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The Rev. Dr. MORTON (Trinidad): I go about among many pea- 

 sant proprietors in Trinidad, and I know that the teaching of the 

 botanist, the chemist, and the analyst has had a great effect upon 

 them in the matter of cultivating their land. One matter referred 

 to by Dr. Nicholls is of great importance to them, and that is the 

 application of manures. They should be urged to use the natural 

 manures which they can get without laying out money. Some- 

 times they have no money. The names of artificial manures are 

 all new to them, but they know pen manure ; and some of them 

 from Barbados know the value of it, and the distinction made be- 

 tween pen manure that has been kept covered or been trampled, 

 and pen manure that has been exposed to the sun or washed out 

 by rain. We see in our villages to-day, as the result of cane-farm- 

 ing, the peasant proprietor's cart going out every morning half- 

 loaded with manure, to be returned to the soil. Not only is that 

 the case with the ordinary manure made in the village, but the 

 peasant proprietor has also taken to the use of liquid manure. At 

 the Government Stock Farm where the stalls are concreted, the 

 liquid manure which collects in little wells is daily removed by 

 peasant proprietors. This practice is also carried out in St. 

 Joseph and has resulted in an improved sanitary condition. 

 What Dr. Nicholls has said in reference to weeds and shrubs is 

 perfectly true. In some cases, such as rice cultivation, the only 

 manure which goes into the soil is the grass and weeds which 

 grow for six months during the dry season. The practice is also 

 valuable in connexion with cocoa estates. 



The Hon. Wm. Fawcett (Jamaica) : I have listened with a great 

 deal of interest to the discussion that has taken place on the culti- 

 vation of cocoa. The cocoa industry in Jamaica is of considera- 

 ble importance, although rather overshadowed by the banana 

 industry. There we do not look upon it as you do in Trinidad 

 and Grenada, as one of your great industries ; it is rather a subsi- 

 diary industry in Jamaica : but I hope it will become in time one 

 of our great industries. The reason why it has not advanced 

 quicker is that the banana has been so very important. But now 

 the planters, seeing the bad effects of hurricanes, are gradually 

 beginning to plant their banana estates with cocoa, and some have 

 turned their banana estates altogether into cocoa estates. So we 

 wish to get hints as to the cultivation, pruning, curing and espe- 

 cially shade. We owe a great deal to Mr. Hart for having written 

 such an excellent handbook on cocoa ; we in Jamaica consider it 

 a very practical and important book. With reference to Criollo 

 cocoa and Forastero cocoa, we have been much exercised in Ja- 

 maica for some time as to which is better to plant. Some planters 

 do not think Criollo a robust plant, asserting that it is subject to 

 disease and pests at all times. I should like to get some informa- 

 tion from planters in Trinidad on that point. In Venezuela, where 

 they have large estates of Criollo, some trees have died out, and 

 attempts have been made to supply their places with Criollo, but 

 without success, although Forastero will grow. The estates are 



