tree to the island of Dominica and of the reception in this country of 

 probably the first sample of cured cloves that was grown in any British 

 colony in the JSew "World. The publication of this document, at the 

 suggestion of Sir Joseph Banks, with the view of serving as an expe- 

 ditious mode of commuii u economic products and 

 plants to distant pail- < »t 1 1n- hinpire almost exactly anticipated the 

 object for which the Kite [iulhfin. was started six years ago. What 

 may very suitably be looked upon as the llullctin of 179(> is entitled 

 " A Narrative of the successful ma;; the Clove Tree 

 " in the Island of Dominica, in the Windward Carrihhoe I -lands. 

 " By "William Urban IJuee, Esquire. London: Printed in the year 

 " 1797." It appeal- thai M. lUice, a Frenchman settled for many 

 years at Dominica, had successfully introduced clove plant- from 

 Cayenne to the former island in 17M». Afterwards, in 1791, he bought 

 more trees, 14 in number, from a gardener from Cayenne, whom he 

 met at Martinique. Afterwards these were increased by 1,500 trees 

 raised from seed obtained direct from (.'incline in 179o. The clove 

 trees planted in 1789 "appeared with clove buds on or about the 

 " 20th January 1795; some of the cloves were fit to be gathered in 

 " May and June following ; and such of the cloves as were left on the 

 " trees for the purpose of obtaining the mother of cloves for seeds 

 " acquired a proper degree of maturity in July and August ; so that, 

 '• allowing those two trees to be about one year old when they came to 

 " me from the seeds, L think the clove tree becomes productive in the 



The close relationship of the clove and the indigenous pimento tree 

 (both belonging to the natural order Myrtuccce) was readily noticed by 

 our author, who deduced the inference that where one flourished the 

 other would also be likely to grow. 



Several experiment- were undertaken to test the best kind of soils 

 suited for clow cultivation. In one instance the author states, "since 

 «' the planting of the last 11 trees it is with satisfaction I can assert 

 " that the four trees planted in clay have grown with at least as 



" pasture ground, formerly in coffee, of a compact, strong, gravelly 

 " soil, with some part- of a clayey nature," W 



■ other] observations, I hope, wi 



; ground which is fittest for the clove tree, and to prove clearly that it 



does not require a rich soil or a loose one; but, on the contrary, will 

 ' thrive best in a strong, conq act soil, whether of a gravelly or clayey 



nature." It will he remembered that in the account of the clove 

 ndu-try at Zanzibar given in Kvir Built tin for January hist. p. 17, it 



lavev. In Dominica our anther anticipated that the onh drawback 

 o Hove cultivation (e-pecialh in the district of J.a Soye, where the soil 



uarter. he say-, '-bad imfortunatch and \er\ imprudently cut down all 

 the wood- along the seaside, a thick hedge of whieh'thev ought to 

 have left standing, to prevent the wind from shaking and the sea air 

 from parching their plants. To remedy tit:'- hedge- of juiids dnu.r 



which I bine left on the trees to obtain mother of chores, for 



