BOTANICAL^^^^^ETTE. 



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Vol. 3 



JULY, 1878. 



No. 7 



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Letter from A. F'KNDhEii. — Dr. Asa Gray has kiudly i)laced the following letter 

 in our hands which will be of ^reat interest to llic readers of the Gazette: 



NeakPohtof Hpain, Island of Tuinidad, Feb. 6th, ISTy. 

 Prof. Asa Gray, M. D.: 



My Dear Sir: — * * * Xhe Botanic Garden, founded as early as 



the year 1837, contains some of tlie grandest and mo.st niagaiticent specimens of the 

 vegetable kingdom, introduced from all i)arts of the world, special attention being paid 

 to the introduction and propagation of useful trees and plants. 'Sly health, though not 

 on the i-elrograde, is far from being satisfactory. I have commenced putting the ferns 

 into sets, but the rainy days during the greater part of January interfered very much, 

 and Decembei- proved to be the dampest month of the whole season. I have now 111 

 species of Ferns and 5 of Lycopodiaccn'. 



On the 3IJth of November the printer who printed the labels for my phuits otlered 

 me a house and lot for sale which he owned in the same street that I lived on. Tired of 

 being the tenant of uncomfortable cjuarters, I bought for $290 the house and lot thus 

 ottered me, Nov. 26th, and three days later moved into it. Tiie lot is 46 feet in front 

 by 120 feet deep, but the fences so dilapitlated as to recpiire new ones. 



Tlie house is 22 by 12 feet, is old, and needs considerable patching and repairing, 

 all of which we (my brother and myself) intend to do with our own hands. A consid- 

 erable part of it we have already done, the work claiming much of our time, that other- 

 wise might have been "devoted to collecting of i)lants. 



To give you an idea of the vegetation which such a small parcel of land can sup- 

 port allow me to subjoin the following list of trees and plants the lot contains besides 

 the house, leaving moreover plenty of vacant space in front ot the house for a small 

 flower garden. There are: 1 bread fruit tree; : Mango tree, (both very large trees) • 2 

 Orange trees, 20-25 feet high, with plenty of sweet oranges for our own use; 1 Papaw- 

 tree {Carica Papaya); 12 coftee trees all in bearing condition. Also, a few stalks of 

 sugar cane; some small orange trees yet to be gi'afted; quite a number of banana plants 

 of 2 or ;5 kinds (some in fruit) ; Tanias {(jDhirasid eHcnlenta). the eatable tubers of which 

 are held in high estimation; Cassava {Janipha Manihat)\_\ Star-apple tree (Chryso- 

 phyllHiii Cai/iito) \ and in one fence corner, not far frmi the house, a young bamboo 

 bush with shoots 2r) feet high, att'ording a grateful shade through most part of the day; 

 1 (4uava tree; 1 tree-cotton plant {(hixKypium Ba rhadtuxr) t'uU with blossoms and young 

 fruit, its woody stem 10 inches in circumference and lOig f^'Ct high. Besides these 

 there are plants of less dimensions such as Ginger, 2 kinds of Ochra, 2 kinds Cayenne 

 pepper; several arborescent j)ea- and bean-plants. To make this list more complete I 

 have planted two young Cocoa-nut trees, said to begin bearing fruit in their ?,d or 4th 

 year, also some cuttings of a su))erior kind ot grape-vine showing some growth already. 

 Tlie first Inmch of fruit that we gathered from our banana plants contained 107 bananas 

 of a delicious flavor, a still larger bunch touching nearly the ground will be ripe in a 

 week or two, and others have just come into flowering. It is therefore natural enough 

 that in my present jiosition, having a home of my own, L should and do feel more at 

 ease, more independent, and enjoy a multitude of little pleasures which I did not when 

 living in a shanty-like house halt as big as mine, in another man's dirty yard, crowded 

 in on all sides by disagreeable folks, besides paying $4.25 house-rent a month. And 



