10 



covered with gravel, so that visitors can walk amongst the plants even after rain. A road six chains 

 long, has been made from the drive to the back of the nursery, to enable carts to remove plants 

 readily for distribution. Four beds for propagation by cuttings have been formed, each 60 feet long. 

 A road has also been made from the nursery into the bush on other side of the conduit so that all the 

 rubbish may be carted out of the garden. 



The Sisal Hemp Plantation has been cleaned throughout, and the plants are all in good condition, 

 growing freely, and now suckering. Constant attention has to be given to cleaning, as bush must be 

 kept down, and even when the grass is long the suckers develop very slowly. The very small plants 

 in the nursery about 10,000 in number, have been transplanted, and are ready for distribution. The 

 growth of the plants put out has been very satisfactory, — those planted in 1890 then measuring from 

 6 inches to one foot, have now attained a height of from 3 feet to four feet 6 inches. Any one about 

 to form a plantation, can inspect those at Hope, and receive instruction as to preparing the suckers 

 for the nursery, planting out. proper distances, care of plants, &c. 



The Pinery has been thrice cleaned and the plants, chiefly Ripley, are strong and healthy. There 

 is, however, not much demand for suckers. 



The sugar canes have had attention in the way of trashing and weeding, manuring, moulding 

 and irrigating. Another piece of ground has been planted with tops of all the varieties, numbering 

 over forty, under cultivation at these Gardens : as the old plants, having been ratooning for several 

 years, were becoming exhausted. Some of the varieties are highly thought of by Sugar Planters who 

 have tried them, whilst others are not considered worth growing in certain districts. 



The cocoa trees have been pruned, manured, and otherwise attended to. The poorness of the 

 soil, small rainfall, and consequent hot dry atmosphere at Hope are not favourable conditions for the 

 satisfactory growth of this tree, and except in a few sheltered spots near the gutter which carries the 

 waste water from the Water Works, its cultivation has not been attended with much success. 



Nutmegs succeed fairly well at Hope as far as the growth of the tree is concerned, but the nuts 

 produced are very small as compared with those grown at Bath. 



Cinnamon [Cinnamomum zeylanicum) thrives remarkably well, and requires little attention. 



Bhel fruit [j^gle marmelos) has produced fruit during the year. This tree is a native of the East 

 Indies, Ceylon, &c. and belongs to the orange family. The fruit is considered nutritious, warm and 

 cathartic. The rind of the unripe fruit possesses astringent properties on which account it is used in 

 India in cases of dysentery and diarrhoea. Other portions of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. 



The boys from the Industrial School have been at work in the garden, and have been employed 

 in curing cocoa, pruning the trees, &c., under the charge of Mr. McNair. The Cocoa Dryer from St. 

 Vincent has been experimented with, but has proved to be a failure. 



Thirteen varieties of onion from Messrs. James Carter have been tried. The seed was sown in 

 November, and transplanted at the end of January, but scarcely bulbed at all. Onions evidently re- 

 quire a moister atmosphere than that of the Liguanea plains, 



The Plant House with glass roof is now given up chiefly to orchids. The upper shelves have been 

 removed, and used to make a stand for growing pot plants, such as ferns. Several species of ferns 

 have been planted under the stage. The orchids have all been removed from the various trees on 

 which they had previously been hung, and placed in the orchid house. This will afford them protec- 

 tion from heavy rains, allowing each species to have rest in its proper season. There will also be no danger 

 of any being overlooked and neglected just when they most require attention. Nearly all the Orchids 

 have been repotted by the Superintendent himself, and all have been washed and properly cleaned, 

 and the scale insect which was infesting many, especially the Cattleyas, has been carefully removed. 

 The following orchids have flowered during the year Comparettia falcata, Phaius grandifolius, 

 Ccelogyne flaccida, Broughtonia sanguinea, Oncidium tetrapetalum, Oncidium ampliatum, Oncidium 

 Cebolleta, Epidendrumfragrans, Epidendrum cochleatum, EpidendrumStamfordianum, Cattleya Gaskel- 

 liana, Stanhopea grandiflora, Odontoglossum Roezlii-album, Dendrobium bigibbum, Dendrobium 

 Pierardii, Rodriguezia secunda. 



Of other plants which flowered during the year the following may be mentioned : — 



Bignonia magnifica, Brownea coccinea, Bignonia venusta, Aristolochia elegans, Q-revillea robusta, 

 Costus igneus. 



Several improvements have been made in front of the Orchid House. The crotons in the beds at 

 the side of the drive have been potted, and the beds have been turfed down, Bahama Grass being 

 used. All the tree ferns have been brought together, and with small palms, Dracaenas and other 

 ornamental shrubs, have been grouped together under the large Divi Divi tree in front of the Orchid 

 House. The paths have all been covered with fine gravel, and drains have been formed to carry off 

 Buperfluous water. Tree-ferns require, not only copious waterings, but also that all the surroundings 

 should be kept continually wet in order to provide the moist atmosphere so essential to their well 

 Ijcing; their stems have also been bound thickly with moss which is kept moist. 



The fernery is now in capital order. The design for the structure was kindly sent to me by my 

 friend, Dr. Trimen, Director in Ceylon, It is a skeleton house, being made of railway iron, covered 

 with wire netting. In the centre, under the dome, is a rockery seven feet square with a specimen of a 

 tree fern ( Cyathea serra) in the middle, its stem five feet high, covered with a curious leafless orchid 



