64 



From Botanic Gardens, Hong Kong, one packet of seed was re- 

 ceived ; one from the Acclimatization Society's Garden, Brisbane ; 

 five from the Botanic Garden, Rockhampton ; 75 from the Botanic 

 Garden, Adelaide, South Australia ; 50 from Baron Sir F. Yon 

 Mueller, Government Botanist, Melbourne ; 29 from Botanic Gar- 

 dens, Melbourne ; 10 from Botanic Gardens, New Zealand ; 5 from 

 Botanic Gardens, Montreal ; 25 from Messrs. Milner and Smith, 

 Sydney ; 42 Orchids from Messrs. Sander & Co., England. 



From Messrs. Damman, Teduccio, Italy, one lb. of Orris seed, ( Iris 

 florentina and I. germanica ). 



The orris-root of commerce is produced by these plants and a third 

 species, Iris pallida. They are all grown for the sake of their rhizomes 

 in the country about Florence, being known to the peasants of Tuscany 

 indiscriminately as giaggiolo The cultivation is of secondary import- 

 ance, the plants being placed on the edges of terraces, and on waste stony 

 places contiguous to cultivated grounds. The rhizomes are harvested 

 in the autumn of every third year. The plants are dug up early in the 

 autumn, before commencing the next year's growth ; the leaves are cut 

 back, and each root is severed just below the base of the leaves. The 

 head is then replanted and grows vigorously. It flourishes best in poor 

 soil and receives no manure. The rhizomes are spread out to dry and 

 ripen in the open air and sunshine. They are then peeled and trimmed. 

 The prepared pieces are brought into commerce entire ; or, in fragments, 

 as parings ; or as powder ; or manufactured into " peas." Orris-root is 

 chiefly used as an ingredient in toilet powders, in sachets, and in per- 

 fumery— for the latter purpose it is largely employed. 



Plants, or bulbs, or seeds have been also received from the follow- 

 ing:— 



Revd, E. B. Key, Mrs. Heaven, Mrs. Henderson, Miss Roberts, Miss 

 Burke, Miss Gordon, Miss Maclaverty, His Honour J. R. Reece, Dr. 

 Henderson, Revd. H. H. Isaacs, Messrs. Geo. Nash, T. Jackson, J. W. 

 Fisher, C. H. Levy, C. R. Walker, R. K. Tomlinson, S Soutar, Admiral 

 Ammen, Washington ; T. Christy, London ; H. Caracciolo, Trinidad. 



Amongst the ornamental plants received from Kew was Gamoensia 

 maxima. This plant, a native of tropical Africa, has been described as 

 the most gorgeously beautiful of tropical climbers. According to the 

 Treasury of Botany, the flowers are arranged in pendulous six to eight- 

 flowered axillary racemes, ten inches to a foot in length ; the calyx, 

 which is densely covered with a reddish tomentum, is six or seven in- 

 ches long, slit about half way up into five lanceolate ultimately recurved 

 segments ; the petals are cream coloured with deeper-coloured veins and 

 a golden border having crisped edges, the standard being much longer 

 than the rest, protruding about 4 inches beyond the calyx ; the pod is 

 six to eight inches long. In the catalogue of plants on sale by Mr. 

 Wm. Bull of Chelsea, single plants are put down at 2 and 3 guineas 



EXPERIMENTS IN CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION OF 



PRODUCTS. 



Cocoa — Considerable attention has been paid at Hope to the cultiva- 

 tion and curing of Cocoa. To most people the idea of growing Cocoa 

 in a situation such as the Liguanea Plain would seem absurd ; there is 

 a small rainfall of only 53 inches, and the breeze, blowing up from the 



