322 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL 
works. Mr. Hart, the director, whose hospitality I cannot fail to mention in 
this place, is an indefatigable worker, and would put at the disposition of the 
visitor every facility in his power. His neatly arranged experimental farm, 
not far from the gardens, has quite the appearance of a young American 
experiment station, and his breeding experiments on sugar cane and other 
plants show his keen interest in the coming problems of tropical agriculture. 
The roadways, although few, lead at once into the virgin forest, and with 
the assistance of a bicycle a collector could easily get together an abundance 
of material] for study. Should he wish to take up the study of any of the many 
problems which confront the agriculturists of the colony, the utmost would be 
done to assist him, and pecuniary assistance in the way of compensation for 
the results of his studies would be a possibility. 
The Victoria Institute, with its large comfortable building on the other 
side of the savanna from the gardens, might prove useful should more room 
be required than is available in the garden laboratory, or the new building of 
the experimental farm soon to be constructed. : 
A comfortable hotel, good shops, a public library, a society of English 
and Scotch, and a most interesting mixture of East Indians, Chinese, ‘ 
Indian blacks, and Portuguese make Port of Spain a place full of things, 
other than botanical, to be studied. I am free to say that, as an average 
American, Trinidad proved much more to my liking than Jamaica, although 
the latter has roads all over it, and is more picturesque 
From Trinidad excursions can be made up that as y 
the Orinoco, and to the many small islands lying nearer the mainland be 
From the standpoint of a superficial study of the two islands I Can . 
express my opinion in favor of Trinidad as the place for a botanic 7 
Should, however, the lately acquired island of Puerto Rico prove more es 
able for a biological station, as seems quite possible, certainly my des dad 
dent of tropical botany cannot afford to neglect the advantage which pre 
affords as a place in which to become acquainted with West Indian agt! 
ture and botany. : ; 
The recent establishment at Barbados of a Department of Agricultu 
the West Indies, with Dr. Morris as commissioner, may in time change 
conditions there. At present Barbados has little to offer the eee West 
The islands of the French West Indies and other of the Brit seth 
Indies have botanic stations upon them, but, so far as my infor 
are not to be considered in connection with Trinidad or geste of many 
th 
American botanists to spend a summer vacation in Trinidad, and gn 
realize the enthusiasm which these tropical plants and pean off 
they would need no urging.—D. G. FAIRCHILD, on board “‘ 
Savanilla, U. S. of Colombia, February 15, 1899. 
et little known river, 
re for 
