, 1892-09-21

ohLI1, IL GAO HAOOOoS ~
ing, washing and drying the beans. We
turn with interest to the brief paragraphs
chronicling the work done in the economic
section of the gardens. The chief feature has
been the large demand for coffee and orange
plants. Ssal hemp is not in demand, not
withstandlng all that has been written about
it, and many hundreds of plants are still on
hand. The blooms which occur III the
commercial and industrial worlds cannot be
accounted for: the Bahamas take up a single
industry and make a TO tune, Jamaica still
looks with indifference on the same product.
and Trinidad absolutely kicks it aside. Nut
megs, however, seem to be greatly in demand.
and a steady increase 8 noticed in the num
Der of planters of this spice. Attention is
being directed here to the cultivation of
vegetables and it may be interesting to COM
pare Trinidad's productions and experience
with our own. In December the following
crops were in the gardens Cabbage, Let
tuce, Garden Eggs, (~Solanum melongsna),
Jerusalem Artichoke, Tomatoes. French
Beans, Sugar Beans, Lima Beans Capsicums,
Cho-Cho or Chri8tophine jSechium eduIe),
Cucumbers, Pigeon Pease, (Cajonu8 iadicus)
Spinach, Water-cress, Turnips, Carrots,
Radishes, Shallots, Parsley, Cassava, Tannias
Asparagus and Beet Root. The gardeners
find / it impossible to grow with any degree
Of success potatoes, onions, and English
pease. Celery is only used for davonring
purposes as q rule. French beans will not
come in wet weather. Cucumbers are much
affected by he Larvae Of a certain moth, and
turnips aIe very poor. Beet roots and car
rots come we'll in dry weather. The ox-heart
cabbage gives good solid heads during the
spring months. Radi8hes are excellent all
the year round. OF the chronological part
Of his work Mr.. Hart has something specially
interesting to report, and we quote his own
words The Importance OF entomology IN
a course of agricultural teaching has been
most unhappily demonstrated by the dlscov-
cry Of a small beetle in the sugar cane fields,
which has been doing immense damage on
many estates. This beetle has been deter
mined as Xyleborus pertorans, Wall, and is
said to have been first known from MADEIRA
where it was found it destroyed the bugs Of
nine casks. It is terribly destructive to the
cane plant and will make the yield much
less on the many estates attacked. Tho
occurrence of an extremely wet season AMI
an extremely dry one in close succession has
doubtless contributed to the spread Of the
insect. There are perhaps other cau"Qs which
tend to increase the spread Of the disease,
not the least prominent IN which is
the constitutional weakness which is
engendered by propa8ating the canes exclu-
sively upon land many years IN succession. and
from the same plants year after year and sea-
son. In my report on the subject | have shown
that seeding canes are decidedly more yigo-
rous than canes from cuttings, and that it
may be found practicable to sci .ct varieties
which are good sugar producers, and at the
same time practically disease and insect
proof"
We have in former years spoken Of the
large amount Of time and energy consumed
by the officers of the Botanical Establishment
in the West Indies in attending to and deoora-
ting the gardens and residences of Her Males
tl' 5 Representatives. This work still occupies a
great deal of Mr.. HATS time and occasions a
large expenditure Of labour. The demand for
decorative plants for public assemblies also
deducts much Of the attention, be no doubt,
would otherwise devote TO matters more ger
name to his appointment, II is question
whether work Of this description should be
carried on by a scientific establishment whose
chief object should be to increase the number
and foster the cultivation, Of economic plants
in the colony. The space taken up by these
ornamental plants in the gardens might be
more ~usefully utilised as nurseries for plants
in demand.-Mr. Hart states that "a larger
demand arose for coffee plants than could be
supplied owing to want cf space Tor c%ultiva-
ton" Such a state of things ought not to
ha ellou al m ~cOnti.na and Mr.. Hart's inten-