Vol. IV. No. 91. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



313 



Jippi-Jappa Hats in Jamaica. 



An interesting minor industry of recent introduc- 

 tion in Jamaica is the manufacture of jippi-jappa hats. 

 The phint from which the material for making these 

 hats is derived is GaiiiuJovlca jamaiceusis, closely 

 related to the Panama hat plant (C. jxdmata), an 

 illustration of which was given in the Agrlcidtural 

 iVcit'S (Vol. Ill, p. 310). This genus does not belong 

 to the palm fiimily but is more nearly related to the 

 Aroids (screw pines, etc.). 



The jippi-ja]5pa plant grow.? freely in warm, humid 

 districts of Jamaica, and it is suggested that it 'could 

 be cultivated largely in its native districts, and in 

 othei's, e.g., along the banks of irrigating canals in the 

 banana plantations.' 



It is stated in the current issue of the Journal 

 of the Jamaica Agricultaral Society that there is 

 a large demand for the hats at paying prices. An 

 inquirj'was recently made for 6,000 dozen, which could 

 not be taken up. It seems to be a pity that the 

 exports are still comparatively trifling, as it is a suita- 

 ble industry for women and girls in their spare time. 



Exports of Turks and Caicos Islands. 



The principal industries of these islands, which 

 form a dependency of the colony of Jamaica, are salt 

 production and the cultivation of sisal hemp. An 

 account of the latter industry is given elsewhere in 

 this issue. It will be seen that there was still 

 a further increase in the output of sisal from the Caicos 

 Islands, in spite of the fact that only one of the 

 companies was in operation. Two companies are now 

 working plantations. 



For the salt industry the year 1904 was, however, 

 B, disastrous one. This was due to an excessive 

 rainfall, for the success of the industrj' depends 

 largely upon the absence of rain. In consequence, the 

 Takings during 1904 were very short, the total output 

 •of salt from the dependency being only 686,500 

 bushels, comjDared with an average crop of 1,800,000 

 bushels. 



West Indian Tobacco Industry. 



An interesting article in the Wevt India 

 Committee Circidar shows that tobacco has been well 

 represented at the Colonial Exhibition. It is stated 

 that the Golofina Tobacco Co. and Me.ssrs. B. and 

 •J. B. Machado had two handsome cases and stalls, at 

 which a brisk sale of Jamaica cigars and cigarettes 

 was conducted. There were also other private 

 ■exhibits from Jamaica, while in the Trinidad section 

 .a good display was made by the West India Cigar and 

 Cigarette Co. 



With regard to Jamaica cigars it is said : 

 ■'Samples of these cigars have been submitted to us and 

 it does not apjjear to us surprising that by many 

 ■connoisseurs they are preferred to even the best-known 

 brands of Havanas.' London agents have been 

 appointed by several of the firms mentioned above and 

 it is anticipated that the trade in West Indian cigars 



and cigarettes, inaugurated at the exhibition, will be 

 successfully continued. 



Much pioneer work has been done in Jamaica 

 since 1898 in connexion with tobacco growing, and the 

 industry appears now to be one of the most promising 

 in that island. There are indications that Trinidad 

 will al.so take up this industry on a fairly extensive 

 scale. 



St. Vincent Cotton Factory. 



An interesting report recently received from the 

 Agricultural Superintendent on the working of the 

 cotton factory at St. Vincent shows that the factory 

 was open from January 1 to September 2.3. During 

 this period 281,606 If), of seed-cotton were sent to be 

 ginned, which gave 77,814 lb. of lint and 199,941 lb. of 

 seed, or 27-6 per cent, of lint. The 77,814 lb. of lint 

 were made up into 233 bales, the majority of which 

 contained 360 ft. net. The amount of seed sent to be 

 disintegrated was 4,204 lb. 



The important work of selecting and disinfecting 

 seed, also carried on at the Cotton Factory, was com- 

 menced on April 13. The amount of seed treated for 

 local growers was 1.5,387 ft., which gave 11,860 ft. of 

 selected seed. 



For export and local sale 16,717 ft. of unselected 

 seed were purchased from local growers whose cotton 

 was particularly good and had realized l.s. 5tZ. to Is. 6rl. 

 per ft. This seed after selection and disinfection gave 

 13,990 ft., the bulk of which was exported to other 

 West India Islands. 



West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1906. 



It was stated on p. 280 of this volume of the 

 Agricultural A^cwfi that arrangements were being 

 made for holding the next West Indian Agricultural 

 Conference at Jamaica in January 1906. During his 

 recent official visit to Jamaica the Imperial Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture received the assurance of 

 the hearty co-operation of the various government 

 departments and the leading planters of the island, and 

 it was felt that the success of the conference was 

 certain. 



At the last moment, however, an unexpected 

 difficulty has arisen. Owing to the recent changes 

 announced by the Royal Mail Company in the itinerary 

 of their ships, it is probable that the voyage from, say, 

 Barbados to .Jamaica will occupy ten to eleven days, 

 instead of four days, as at present. This means 

 that repi-esentatives from the other islands would 

 require to be absent from their colonies for 

 a period of about thirty to thirty-eight da3's. It is 

 doubtful whether any representatives could afford to 

 spend as much as, sa}', five weeks to attend a conference 

 at Jamaica. 



The idea of holding the next conference at 

 Jamaica has not, however, been altogether abandoned. 

 The various steamship companies are being communi- 

 cated with, and it is hoped that, with the assistance of 

 the Governments of the various colonies, some means 

 may be devised for overcoming the difficulty that has 

 now so suddenly arisen. 



