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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1884. 



This is Holy Week and no carriages, horses, or other 

 vehicles are allowed in the streets, and, if one is so bold 

 as to go outside the city, the first pueblo or vill- 

 age he comes to, he would be sure to be stoned. 

 As I don't wish to die the death of a martyr 

 just yet, I prefer to keep my hotel until all this 

 ' cussed " foolishuess is over. I am pleased to say 

 that all my nurseries have sprouted, and in a 

 short time, two or three weeks, "pricking out" 

 shall be begun. How weary and tired of this con- 

 tinual wandering I am, I shall leave you to imagine : 

 my very soul calls out for rest sometimes, and 

 still this constant change has inspired me with a 

 feeling of restlessness, to that even a week or two 

 of the city makes me long again for the saddle 

 and the road. I paid Mr. A. 100 dollars a month 

 all the time I was away in Ceylon, for preparing the 

 nurseries. 



August 8th. — I write you now on the shores of 

 Izabal, at a small town of that name on the At- 

 lantic Coast : if you have a map to refer to, 

 the lake may be marked the "Gulf of Dulee." 

 My business along with that of all others has been 

 grta*ly retarded by the Government's attention being 

 wholly occupied in finding out the perpetrators 

 of the crime of the "bomb," of which I told you in 

 my former letter [not received. --Ed.] This crime had 

 more political significance than at first appeared ; iu 

 fact, was a plot of great and widespread extent, to 

 overthrow the present President Barrios and his 

 Government, and many of the fading men iu the 

 country were mixed up in iti You cannot imagine 

 how rejoiced I and all the foreigners were, that the 

 whole thing failed. He, General Barrios, is the only 

 man the country has seen, who has tried to force it 

 out of its priest-ridden state and make a couutr y of it. 

 I could relate to you many things which would greatly 

 interest you, of the desire of this man to do something 

 for these people and the good of the country ; and the 

 only return he has received, is to be plotted against 

 secretly ; and his life attempted — his escape from 

 the bomb was almost miraculous. I am touching 

 on all this again as you said you did not receive 

 all the letters I wrote you. This plot put all 

 business at a complete standstill ; and the natives 

 were almost always shut up in their houses afraid to 

 Btir out, and there was simply nothing to be done with 

 the Government. Thegeneral Delief at first was that some 

 fool who had a spite against or dislike to the Presid- 

 ent had attempted his life, but on my return to the 

 city, instead oi things being quieted down, they were 

 worse than when I left. I was very much vexed and put 

 out of sorts, as you can imagine. I had scarcely re- 

 turned to the city a few days when I metthe contractor 

 for theiailway from the Porte Sau Jose to Guatemala. 

 Mr. N. asked me to go and select for him and his firm 

 a block of land which was in their concession or contract, 

 about 190 000 acres ; this, of course, was rather a 

 ditlicult piece of business to do, as the greatest por- 

 tion and the best of the land is taken up. However, 

 I consented, and left for the Atlantic Coast about 

 the middle of June, and since that time 1 have been 

 buried iu the jungle, far away from all communic- 

 ation. I will give you a short outline of my journey 

 so far, and you will have an idea of what a bard 

 time I have had. I left Guatemalafor Salama, two 

 days' ride ; theuee to Coban by way of Purala. two 

 days more. 1 stayed there to engage Indians and an 

 Indian interpreter to take my baggage through the 

 jungle. Very few of the Indians herd speak Spanish. 

 From Coban I rode to Cajabon, three days ; sent 

 mules back to Coban and entered the jungle on foot 

 From there I went down towards the.coast, struck 

 the sources of the Savstoon river, went earn to the 

 boundary of British Honduras or Belize ; then bore 

 away south by east to the lake Izabal: this track 



has never been travelled before by anyone, except a 

 man called Bailey. I crossed the lake in a canoe and 

 went to the banks of the Matagira River ; this river is 

 about six times the size of the Thames. I went down the 

 river bank 40 miles; crossed and walked to the boundary 

 of the Republic of Honduras, and returned again two 

 days ago. I hurried back as fast as possible to catch 

 the river and lake steamer to take me up the Polochie 

 River to Ranzos. I arrived here only a few hours after 

 the steamer had left ; so have to wait until she re- 

 turns and goes to Livingston and comes up again, as 

 there is only one steamer. I could ride round by way 

 of Zacapa and Salama to. Bauzos, but would not gain 

 much time, as it would take me seven or eight days. 

 I prefer to rest myself and mules and go by steamer. 

 I have had an extremely rough time of it indeed. 

 The rains are on here now, and from the time I 

 left Cajabon till I reached the lake it rained nearly 

 every afternoon, and in the morning a heavy fog 

 hung on the jungle which condensed, and at the slightest 

 agitation by wind, the water was precipitated on to 

 the path and myself, which was not pleasant. I aver- 

 aged from eight to ten hours walking between each camp. 

 There were no houses or settlements whatever, except 

 one Indian village in the heart of the jungle, called 

 Chakah, where I stayed three days to recruit, and get 

 my shirts washed. After leaving Chakah, for three 

 days' running we saw tigers which had been prowl- 

 ing round our camp all night — one I was within 20 

 paces of. Pigs, peccarries, tapir and turkeys galore. 

 How the spirits of the mighty A. H. M. M. of 

 Maturata and G. W. of Dikoyi would have rejoiced 

 to have been here! I return to Guatemala by way of 

 Ranzos, and visit the Seiras del Minas mountains on 

 my way back which will tnkesome little time. I hope to 

 be in the city again about September 18th, Some people 

 I think are born like the "Wandering Jew" to travel 

 for ever : guess I am one of them. I had one or two 

 narrow escapes, but the deil aye taks care o' his ain 

 bairns, and 1 am safe and well. This is a grand country, 

 and you in Ceylon do not know what soil iB compared 

 with the soil one finds here. Remember me to all my 

 friends. I shall write you again as to the progress 

 made by my ciuchona. — Yours, N. I. F. 



ADVICE TO YOUNG OACAO PLANTERS. 

 (By a Practical Man.) 

 Cacao-geowing in Panwila. 

 {Continued from page 38G.) 



It is of the greatest importance the pods should be well 

 ripe and no light beaus should be planted, as the seed from a 

 half-ripe pod or imperfect seed will never give a plant 

 which would grow up into a healthy tree. About (wo weeks 

 ago I met the renter of Matale at the Mahayyawa station ; 

 he showed me four cacao pods he had purchased that day 

 from the Peradeuiya Gardens for one rupee — each pod was 

 of a different kind. I had no difficulty in at once pro- 

 nouncing them not ripe enough for planting. 



The distance best suited to plant in nursery is from live to 

 six inches apart; this will give you the most plants! hat can be 

 grown; it will be easy to take them up without, injury to adjoin- 

 ing plants ; you will get sufficient soil with the plant, if 

 carefully taken up, and there will be no stoppage ingrowth 

 after planting out. The coolies, wheu taking out large plants 

 with Scowen's transplonter, have a way in taking hold of the 

 plant when pulling up the transplanter, and so either in- 

 jure the stem of the plant or loosen the roots in the soil ; 

 though a European may do this successfully, coolies should 

 not hi allowed to. do this; for taking out large plants get 

 Holloway's fifteen inch deep by five wide transplanter 

 obtainable at Scowen's or walker's, and some tins to lay 

 the plant on for carrying to wherever required on wooden 

 trays holding six to eight plants each. The holes having 

 all been carefully filled, you put on a cooly to make a 

 hole by hand in centre of newly-filled hole large enough 

 to allow you to put iu the plant with soil as taken up by 



