7 



tion ; and besides other Nutmegs which have also dropped might have had sufficient food for full de- 

 velopment. This natural waste can be prevented by the care of man, and that in two ways, either by 

 providing sufficient food in the soil for all the fruit ; or by picking ofi in the youngest stage all the 

 surplus Nutmegs, only leaving such a number as will come to full maturity. The best food is cattle, 

 or stable, manure. Even in the supply of food, care has to be taken that the tree is not weakened by over 

 production of fruit, and so rendered an easy prey to disease. Some years ago the Nutmeg groves of 

 Singapore, which were very highly manured, and bore enormous crops, were suddenly destroyed by 

 some unknown disease, and many planters were ruined. 



Mr. J. Richard Reece, who takes a keen interest in the agricultural progress of the Island, has 

 since forwarded the following note by Mr. Dobson : — 



" The Nutmeg tree at Carton is 22 feet high. It is 26 years old and has been bearing for the last 

 10 years. At first great numbers of the nuts dropped off before reaching maturity. Seeing this, I 

 had tho ground around the tree about the radius of 8 feet thoroughly picked (with a pick axe), and 

 had a hogshead of sheep manure (which had not been exposed to the weather, consequently very 

 strong) scattered around. From that time hardly any of the nuts have dropped and it has borne very 

 plentifully. We must gather fully 200 nuts per annum from it. The tree is very luxuriant. The 

 soil on which the tree grows is of a black loose sandy nature. The nuts when properly cured are the 

 size of the average nutmegs bought at tho shops. I have tried several times to plant the seed (which 

 grows very readily) but as fast as they sprout, insects eat them down." 



To prevent the attacks of insect, the seedlings might be dusted over with Paris Green, or lime 

 might be sprinkled on tho surface of the ground round the young plants. 



Manure will hasten the production of fruit by the young tree, so that it will boar some years 

 earlier, especially if it is not situated favourably in deep rich soil. 



Manure is also valuable in preventing the dropping of the Nutmegs unripe, and it in this way 

 prevents loss. 



It also increases the natural productiveness, and the tree yields a larger crop. 



If a tree yields only 10 pounds of Nutmegs in the year and one pound of mace ; and even putting 

 a low value on both, viz., two shillings a pound for Nutmegs, and two shillings and sixpence for Mace, 

 the annual value of a tree is £1 2s. 6d. 



A child sowing a few good Nutmegs, and tending the plants with care, will in 7 or 8 years begin 

 to got fruit, and for every tree that bears will receive at least £1 a year for 60 or 70 years. 



FERNS: SYNOPTICAL LIST.— XI. 



Synoptical List, with description, of the Ferns and Fern- Allies of Jamaica, by G. S. Jenman, Superin~ 



tendent Botanical Gardens, Demerara, ( continued ). 



15. Adiantmn puutihtin, Swartz. — Stipes slender, 1^-3 in. 1. polished, rusty or naked ; fronds simply 

 pinnate, or the base bipinnate, the former ^-f in. w. the latter 1-2 in. w. firm, naked, dull glossy and 

 faintly striated above ; segments few or several to a side, alternate, oblong, subdimidiate, rounded or 

 subovate, 2-4 li. 1. 1^-2 li. w. barren finely denticulate terminal narrow, lobed at the base, inferior 

 subdistant ; veins free, radiating, fine, close, forked; sori close ; short, subreniform or roundish, around 

 the upper margins. 



" Rare on shady rocks and old trees." — Swartz. The above description is chiefly taken from Swartz's 

 specimens in the British Museum, aided by larger bipinnate ones of my own that appear to be the 

 same. There are six little fronds in all of Swartz ; only one of which is fertile, three segments of which 

 bear a simple sorus each, about a third of a line wide, The stipites are \-\\ in. 1. fronds simply pin- 

 nate, 2 in. 1. in. w., segments 6-8 to a side, the lower ones orbicular- cuneate the upper ovate-cuneate, 

 the terminal rather elongated and bluntish. A doubtfully distinct species, probably some member of 

 tho striatum group in young state. 



16. A. nigrescens, Fee. — Stipes 5-8 or more in. 1. black polished, channelled, slightly scaly at the 

 very base ; fronds bi-tripinnate, f-1 ft. 1. £-f ft. w. firm, dark dull green, striated, rachis and costao 

 polished, glabrous, or slightly rusty-puberulous ; pinnee spreading nearly horizontally, 3-4 or more to a 

 side, subdistant or distant, shortly petiolate, 3^-6 in. 1. 1-1J in. w. the lowest usually shortly bipinnate 

 at the base segments numerous, contiguous or close, subdimidiate, rather widest at the base ; the 

 upper edge much longer than the lower, forming with the oblique outer edge a blunt or acute point, 

 denticulate, slightly pedicillate, ^-f in. 1. 2-3 li. w. terminal largest, subdeltoid, equilateral, rather 

 elongated, lobed or incised at the base ; veins fine close, repeatedly forked, radiating ; sori contiguous, 

 small, slightly concave ; occupying the centres of the slight lobules of the upper and probably also of 

 the outer margins. 



Infrequent, collected by Miss Taylor, who gives no locality, but probably on the Port Royal or 

 Portland Mountains. The specimen agrees exactly with a type specimen of Fee's in the Kew Herba- 

 rium, and is a very distinct species, but Fee's figure, Icon. t. 11 fig. 2 appears to be a variety of A. stri- 

 atum, Swartz. A. nigresGtns has the striated surface of this group, but with smooth brightly polished 

 black stipites, rachis, and costoc, and hair-like similarly black and polished short pedicels to the seg- 

 ments. Its nearest affinity is with crcnatum, which however is much more robust. 



17. A striatum, Swartz. — Rootstock short-creeping, densely scaly ; stipites f-lj ft. 1. naked, dull 

 blackish, rough surfaced, fronds stiff, tripinnate at the base, £-l£ ft. 1. 6-10 in. w. the substance hard 

 and rigid but not thick, dull dark groen, the upperside rather glossy and much striated, rachis and costue 

 dull, stiff, though relatively slender, the latter slightly scurfy ; pinnae erect- spreading, 4-7 in. 1. £-1 in. 

 w. contiguous or subdistant ; segments very numerous, close, subdimidiate, oblong, or the lower ovate or 



