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the Conference as, besides listening to the interesting eg by 
Mr. Rogers, the Forest Officer of Trinidad, he most kindly took 
me to see his experimental plantation at Arima and also to spend 
ie nights in the Forest Reserve of Morne L’Enfer in the southern 
ills. 
Mr. Rogers is working in Trinidad with only native foremen and 
overseers ; but for the carrying out of plantation work and forest 
conservation on an adequate scale, there is need of an enlargement 
of the European staff. 
On the visit to Arima we were accompanied by Mr. Waby, Head 
Gardener of the Botanic Garden, Georgetown, Demerara, and muc 
appreciated his wide knowledge of the flora. Here as elsewhere 
in Trinidad, Cedar (Cedrela odorata, L.), Oyp (Cordia Geras- 
canthus, Jacq.), Honduras Mahogany (Swietinia macrophylla, King), 
and Poui (Tecoma serratifolia, Don), are the trees most extensively 
planted. 
Great care is being taken in the matter of seed selection, and the 
seed of only those trees which show a clean, straight trunk without 
tendency to forking and low branching is used for plantation work. 
The young trees I saw in the plantations bore out the wisdom of 
policy, as they were in all cases forming vigorous clean main 
stems. 
Before planting the forest is cleared of useless timber and the young 
trees are placed in lines twenty feet apart. The secondary growth 
is allowed to spring up between the lines, the young trees being 
kept clear. This treatment encourages their proper development 
and also the damage from pests and fungi is minimised. The trees 
at Arima were either sown at stake or. planted frem nursery beds, 
but in both cases the percentage of success was very high. 
_ The visit to the forest of Morne L’Enfer was particularly 
interesting and it was entirely owing to the kindness of Mr. Rogers, 
who altered all his plans, that I was able to spend my last days in 
the Island in the heart of the forest. My best thanks are also due 
to Mr. Collignon, who was felling Cedar and Balata in the forest, 
beneath whose elegant “ Ajoupa ” we had our quarters. 
Our way to the forest led across the famous Pitch Lake, so well 
described ingsley. A remarkable amount of vegetation 
comprising Cashew bushes, ferns and herbaceous plants appears to 
growing actually on the surface of the pitch, but is doubtless 
rooted into soil which has collected in the cracks and fissures which 
occur over the surface of the asphalt. These islands of vegetation 
appear in strange contrast to the black waste of pitch. Owing to 
the discovery of oil in the heart of the forest a good cart track has 
en cut into the Morne L’Enfer Reserve, and we were able to 
drive to Mr. Collignon’s Ajoupa in its very midst. 
ag eke eke : beautifully constructed shelter roofed with the 
soa we He 4 o en “* Sabal Palm. The roof had a wide span 
hs racic 4 a ee hammocks beneath its protecting shelter in 
th greatest comiort. To add to the enjoyment of the experience 
Aigttg he full moon and the scene in the forest at dead of night 
Mp ¢ beams of brilliant moonlight here and there piercing the 
ense canopy overhead and lighting up the trunk of some great 
palm or illuminating the depths of the forest was one not easily to 
