27 
(Enclosure.) 
Botanic Station, oe Park, 
Sir, November 12th, 1895. 
I mave the honour to submit to you, for his Excellency the 
Administrator's information, the accompanying report upon the date 
cultivation at the Copse Cross Station. 
After carefully considering the chances of s success, in December 1890° 
I wrote the Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, statin ng my views on. 
the subject, and asked to be supplied with seed of the date of commerce.. 
Iu March 1891 I received from Kew a case of selected dates, including: 
the famous Tafilat variety. 
From the seed received I raised about 5000 plants, which were offered 
for sale in the Antigua Standard. 
Date growing being a new ais dug industry and long in producing: 
a return the plants were not ta 
lants were put outat the various station s, others sent to the Botanie 
Stations of Dominica, St. Kitts- hi and Montserrat, and some in 
exchange to Grenada Botanic Statio 
It affords me much pleasure to regot that at Copse C ross there are 
now 86 established date idee. eee of which fruited during August of 
this year, being only 4j years 
he English HEURE: intei seems very favourable to date 
e following notes from * Haldane's Sub- rcm Cultivation and 
Climates ? show the value of date cultivations, and the fine growth and 
early fruiting at Copse Cross are an index of what may be expected 
under local conditions : ct aa yield of a tree in full bearing is from 
100 to 200 pounds per annum, but as much as 400 pounds have been 
ot from a single tree." “The tree generally produces eight to 10 
bunches of fruit, and the produce of a hectare (23 acres) of land under 
this cultivation is about 14,400 pounds of dates.’ The value of d in 
i 70s. to 84s. per ewt.; Egyptian, 28s. 455.; 
Bussore, 13s. to 21s. The trees live to a great age and sented fruit. 
till 200 d.” 
I have the honour to request that a statement of the progress of the 
date plots at Copse Cross may be submitted to the Director of the Royal 
porter Kew, and the advice of Kew obtained as to the advisability, 
that we have data to go upon, of importing more seed, 
endeavours to extend date cultivation. 
I have, &c. 
(Signed) A. G. MARIS 
rator 
Roya —— Kew, to COLONIAL OFFICE. 
Sir, Kew, December 23rd, 1895. 
I save the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 
December 18th (22,148/95), transmitting a copy of a emn from the 
Governor of the Leeward Islands, forwarding a report from the curator 
of the Botanic Station on the progress of date uitivation at Copse 
Cross Station, Antigua 
2. As far as I know this is the first instance of this palm’ s fruiting in 
the West Indies, As the trees are said not to come into full bearing 
till about 10 years, it is a culture which would probably never be taken 
up unless the Government set the example. It is, , howeve r, one which 
