530 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1920. 



Association for the Advancement of Science and for three years by 

 the Smithsonian Institution, the latter acting on behalf of 12 Ameri- 

 can universities and individual botanists. 



The situation and surroundings of Cinchona are ideal, both for 

 residence and for purposes of study. The cleared lands immediately 

 surrounding the buildings are very beautiful. They embrace a wide 

 sweep of close-cropped lawn, extending from the terraced banks and 

 formal gardens which surround the residence, conservatories, and 

 laboratories, far down the slopes to the south, these bordered by 

 extensive ornamental plantings of native and exotic shrubs, trees, 

 and tree ferns. Experimental plots and gardens are at either side, 

 partly screened by luxuriant hedges. Excellent trails lead in ail 

 directions, notably one of 3 miles, almost on a level, to Morce's Gap, 

 along which over 100 species of ferns occur. Just below Morce's 

 Gap lies the deep " hothouse " valley of Mabess River, an intensely 

 humid locality in the midst of unbroken primeval forest. The 

 peaks previously mentioned may all be ascended by trails. They are 

 heavily forested and the trees support a typically luxuriant rain- 

 forest epiploic growth. 



The average annual rainfall for Cinchona (covering a period of 

 39 years) is 105.7 inches; the lowest recorded annual fall is 59.46 

 inches in 1897, the highest 178.77 inches in 1909. The monthly 

 mean maximum temperature is invariably below 72°, so that, with 

 the fresh east and northeast breezes which prevail, enervating hot 

 weather is never experienced. " Hot waves " are unknown. The 

 nights are cool, or often cold (absolute monthly minima 46° to 54°). 

 Kingston and historic Fort Royal, basking in plain view a mile 

 beneath, in the glaring coastal region to the south, seem half a con- 

 tinent distant, rather than a short 16 miles by trail. 



It would, indeed, be hard to conceive of facilities better suited 

 to general botanical laboratory investigations in tropical North 

 America. Additional opportunities are afforded by the herbarium 

 and laboratory at Hope Gardens and by the living collections at 

 both Hope and Castleton, which make possible the comparative 

 study of a wonderfully wide range of plants from many distant 

 tropical and warm temperate regions. 



HOPE GARDENS. 



In 1873, only a few years after the beginning of the Hill Gardens 

 at Cinchona, the Colonial Government obtained possession of about 

 200 acres of land in the Liguanea Plain about 6 miles northeast of 

 Kingston, adjacent to the Hope Reservoirs, which supply the city 

 with water taken from the Hope River below Gordontown, and 

 established here a small nursery and experimental station, the be- 

 ginning of the present Hope Gardens. The accessibility of Hope 



