Jul? i, 1884.] 



'HE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



17 



made before they could accept the statement. Perhaps the 

 Professor would modify his statement upon the point. 

 He mnst congratulate the Professor upon the active way 

 in which he was able to deal both with friends and with 

 antagouists. He concluded by conveying the cordial thanks 

 of the meeting to the Professor. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



BRITISH HONDURAS. 



Mr. D. Morris, the Director of Public Gardens and Plant- 

 ations in Jamaica, has given the result of his visit to the 

 colony of British Honduras at the close of 1882, in the form of 

 a small volume of 152 pages, under the title of The Colony 

 of British Honduras, its Resources and Prospects; with 

 Particular Reference to its Indigenous Plants and Economic 

 Productions. Mr. Morris says in his preface that " In Eng- 

 land little is known of British Honduras, and that little 

 not of a very flattering character." Referring to the forests, 

 the destruction of which is common in most tropical 

 countries, Mr. Morris utters a word of warning against any 

 .extensive or reckless wood-cutting, but at the same time 

 points out that it would be well for the Government to 

 afford every reasonable help for the establishment of per- 

 manent plantations, and for attracting to the colony an in- 

 telligent race of planters possessing the necessary capital 

 and energy. "At present," it is stated, "several hundred 

 thousand acres of some of the finest lands to be found 

 in any British dependency produce an annual export value 

 (in Mahogany) of only £50,000. This sum is attained in 

 Jamaica in the export value of such a 'minor product ' as 

 Oranges." It is pointed out as a new and somewhat startling 

 fact that the export value of Oranges from Jamaica is equal 

 to that of Mahogany, the great staple industry of British 

 Honduras. It shows, however, the gradual change that is 

 taking place in the development of the "West India Islands 

 by means of the American fruit trade. Mr. Morris looks 

 forward to an extension of this fruit trade to British 

 Honduras as one means of bringing prosperity to the colony, 

 but he says at the same time he does not wish it to be in- 

 ferred that the larger industries are not likely to succeed 

 there; on the contrary, with available capital anil a supply of 

 labour no country could do better ; thus extensive areas of 

 land are suitable tor the cultivation ef the Sugar-cane, and 

 further inland (Jocoa plantations might cover hundreds of 

 acres, and Coffee of the finest quality ought to flourish on 

 the slopes and higher lands. 



The chief industry of British Honduras is wood-cutting. 

 Mahogany is exported to the extent of about 3,000,000 

 feet per annum, the cost of which, ready For shipment, is 

 from £8 to £10 per 1,000 feet. The annual export of Log- 

 wood is about 15,000 tons, realising from £2 to £3 per ton. 

 "■Wood-cutting operations have now been carried on for 

 mere than 2mi years, and as a result much of the tin. — .t 

 timber has been cut down. There is, however, much fine 

 timber still to be found in the interior, but probably beyond 

 the reach of rivers ; hence it is believed that the construction 

 of a railway will not only advance other industries, but at 

 the same time stimulate the production and export of the 

 old staples of the colony." 



The chief Pine of the colony is known as the Yellow Tine 

 (Pinus cubensis). The timber of this is used only to a small 

 extent for building purposes, owing, it is said, to the diffic- 

 ulty of sawing it. The wood is heavy, and would probably 

 bevery durable if properly seasoned; as it is, however, it is used 

 chiefly for firewood and making torches, which are largely used 

 in the Mahogany works. Mr. Morris says that an impression 

 prevails in the colony that two species of Pine exist on the 

 Pine ridges, distinguished as the white and yellow Pine, but 

 that he was unable to distinguish between them. He sug- 

 gests that if properly tapped they might yield good resin, 

 and by distillation good turpentine. 



Some interesting notes are given on the Cocoa that, 

 cultivated in the South, is described as being probably forms 

 of Theobroma Cacao, " but in other instances the charart. rs 

 approached more nearly to T. angustifolia, which is supposed 

 to be a distinct species, and under cultivation in Guatemala. 

 This last is no doubt the Tabasco Cacao of the Atlantic- 

 slopes of Central America, which is probably identical with 

 the celebrated Socunusco Cacao of the Pacific slopes." 



We cannot follow Mr. Morris through his numerous notes 

 on other equally valuable plants. It will suffice to say that 

 he pays considerable attention to indiarubber plants, the 



■Sugar-cane, dyes, Rice, Maize, Cinchona, and other medi- 

 cinal plants, tropical fruits and food-plants. At the end 

 of the book a list of works and serials is given suitable 

 for the use of tropical planters. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



TROPICAL PRODUCTS IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 



(From the Annual Report of the Ayri-Horticidtural Society 

 of Jladras.) 



Tlte Season. — Again a most abnormal season has to be 

 chronicled. From the Government Astronomer's " Abstract 

 of the Mean Meteorological Condition of Madras com- 

 pared with the average of past years " to be found in the 

 Supplement of the Fort St. George Gazette of 15th Janu- 

 ary 1884, it appears that the total rainfall registered in 

 1883 at the Government Observatory, Madras, was o'0'54 

 inches, being 11-83 inches above the average of 48"71 inches. 

 From the same authority, too, we learn that the hottest 

 day in 18S3 was Her Imperial Majesty's Birthday, the 

 24th of May, when the thermometer in the shade reached 

 107'7 ; while on the coldest night, that of 28th December, 

 it fell to 61-4. As might have been expected, a drought 

 prolonged from November 1882 to June J 883, with an allow- 

 ance of rain far below the average until October, followed 

 by a downfall or series of downfalls as much above, in- 

 volving much standing water, was hard upon vegetable life. 

 Large numbers of the hardiest trees died in and around 

 Madras, while the Society lost many of their new and 

 most valued introductions. The Landolphiafiorida, Brazil 

 nuts, and Sapucia nuts mentioned in last year's report all, 

 or nearly all, gradually died out; while most of the Nut- 

 megs, Maugosteens and Amherstia vol His, which require a 

 moist climate, followed the many of their kind tried before 

 in the Society's Gardens. No large or valuable specimen 

 trees however died in the Gardens. The copious rains of 

 October, November and December, or some other natural 

 influence, happily rescued the Cycas plants from the plague 

 of grubs described last year, and each plant is now crowned 

 with a grand whorl of perfect fronds. 



Fibre Plants. — Of these Fourcroya gigantea may be placed 

 in the front rank. The plant has long been known and 

 grown in Madras under the name of " Mauritius Hemp," 

 and yields here a fibre of great length, extending even to 

 twelve feet. The demand for 100,000 plants of Fourcroya 

 mentioned in last Annual Report, unfortunately fell through 

 before it was possible to comply with it, the gentleman 

 who required the plants having in addition to a consider- 

 able number obtained from the Society, collected as many 

 as he could make, use of from other places. Large num- 

 bers of young plants large and small, have, however, been 

 distributed both in and near Madras and to distant parts 

 of the Presidency, and no efforts have been spared to 

 collect and store in the nurseries a large stock. .The So- 

 ciety has at present a requisition on band for 40,000 plants 

 for the "West Coast, where in a moister climate it will 

 be interesting to hear whether its growth will be more 

 luxuriant than in Madras. 



Manilla Hemp. — The stock of Jfusa tejt lis possessed by 

 the Society has been sufficient to meet the few dema ■' 

 for it made during the past year. The cost of clei 

 ami preparing this fibre has for the present apparently 

 proved prohibitive; but it is hoped that the trials and 

 experiments now in progress in connection with the recei 

 exhibition in Calcutta, may result in bringing to 'i 

 machine suitable in prime cost and economy nl ■ kit 

 for the wants of the many who would wiJIini 

 attention to this and similar large and easily grown fibre 

 plants. 



Rhaa. — The failure of the many attempts to win the 

 £5,000 premium offered by Government tort lie pro* 

 ot a cheap and efficient machine tor extracting the valu- 

 able fibre of JBeehmeria nriea. appears to have suppressed 

 the interest formerly taken in this plant, and the large 

 stock once possessed by the Society has unfortunately 

 dwindled away to a few specimens. Recent experiments 

 seem, however, to have awakened enterprise in this direc- 

 tion, and some demands for pi nts and enquiries on the 

 subject have been lately received. The stock in the Gard- 

 ens will be increased as rapidly as possible. 



Bowstring Hemp. — The several species of Sanseveira of 

 which the Society possesses four, passing in the Gardens 



