April i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



663 



THE MADRAS AGRI-HORTICULTURAL 



SOCIETY 



is the subject of correspondence, for a copy of 

 ■which we are indebted to the Madras Government. 

 It will be seen that in tbe fifty yt-ars of its existence 

 the Society has done a large amount of good and useful 

 work : — 



Read — the following letter from Joseph Steaven- 

 son, Esq., Honorary Secretary, Agri-Horticultural 

 Society Madras, to the Chief Secretary to Government, 

 dated 16th October 1886, No, 1781 :— 



With reference to the Proceedings of Government, 

 dated '22nd September 1886, No. 5589, I have the 

 honor, by desire of the Committee of the Agri-Horti- 

 cultural Society of Madras, to report for the inform- 

 ation of the Eight Honorable the Governor in Council 

 and of the Government of India, as follows. 



The facts set forth in the last triennial report to 

 Government, dated 12th January 1883, No. 28, being 

 true now as then, the Committee think that as this 

 report must necessarily contain much repetition, I 

 cannot do better, for the .sake of brevity and con- 

 venience, than follow the form then used. 



2. Since the report above referred to, which related 

 to the period 1879 to 1882, inclusive, the Society so 

 far from relaxing its efforts to carry out its self- 

 imposed task has materially increased them, as appears 

 from its enhanced receipts in all branches, and more 

 especially from its growing correspondence. The letters 

 recorded in the office books, which may be taken as 

 a fair criterion of the Society's business, have increased 

 from 955 in 1877, when the present Honorary Secretary 

 took charge, to 1,734 in 1885, and promise a still higber 

 increase in the current year. 



3. During the years 1883, 188-1, and 1885 the Society 

 has introduced, experimented with or distributed 

 large numbers of the pla^its referred to and 



particularised in paragraph 2 of the last special 

 report, including many interesting for their curious, 

 ornamental, botanical or economic value, and amongst 

 them two which call for special mention, namely, 

 (hiphomavdra betacea and Erifthrorj/lort coca. Seed of 

 Cyphoinanclra hetacea,^^ the tree Tomato," was received 

 from Mr. Morris of Kew, then head of the Botanical 

 Department, Jamaica, and the plant has been estab- 

 lished amongst the society's correspoadeuts on the 

 hills and plateaus of Southern India, lirt/throxylon, 

 coca was largely propagated from a single specimen 

 in the gardens as soon as the merits of Cocaine 

 attracted public attention, and has been widely 

 distributed amongst planters aud others in various 

 parts of the country. 



4. The extensive growing and distribution, of fibre 

 plants, valuable timber and fruit trees, rubber, drug 

 and tan producers has continued and increased. In 

 1883-85 the Society raised and sent out II7,G10 rooted 

 plants of Fourcroya (jigaiitca. alone for fibre-growing 

 experiments. 



5. Besides specimens of new and rare plants for 

 garden cultivation, large numbers of young trees and 

 other plants of indi;jenous or established kinds have 

 been supplied to Municipal Commissions, Local Fund 

 Boards, and other authorities for plantation, avenue 

 aud hedging purposes, being often sent long distances 

 where facilities of rail or water carriage sufficiently 

 reduced the cost of conveyance. 



(!. The implements mentioned in paragraph 3 of 

 the last report continue to be distributed ; gardeners 

 are obtained for members of the Society and others 

 in Madras and elsewhere, while boys trained in the 

 gardens easily find places ; aud the services of the 

 Superintendent have several times been lent to lay 

 out the grounds of public institutions in Madras. 



7. The magnificent botanical collection belonging 

 to the Society continues to be added to by the 



liberality of correspondents in many parts of the 

 world, and by the Society's own collectors. The 

 scientifically-arranged botanical garden \n in good order 

 and is largely resorted to by students aud others. 



8. The efforts of the Societj' to diffuse information 

 have been sustained, the correspondence, as stated 

 fibove. having largely increased and the monthly proceed- 



ings of the committee couti uing to be regularly 

 printed and more aa-l more widely distributtd to 

 members, to the pres<, to kindred societies and bodies, 

 and to persons interested in the various subjects to 

 which they refer. 



9. In 18S4 a complete aud useful list of plants to 

 be found in the gardens aud neighbourhood was compiled 

 by the superintendent of the gardens, printed and 

 largely circulated. 



10. The Society's library has, with the assistance 

 of a liberal grant from Government, been much im- 

 proved by the addition of miny valuable works of 

 reference, and is consulted by visitors, who are freely 

 admitted, whether members of the Society or not. 



11. The gardens are open to the public from sun- 

 rise to sunset ; botanical specimens are given when- 

 ever asked, to local professors and lecturers and to 

 scientific visitors; and the library and botanical garden 

 are believed to be of great service to the students of 

 the various botanical classes. 



12. The Society continues to act and be largely 

 employed as an agency through which persons at a 

 distance obtain supplies of fruit, avenue, shade and 

 other trees, plants and seeds; and annually obtains 

 and forwards to all parts of India, and often abroad, 

 large numbers of grafted mango and other trees and 

 seeds of useful plants, such as Inrja, dulcis, casuarina, 

 cotton, tobacco, senna, forage plants, fibres and 

 cereals. In the last number of ttie " .Tournal of the 

 Agricultural aud Hjrticultural Society of India, " page 

 3"i5, it is stated by ilr. Maries, a recognised authority 

 on the mango, that " The ' grafts ' made by the Madras 

 Horticultural Society are the best I have seen in this 

 country. " 



13. The Society is often honored by references 

 from Government and the Board of Rerenue for in- 

 formation on horticultural and kindred subjects, and 

 is frequently able to be of use to Commissioners, 

 Collectors, and other authorities in this presidency 

 and distant provinces. 



14. On ISth July 1885 the Society completed the 

 fiftieth year of its labours; and to quote from the 



last annual report "The half century nobody 



familiar with the Society's gardens and their very 

 great wealth in exotic plants collected from every 

 quarter of the globe would suggest has been spent in 

 sloth. Horticulturists in Madras are apt to forget, 

 and those who are net horticulturists are probably 

 ignorant, that for many, possibly most, of their 

 handsomest barbaceous plants, trees and shrubs they 

 are indebted to the Agri-Horticultural Society; and 

 that for that reason, as well as others, the Society 

 deserves their support in both subscriptions and con- 

 tributions. Observers, not scientific botanists, are 

 now so accustomed to the great variety of vegetable 

 life which beautifies Madras and its suburbs, and 

 makes gardens and roadsides interesting, that the 

 time, labor, and money expended in their collection 

 from every country within the tropics, and many 

 without, escape their memories, as do the nursing and 

 propagation by skilled hands in, and liberal distribu- 

 tion from, the Society's gardens. Many of the most 

 useful and commonest plants of the hedgerow now 

 annually sowing themselves and reproducing their 

 kind in spite of never-ceasing croppiug and browsing 

 by voracious goats and their hungry owners, but for 

 the Society and its correspondents, would not have 

 wandered here from their distant homes in other 

 parts of India, in Africa, America, or Australia. The 

 Committee think that the past and present members 

 of the Sjciery m ly look around and congratulate 

 themselves that their first fifty years of association 

 h-ive been well spent. " 



15. The monthly p-oc^fdings of the Committee, 

 which are regularly forwarded to several departments 

 of Goi-ernaifiit, detail the more important work djue; 

 the whoh- work of each year is briefly stated in the 

 reports annually laid before the general mpeting of 

 the Society, the last three of which are submitted 

 herewith. 



16. The following table shows the income and expen- 

 diture oi the Society since the last triennial report to 



