109 
Report of a Boranicat Mission to the West Indies, undertaken by 
the Assistant-Director, Royal Gardens, Kew, presented to the 
Secretary of State for the Colonies, April 20, 1891. 
IN accordance with the arrangements made at the request of the 
Secretary of State for the Colonies, and with the consent of the Lords 
Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury, and of the First Commissioner 
of Her Majesty’s Works and Public Buildings, I left Kew for the West 
Indies on the 12th November 1890. I embarked at Southampton in the 
yal Mail steamship “ Atrato.” I took out with me from the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, six Wardian cases of Gambier plants and four boxes of 
vine cuttings. These were eae for the following botanical institu- 
tions in the West Indies : ardian case of Gambier plants each for 
the Botanical Gardens at Trinidad and British Guiana; a Wardian 
case of Gambier plants and a box of vine cuttings for the Botanical 
Station at St. Vincent; a box of vine cuttings for the gems 
i t. Luci of 
vine euttings for the Botanical Station at Dominica; and a box of vine 
cuttings for the Botanical Garden at Grenada, The Gambier plants had 
been raised at Kew from seed received from the Botanical Department 
` of the Straits айрон They had always proved most difficult to 
send in Wardian cases, and several attempts to obtain plants from the 
East had hitherto failed. A fall account of Gambier, a tanning substance 
obtained from Uncaria Gambier, Roxb., is given in the Kew Bulletin, 
October 1889, p. 247. 
The present attempt to introduce the cultivation of Gambier into the 
West Indies is a fact of some interest. was only possible to arrive 
thus far in HA matter after several years of persistent effort. The 
ra i industry had hitherto been entirely confined to the East Indies, 
but owing to the increased demand due to American consumption and 
the саа in quality which had obtained of late years it was felt 
desirable to extend its culture to other parts of the tropics. The effort 
made to place these plants at the disposal of those who may be inclined 
to cultivate готаў: in the West India Islands is only a part of the policy 
pursued at Kew for many years. The plants in the first instance were 
entrusted to the botanical establishments in the West Indies to be 
propagated and distributed. 
Owing to the cold зыри the cases on board the “Atrato” were 
placed below in the n saloon. There was very little — light 
in the day-time, but the {еше of warmth was for the ent of 
more importance than that of light. It was also мора that етее could 
placed k in a day or two at the most. The weather during 
the whole of the first week, however, continued cid cold, and it was 
impossible to expose the plants o n deck. Under these circumstances 
it was араат that the electric light, with which every part of the 
there was so little direct light available during the day that the plants 
had to > almost entirely on the light they — at сери. The 
Gambier plants are particularly sensitive as regards a diminution of 
light. a the prevalence of fogs at Kew they háite been known 
