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sea, five miles off, and passing over the thirsty ground, is very hot and 

 dry by the time it reaches the Garden. However it is in just such a 

 ease that the value of experiments in a Botanic Garden is evident ; and 

 although in Jamaica the Cocoa industry is perhaps hardly advanced 

 enough as yet to induce enquiries as to the possibility of growing the 

 tree under these conditions, yet such enquiries have been addressed to 

 the Director in Jamaica by planters in Ceylon. 



Several years ago Cocoa was planted along the sides of the stream of 

 waste water, and sheltering trees were put out as protection against the 

 dry winds and too much sunshine. Whilst these were growing up, they 

 possibly may have been subjected to ridicule, but at the present time 

 they show clearly that Cocoa trees will indeed produce good crops even 

 in a dry situation, if they are sheltered by shade trees, and if their roots 

 are irrigated with sufficient water. 



A new patch of Cocoa was planted out by the boys of the Industrial 

 School at some distance from the stream, but unfortunately shortly after 

 the young plants were put out, there was a great scarcity of water, they 

 could not be sufficiently irrigated, and soon perished However, an ex- 

 cellent object lesson was given to the boys on the method of planting, 

 and of the necessity of water and shelter. 



The boys are also thoroughly taught the art of curing Cocoa with 

 simple appliances, — a box to sweat it in, and a wooden tray on which 

 to dry it. The Cocoa may not be as well cured perhaps as it would be 

 on large estates with better machinery, but at any rate it is well done and 

 much better than the ordinary Cocoa of the Island, and all the boys 

 understand curing before they leave the school. If the number of boys 

 were larger, the influence of their training in this one respect alone 

 would be felt throughout the Island. 



Liberian Coffee has been grown for some years at Castleton, and the 

 small plantation there has served to show what are the possibilities of 

 this new product in the Island. The trees at Hope also are an example 

 of what may be expected by the use of irrigation. It was not consider- 

 ed wise to urge planters to undertake its cultivation until it was certain 

 that machinery had been invented suitable to its requirements. The 

 success which has attended Gordon's Machines in the Malay Peninsula 

 and Java justify Sir Joseph Hooker's anticipations as to its future, and 

 the agricultural world of the tropics has to thank Kew for the intro- 

 duction of a new product which it might have taken a century to dis- 

 cover and develop for itself. 



Kola is another product which this Department has been steadily 

 pushing for some time. Care in curing is important, but simple as the 

 process is, it is not always attended to. Perfect drying is essen- 

 tial and in the London Market it is instructive to see the difference in 

 price obtained by the nuts when separated into their component parts 

 and well dried, as compared with that for the nuts not thoroughly cured, 

 mildewy and of a bad colour. 



I am giving attention to the question as to what effect drying in dif- 

 ferent ways has upon its essential chemical properties. It is possible 

 that the native method in Africa of keeping the nuts as fresh as possible 

 is the way to get most out of them. 



Oranges. — The Orange trade should be an important one for the 

 island, and will become so, when only good fruit, well packed, is ex- 



