess in one colony 

 before others similarly situated are making enquiries 

 concerning its introduction to them. This line of work 

 constitutes on,- ,,f the important functions of the 

 [mperial Department of Agriculture for tie West Indies. 



It ma) appear to the reader that the theme of 

 this article is an appreciation ot Kew. We should 



