362 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [ NOVEMBER 
many persons lost money in the venture, whereas in Ceylon, with 
good roads and railways, fortunes had been made by all the 
pioneers. 
Here in Jamaica, the loss to private individuals of large sums 
in cinchona planting, coinciding with the low prices for coffee 
and general depression in trade, led to the cry some ten years 
ago that the Hill.garden instituted by Sir J. P. Grant had proved 
a failure, and should be abandoned. Fortunately this desponding 
wail has not been generally supported in the island, nor acceded 
to by the government. Six or seven years ago, Mr. Thistleton- 
Dyer, the director of Kew gardens, gave it as his opinion that it 
was quite possible that the Hill garden might again become the 
chief botanic garden of the island, and this prophecy, unlikely 
though it might have seemed to most, seems now in a fair way 
to become fulfilled, and to justify the faith of the few. The 
garden is situated about half way between Newcastle and 
Abbey Green, and the elevation of the government property 
ranges from about 3000 to 6300 feet, so that greatly varied 
experiments can be made in cultures requiring different altitudes. 
The Hill garden, however, was not devoted solely to the cul- 
tivation of cinchona. Vegetables have been grown and instruc- 
tion imparted so successfully, that all the settlers round for many 
miles grow such “ English” vegetables as peas, cabbages, Cat 
rots, turnips, potatoes, artichokes, horse-radish, cucumbers and 
beets. Tea has been grown of a quality declared by London 
brokers to be excellent, and an order has just been received from 
a planter for 1000 plants. Timber trees of various kinds have 
been planted out and tended for years, and a knowledge gained 
of the capabilities of different trees for use in these hills where 
nearly all the valuable timber has already been cut. The nur- 
series at present contain some thousands of seedling trees- 
Fodder plants have been under experiment as well as many dif- 
ferent kinds of economic plants, which will be taken up by plant 
ers in the near future, such, for instance, as jalap, which sells at 
1s 6d per Ib., orris root at 75 to Sos per cwt., China grass, @ ory 
of ramie which can only be grown successfully in the hills, and 
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