140 EFFECTS OP FORESTS ON HUMID1TT= 



With protection, crops of every description might be grown here, 

 but, in the absence of horse and manual labour, to collect the rocks 

 and boulders which abound on the surrounding hills, and would form 

 excellent dry walls and well-sheltered enclosiu-es, we are planting 

 from six to eight acres with Para grass in fine showery weather. If 

 it succeeds, we could have fine pasture lands for cattle in a short 

 time, and there is every facility at hand for constructing drinking 

 troughs. I am also trying a small patch with English potatoes, 

 fenced for the purpose. The method Mr Bell is adopting for planting 

 this grass is by cutting turf into junks, which are carried to the spot 

 in bread bags, on the heads of Africans, and trod in at equal distances ; 

 the runners grow by inches in one week after rain, and form a perfect 

 mat which no animal can root up. Men are daily employed collecting 

 Para grass for the beasts and cattle, both at the mountain and at the 

 garrison, and it materially saves the expensive oat straw sent from 

 the Cape. If Sir William Hooker could obtain a bag of the seed it 

 would help us greatly. Should it at any time be thought advisable 

 to bring a much larger breadth into cultivation for vegetables than 

 can be obtained at the Mountain, I could fence in many acres on the 

 weather slope of a valley formed by two ridges of these plains for the 

 expense of about four additional rations for donkeys to draw the 

 stones on sleighs, but with our present command of labour I could 

 not attempt it. If the Para gi-ass succeeds, there are other large 

 plains, containing hundreds of acres, capable of being converted into 

 pasture land. 



" In conclusion, I think it due to Mr Bell to state that the whole 

 of the farming and gardening operations under his care are carried 

 on in a most systematic and skilful manner. He combines the 

 experience of three years with considerable tact in managing the 

 Africans. 



" I dwell upon this more particularly, as there appears to be a 

 growing interest in the cultivation and general improvement of 

 the establishment at Ascension, and operations might be more 

 readily and economically undertaken at present than with a new 

 gardener, who would have everything to learn ; and, on my part, I 

 am quite willing to devote as much attention to this branch of my 

 duties as I can possibly spare." 



There was appended the following Table, showing the quantity of 

 cultivated ground on the island of Ascension, in what way laid out, 

 and present crop : — 



