October i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
275 
Hooker in the collection and distribution of an ex- 
torsive and well known herbarium >f East Indian 
plants, and the joint author of the fiist volume of a 
new Flora ladica. Dr. Thomson retirtd in 1861, and 
was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Anlerson, whose 
untimely death in 1H70 was caused bj disease con- 
tracted during his efforts for the introduction of the 
quinine-yielding Cinchonas into the Sikiim Himalaya. 
For the two years subsequent to D\ Anderson's 
departure from India, Mr. C. B. Cluke acted as 
Superintendent, and during Ins incumbency ho began 
the series ot botanical publications whidi has earned 
for him so high a scientific reputatiou 
"2. Kroni the first foundation of the ;arden, it was 
understood that it was to be made i ' source of 
botanical information for the possessions of the Com- 
pany, and at the samo time a centre to which exotic 
plants of economic interest could be inported for 
experimental cultivation, and from whhh, in turn, 
they could he issued for distribution in tin Company's 
possessions. It was also intended to assiit in intro- 
ducing indigenous Indian products to nev markets. 
It was intended ttiat it should not only be i botanical, 
but also a horticultural and agricultural garden. 
The preeodiug paragraph shows how the botanical 
work laid out for the garden has been accomplished. 
But the economic side has by no mtans been 
neglected. At first, great hopes were entertained 
that the spices which rendered the trads of the 
Company with the Moluccas and other of th) Malay- 
an Islands so valuable, might be oulti'ated in 
Bengal. Tho earliest efforts of Colonel Kyd were 
therefore directed to the introduction of tie trees 
which yield nutmegs, cloves, and cinnamon, and of 
the pepper vines.^ It was, however, speedily prozed that 
the o.imate of Northern India is quite unsuited x> these 
equatorial species. The equatorial fruits, sich as 
mangosteen, laugsat, dukko and broad-fruit, w«re also 
tried with a similar result ; and so were the teaperate 
fruits of Europe. In fact, no small part of the 
benefits conferred on the country by the garien in 
Us early days was tho demonstration by practical ex- 
periment that certain natural products, many of them 
of a mo.->t desirable kind, cannot be grown in Bengal ; 
much money and bootless effort being thus saved to 
the couutry. The introduction of exotic timber trees 
also received early attention ; and in the garden there 
still remain a few of the original rashogany trees in- 
troduced in these early years. The introduction of 
tea was oue'of the items put down in Colonel Kyd'a 
or ginal programme ; aud in the final establishment 
of what h»s now become one of the most important 
industries in Not hern India, the garden bore a most 
important part. Potatoe growing was introduced 
through its agency, and tho cultivation of the quinine- 
yielding Cinchoua of the Andes, was initiated and 
oarried to a successful issue under the direction of 
superintendents of the garden. In tho improvement of 
Indian cotton, and in the introduction both of that 
and of jute to the markets of Europe, the garden 
authorities worked cordially hand in haud with the 
Agri-Horticultural Society of India, with what suc- 
0 — 't is unnecessary to point out. By the intro- 
duction of some of tho best kinds of sugarcane from 
the West Indies, aud the dissemination of these to 
all parts of the country, a considerable improvement 
was effected both in the quality aud quantity of 
the sugar crop of the country. In this matter also 
the Agri-Horticultural Society worked hand in baud 
wrh the garden authorities. Very soon after the 
ciitaiilisfiioHut of the Society just mentioned, a con- 
siderable piece of hud iu tho garden was made 
over to it reut-free, and on this laud the Society 
conducted the greater part of its operations for forty 
V < - In fact, it was not until the year 1872 that 
NX B ditty's garden was transferred to its present 
sit" in Alipore. It is unnecessary to discuss in 
detail the numerous experiments in tho cultivation 
°' "" "ic plants which have been conducted in 
tho garden since its beginning. A few of the pro- 
ducts t i,-, | iniiv sitnplv !> • mi nt ioned. Chief among 
,n ire H it, hemp, t.ib.i. ro, henbane, vanilla, collee 
IAuhtrhu uud Libvnuu), cocoa, ipecacuanha, aloes, 
sarsaparilla, jalap, Indiarubber, cardamoms, tapioca, 
and coca. As regards horiiculture, it mav suffice 
to say that a large proportion of the kinds of ex- 
otic plants now found in private gardens in India 
has been introduced in to the couutry through the 
agency of this garden, and that the. improved 
methods of cultivation which now obtain wero to a 
great extent initiated here. 
"3. In 1820 about fifty acres of land belonging 
to the garden were made over by Government to 
the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, 
and on this land the Society founded the institu- 
tion so long known as Bishop's College, but since 
1880 (owing to its re-trausfer to Government) as 
the Government Engineering College. In the year 
186-1 the gardeu was devastated by a cyclonic storm 
of extraordinary violence, which either uprooted or 
broke to pieces the majority of the trees in it and 
by blowing down all the plant-houses, hopelessly 
crushed their contents. The few trees which escaped 
on that occasion were sadly reduced in number by 
a second cyclone which passed over the garden in 
1867 ; aud at the present time almost the ouly trees 
dating from before 1867 are the great banyan and 
a smaller tree of the same sort, some peepuls aud 
country almonds, about twenty mahoganj trees and 
some palms. It is almost a pity that the occasion of 
its destruction by these cyclones was not taken to 
remove the garden to a site on the Calcutta side 
of the Hooghly. Eor although there are certain ad- 
vantages in the garden being so remote from the town, 
there can be little doubt that the balance is in favour 
of a site more easily accessible to the residents of 
Calcutta. The destruction of all shade which resulted 
from the removal of the trees, allowed the invete- 
rate weed known popularly as ooloo grass, and 
botanically as Imperata cylindrica, to take possession 
of the whole of tho ground not occupied by roads 
or flower borders ; so that when I took charge of 
the garden in 1871 it presented rather a sorry ap- 
pearance. The liberality of the local Government 
under whose control it soon thereafter passed, has 
made it possible for me to lay out the garden en- 
tirely anew. The whole of its area has since that 
date been treated for landscape effects, sheets of 
ornamental water having been formed, and, with 
the earth so obtained, undulations having been thrown 
up. New roads aud footpaths have also beeu made; 
a building for the Herbarium aud three handsome 
conservatories for the more delicate kinds of living 
plants have been erected ; nursery buildings have 
been put up ; and the garden staff have been fur- 
nished with comfortable houses. 
"4. Botanically the most important feature in 
the garden is its Herbarium, or collection of dried 
plants. As has already been explained, all the 
collections prior to Dr. 'Wallich's visit to England 
in 1828 were distributed by him to scientific in- 
stitutions abroad. The commencement of the preseut 
collection dates, therefore, from his return to India 
iu 1832. It consists of plants contributed by almost 
every worker at Botany in India since that date 
and of considerable contributions from Botanists in 
Europe. It is first and foremost an Iudian Herb- 
arium, but the plants of South-Eastern A»ia» of Japan, 
of Persia, ami of Asia Minor are fairly well re- 
presented. Those of Europe are also excellently 
n-preseuted ; but iu African and American plants 
the collection is comparatively poor. Constant com- 
munication aud interchange of specimens have beeu 
kept up for the last fifty yeara with the great 
national collection at Kew ; aud to the distinguished 
Directors of that institution, Sir William Hooker 
and his son aud successor Sir Joseph, the Calcutta 
Herbarium is indebted for invaluable contribu- 
tions. Interchanges have also been kept up with 
other European Botanic Institutions, such as the 
Herbarium of the British Museum, of the .lardin 
des Plautes, Paris, the Imperial Gardens at SI 
Petersburg and Berlin, tho Hoyal BoUnio Gardens 
BuiUui7.org ill Java, at lVradeniva in Ce>lon, and 
nt Subaranporo ; aud with many other institutions. 
AuiougtH Uio private, contributors iu |>dsl times, frvui 
