402 Agricultural Gazette of N.SJV. {May 2, 1908. 



i.s 2.") 11).), and the iiiill is a very large one, willi iiioilci'ii inacliiuL-ry. 

 The caiic-lields were full of long-lidrncfl p-rassho])i)ers, and in the village, 

 round the electric lights in the s(|uai-e, their were thuusamls of thein 

 flying al)oi!t. 



On the l"'ih i)ecenil)ei'. i!l(l7, with letters of introduction to leading 

 planters at Cienfuegos and Santiago de Culia. 1 left liabana, and reached 

 the town of Cienfuegos, ]!).") miles soulli, at (i ]i.in. Next morning, with 

 an interpreter, T called upon the maiiagej of one (if the largest planta- 

 tions; but found lie had left tlie night beforl* for Santa (Tara. His chief 

 clerk arranged to send word to him, and 1 should get word early next 

 morning. In the meantime 1 visite<l a, large experiinent garden some 

 6 miles out of town, owned l)y a wealtliy Cuhan, Signor Calvado, where 

 he had all kinds of tro]deal plants and fruits growing. As we could not 

 get in touch with my man next morning, 1 left in the afternoon for Santa 

 Clara, where I stopped the night, and caueiit the mail ti-ain for Santiago 

 <le Cuba at (J a.m., ri'aching that town at 10 p.m. the same evenin<;-. 

 Next morning 1 visiteil the P>ritis]i Consul, who gave n)e letters to several 

 representatives of the large plantations in the district ; but in tlie mean- 

 time the secretary of the United Fruit ('ompany's JJoston Plantations 

 called upon me, and invited me to go out with him to Banes, about 100 

 miles north. We left at (J a.m. next morning, and after changing trains 

 at several junctions, reached the })lanralion at .'i'-'lO p.m. 



The United Fruit Company first laid out this country as a banana 

 plantation ; l)ut fouml that it would not grow fruit, so planted it with 

 suR-ar-cane, and now have 20,000 acres of suLiar-cane readv to cut, with 

 GO miles of railway laid through the fields. 1 travelled all over the estate 

 with the manager, and saw several small jdantations of citrus fi'uit that 

 were verv free froju ]iests. "\Miile here the British Consul sent me wiu'd 

 that the boat to Jamaica was to sail a day earlier than advertised, and 

 that the quarantine between Jamaica and Cuba, on account of yelhjw- 

 fever, had been raised that day. I left at 2 p.m., 22nd Deceinber, 1907, 

 for Santiago; but was delayed seven hours (a conuuon thing on these 

 lines) at Cedro Alto, and did not reach my destination till the following- 

 morning. 



Left Cvd)a at 4 p.m. fm- Kingston, Jiunaica, by the s.s. '' Oteri," 

 and arrived there next morning at 8 a.m. Tliis was Christmas Fve, and 

 all the officials were out of their offices until tlie 2Tth, when 1 \\vn\ up 

 to Headquarters House, and presented my credentials to the Colonial 

 Secretai'v, the Honorable T. Bourne, who gave me a free pass on the 

 railways, and sent me to the Honorable I. Faucett, the Director of 

 Botanical (iardens. Forests, il'c. At Hope Gardens 1 obtained a great 

 deal of information, and received letters to a number of different 

 planters. The following day T took the train to Piu't Antino (70 nnles 

 by rail), and next morning drove out to Burlington, and called ui)on 

 the Honorable H. Cork, who sliowed me round his estate. He had 24 

 acres of coco-nut palms in full liearing, every one which was destroyed 



