288 



actual experiment, but there is little doubt in my mind tbat unless the 

 plant has the correct marking it is useless to expect good fruit from it. 



Bananas. — 15 rows of the plants each were planted for the purpose of 

 testing the effects of different manures, the ground was carefully pre- 

 pared and the plants throve well at first, but when the long drought 

 settled down and it became a question of providing enough water to 

 keep them alive, it was soon apparent that the experiment was doomed 

 to be a failure. 



Oranges. The budded trees by the glass house have grown well but 

 have fruited very little. 



In consequence of the importance which the orange industry has 

 assumed of late, an Orange Grove of nearly three acres has been laid 

 out at Hope ; here a thorough trial of the merits of different varieties 

 of Citrus as stocks will be thoroughly tested at present we have the 

 following plants growing : — 



18 Tangierine on rough Lemon Stocks. 



18 Sweet Oranges on rough Lemon Stocks. 



19 Sweet Oranges on Sour Orange Stocks. 

 19 Sweet Oranges on Sweet Orange Stocks. 

 6 Imperial Lemon on Sweet Orange Stocks. 

 10 Imperial Lemon on rough Lemon Stocks. 



5 Grape Fruit (Castleton var.) on rough Lemon Stocks. 



6 " " " " on Sweet Orange Stocks. 

 12 " " on rough Lemon Stocks. 



4 Melrose Shaddocks on rough Lemon Stocks. 

 32 Navel Oranges 



Mangoes. Quantities of seedlings have been transplanted into beds r 

 these are transplanted about every four months in order to compel them 

 to make plenty of fibrous roots ; as soon as they are large enongh they 

 are put into large sized clay pots and used for grafting. 



Durian. I regret to have to report that the Durian after growing 

 nicely in a pot, died soon after being planted out. 



Ramie. The old plots of Ramie continue to thrive according to the 

 treatment they have received, that which was plantod in good land has 

 thriven fairly well, that which was planted on thin soil has not 

 thriven at all. 



The new plot of 3 chains planted at the request of the Agricultural 

 Society in November at a cost of £1 0s. Od. per square chain, planted 

 exactly as described in the leaflet, has owing to the severe drought, 

 grown very badly. In fact with our very limited and uncertain rain- 

 fall growing Ramie as a commercial venture would be utterly out of 

 the question. If the plants are put in the beds in the way advised in 

 the pamphlet and they are properly cared and watered, plants can be 

 raised in large quantities very rapidly. 



Correspondence — The Correspondence for the year is 4,409 letters re- 

 ceived, 5,349 letters despatched. 



