i 5 4 HISTORY OF THE [book t, 
tare, being resolved to run the risk of losing them, for the 
purpose of ascertaining whether the clqve tree required 3 
rich soil or not. At the moment I now write (October 
1793) twenty-three months have elapsed, since the plant¬ 
ing of these last fourteen trees; and it is with satisfaction I 
can assert, that the four trees which were planted in the 
clay, have grown with at least as much, if not more luxuri¬ 
ance, than the other ten: they are from five to six feet high, 
growing with vigour, fully furnished with branches at the 
bottom, and terminating in a point at the top, like a pyra¬ 
mid: out of those fourteen trees, six of them were planted 
in a row, in the flattest part of the garden; the ground 
with which the holes had been filled up having sunk a little 
below the surface, a hollow round three of these trees was 
formed, and the water not having a sufficient current, col¬ 
lected round them: one tree died ; the other two appearing 
to be in a declining state I raised them above six inches, 
that they might be rather above the surface of the ground. 
Although these trees were planted with the others in No¬ 
vember 1791, one of the two declining trees is not above 
six inches high, and the other twelve inches, whilst the 
other trees are three feet in height; this is a sufficient proof, 
that the clove tree requires a dry situation, and dreads a 
springy damp soil; though a certain degree of moisture 
will promote its growth. 
In the month of January 1793, with much trouble and 
expense, (I say trouble, because the exportation from the 
French islands is prohibited), I procured two boxes of mo¬ 
ther of cloves:* the berries were packed, some in sand, 
others in loose earth: upon receiving them, I ordered beds 
to be prepared in my garden, and in different parts of my 
estate, for the conveniency of transplanting, and of saving 
distance, when the nurseries should be fit for that purpose^ 
Berries of the clove tree ripe and fit for vegetation. 
