December i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



473 



MINOR PRODUCT-! IN THE WEST INDIES. 



The Dominica Dial of September 20th which reached 

 us by last mail has a leading article on "Minor Pro- 

 ducts to the Rescue," from which it is ol interest 

 to quote as follows : — 



On the principle that out of ovil sometimes cometh good 

 the present crisis in West Indian sugar affairs may be 

 made the means of a new departure for our ^agricultural 

 interest. To many of the small property-holders, for whom 

 the present low price of sugar makes impossible the con- 

 tinued cultivation of King Cane, there is absolutely no 

 alternative but a change to those minor products at which 

 it has hitherto been the foolish habit to turn up our noses. 

 Cacao, tobacco, nutmegs, mace, cinnamon, black and white 

 pepper, cloves and various other spices can be grown to 

 perfection in the rich soils of this island. Already the ex- 

 port of cacao, including the large quautities illicitly carried 

 away from the Windward side of the island in French bot- 

 toms to Martinique and Guadeloupe, cannot be much less 

 than 1,000,01)0 lb. Within a very few years to come, with 

 more intelligent skill in pruning and greater knowledge of 

 how to cure this important product, the present outturn 

 will be more than doubled. Another hopeful feature in 

 the agricultural outlook is the arrival for the last three 

 seasons of American speculators in fruit, oranges prin- 

 cipally. It is to be regretted that hitherto no trade has 

 sprung up in bananas, of which up to now Jamaica and 

 Central America enjoy the monopoly. But with our mil- 

 lions of banana trees there is no reason why the attention 

 of American fruiterers should not be directed to the un- 

 tried field of Dominica. Of course regular steam communic- 

 ation and more rapid transit will be necessary, and would 

 follow as a consequence of an extended fruit trade. 

 After a good deal more i general terms, our con- 

 temporary winds up with the following special com- 

 pliment to Hin T. A. of Ceylon: — 



Our subscribers will do us the justice to bear in mind 

 that one of the self-imposed duties of our journalistic 

 career is to inculcate on the mind of the public the necess- 

 ity for introducing those new products on which inform- 

 ation has been published in these columns from time to 

 time. Most of these articles have been taken from the 

 Tropical Agriculturist, a serial published at Colombo, 

 Ceylon, and containing valuable information on every sub- 

 ject connected with agriculture in the tropics. It is no 

 exaggeration to say that every planter and proprietor of 

 land iu these latitudes should take in and read this valu- 

 able work, if he is to be put in possession of information 

 and experience which intimately concern his interests. The 

 number of those who have hitherto taken in the Tropical 

 Agriculturist in Dominica is exceedingly limited ; but wo 

 venture to assure the planters of this island that, whether 

 our projected Agricultural Society is formed or not, they 

 will find in the pages of the excellent publication we allude 

 to iuestimable help iu choosing those new products to 

 which the necessity of self-preservation compels them to 

 resort. 



— : ♦ 



TEA PLANTING IN CEYLON. 



the history of maria watte ; embargo laid on 

 crown forests : a policy wanted. 



The history of this little tea property is interesting. 

 Nearly half a century ago, it was opened as a coffee estate, 

 but, owing to bad management or some other cause, it 

 was at some unknown period in its history abandoned and 

 allowed to grow up into jungle. In that state it remained 

 for some years, when, having fallen into other han^s, it 

 was again cleared from the low jungle that had grown up, 

 aud once more planted with coffee, but with very indifferent 

 success, though it appears to have yielded crops for a 

 number of years, when it was for the second time aban- 

 doned, and once more became a wide waste of woody 

 undergrowth, prominent amidst which was the lantana, a 

 foreign shrubby weed of marvellous rapid growth, said to 

 be a great recuperater of worn out soils. This quality 

 would seem to have been given to it in the present case, 

 as long before any manure was applied to the tea on the 

 Mariawattie Estate, it bore heavily. The oldest portion of 

 the hundred acres in bearing is now about six years old, 

 some of it only four. But it is conveniently situated for 

 the cartage of manure, and lies on an undulating site. 

 60 



If the extension of tea cultivation in this island depended 

 on the acquisition of crown lauds, it would have cut a 

 rather sorry figure at this present time. As a matter 

 of fact for every hundred acres of new laud opened 

 for this cultivation, there are, or will be during 

 this aud the coming year, a thousand acres of coffee 

 estate land planted with the new product. "Where 

 this can be done with prospect of success, the advant- 

 ages are many and striking — there is no felling of forest or 

 buruing off. all is ready to hand, roads are ready marie, drains 

 are cut throughout, coolies' lines are there, manager's 

 bungalow, and, what is of even more importance, a good well 

 built store easily convertible into a tea factory. There was 

 a sale of such a property a few days ago, comprising 4i'0 acres 

 of.coffee and jungle, mostly the former, which went for R6,000. 

 The buildings, roads and drains were worth the money, and 

 there was the land sufficient for forming a first class tea 

 plantation thrown iu, I may say, for nothing ! In a few years 

 theuew proprietor will have put money into it which, if judici- 

 ously spent, wilt make it a valuable property. Our Govern- 

 ment are trifling with investors of capital in a new tealand in 

 a most unaccountable fashion. A short time ago, the repre- 

 sentative of a Loudon capitalist applied for a thousand acres of 

 crown forest very indifferently timbered but of good quality 

 The block was surveyed and advertised for sale, the intending 

 purchaser in the meantime had purchased large quantities ot 

 tea seed, and had actually had nurseries laid out on an adjoin- 

 ing block of land which he had previously bought. To his 

 intense surprise and great mortification, a notice appeared iu 

 the Govt rnnit ni (in:ttti three weeksbefore the appointed date 

 of sale, stating that the land was withdrawn from public 

 competition, with no reason stated. Upon this the applic- 

 ant sought an interview with the highest authority in 

 the island, and stated his case, pointing out the hardship 

 and loss the withdrawal of the land would entail. But 

 the Governor was immovable in his resolve, assigning as 

 a reason that it was held back on climatic consider- 

 ation !* Perhaps you may remember that two years ago 

 or more, one of the Indian Forestry Staff, a Mr. Vincent, 

 came to Ceylon at the request of our Government to 

 report upon the forests of this island. He drew up a 

 very long and well writteu report, which was afterwards 

 printed, and as you may imagine, it dealt with forest 

 conservancy in every phase. It advised Government in 

 regard to the future care and development of its forests 

 much on the lines of the Indian forestry work, hut whilst 

 adopting some portion of Mr. Vincent's report, it has left 

 others untouched, and inasmuch as to the present time 

 no policy has been declared, save in respect of the vast 

 tracts of forests in the north of the island, the home 

 of the elephant and the bear, where all is reserved aud 

 properly so. No planter can say what land the Govern- 

 ment will sell or what it will retain, so that the public are 

 left in a state of complete ignorance as to where tomake 

 their selections. — Cor., Indiyo and Tea rianter*' Gazette 



PLANTING IN BRITISH BURMA. 



(By an ex Ceylon Planter.) 



NEW PRODUCTS FROM CACAO TO CHESNUTS : NUTMEGS, CARD- 

 AMOMS, ARXOTTO, CROTON — PRAISE FOR WILLIAM BROS. — 

 TRAVELLING UNDER DIFFICULTIES ! 



Tavoy, 13th Oct. 1S84. 

 I am still alive and • in splendid health, thank 

 goodness. Since I wrote you last I have done a good 

 deal of hard work and have planted up all my new 

 clearing. What made it more difficult I had to see 

 everything done myself, had a number of men that had 

 to be trained into th'ir work, never having seen such 

 products before, and rather clumsy at their work. How- 

 ever all is planted up, and the work done thoioughly 

 well, and my planties are showing up their little beads 

 nicely. I am now sanguine of success. My clearing 

 would amuse a good many planters. I have planted it 



' We have heard that eventually the sale of 400 out of 

 the 1,000 acres was granted to Mr. W. Forsythe, the 

 agent referred to, on his representing to the Governor that 

 his nursery plants would be wasted. The 400 acres are, of 

 course, to be put up to auction sale as usual. — Ed. 



