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and it is evident that the planters in India are of the same 

 opinion, since Mr H. A. Baily has been sent to Natal by the 

 Indian Government and the Indian Planters Association 

 to collect seeds of Imrigofera arrecta and to arrange for future 

 supplies, in addition to which I have received lately inquiries 

 from an Indian firm for 15 to 20 tons of the seed, appli- 

 cations from other persons having been previously received. 

 It appears to me that to grow the seed for export would 

 prove profitable to small farmers, but the quantity required 

 would necessarily be limited. Why it should only be grown 

 for the seed is a matter that planters might well take into 

 consideration. Natal is its native country, it grows luxur- 

 iantly over a large portion of the colony, and as it is a legume 

 and when cultivated for the pigment is treated as an annual, it 

 might be grown between the rows of sugar-cane, so as npt only 

 to benefit the land, but also yield a profit, as also on land that 

 has become partially exhausted from repeated crops of cane. 

 A book has been published entitled " Sugar as an aid to indigo " 

 I have sent for this book, and propose to refer to it on a future 

 occasion. For the present it will be sufficient to say that as I 

 understand a few tons of the seed would find a ready sale for 

 export to India, and perhaps to other places also for at any rate 

 some years to come, it would be worth while to collect the 

 seeds now, and grow it for a crop to ripen next year, and as it 

 is a perennial it would yield crops of seed for some years from 

 the one planting. 



Araucarias. — In my Annual Report for 1899 I noted that 

 the largest trees of Araucaria excelsa which were planted in 

 1867, and are now therefore 35 years old, were dying out from 

 the top, these trees still show signs of life, but are very grad- 

 ually dying, while trees of A . Cunninghamii, A. Bidwillii, and 

 A. Uoolcii planted at the same time and in close proximity to 

 A. excelsa are still vigorous, of these 1 prefer the two last 

 named as they seem to be more suited to the colony or at any 

 rate to our part of it than A. excelsa, and A. Cunninghamii 

 seems to be more subject to blight than the others, from what 

 I have seen of them I can safely recommend them, especially 

 A Bidwillii and Cookii as suitable trees to grow for timber, of 

 A. Bidwillii the late baron F. v. Mueller says : " A tree attain- 

 " ing 250 feet in height, with a fine grained hard and durable 

 " wood particularly valuable for furniture ; it shows its beautiful 

 " streaks best when polished * # * Growth at Port Philip 30 to 

 "40 feet in 20 years." Oar tree which was planted in 1867 is 

 now 60 feet in height, and 7 feet in girth at 6 feet from the 

 ground, and is quite healthy. Of Araucaria Cunningham! Baror) 

 Mueller says : 



