I (No. 72, 1893), the i 

 specting the fruit trade :— The trin.li' of the < 'olony Ii;is advanced rapidly 

 during the year. The green-fruit trade, however, has not increased to 

 any great extent, and the profits made from the production and export 

 of this staple have undoubtedly fallen off. Tina is owing, loenlly. to 

 :h>' presence of a disease among bananas which prevents their bearing. 

 (Kew Bulletin, 1890, p. 272; 1892, p. 48.) The Government 

 have for some time been endeavouring to arrange for the tem- 

 porary servi.es of a pathologist to examine the causes of this 

 disease, and, if possible, to provide a remedy. The trade has also been 

 affected by the competition of the Colony of Queensland in the markets 

 of New Smith Wales and Vietoria. The export of green fruit to New 

 Zealand lias, however, doubled within the last four years, as has also 

 tlnil to Victoria. There will always be a sale for Fijian green fruit, as the 

 quality of the bananas produced in Fiji is admittedly superior to that of 

 those coming from Que 88 -old under the name of 



mas. A few of the " Gros Michel" bananas suckers have 

 been imported from Trinidad, with the view of seeing whether they 

 resist the disease better than the locally grown " China" bananas. 



Selected Papers from the Kew Bulletin.— The six published volumes 

 of the Kew Bulletin (1887-92) contain articles which more or less 

 cover the whole field of commercial enterprise as applied to tho vegetable 

 kingdom. These articles are necessarily printed in a disconnected form, 



in in id UK with the prii pie la i.iwn h\ the Government that in- 

 formation of public int ivst should be published as speedily as possible. 

 It will, therefore, be convenient to bring together ec •a-:mial!\ the 

 whole of the published papers relating to one particular subject. " The 

 trouble of following these through a series of annual volumes would 

 otherwise in great measure defeat the object in view. A volume now 

 in course of preparation, to be followed from time to time by similar 

 collections, deals with the subject of Vegetable Imbues. This is of 

 first-rate importance to manufacturers at home, and also to r 

 Colonies. Amongst other subjects, there will appear for the first time 

 ft complete account to date of the ve>. 



Vueatan and the Bahamas. 



Sisal in Turks Islands.— The cultivation of the Pi: i - 

 continues to make progress, and the report of the Assistant Commissioner 

 at Cockburn Harbour on the subject is encouraging. A large extent of 

 fresh ground has been planted out during the year, and several new 

 LOU with the industry. Both com- 

 panies it is expected, will be in a position to make small shipments 

 of fibre during l.sjKJ. A plantation of Sea Island cotton has also been 

 started on one of the adjacent Cays. (Colonial Office Report, No. 71, 



letter dated the 24th July last, addressed to Kew 

 i for Foreign A , | ;l report by 



ieuna, on two diseases of vines known respectively 

 and the Brunnissure. Mr. Massee has 

 ! following brief particulars respecting 



