.136 



Board to make an enquiry into the state of the Horse-breeding Indus- 

 try with a view to improving it. The Board was in favour of some 

 action being taken, and Mr. de Mercado and Mr. Cousins were asked 

 to confer together on the subject, and make a draft report to come up- 

 before next meeting. 



A memorandum from the Director of Public Gardens stated in reply 

 to the Chairman's enquiry that the first crop of tobacco had been sold, 

 last year's was still to sell, and the present crop was still in prepara- 

 tion. A tender for last year's crop was considered. 



A letter from Dr. Neish on exhaustion of banana land, was directed 

 to be circulated among the Board, and come up at next meeting with 

 their remarks. 



A letter from Mr. Cradwick stating that he had been asked by in- 

 tending planters of banana and cocoa on a large scale in the western 

 parts of the island, to visit their lands to give advice, and asking if he 

 was at liberty to do so. He was authorised to do so if it did not interfere 

 with his itinerary. 



Mr. Hewitt, a pupil at the Chemical Laboratory, asked the Board 

 to help him to get on to a banana plantation so as to utilize his vacation 

 for getting some practical experience. Mr. Cork was requested to 

 give him a trial. 



Mr. Cousins said that Mr. T. H. Sharp was eager to try some ex 

 periments with cassava at his property " Inverness," to discover the 

 best period from planting to taking up the roots, so as to get the max- 

 imum starch, and asked for a small grant of £10 to further this. It 

 was decided that as tests for the same purpose were to be carried 

 through at the t^rison Farm they would endeavour to co-operate with 

 Mr. Sharp there, and make the necessary tests for him. 



A report on the Prison Farm from Mr. Palache showed satisfactory 

 work being done, good practical results, and a profit on the working 



60 far. 



On the motion of Mr. Cork it was resolved to see if the blood at 

 present wasted at the slaughter bouse could not be dried and utilized 

 as a fertilizer, if the quantity was enough. 



Mr. Olivier moved that the Board express their appreciation of Mr^ 

 Buttenshaw's services as Secretary for the period he had acted. Mr, 

 de Mercado seconded and this was directed to be minuted. 



FOUR RECENTLY DESURIBED FERNS FROM 



JAMAICA. 



By Lucien Marci s Underwood, Ph. D. 

 Professor of liotany, Columbia University, New York. 



In preparing a monograph of the ferns of all North America, we 

 have had occasion to compare various Jamaican ferns with the types of 

 species to which they have been referred and have found that in several 

 cases they differ specifically. For example, one of the moonworts 

 which is quite widely distributed in the region just above Cinchona 

 was referred by Mr. Jenman to Botrychium ternattim. B. ternatum 

 was described in 1784 from Japan, and is a very different plant from 

 the one growing in Jamaica and from the various species from other 

 countries which have been referred to it. The Jamaican plant therefore 



