17 



Mr. Nicholls worked for five months, from lat November, 1891, to Slst March, 1892, with great 

 energy and perseverance, and entirely to my sutisfaotion. Every specimen in the accumulations of 

 plants of more than five years passed through his hands, and was placed in its natural order. Many 

 which before this, had not been represented in the Herbarium cabinets, were added to the collections, 

 many more also were referred to their proper genus or species, and all were placed in order for further work. 



Mr. Nicholls employed his evenings in working up the microscopic anatomy of the leaf of Sisal 

 Hemp, a subject which is of special importance in estimating the value of michiuery for the extraction 

 of the fibre, and he read a paper, giving the results of his investigations, before the Jamaica Institute 

 which will be published in due course. 



Library, 



The Library has received several valuable additions. Its importance is great in carrying on the 

 work of the Department. The List of Books obtained during the year is added in the Appendix. 



Hope Industrial School. 



This School was founded, and placed on a portion of the Hope Grounds, in order that the boys 

 might have the opportunity of instruction and of practice in general agricultural operations. 



The School is put under the management of the Hon. T. Capper, and under the general supervi- 

 sion of the Board of Visitors of the Reformatory Schools, Five or six boys are sent into the gardens 

 for three hours work in the morning, and another set in the afternoon. At other times they are em- 

 ployed in School, or at work round the School-house under a Schoolmaster. 



A warder looks after them in the Hope Garden. The staff in the garden is barely sufficient for 

 the proper garden work, and it is therefore not possible to give any direct teaching. But provision 

 was made out of the Vole for Instructors for obtaining the services of Mr. McNair to teach the boys 

 how to cultivate and cure cocoa. The result has been most satisfactory. I cjnsidered myself fortu- 

 nate in being able to secure the services of Mr. McNair. He was engaged for some time in the de- 

 partment in former years, having charge of the experimental grounds at Hope, and was lately most 

 successful in founding a Botanical Station in Lugos. But as he is leaving Jamaica to start a Station 

 in British Honduras, other provision must be made. 



Instruction in an Agricultural School should combine theoretical explanation with practical work 

 in the garden ; as being the only way to put intelligence into the hand of labour. Theory and practice 

 should be taught by the same instructor both in the field and schoolroom. 



The office of Instructor is a most important, and at the same time a most difficult one. There are 

 many very different cultures, requiring special modes of treatment in the field, and of preparation in 

 curing, packing, &c., for the market. The rationale of these requires to be understood. The Instruc- 

 tor should be conversant with theory, and have the somewhat rare faculty of being able to impart his 

 knowledge, and interest others in the work. It would probably be necessary to apply to one of the 

 Agricultural Colleges for an Instructor, He would have himself a great deal to learn of tropical 

 agriculture, but with his scientific training, it would not be difficult to acquire this knowledge. 



If it be objected that expenditure for this object is not warranted when there are only perhaps 30 

 boys, it must be pointed out that the very object of starting the Industrial School wag for the special 

 purpose of teaching the boys the principles of agriculture, and if there is no Instructor, the school 

 must prove a failure in that respect. 



The Instructor would take advantage of various operations going on in the gardens for the pur-, 

 pose of instructing the boys and there would be special cultures to be attended to in their proper 

 seasons. 



One such special culture should be cocoa. It is most important that every means should be taken 

 to improve the quality of the Jamaica product, and instruction of the boys at Hope should come in as 

 part of the general scheme. 



It is proposed to buy cocoa from small settlers, have it cured at Hope, and shipped with the ex- 

 pectation of getting a better price than is obtainable for the ordinary cocoa. The settlers would then 

 be told what their cocoa realized in the market. 



This process must be continuous ; one or two consignments would not exercise any appreciable effect. 



Cocoa might be purchased from each cocoa district throughout the Island in turn, in sufficient 

 quantity to send a consignment. 



After purchasing from all the districts in succession the round should again be taken up, in 

 order to impress the people by constant repetition. 



Only a certain quantity can be cured at Hope at one time, and therefore no very immediate results 

 can be anticipated as regards the general improvement of the Island produce. 



The curing and cultivation of cocoa should always be one of the subjects taught at the Industrial 

 School, first, because it is so important for the Island where the art is not understood to such an ex- 

 tent as curing of coffee, making sugar, &c, ; secondly, because it is a subject of practical instruction 

 very well adapted for_developing careful and patient attention ; thirdly, because there is generally 

 abundance of cocoa to be had as material to work upon. 



Other subjects of instruction might be the cultivation of grapes, of pine apples, of Sisal Hemp, of 

 Tobacco. 



If several Industrial Schools should at some future time be started in different parts of the coun- 

 try, then each one should take as its main subject such a culture as is most important in its special 

 district according to the zone of vegetation, the orange in one, cocoa in another, coffoe, tobacco, vege- 

 tables, grapes, &c., in others. 



The best boys at each school might be drafted to Hope for general instruction, and after some 

 years of work would be capable of taJsing poets as managers, or Instructors, 



