April i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



755 



Fisheries. — Fish of all kinds aboimd iu the neighbourhood 

 of St. Helena, and are easily caught. A large industry 

 might be established in fish curing for exportation, if suf- 

 ficient enterprise were created amongst the inhabitants, 

 and this wonderful resource of so isolated an island rendered 

 conducive to its wealth and prosperity. 



The American whalers obtain large supplies of oil within 

 easy reach of St. Helena, while cod and mackerel might 

 be caught in large quantities. 



The chief food fishes found in the neighbourhood of St. 

 Helena are: — gurnard, eel, cod, mackerel, tunny or albicore. 

 bulLseye, cavaSiey, fiounder, hog-fish, mullet, sknlpin; crust- 

 aceans, such as stump and crayfish; and the green turtle. 

 The' boat? ami appliances now in use are too small for deep 

 seu fishiu ?. and on this account chiefly many very valuable 

 fish fouu 1 on the windward side of the islandare seldom caught. 

 Bee C'ldt/tre. — The honey bee was, I believe, at one time 

 introduced to the island, and it became quite 4aturalised. 

 According to Melliss "it almost suddenly disappeared about 

 18 or 20 years since." 



As there are so many flowers constantly in bloom, and all 

 the conditions exist for profitabl ; bee farming, I would re- 

 commend that bee farming as a regular industry be intro- 

 duced and encouraged. The export of beeswax and honey 

 from Jamaica, an industry chiefly iu the hands of negro set- 

 tlers, amounts to the annual value of 8,000/. per annum. 



The Pride of India (Melia Azedarach)^ an Indian tree, now 

 widely distributed all over the world, is one of the common- 

 est objects in the island. About Christmas time it is cover- 

 ed with masses of blue- coloured, sweet-scented blossoms. 

 These are generally succeeded by immense quantities of 

 small spherical yellow coloiu'ed fruits, generally considered 

 to posstrss poisonous qualities. 



Although the root is bitter and nauseous and used in North 

 America as an anthelmintic, the tree practically is of little 

 economic value. It must be distinguished from Metia 

 Azadiruchta^ the Neem tree or iSIargosa, which is a very 

 valuable plant. From the latter a kind of toddy is obtained 

 by tapjnng; and from the fruit an oil is extracted fit for 

 burning and other domestic purposes. 



The Peepul trees of Jamestown {Ficus reliyiosa) are re- 

 markable for their great age and the peculiar contorted and 

 weather-beaten appearance which they have assumed. These 

 trees afford grateful shade in the streets of Jamestown; and 

 it is much to be desired that more of these and other trees 

 be planted on all sides to reUeve the monotony of the purpl- 

 ish lava hue which pervades streets, houses, rocks, and every- 

 tliing. 



The graveyards and waste lands between the houses and 

 the steep cliffs of lava on both sides of Jamestown Valley 

 might be rendered omameutal and even picturesque if plant- 

 ed with hardy trees and shrubs. The Peepul, two or three 

 other species of Ficus, especially the Indiarubber tree (F. 

 elosfica)y the Indian almond (Terminalkt Catappa)^ the 

 Caffre date (Harpephyllmn coffrum)^ and numerous orna- 

 mental aloes would grow admirably in such situations. 



The present governor has done a little in this way ah*eady, 

 and it is with the view of strengthenuig his hands in so 

 laudable a work that I draw attention to the subject in 

 this report. 



The Caffre date might be largely utilized also to relieve 

 the monotony of the dreary waste at Half-Tree Hollow 

 antl Dallas Village, as well as generally on exposed barren 

 spots in the neighbourhood of dwellings. 



Amongst the plants of interest in the island I may men- 

 tion a remarkable fine specimen of the Chili palm {Juhcea 

 spi-rtahilis]^ erroiujously called the double coco nut 

 (Lodoicea sechell arv m) in the local hand-book pubhshed by 

 Mr. Grant. This plant grows at Farm Lodge, and attains 

 a height of about 40 feet. The stem at the base measures 

 about 5 feet in circumference, and is crowned at the top 

 with almost a globular mass of fine long pinnated fronds, 

 somewhat resembhng the date palm, but, if possible, with 

 a more pronounced glaucous tint. 



This palm fruits freely, the nuts being small and spherical, 

 having much the characteristics of miniature coco nuts. 

 Owing to the eagerness with which they are sought, for 

 the sake of the white edible kernel, they appear to have 

 never been sown. At least it is remarkable that, although 

 the palm is well known and a very striking object in the 

 country, not a single plant has been raised from it during 

 the numerous years it has continued to produce seed. 



The seed work acacia {Piptadenia pei-egrina, Bth.), is 

 utilised for ornamental purposes. Its seeds are gathered, 

 dyed black by means of copperas, and made into bracelets, 

 brooches, and other ornaments. 



The Cape Yew (Fodocarpus elo/u/ata) is one of the hand- 

 somest and most successful timber trees in the island. It 

 produces an abundance of seed, which grows freely in all 

 places around the parent trees. 



Bamboos in sever&l varieties are established in the island. 

 The handsome Dendrocalamus gigantei'A grows to a large 

 size at Oakbank, where I had the pleasure of finding it 

 in flower. 



Sea Bean (Entada scnndens). I saw several of these large 

 beans which had been washed ashore on the windward side 

 of the island. As the plant is not found at the Gape, it 

 is probable that these seeds had been brought by sea cur- 

 rents all the way from the West Indies or the West Coast 

 of Africa. It is said that these sea waifs have germinated in 

 St. Helena and produced one or two fine plants. At pre- 

 sent, however, I believe there is no plant existing. 



APENDIX I. 



Owen's College, Manchester, 

 November IG, 1883. 



My Lord,— I have the honour to reply to the letter 

 of Sir Kobert Herbert's of November 7th with reference 

 to samples of pyrolusite collected by Mr. Morris iu St. 

 Helena, requesting report and analyses. 



tSample 1. (St. Helena mauganese, soft, found in clay 

 beds.) 



Percentage of manganese dioxide, 35"41. 



Samph 2. (St. Helena manganese, hard, found iu clinker.) 



Percentage of manganese dioxide, 63'19. 



The value of manganese ore at the present moment is 

 70i'. (3/. lO.'i.) per ton, delivered at Liverpool or Garston, 

 for an ore containing 70 per cent of manganese dioxide. 

 For poorer ores a deduction of 2-^. (>d. for every degree 

 or percentage is made. It thus appears that the material 

 No. 1 is worthless, whilst No. 2 would be worth 52s 6d. 

 per ton deUvered. 



Manufacturers of chlorine, the chief employers of this 

 ore. rarely buy any manganese so low as (^3 per cent. 



Your Lordship will therefore see that should the cost of 

 getting and transport amount to anything approaching the 

 figures given by Mr. Morris, any economic use of the St. 

 Helena pyrolusite is out of the question. 



I have, &c. 



(Signed) H. E. Roscoe. 



To the Earl of Derby, 

 Colonial Office. 



APPENDIX IL 



Report on Three Samples of Earths from St. Helena 

 submitted to me for Chemical Analysis. 



The three samples submitted to me were numbered I., 

 II., and III. respectively. 



No. I. — This is a specimen of fibrous arragonite or carb- 

 onate of lime, containing 92 per cent of carbonate of 

 lime, I'l per cent moistm*e, 3'50 per cent silica, and 23 

 per cent alumina. This, when burnt iu kilns, would form 

 quicklime, which, when slaked, is very useful for field pur- 

 poses, and increases the production of crops in a high 

 degree. 



Nos. II. and III. are. both specimens of gypsum, the 

 former containing 20"ti2 per cent water and 79'38 per cent 

 sulphate of lime, and the latter 21'3 per cent water and 

 the rest sulphate of lime, they are therefore pure miner- 

 als. Quicklime cannot be obtained from this by burning, 

 but it can be used directly as manure in the fields, and 

 is very useful when judiciously employed. 



(Signed) B. H. H. Hooker. 



Royal School of Mines, 

 South Kensington, S.W. 



