5 



October, 1889 



November " 



December " 



January, 1890 



February " 



Marcb 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August " 

 September " 

 October " 

 November " 

 December " 

 January, 1891 

 February " 

 March 



Averages 



Means 



Month. 



Temperature. 



Max. 



73.4 

 77.2 

 67.4 

 67.8 

 67.3 

 66.1 

 67.4 

 70.2 

 70.7 

 74.7 

 73.0 

 72.0 

 71.2 

 74.2 

 66.7 

 66.7 

 68.4 

 67.3 



70.0 



Min. 



58.6 

 58.7 

 56.2 

 58.6 

 57.7 

 57.7 

 56.6 

 59.1 

 55.7 

 59.5 

 59.4 

 60.2 

 58.5 

 54.9 

 55.5 

 58.7 

 59.0 

 56.1 



57.8 



63.9 



Barometer. 



7 a.m. 



25 



.317 



.359 

 .343 

 .355 

 .350 

 .293 

 .350 

 .306 

 .324 

 .245 

 .222 

 .315 

 .201 



295 



25.3005 



3 p.m. 



25 



312 

 355 

 295 

 243 

 336 

 294 

 298 

 281 

 315 

 232 

 200 

 232 

 192 



234 



25.2525 



25.2765 



Total 

 100.04 



Hope Gardens. 



Mr. William Harris, Superintendent at Hope Gardens, has been a constant victim of malarial 

 fever, produced in great measure by the refuse removed from the Reservoirs of the Kingston and 

 Liguanea Water Works. It has not only been a serious matter for himself and his family, but the 

 frequently recurring interruptions in the performance of his duties have been detrimental to the public 

 service, and have hindered the progress of the work in the Gardens. From his report I take the fol- 

 lowing : — 



The work at these Gardens has consisted to a great degree in hoeing and billing grass and bush, 

 and endeavouring by every available means to eradicate the noxious weeds which infest the grounds. 

 To aid in this work, and to assist in some measure in lessening the great expense attendant thereon, 

 portions of the grounds have been planted with Guinea corn and maize, but owing to the exceedingly 

 dry weather which has prevailed for such an extended period, the crops yielded have been very much 

 smaller than they otherwise would have been, indeed one crop of maize was almost a total failure. 

 The intention is to plant a few more crops, however, and if the seasons are more favourable, better 

 results may be looked for. Undoubtedly the corn has assisted to a great extent in keeping down 

 weeds and the grounds are gradually being thoroughly cleaned. 



Drives. — The drive running through the Teak plantation crosses a small gully which is dry ex- 

 cept after heavy rains. Instead of filling it up and thus directing the water which occasionally ac- 

 cumulates into another channel it was thought better to bridge the gully ; a culvert has therefore been 

 built of sufficient dimensions to carry off a large volume of water and prevent injury to the drive. 

 Large cement drain pipes have been laid at two other places where an open drain to carry off the 

 waste water from the Water Works reservoirs crossed the drives. 



Ponds. — A pond for growing aquatic plants has been excavated and some lilies have baeu placed 

 in it; the water weed, Char a, is however very troublesome. 



iHsal Hemp. — 23,000 suckers of Sisul Hemp {Agave rigida var. Sisalana) were imported from 

 Turks Island. A plantation of about 30 acres of this plant has been established and the plants are 

 doing well, Many of the suckers obtained from Turks Island were small and weak, and a nursery 

 was formed of these and they have thriven remarkably well, being now as large, almost, as those in 

 the plantation, or field. Our field was at first overrun by stray stock, but by putting the fences then 

 existing in good order, and running a new fence we have been able to keep the stock out. 



The Sisal Hemp is admirably suited for growing on the hot, dry plains of the Liguanea, it re- 

 quires little cultivation and seems to thrive in any poor, rocky soil. 



Onions. — In the latter end of November last, half-an-acre of ground was carefully prepared for 

 Onion seed imported from the Canary Islands. The seeds germinated freely and the plants have 

 done well, many of them forming good, large sized bulbs. 



