7 



In 1873, the report of the gardens states : 



ArrangementB have heen made to commence operations at Hope, with the 

 view of establishing a pleasure garden and a small sugar cane farm for ex- 

 perimenting upon new varieties of canes. The climate of the Castleton 

 garden is too humid for numerous species of plants, which wiH find a con- 

 genial home in the drier climate of the Liguanea The establishment 



of this garden, simultaneously with that on the Parade, coupled with the 

 greatly increased command of water in the course of being brought to 

 Kingston, must undoubtedly constitute a new era in the history of horti- 

 culture in Jamaica. 



It was found advisable to secure the services of a skilled European 

 gardener at Cinchona. Accordingly Mr. Nock arrived here in April, 

 1874, from Kew gardens. He devoted attention to the cultivation of 

 European vegetables, which he hoped to show may be successfully 

 grown in great abundance and variety under our conditions of climate. 

 Mr. Thomson says in 1875, that : 



Mr. Nock has been very successful in producing an assortment of vege- 

 tables such as are not grown elsewhere in the island. It is to be hoped 

 that the peasantry will initiate the cultivation of similar vegetables, as 

 these experiments show that at this height (5000 feet above the sea) almost 

 all European vegetables can be grown with advantage. 



These hopes have been fulfilled, for the peasantry now grow all kin d 

 of English" vegetables in the Hill gardens district. 



In 1876 a plantation of Liberian coffee was established at Castleton. 



W ith reference to the ''Hope experimental grounds," Mr. Thomson 

 wrote : 



It is about three years since the government obtained possession of up- 

 wards of 200 acres of Hope land, contiguous to, and for the most part 

 under the level of the Hope reservoirs. The acquisition of this land afford- 

 ed an excellent opportunity for experimenting upon the numerous new 

 varieties of canes that had just been imported from the Mauritius botanic 

 garden. "While this matter was under consideration, it was also proposed 

 that the beautifully situated land in question should be utilised in a variety 

 of ways. Among other schemes it was proposed that, in consideration of 

 the accessibility of this locality to Kingston, a pleasure garden should be 

 formed for the inhabitants of that city. 



But the want of water prevented anything more being done than 

 planting out a few canes, and forming a small nursery. 



The collection of new suger canes, embracing some sixty varieties of new 

 canes, imported a few years ago from the Mauritius botanic garden, was in 

 the first place establiseed at Castleton garden. As the necessary scope and 

 appliances at Castleton for the experimental cultivation of these canes on a 

 sufficiently large scale were not obtainable, advantage was taken of the 

 government land at Hope to carry out the necessary experiments. Ac- 

 cordingly in 1874 the first batch of canes, consisting of eighteen varieties, 

 was transferred to Hope and planted to the extent of nearly an acre each. 

 In 1875 the remaining varieties at Castleton, numbering upwards of forty, 

 were removed to Hope, and there planted in small plots in order to ensure 



