203 



their usual good condition, and demonstrations given there by Mr. 

 Thompson on Grape Culture. 



The additional entrance gates on the east and west sides of the Parade 

 Garden, and at the corners where the fountains are situated have caused 

 a very great increase in the numbers of people passing through. The 

 consequence is that the grass lawns which ought to form such a delight- 

 ful feature of all gardens, and especially of those in cities, are here very 

 much trodden down, and have become unsightly. I recommend that 

 provision be made on the estimates for low fences to be placed round 

 the lawns as is done in St. James' Park, London, and in other city 

 gardens. Thus while free passage would be still maintained, the eyes 

 of passers-by would be gladdened and refreshed by the sight of the 

 green lawns. 



Bath Garden has been immensely improved in consequence of the 

 expenditure of the larger amount voted for it. A new iron fence has 

 been erected, labels placed on all the plants, and other improvements 

 effected. 



I was absent on leave from the island for six months, nearly the 

 whole of which time was devoted to work in connection with this De- 

 partment. 



I have to record my obligations to Mr. Thistleton-Dyer, Director of 

 Kew Gardens, for the facilities afforded me for study at Kew, where I 

 spent a considerable time during my stay in England. I have also to 

 thank him and Dr. Morris for a great deal of most kind personal help 

 in agricultural matters relating to Jamaica. 



Some weeks were spent in constant daily work in the Bacteriological 

 Laboratory of King's College, London ; and some weeks also in Copen- 

 hagen, studying in Prof. Jdrgensen's Laboratory. I also visited Berlin. 

 Whilst in England I interviewed a number of merchants in J^ondon on 

 points relating to economic products of Jamaica, and went to Sawbridge- 

 worth in Hertfordshire to see Mr. Rivers on the subject of Orange and 

 other fruit trees. 



Special attention was given to the diseases of plants and I had favour- 

 able opportunities at the Jodrell Laboratory in Kew Gardens for study- 

 ing the Sugar Cane Rind and Root Disease under the guidance of Mr. 

 Geo. Massee, Assistant at Kew for Fungi. Prof. Frank in Berlin, and 

 Prof. Rostrup in Copenhagen, who are well known in connection with 

 plant diseases, have excellent collections of illustrative specimens, which 

 they were good enough to go over with me. The Bacteria which are 

 connected with the diseases of plants have not been so fully investi- 

 •gated as those which are hurtful to animal life, though Prof. Arthur in 

 the United States has shown that Pear Blight is due to the attacks of 

 a Micrococcus. Bacteria are also concerned in healthy physiological 

 processes, and it is only quite lately that it has been shown of what im- 

 mense importance to agriculture some kinds are in accumulating nitro- 

 gen from the air for the use of certain plants. 



In Copenhagen I studied different yeasts which produce fermenta- 

 tion, and the wild yeasts and other microbes which prejudicially affect 

 the quality of fermented liquors, which form in fact their diseases. 



The discoveries of Pasteur embodied in his works, Etudes sur le Vin 

 and Etudes sur la Biere, proved clearly the dependence of the process 

 of fermentation on yeast-plants ; but it remained to Hansen in Den- 



