66 



ported. What should be aimed at, is, to be able to send fruit to the 

 market when Florida cannot do so. If we find it possible to bud or 

 graft in our climate, this problem will be solved. For many years the 

 process of budding oranges in the island have failed to produce satis- 

 factory results ; and, it is possible, that the failure has occured, because 

 there is no natural check to vegetation, like a winter season, with a rise 

 of the sap again in spring, when budding is carried on. Experiments 

 are being carried on to determine whether we can successfully give the 

 check in other ways. The particular kind of grafting known as inarch- 

 ing has been very successfully worked, and thousands of good orange 

 plants have been distributed, but the original trees used for this purpose 

 have been worked out. In the hill country below Cinchona, Mr. Harris 

 has given demonstrations on the method of inarching on trees belonging 

 to settlers, and explained why the process is of value. 



The following plants imported from Florida are doing fairly well at 

 Hope : — Maltese straight, Maltese Blood, St. Michael's Blood, Man- 

 darin, Tangerine, Mel. Sweet. 



The experiments in budding oranges on old Lime trees promise to be 

 successful. 



The best elevation for Oranges is between 2,000 and 3,500 feet ele- 

 vation, and Government land near Cinchona might be utilised for the 

 cultivation of the Orange and other plants suitable to that altitude. 



Tea is grown at Cinchona, and if labour by coolies were available, this 

 product might be cultivated for home use, since there is an import duty 

 of Is. per lb. 



Nutmegs. — More than 7,000 plants have been distributed during the 

 year. Selected seeds are imported from the finest plantation in Grena- 

 da, germinated and grown at Hope until they are fit for planting out. If 

 planters imported the seed themselves, the plants, by the time they 

 were fit for putting out, would probably cost them at least 6d. each, 

 whereas they can now get strong plants at the Gardens for l^d. each. 



Fodder Plants. — Experiments in fodder plants were originally under- 

 taken at the request of a coffee planter in the hills, who wished particu- 

 larly to get a grass suitable for a "common." The most promising of 

 the grasses for pasture appears to be the Kentucky Blue Grass (Poa 

 pratensis). It is very popular in the United States as a pasture grass 

 and the famous Kentucky mules are fed on it. It is said to be suited to 

 a variety of soils, but it dries up during a protracted drought, springing 

 up again when the rain falls. The Texas Blue Grass (Poa arachnifera) 

 so far does not seem quite to equal the Kentucky Blue Grass, but in 

 the southern United States it is said that the longest, driest and hottest 

 summer fails to injure it. Both these grasses are frequently sown to- 

 gether. The clovers experimented with have not been successful. The 

 white clover (Trifolium repens) however grows well. Polygonum sa~ 

 chalinense grows at the Hill Garden, but at present does not take posses- 

 sion of the ground as it does in the Old World. 



Some are inclined to think that having Guinea Grass, there is no need 

 to experiment with any other fodder ; but though Guinea Grass springs 

 up naturally in some parts of the island, and is suitable for certain dis- 

 tricts, this is not the case in other parts. 



The experiments in the Gardens have hitherto been only tentative and- 

 on a very small scale. They should now be carried out more extensively.- 



