108 



rum. Natural advantages count for a great deal, but in these days of 

 competition — and of late years Jamaica rum has suffered considerably 

 from it, the victory will ultimately fall to those who know how to - 

 combine the benefit conferred by natural advantages with the power to- 

 be derived from scientific enlightenment. 



TEAK. 



The small plantation of Teak at Hope Gardens was set out in 1874,, 

 just 21 years ago, the seeds having been received from Kew Grardens 

 from Sir Joseph (then Dr.) Hooker. In little more than a year, the 

 young trees had attained a height of ten or twelve feet. In three years- 

 they were 20 feet high. Since that time the increase in height has been 

 gradually slower, but the actual increase of wood has been going on as 

 quickly, and is equal to that of trees growing in their natural forests in 

 India under similar conditions of soil, elevation and rainfall. The heart- 

 wood is of good proportion, and splendid gate posts have been obtained 

 from a few trees that weie cut down to form the Vinery. Colonel Mal- 

 colm, of Knockalva, was so impressed on a recent visit with the value of 

 the wood even of trees only of 21 years of age, which could be thinned 

 out of a regular plantation, that he has asked to be supplied with a. 

 bushel of seed for sowing on his property. 



Teak seems to grow well on any soil, provided the sub-soil is dry and 

 the drainage perfect ; but it appears to be mo*t vigorous on sand>tone, 

 limestone and soil produced by the disintegration of granite or basalt. 



The climate of Jamaica is well suited for it. The mean annual tem- 

 perature which suits it best lies between 72° F. and 8 1°, but it can with- 

 stand much lower temperatures 



It succeeds perfectly in southern India on the hills, as high as two 

 thousand five hundred feet, and although it is found as high as 4,000 

 feet, it is generally of poor growth above 3,000 feet. 



The average annual rainfall at Hope is nearly 53 inches. Teak will 

 thrive with an annual rainfall any where between 50 and 120 inches, and 

 will grow even with as small a rainfall as 80 inches. 



The best way to germinate the seeds is to sow in beds under shade at the 

 beginning of April, lightly covering with soil to a depth of nearly j of 

 an inch, and then placing over the bed straw to retain the moisture. 

 The seed should be steeped in water for 24 hours previous to sowing. If 

 there is no rain the beds must be watered. The seed should germinate 

 in 10 to 20 days. 



When a tree is cut down, numerous shoots spring up, and grow r at first 

 much more rapidly than seedlings. Some of the Teak forests in India- 

 consist only of coppice wood. 



As a timber its commercial value ranks next to mahogany. 



Gamble in his * 'Manual of Indian Timbers," says. " The sapwood is 

 white and small ; the heartwood when cut green has a pleasant and 

 strong aromatic, fragrance and a beautiful dark golden yellow colour, 

 which on seasoning soon darkens into brown mottled with darker 

 streaks. The timber Tetains its fragrance to a great age, the character- 

 istic odour being apparent whenever a fresh cut is made. It is mo- 

 derately hard, exceedingly durable and strong, does not split, crack, 

 warp, shrink or alter its shape when once seasoned, works easily and 

 takes a good polish." 



