306 



Cola nitida at Singapore. 



In tlu' (iardt'iis' Bulktiiu \'ol. II, Xo. 3, >()inc data regarding 

 the yield of trees of Cola nitida cultivated in the Economic 

 Gardens, (Singapore, were given. Mr. Mathieu recently had some 

 of the trees manured, and one fruit just matured weighs 1 Ih. 

 and contains .six fully developed seeds, it measures G in. in length 

 and lOJ in. in circumfert'uce. niis is a considerahle advance on 

 those hitherto recorded, and is to he attributed to the effects of 

 manuring. 



T, F. C. 



Botanic Gardens. 



• The following extract from the "" Agricultural Xews " Febru- 

 ary 7th, 1920, is reprinted from the Trinidad (iuardian 1919, on 

 the occasion of the centeiiary of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trini- 

 dad, " The Trinidad Eoyal Botanic Gardens at St. Ann's Port-of- 

 Spain have this year entered upon the second century of unbroken 

 existence. There are very few Botanic (lardens in the British 

 Dominions over seas which can boast of so long a life. Some were 

 founded before these, it is true, but for one reason or another they 

 were abandoned or allowed to fall into decay, to be revived in some 

 cases at a later date when their value was once more appreciated. 

 The Garden of St. Vincent is a noteworthy example, Ibecause it 

 was the first of the British tropical gardens, and was drawn upon 

 to start the Trinidad Garden. It was abandoned after some sixty 

 years of activity, and was re-established after a resting period of 

 about another sixty years. Jamaica founded the Bath Garden in 

 1774 eight years after the St. Vincent one: this was also sub- 

 se(|uently abandoned, and restored to some extent. In the East 

 the Garden at Penang in the Straits Settlements was started in 

 18O0 ; but had a chequered history, being abandoned and restored 

 more than once. The present Singapore Garden dates from 1878. 



" Two Gardens which have already reached 100 years are 

 Calcutta, founded in 1786, and Sydney, New South Wales, 1816. 

 Peradeniya. Ceylon, the successor of earlier gardens in the low 

 country will reacii its century in 1921. Botanic Gardens are, how- 

 ever, not comparatively new developnu'nts. In Europe the old 

 monastic institutions nuiintained gardens to ))rovide pulses, vege- 

 tables, fruits, etc., and also medicinal i)lants. 



'' The Ikoyal Botanic Gardens of Kew, to which the Colonies 

 owe so much not only for the plants l)ut also for the trained men 

 it has distributed, arose as a Physic Garden. Fostered by Greorge 

 III and Sir Joseph Banks, Kew rapidly grew in importance as a 

 centre of hotauical activity."' 



