July 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



itself to our mind, howerer, is that due advant- 

 age will not be taken of the opportuities there 

 afforded them, by farmers and small landnwners, who 

 would more parlicularly b enelit from the study of Ihe 

 ■work iu the gardens. It is hard to move them off the 

 beaten track, and we fear the gardens to them will 

 only be a name. Were a school of Agriculture as- 

 sociated with them this would not long remain so. 

 Our Creoles, no matter of what colour or race, are 

 not wanting in cuteuess or adaptability ; and parents, 

 aware of the good they would drive from their children 

 attending such a school as that indecated, would, we 

 feel certain, gladly send their larger boys there. The 

 example which would be set them of continuousin- 

 dustry, and the knowledge thpy would obtain of 

 plant life, — its conditions and proper mode of treatment, 

 — could not but have the very best effect on the agri- 

 culture of the colony. That this is true has already 

 been shown by the advancement which has, within 

 the last few years, been made by several of the 

 villages in cane cultivation. The fields cultivated there 

 are, in the great majority of instances, quite as well 

 tilled and maintained— the item of manure only ex- 

 cepted — as any on the best sugar estates, and the 

 return per acre has been good accordingly. Here we 

 have a notable instance of the force of example, and 

 ti is but a natural deduction to add that given a like 

 p.ittern like r-sults would follow iu other directions. 

 The Botanical Hardens are being, presumably, formed 

 for tliH agricultural development of the colony, and 

 for its ultimate benefit. Before they are completed 

 ethree or four liuud d thousand dollars will have been 

 xpeuHed on themn, amd from what we have seen w 

 have no doubt that amount will have been spent judici- 

 ously. But when we consider the intelligence of the 

 vast majority of the taxpayers who have contributed 

 uumurmuringly to this large outlay, we are inclined 

 to ask cui bono ? Oulya few hundred of the inhabit- 

 ants ai'e intelligent enough to take advantage of the 

 lessons being taught them, or to appreciate the results 

 to be derived from them. Without an Agricultural 

 School, in conned ion with the gardens, the colony 

 taken as a whole, will from any many years to come 

 derive no recompense from the expenditure. But given 

 the school, — the pupils we mautain would shortly be 

 forthcoming — their ebnefits would be open to all, and 

 the lessons they are meant to te-ich would be, in a 

 few years' time, spread through the length and breadth 

 of the colony. Lirge reductions have this year been 

 made in the estimates for education, and this because 

 the Governor and members of the Cmbined Court con- 

 sidered there was uo adequate result being obtained for 

 the money espeuded. In thl^ we have uo doubt they were 

 right. In a purely agricultural colony such as this is, we 

 want the children to grow up to be useful members of th 

 community, and this is the end that should be aimed 

 at in their early training. Our children must be 

 taught that all cannot be " preachers, aeachers, or 

 stump orators." Agriculture is our sole maintenance 

 and the teaching given to the children should be puch 

 as would contribute to its advancement. The estab- 

 lishment of an Agricultural School would gradually 

 pave the way to this desirable end, and to no better 

 purpose could a portion of the saving which has been 

 effected in our educational system be devoted, than in 

 founding a public school for instruction in purely Agri- 

 cultural Afl'aus. 



The thousands of people who visited the Botanic 

 Gardens yesterday afternoon, were struck with the 

 vast improvement, which has lately been effected in 

 their appearance, and the more intelligent amongst 

 them were keenly alive to the value of the work 

 which hatl b^en, and was beirjg, done; and showed 

 n eager iiiquisitiveness as to the names and nature 

 { the various plants. The warm interest they took 



in these, simply shews that the plan we urged a few 

 months ago, of establishing an Agricultural School 

 iu connection with the Gardens, would ba a perfect 

 success ; and its benefits would be highly appreciated 

 by the better-to-do portion of the working classess. 

 In many of the purely agricultural dependencies of 

 the British Crown, these schools are already successfully 

 established, and we can see no reason why, if the idea 

 was properly taken up by the Government, a like 

 success should nob attend their establishment here. 

 In Jamaica, for instance, quoting from Mr. Morris's 

 report, referred to last week, althou.h an actual 

 School of Agriculture has not been established, still 

 a system of employing cadets, .and apprentices, under 

 the trained managers and superintfndents of the Go- 

 vernment plantations has been begun, and with the 

 happiest results. He reports that the cadets, who 

 are received without salary for the purp-se of being 

 taught the details of the cinchona cultivation, .ind 

 with the view of fitting them either to open plant- 

 ations on their o«n account or to act as managers 

 of cinchona plantations are "devoting themselves 

 with zeal and energy to their work, and taking a 

 keen interest in all that concerns the value and 

 management of labor ; details of nursery work : the 

 minutiae of planting : and the various methods adopted 

 for successfully harvesting cinchona bark. The 

 knowledge and experience thus gained will doubtless 

 prove of great service to them in after life, and I 

 look forward to a great inipetns being given to cin- 

 chona planting by the introduction of men of capit.al 

 and education, who intend to devote themselves to 

 this important industry." 



Mr. Morris is quite aware of the fact that the 

 plantations in Jamaica are being worked for the 

 future benefit of the Island, and he knows full well 

 that the lessons he is striving to teach by lectures and 

 pamphlets, will be still more effectually taught by 

 the practical training of the young. Hence the en- 

 couragement he holds out to the sons of men of 

 some capital to attend at the plantations and learn 

 the details of their working. But he does not 

 restrict himself to cadets only. He is quite well 

 aware that skilled guides also require the assistance 

 of skilled laburers, and lie has accordinglj- engaged 

 a number of apprentices "in order to train the better 

 class of Hative workmen in the details of nursery 

 and propagating work connected with cinchou.i cult- 

 ivation, where they undergo a systematic course, so 

 as to fit them in due time to take charge of nurser- 

 ies or act as foremen^ on private plantations. The 

 experiment, so far, has worked satisfactorily. The ap- 

 prentice for the first three months receive (mly a- 

 nominas rate of pay, which however is gradually in- 

 creasedl as they become more efficient. When applic 

 ations are received for men to take charge of nurse- 

 ries on private plantations, the best, of these are 

 recommended." Such is the .\vstem Mr. Morris is 

 pursuing in Jamaica, and who can no doubt that it will 

 be highly beneficial to the colony, as well a.s to the 

 large class of young men it is specially designed to 

 benefit, and who have been without the means of 

 lucrative employment. 



If an Agricultural School is ever to be started in 

 the colony, now is the time to commence it. A 

 large portion of the Botanic Gardens is still unre- 

 claimed, and the lessons taught to students there 

 now are much more valuable than these would be 

 when the gardens are completed, and initiatoiy work 

 finisli ed. The cultivation of the smaller industries 

 which the gurdena are specially designed to encour- 

 age must first be undertaken on land iu mr.oh the 

 same conditinn, viz., undrained and abandone.'. To 

 put these in a fit state for the reception of young 

 idants must be important work, requiring special 

 knowledge, and that could never be better ex(jl»ine4 



