380 



to leave any address or instructions for sliipping the box, as lie had 

 intended to do. The parcel remained unopened in the office till the 

 13th of July, (a period of five months and thirteen days) when the lid 

 was taken off and the box left open by a window. By the end of the 

 month fifty-three of the seeds had germinated and thrown up strong 

 stems. 



A hundred of the others s^'ere removed and put in a pan and of 

 these, three germinated. 



No particular care was tiken of these seeds and it is probable 

 that if they had been carefully treated more would have germinated. 

 The duration of the vitality of these seeds for nearly six months, 

 enclosed in a box, shows that the Para rubber seed has greater lasting 

 powers if properly packed than would be expected. I believe this is 

 the longest record of duration for this seed. 



We give a photograph of the box with a number of the seedlings 

 germinated in it. 



RUBBER IN BRITISH HONDURAS. 



For some years the Botanic Gardens of Singapore have been 

 sending Para rubber seed to British Honduras, and according to 

 Mr. E.J. F. Campbell's Report on the Botanic Station there for 1910, 

 the plants seem to be doing well Rewrites — " All the Para rubber 

 plants have grown and the greater number have put off branches and 

 are taking good form. Some of these are now from 25 to 30 feet in 

 height with a girth of from 12 to 18 inches, having nearly doubled 

 their measurements during the year. The Castilloa plants continue 

 their slow rate of growth but one specimen growing in the Liberian 

 Coffee plot has made a remarkable growth, having in three years 

 attained to a height of 20 feet and a girth of 24 inches." Experi- 

 ments in clean weeding are being tried. 



The Honduras station is as yet only commencing its work in 

 improving local agriculture but it seems to be doing good work all 

 round. It is amusing to read of the Jack fruit of which seven plants 

 are owned by the station and which have grown 10 to 12 feet in two 

 years, being spoken of as " a rale fruit much prized in India.'' — Ed. 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR TAKING AND COLLECTING 

 OF SAMPLES. 



SOILS. 



A rough sketch of the field, paddock, or block of land from which 

 the samples are to be taken should be prepared to accompany the 

 samples. The spots where the samples are taken are marked on this 

 plan, and are numbered. This sketch plan should also indicate posi- 

 tion of roads, creeks, gullies, ridges, general fall, and aspect of 

 land, &c. 



