so THE TROPICAL 
tiona, the trees are doing well. Oar largest trees at 
the old garden have again borne well and the coffeo 
produoed has been shewn to be excslleut in quality, 
the bean resembling that of the Mocha variety of 
Central Arabia. Amiag th'J seedlings raised are 
plants so distinct from the type that there can be 
little doubt that they are either natural hybrids, or 
widely ranging seminal varieties. Tliese plants have 
flowered and the flower is larger than that of the 
type and somewhat different in form. When the 
fruit appears there will be further indication of 
origin, as the purple colour of the berry of the type 
is a well marked fe.iture. In the second yeai'a 
showing, there has also appeared one or two of the 
same type. The leaves are larger, darkjr in colour, 
and the plant grows and stands drought and sun far 
better than the type, 
Abbeokuta coffee.— Tree^ of this coffee have 
fruited for the first time, and (heir appeaiance in- 
dicates that this kind is merely a form of G'jfee 
Liberica. It has, however, a somewhat different habit 
of growth, and appears to be even hardier tbau that 
kind, and stands tlie sun better. The berries are 
much smaller than Liberiau and have much less 
mucilage snrrounding the parchment covering, yet 
the beans are of fair size. It is a kind which de- 
serves extensive trial. 
Minerva Copffb.— This coffee has again produced a 
good crop, and I consider is one to be highly re- 
commended for general culture. This year's crop has 
been largely sold to French buyers for their Colonial 
possessions but sufficient is on hand to supply the 
local demand. 
Golden Daop Coffee.— This is a,n Indian variety 
planted at St. Clair, as reported last year. It ia 
now flowering, and a crop of fruit will, I trust, be 
ripened in due course. It is extremely healthy and 
ia growing rapidly and well. 
OEAIsGES {Citrus awan tiwm.) — The orange trees in 
the avenue planted last year have grown well and pro- 
duced fruit, but have been attacked by fungus at the 
base of the stem. Some little attention has been 
paid to grafting and budding oranges and a few of 
the best varieties have been secured, but for want 
of proper appliances (which it is hoped to provide this 
year) no large number.^ could be worked cff. It is 
found thas neither grafts nor buds can be depended 
upon to grow if left in the open ; and clo-se oases 
to maintain a certain and regular humidity, must 
be put in use, before anv quantity can be estab- 
lished in this manner. In a large grove of some 
2 acres of seedling oranges planted by my predecessors 
there is ample evidence of the variation which occur- 
when the sweet orange is raised from seed ; for ail 
though the oranges have a family likeness, Etill, the 
flavour and character of the pulp ia found to vary 
in a very wide degree, for on no two trees is fruit 
to be found the same in appearance and quality. 
The following testimony in favour of Trinidad 
oranges has been received from His Grace the Duke 
of Butland, to whom a small parcel was sent from 
trees growing in the Garden attached to the Super- 
intendent's quarters: — "I thonk you heartily for 
the basket of Trinidad oranges. They were served 
at desert yesle^'day and voted excellent. They were 
ripe, v/ith thni skins and of fine pl.^vour. Such 
oranges ought to command a ready market in 
England, and I hope the efforts you apeak of will 
have the effect of opening a good market for thrm 
here. (Signed) Rutland." 
BergAmot Orange.— -A section of land one-tenth 
of an acre is planted with seedling Bergamot oranges. 
The plants were raised from seeds received from the 
district in Italy whence comes the famous Bergamot 
oil. The variation in the leaves of those plants is 
clearly marked. Many so-called " Bergamota " exist 
in the West Indies, but it ia doubtful if any of the 
best oil producing kinds exist. The variation ia per- 
haps more marked than with any other tpecies of 
the Oenu.i, Ciliu.i; but it is hoped that some of our 
seedliuga v/ill prove to bo the true oil producing 
variety. To make sure, however, that wc have the 
AaRICULTURIST. [Aug. 1, ]900. 
right kind, we shall endeavour to import grafted plants 
direct from the districts known to produce the best oils. 
TA'cGtsiiisF, OuANGR f Cit rits noHlis J . —A grove of the 
above, planted in I8l)2, has fruited for the first time 
this year, and the flavour and size of the fruit is 
quite as variable as v/ith the ordinary sweet orange. 
ltin.ist therefore be oncluded that no reliance cm be 
placed upon any variety of the Giuns, Citrus, coming 
entirely true from seed. Two trees of the variety of 
Citrus no^iilii mentioned in former repoi-ts, as the 
"Grenadine" orange fruited togeth-r dui-ing 1899. These 
two trees wore rai^el from seeds tak?:i from a single 
Greup.da fruit in ISS.1^ Tlie one tree produced fruit 
four to five inches, while the o'.her gave orvntjes only 
two to three inches in diameter, ant th^ quality anil 
a.z=i were equally at variance. 
FODDEllPLX^TiPcHuisefum fr! >l'jrum) —'Thia 
i-i a grass originally introduced a id grjvvn in Jamaica 
at the Government Cinchona plamation, v.'hilf the 
writer was in chirge. It wis sent fiom thence to the St. 
Lucia Station, an:i tiience on to rriniJid. Aji accurate 
area of one-fortieth of an acre wa? planted and cuttiugj 
were made as follows : — 
July, 1899 ... 407 lb. 
August, ,, .. -iij „ 
Oitober, ,, ... 279 ,, 
Decembsr, ,, ... 24tj ,, 
1,378 lb. 
This gives a value of nearly twenty-five tons to 
the acre per annum of the green product. The ex- 
periment will be continued to det.-rmine its v.uue in 
comparison with other grasses. It u certain, hoivever, 
that the unedible portion is quite smal! when com- 
pared with the popalir Guinea gri>ss, but thi^ must 
be shown exactly as also must the loss in drying 
to enable its true value to be ascertained. We hope 
to get a full analysis during the coming \ear in con- 
nection wich these details. 
FSUIT TREES.— A number o? the best varieties of 
Mangoes have been planted, and the following kinds 
are giowiiig freely: — Gordon, Peach, Milda, Peiers, 
Ainelie, Diciiie Julie, Cliinoise, or Chine.se, Father 
Louis, Do Boissiere, No. 1!, Jj'Or, Mistake, Nina, 
Apvicot, Maraval, Dudoucc A laige ari-a of se;-diiug« 
have planted to prove tlie amount of variation fmm 
seed. Our best kinds of mangoes have been largely 
propagated by grafting, au'i the demand is steadily in- 
creasing, (drafted plants of the best Frenc-h kinds were 
introduced from Martinique, and His Excellencv the 
(lovernor has sanctioned the importation of sets of 
the best East Indian kinds ir.-^m Bengal, Madras 
and Bombay, which it is hoped will add to our list 
of first-class kinds. It is to be noted that trees 
of the old East Indian kinds were introduced 
under the names of " Malda," "Peach" and 
"Peters." Looking up the nomenclatu>e in Watt's 
"Economic Products of India," it appeals that in 
" Malda " we have the name of a race or class r f 
Mango, and it cannot be doubted by those who kuoiv 
them that the three fruits mentiored are simply 
varieties of the one class, and indeed little worihv 
of distinctive names. Dr. Watis after st-iting that he 
is indebted to Mr. Maries of Darbhang ih for the in- 
formation states : " The cultivated iilangoes of India 
have arrived at a great stage of perfection and eoo- 
sist of very numerous races, although these are un- 
known to most people, except as Bombay's, Lungrah s, 
and Maldfi's. The many dozens of sorts sold in the 
Bazaars under these three names have given the idea 
that there are only thi-ee Mangos fit to e.it. The*e 
three names really represent three distinct strains of 
cultivated frtiits. It is interesting to not.- the changes 
that have taken place ia these fruits. The form and 
shape has continued almost the san-e as the wild 
varieties, but the ii ivour has developed from "low 
and turpentine" t-j sonieihing too exquisite to express 
in words, each variety having a flavour of its own," 
Prom a following paragraph it is apparent that the 
l^ast Indian kinds have been sectired by practising 
