The Agri-Horticultural Society of India was founded in 1820 by Rev. William Carey at Alipore Road, Kolkata, and is the oldest institution of its kind in India. The Society's role in the promotion and development of agriculture and horticulture in the country is unparalleled. It has a flower garden, greenhouses, a research laboratory, a library, and houses a massive collection of plants and flowers. It has a significant collection of botanical varieties, including cannas, medicinal plants, ferns, fruits and flowering plants. It is said that every canna cultivar growing in India has been derived from the collection in the Agri-Horticultural Society, where they are domiciled.
The children shall be taken for a trail around a beautifully landscaped garden of the AHSI--that houses some common and the rare species of flowering and fruit trees, shrubs, climbers, herbs, annual flower plants--the greenhouse and nursery. They will also be shown how these plants are propagated from seeds through layering or grafting and made suitable for planting in various spaces, including those that have been acclimatised from other tropical regions of the world.
A journal shall be provided to the children that will give them information about this important site of natural heritage in the city, prompts for observation, sketches, notes, fun facts and activities that will be conducted in the course of the walk. The children will also take part in planting inside the garden premises after learning about how to prepare the soil for planting and how to care for the plants from the experts at AHSI.
This is a special natural heritage trail for children from Magic Bus Foundation on occasion of World Environment Day. The trail includes a walk, observation and hands-on learning at the historical Agri-Horticultural Society of India, Kolkata.
