118 
CULTURE OF WHEAT WITHIN THE TROPICS. 
which contribute little, if at all, to its fertility. Such a soil cannot be expected 
to be very retentive of moisture, and hence it cannot be a matter of surprise that 
much injury is frequently sustained from the want of rain. During the months 
of May and September, indeed, the rain descends in such impetuous torrents, as 
to do scarcely less injury than the intermediate drought, carrying away the loose 
and yielding soil from every declivity with a force less capable of resistance than 
that, even, of arid winds. On the cessation of the rains, the moisture rapidly 
exhales through the effects of evaporation, or is absorbed by the porous rock 
beneath, and every thing of a vegetable nature, which is unable to subsist with¬ 
out moisture, or penetrate with its roots the pores and fissures of the subjacent 
rock, speedily perishes. Rivers of course cannot be looked for under such 
circumstances, and artificial irrigation is out of the question. It was, however, 
under circumstances thus unfavourable, with a temperature little, if at all, 
varying from that of islands more than ten degrees nearer to the line, and at a 
level little exceeding that of the ocean, that the important results just detailed 
were obtained; and we are hence justified in concluding, that the results would 
be the same at the same level, but in a more congenial soil, in Antigua, Barbadoes, 
Nevis, St. Kitts, and the other islands, were the experiments tried with equal 
fairness, wad. the season for sowing selected with judgment. The advantage of 
securing an internal supply of so essential an article of human subsistence, not 
only to the population of the islands themselves, but even'to the inhabitants of 
Britain in seasons of scarcity, connot fail to strike the most unobservant.” 
The removal of Sir William Colebrooke from the government of Bahama to 
that of the Leeward Islands, presented too favourable an opportunity to be dis¬ 
regarded, of extending my experiments to those islands. I had, indeed, previously 
made attempts to interest private individuals in investigations of this nature, 
but without success, although I distributed supplies of seed for the purpose to 
individuals both in Antigua and Barbuda, and also sent a quantity to St. Kitts 
by an officer who had received an appointment there. Sir William Colebrooke 
exerted himself with his accustomed zeal in seconding my efforts; and, as he 
informed me in a letter of the date of the 14th of August, 1838, not only 
addressed the Presidents in all the islands, and gave them the directions required, 
but published them also in the Gazette; the only result, however, which had 
reached him up to that date had been C6 a small sheaf which Dr. Nugent gave 
me yesterday, and which I herewith forward, and I understand • that Colonel 
Byam has also raised some;” he promises also to use his endeavours to obtain the 
notes of their experiments. 
The sample of Wheat raised by Dr. Nugent reached me in due course; and 
although serving to demonstrate the fact of Wheat being capable of producing 
ears in the islands of Antigua as well as in Jamaica and New-Providence, it was 
