XVIII 
The President, tlic Hon. Ed. Newton, then rose and 
addressed to the members present, the following words : 
“ After the interesting and comprehensive Report of 
the Transactions of our Society during the past year which 
has just been read b) r our learned Secretary, I will not 
presume to trespass on your patience by any lengthy 
remarks. 
“ There are, however, two subjects specially mentioned 
in the Report upon which I hope you will allow me to 
say a few words, I allude to Sericulture and to the manu- 
facture of fibres from aloe and other leaves, —two indus- 
tries which have already made some little progress. 
“ The cultivation of the Mulberry tree and the rearings 
of the silk worm are, as shewn, by Mr Descroizilles in his 
valuable brochure “ La Serigene ” to be within the reach 
of the smaller proprietors of the soil, and therefore parti- 
cularly inviting the solicitude and the encouragement of 
the Society, and from what I have learnt, I believe, many 
of those who have had the energy to undertake this in- 
dustry in a small way have reaped fair profits from their 
laudable endeavours, and their example, it is to be hoped, 
may induce others, with greater means at their disposal, 
to follow up the industry on a much larger scale than has 
hitherto been attempted in the Colony. 
“ At the suggestion of Mr. Descroizilles, the Sub-Director 
of the Royal Botanical Harden has already planted several 
hundred Mulberry trees on the vast ground by the sides 
of the North Line of Railway,, and we may hope that be- 
fore long both lines may be bordered with an ample supply 
of the food of the silk w r orm. 
,c A considerable portion of land at Cure Pipe has also 
been planted with Mulberry trees, by the Poor Law Com- 
mission and other portions at the Reformatory and the 
Orphan Asylum, by the Government. 
“ I venture to remark that the small cultivators of mul- 
berry trees and silk worms may more profitably turn their at- 
