296 



an apprentice will be entitled to be appointed to be a garden 

 assistant at a botanical station or experimental farm or garden 

 of the Gold Coast Colony on a salary of £50 a year rising by 

 annual increments to £<^0 a year. 

 13. " His further progress will depend upon his ability and 

 trustworthiness, and there is no reason why he should not rise 

 to be an Assistant Curator on £100 — £150 a year." 

 Under this scheme two apprentices are under preliminary training 

 under the Curator of the botanic station of the Gold Coast, and if fa- 

 vourably reported on, will proced to Jamaica. 



Hope Gardens. 



1 he follo\\ ing report is by the Superintendent, Mr. Wm. Cradwick : — 



Economic Flants : — Nutmegs. The tree which bore such a heavy 

 crop in 1895-96, bore only a few fruits this year ; this tree produces 

 small round fruits. One of ihe trees producing the large elliptical 

 fruits has a much heavier ciop, as near as can be estimated, about 

 500 fruits, but they are not quite so fine as last year. The irees on 

 the whole look very well indeed, which proves after so dry a year as 

 we have just passed through that the nutmeg is a ti ee which can be 

 cultivated successfully even with only partial irrigation. 



Unsuccessful attempts have beenii ade to bud nutmegs, but inarch- 

 ing will now be tried. 



Liherian Coffee. The old trees of Liberian Coffee have improved 

 a good deal during this year, I can scarcely give a reason, except that 

 the improvement is the result of two year's careful cultivation watering 

 and manuring. 



The young plantation of Liberian Coffee has also greatly improved, 

 most ol the trees look nice and green and many have flowered. Scale 

 insects are a great pest on these plants however, and it is necessary 

 to be continually spraying seme oi the trees. Seme ot the trees are 

 now nearly six feet high and have good strong laterals, some of the 

 trees will be topped and some allowed to grow naturally. 



Arabian Coffee. The small plantation of Arabian Coffee now two 

 and a half years old is still thriving, some of the trees yielded as 

 much as blbt. of coffee and there is a promise of a large crop this year. 

 The trees are in many cases putting on secondary branches, and in 

 every way look very strong and vigorous, at present they are superior 

 to the Liberian with identical treatment. Another planting of trees 

 has been made numbering 52 plants. 



Abbeokuta Coffee. This still looks as healthy as ever, except one 

 or tw^o trees which have been troubled with scale insects in the same 

 way as the Liberian : it is just commencing to flower. 



iStenophylla Coffee. These plants have improved in appearance and 

 look fairly well, one tree began to flower abut the middle of Febru- 

 ary. Another plantation of 21 trees has been made further down the 

 economic ground. 



Mocho Coffee, so callid. The plants of the supposed Mocho Coffee 

 have grown fairly w ell, but it is now apparent that there are two 

 varieties fiomthe seeds we received, one apparently ordinary Arabian, 

 the other a much more upright growing tree with smaller leaves which 

 are also more upright than those of the ordinary Arabian. 



