4 ECONOMIC BOTANY AND THE NEW FLOBAS 



The general success of the Cinchona plantations is reported 

 to the sympathetic ear of Sir Henry Barkly 1 at Mauritius 

 (June 17, 1867) : 



The Cinchona is at last established in Jamaica and in a 

 fair way of being successfully established: 200 acres have 

 been enclosed for the cultivation and 2500 plants have 

 sprung from the seeds I transmitted and which Thwaites at 

 Ceylon ripened. 



And further on (July 6, 1868) : 



Cinchona continues to thrive in India and in most of the 

 Colonies that are warm enough. I have obtained permission 

 and sent out a good gardener for 5 years to St. Helena, 

 of whom I heard an excellent account to-day. His first 

 attentions will be given to Tobacco and Cinchona. The 

 former will be, I suspect, the more profitable produce of 

 the two, the want of really good Tobacco is so great. The 

 London Merchants complain bitterly of the dearth of good 

 leaf for cigar manufacturing in England. Letters from Bahia, 

 received two days ago, tell me that they export from that 

 Port 10,000 tons annually, but of so low a quality as not to 

 command a market in England ! 



On the other hand, though he sends Cinchona plants with 

 others to Sir H. Barkly in 1874 for cultivation in the Gardens 

 in Cape Colony, he repeats the warning he had given to Mr. 

 Bolus 2 six years before : * There is not a ghost of a chance of 

 Cinchona succeeding in S. Africa.' And ' I cannot fancy what 

 you will do with the Cinchonas, for which I fear you are too 

 cold and dry.' But though 



1 Sir Henry Barkly (1815-98) was a very successful colonial governor, 

 British Guiana 1849-53, Jamaica 1853-6, Victoria 1853-63, Mauritius 1863- 

 70, Cape Colony 1870-7. He was elected F.R.S. 1864, his scientific interests 

 being principally in botany. 



2 Dr. Harry Bolus (1834-1911), botanist and collector, went out to the 

 Cape in 1850, accumulated a large fortune there, and was a liberal patron of 

 botany and education. He founded the Bolus professorship of botany in the 

 South African College at Cape Town, and left a large sum for scholarships, &c., 

 and his valuable herbarium and library to the College. He first corresponded 

 with the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1867, and continued this during his whole 

 life, presenting large collections of his duplicates to Kew. He published many 

 works on the South African Flora; principally on the heaths and orchids. 

 Elected F.L.S. in 1873, and Hon. D.Sc. of the South African University later. 



