321 
July, 1922, p. 743: ‘Soon great white heads of cauliflowers, 
as much as 22 inches across, huge firm cabbages, glorious crisp 
lettuces, tomatoes by the 100, spinach, beetroot, carrots, beans, 
potatoes, marrows, cucumbers, melons, artichokes, parsley, 
endive, etc., bananas and guavas began to appear at table. 
The foregoing by no means exhausts the list, but they are suffi- 
cient to show what a variety can be grown. How easily and at 
what a pace they spring up and grow, and how jolly fit they 
Reep one fap eo, 
“‘ But the garden was not to end with vegetables! That long 
open stretch of evergreen grass, never scorched or parched, was 
too good to let alone. The ‘ Dumpy’ level was borrowed from 
the office, pegs put in, and a small army of labourers got on the 
job. The ground was simply dug up, and the soil moved, until 
a series of level lawns was created, badminton and croquet being 
the first games to be played. There was no sowing of grass seed 
required, the native ‘dhub’ and other varieties of grass simply 
sprang up through the bare soil from their old roots; rollers 
and lawn mowers had soon to be requisitioned, and in a few 
months we had beautiful smooth turf that would have put a 
lawn at home to shame. More bridges were constructed, orna- 
mental ponds dug out and filled with water lilies, curving paths 
laid out, edgings of Alternanthera planted and kept neatly trim 
and clipped.’ (Plate IV.) 
The present gardens cover about 35 acres, but there still 
remain some 200 or 300 acres of precisely similar ground, 
untouched, that at present serve no better purpose than grazing 
for cattle. 
Various seeds were sent out from Kew last year to Dr. Moiser, 
by way of experiment, and it is interesting to learn that 
Delphinium  grandiflorum, Hunnemania fumarifolia, Phlox 
Drummondii and Helichrysums were highly successful intro- 
ductions, and produced sheets of colour. 
his account, which betrays the spirit of the enthusiast 
who has made the desert blossom, represents, however, only 
one side of the work Dr. Moiser has so far achieved. 
Throughout his enterprise, a Botanic Garden has been the 
goal of his aspirations, and the dream is undoubtedly becoming 
an actual fact. Here can be gathered together the economic and 
medicinal plants suitable for the country, and it should be possible 
initiate and carry out experiments and researches which 
could not fail to prove of great benefit to the community 
generally. 
Not only is the garden a place of refreshment from toil, but 
it has also great educational possibilities both for officials and 
natives. Among ‘the latter, from enlightened Emirs to their 
intelligent Hausa subjects, there are many who would profit 
om the lessons which a garden of this sort can teach. 
2 19008 B 
