5 



waters which these now carry, used to do considerable damage to the nutmeg trees and 

 especially to our large mangosteen tree. At the end of the ravine, near the Giant 

 Bamboo, abutments have been put to the stone bridge, for greater safety of carriages 

 coming to the nurseries. It is much improved in appearance. 



VISITORS. 



The number of visitors who registered at the garden's office is less than last year 

 by 53 than for 1892, but this may probably be accounted for by the fact that the 

 residence of the Governor was unoccupied for a portion of the year. His Excellency 

 being on leave, and the building undergoing repair. There was a large attendance of 

 visitors, however, who did not register. 



Prominent among the names of the list are those of Mr. J. E. Haynes, Mayor of 

 Newark, New Jersey. Major Mason, Chicago. Commodore Beaumont. Dr. and Mrs. 

 Blandford. J. J. Quelch, Esq. Baron Eggers. Marquis of Hamilton. The Earl and 

 Countess of Harewood. Judge Bell of Ontario. Mr. Henshaw of Staten Island. Sir 

 Benjamin Stone, F.L.S., and Colonel Howard Vincent, M.P. 



A great attraction has been the electric eel, Oymnotus electricus, especially to 

 the officers and men of the various merchant and war-ships which have visited Port- 

 of-Spain. We have now had this animal over three years. It was fed on worms 

 and small fish.* 



NURSERIES. 



I have again to report a successful year of nursery work. The stock on hand 

 has been fully maintained. The distribution of orange plants was not so large as had 

 been expected, notwithstanding their being advertised at the low rate of 25c. per 100. 



The distribution for the year stands as follows : — 



DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS AND SEEDS, 1893. 



Table I. 



Where Distributed. 



Plants. 



Seeds. 



To places 

 To places 

 Locally . 



outside the Island ... 

 outside the Island ... 



6,089 

 15,598 



411 packages. 



) countable 

 350 ) 





Total Distribution 



21,687 



11,850 and 441 packages. 



The detail of our receipts is seen in Table II. It should be observed that 

 the receipts are naturally much less than the distributions. This arises owing to 

 Table I. including all our plant sales as well as plants distributed free of charge, and 

 exchanges. Table II. includes merely receipts from exchanges and the few purchases 

 that are annually made. 



PLANTS AND SEEDS RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE. 

 Table II. 



Plants. 



Seeds. 



490 



262 Packages. 



Among our exchanges during 1893 we received a valuable collection of East 

 Indian Orchids suitable for our warm damp climate. These were obtained for a con- 

 signment of Oncidium ampliatum or the "Yellow Bee" as it is locally called. We 

 also obtained new varieties of Eucharis in exchange for ordinary tubers. 



Prom the Royal Gardens, Kew, we received the usual annual consignment. The 

 value of the contributions to our garden from this establishment cannot be too highly 

 estimated, for the year seldom passes without plants of interesting and useful char- 

 acter being received from them for trial in our climate. Plants, it may be mentioned, 

 which it would be almost impossible to procure anywhere else but at a public estab- 

 lishment, part of whose time is devoted to the task of searching for and supplying 

 useful plants to Colonial Gardens. Among the plants sent in 1893 is one labelled 

 "Coffee, s^. Sierra Leone," raised from seeds collected by Mr. Scott Elliott in Africa 

 when on the delimitation committee of the Angle-French Frontier in 1892. 



* I am sorry to say that it died on 22nd February, 1894. 



