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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTDRIST. 



[August i, 1^83. 



there was scaicel.v any sickness, and on landing all 

 were stout and hearty. Anoiher case happened where 

 two men cast away in a whale boat drifted on Quaris 

 Island, There they had to remain seven years ere they 

 were taken ofi', and, during all that time, had only 

 a few chance flying fish hiyoud coconuts to eat. When 

 rescued they were in excellent condition and had gained 

 weight. These instances can be verified, but others 

 might b ■ quoted, which, thout^li true, cannot be com- 

 pletely proved. These pruotieal experiments show how 

 important the coconut might become as food and how 

 much more valuable it might be in that way than ex- 

 ported as coperah. 



Teak. — A very large trade is done in the Central Pro- 

 ivinces in wood, particularly teak, which is so plentiful 

 n Nagpore and adjoining towns that it is used even in 

 ""he most common cai'pentery for the most trivial want. 

 I do not know, says a correspondent any reason why the 

 Central Pro\'inces should not supply a great portion of 

 thjs wood to the markets of the world, and why Bur- 

 m^h should have the monopoly of supply, when there 

 arg himdreds of S(juare miles of teak wood available in 

 thgSe temtories, size and quaHty equal to the best Moul- 

 mgin. Thousands of squared beams are brought in from 

 thg outlying forests from 1 to 2 feet square and sold at 

 at an average of from 8 annas to 12 annas per foot, 

 an d as the cost of carriage fi-om here is dear, are 

 wasted principally in supplying sleepers to the railways. 

 Such misuse should be officially prohibited at once, more 

 especially as great forests of the other strong and 

 dui'able woods exist, chiefly sff/, more convenient to 

 the railway lines than the supplies of teak. — Indian 

 AyriculiHrist. 



Floral and A(;RietrLTURAL Resources of British 

 Honduras. — A preliminary Report from the Director 

 of Public Gardens in Jamaica, showing the general 

 results of his visit to British Honduras at the request 

 of that Government, to examine the flora and agri- 

 cultural resources of the Oolony, and also the results 

 of his collections of plants, &c., for the Public Gard- 

 ens of Jamaica, is published as a supplement to the 

 Jamaica Gazette of 19th April. Mr. Morris left 

 Jamaica on 8th November 1S82, and returned on the 

 26th December. He first travelled through the south- 

 ern settlements, making valuable coUectious of seeds 

 and plants for the Public Girdens of Jamaica. The 

 chief plants of interest gathered were several specii'S 

 of palms (Chamcedoreas, Baotris Sabal, Cliama-rops, 

 &c.) which were not previously in the Jimaica Oard- 

 eus ; seeds of numerous timber trees and floweiiug 

 plants ; and a valuable collection of decorative orchids, 

 including the mdigeJious large growing vauiUi of 

 Central America. This latter has pods much larger 

 and more aromatic than the ordinary vanilla cultiv- 

 ated in Jamaica. After returning from the south, Mr. 

 Morris visited the central and western districts of 

 the colony. He says : — "The country genenrlly (with 

 the exception of a few isolated ranges) rises so very 

 gradually from the sea coast to the interior that 

 points on the western frontier, nearly one liuudr-d 

 miles from the coast, are only three hundred feet 

 high. Tins low, gently-sloping land, is plentifully inter- 

 sected by deep navigable rivers which flow slowly 

 towards the sea. ..Along the banks of these rivers, 

 the characteristics ot the soil and climate were of 

 a m-'St favorable character, and the vegetation essenti- 

 ally tropical and luxuriant. Passing acros.s the country 

 from one river district to auotlier, a section was 

 traversed composed of a poor quartzy soil support 

 ing only a sparse vegetation of pine (pitch pmc), ever- 

 green oaks, and a low shrubby palm (Cliamceropa sp. ) 

 On further acquaintance with the interior portions 

 of the country 1 found that the alluvial deposit* along 

 the river banks extending some five or six, or, in 

 Boinc instances, some ten miles on each side contained, 

 chiefly, the rich valuable soils of the colony. Be- 

 yond these were ' brokeu lauds' and ' pine ridfjes.' X - 



esiimate that fully one-third of the area of the oolony 

 is composed of ' pine rulge.' The most important as 

 well as the richest river valley m the colony is that 

 of the Old River sometimes called the Belize River. 

 This extends in a wide sinuous course frum the town 

 of Belize at the sea coast to the western frontier : 

 in the upper portions, the valley widens into broad 

 expanses of rich fertile plains covered by oohiiue palm, 

 in some cases, thirty or forty miles in breadtti. I 

 carefully ex.imined this district and worked my way 

 to tlie troutier stiatiou — the Cayo — near which a cott'ee 

 plantation has recently been established. With the 

 exception of some six sugar estates, and the same 

 number of banana plantations, this cott'ee plantation 

 is tlie only attempt, hitherto made, to establish a 

 systematic course of culture in the colony — i he bulk 

 of tue people being employed, and the chief trade of 

 the colony ilepending upon mahogany and logwood 

 cutting wuich, when good prices are ruling, are ap- 

 parently very reiunnerative industries. In the forests 

 of the western districts, I found the rubber-tree of 

 Central America (U'astilloa elastica) very abundant, 

 Tula tree (a member of the breadfruit family) is 

 specially suitable for cultivation on account ot its 

 preferring a loamy sandy soil ; and being a deep feeder 

 it might oe utilized as a shade tree in cultivated 

 areas with gieat advantage. I spent two days with 

 a rubber gatherer in order to observe the methods for 

 bleeding tne tnes and pieparing the rubber: and I 

 have brought with me botanical specimens of the tree, 

 aom-' seed, as well as a sample ot the rubber. 1 hope 

 soon to make a special report on this tree and its 

 produce. I am, also, making arrangements to procure 

 a large quantity of the seed, when ripe, for distrib- 

 ution amongst cacao planters in this island. Trees at 

 ten years old yield from four to seven pounds of 

 rubhei', which is valued at from "2s 3d to 3s per pound. 

 If carefully managed the trees can bo bled every three 

 or four years. Another interesting plant found wild 

 in these forests was the indigenous cacao of Central 

 America : this diS'ered from all kinds 1 had met pre- 

 viously. After careful inquiry, I lound that it was 

 the ' r.iniija^co cacao of tue Atlantic slopes and uleut- 

 ical With the celebrated * Socunuaco cacao' of the 

 faoitic coast. In habit, and cliaracter, the trees ap- 

 proach those of the Cacao (Jriolio and an examin- 

 ation ot the pods whicii are of a golden-yellow colour 

 led me to the conclusion that this ' Cainpasco ' or 

 'Socunusco' cacao is the yellow form of the celebrated 

 ' Caracas cacao. Should such prove to be the case, 

 I here is little doubt that this yellow variety will 

 prove as much superior to the red (Caracas) form, as 

 tne yellow H'orastero does to the red (Trinidad) 

 cacao. Many other interesting plants of timtjer and 

 dye woods, as well as, of plants of medicinal and 

 eoo'iomc value, were met, many of which I have no 

 doutjt are cap.ible of being utilized both in British 

 Honduras auil in other Bntiish pjssussions. A deUiled 

 account of tHcse will more fittingly be included in 

 a report which I am uow preparing on the scientific 

 results of my visit." In returning from Braisu 

 Honduras, Mr. Morri.s had to taue .iteanier to New 

 Orleans, aud was detained there nine da^s waiting 

 ror a steamer for Jamaica. He took advantage of 

 this opporiuuity to visit the sugar est.iies ou the 

 river Mississippi ; aud among oilier kinds, he found 

 that ttie celebrated L.ihina c ne of the csandwch 

 Islands (lately intriuluced to Jam.iica from Mauritius) 

 was under cultivation ou one e-state aud was very 

 favourably reported upon. He brought with him 

 speciinen.s ot the best, canes from Louisiana which 

 were estahlisucd at the Hjpe Phintation. He also 

 visited several orange groves in Louisiaua and Orougiit 

 fruits of kinds uot already under cultivation in 

 Jamaica. 



