January i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



5-9 



PLANTING IN JAMAICA. 

 (From an old Ceylon Planter.) 

 Blue Mountain District, Jamaica. 11th Oct. 1S84. 

 Jamaica as most of your readers will know, 

 is admitted to lie the "Queen" of the "Antilles," 

 though Trinidad and Barbadoes are Islands 

 that in the way of prosperity seem now to be 

 leaving their larger sister in the rear. Jamaica is 

 not nearly as lvrge as Ceylnn, being but 144 miles 

 long by 49 wide in the broadest, and 21 in the 

 narrowest part between Kingston and Auotto Bay. 

 In Jamaica, sugar is as much " king" as coffee was 

 ten years ago in Ceylon; but there is at present 

 a great depression, because of the low prices now 

 ruling, caused by beet-root sugar competition, which 

 is protected by Government bounties and, therefoie, 

 undersells cane sugar, though it does not possess 

 as much saccharine matter. Indeed, it will be a sad 

 look-out for (he West India Islands generally, un- 

 less the mother-country obtain a favourable treaty 

 with the United Sta'es, for the free admission, or 

 best-favoured nation treatment for the importation of 

 West India sugar, or so far condescends to depart 

 fiom its free trade policy, as to place some restric- 

 tion ou the admission of bounty-growu sugars. I 

 have always felt free trade was a mistake unless 

 it was reciprocal, and thought it a great shame 

 Britain does not foster and encourage her colonies, 

 allowing their produce to come home free of duty, 

 but imposing a small protective duty on the Imports 

 from foreign countries, all of whom tax our produc- 

 tions. Surely, if free trade were such a paying thing, 

 twenty years or more would have convinced other 

 nations of its benefits; but it does not seem to have 

 done so as yet, even in the vaunted republics of 

 France and the United States. Another thing that has 

 always astonished me is that England, which professes 

 to have such a hoirorof slavery, shuld at all admit 

 such products as slave-grown sugar and coffee, and thus 

 be inconsistent in not favoring freegrow u articles. 



But to return to "Jamaica" it produces besides 

 sugar, rum, molasses, coffee, pimento, coconuts, log- 

 wood, etc., while the fruit industry has grown im- 

 mensely within the last few years, and a large area 

 of cacao is being planted, and will ere long become 

 a very respectable item in the island export. As to the 

 value of the fruit exported it has increase d fn m 

 £10,301 in 1S74, to £154,216. These figures .-peak for 

 themselves, and I am told that for small capitalists 

 there is still a very good opening in the field of fruit 

 production. Bananas arc raid to repay themeelves in 18 

 months, but coconuts and oranges of course take longer 

 in coming into bearing. A good deal has lately been 

 said about the marked exodus to the Panama Canal 

 works, but if times were good and prices of sugar 

 remunerative, I do not think the sugar planters would 

 suffer very materially, as they could afford to pay 

 better wages : auyhovv there were 13,245 coolies in 

 tlm island on 30th September 18S3, and since then a 

 large batch of Chinese have been imported on trial. 

 Daring the present year, IS 000 Jamaicans have left 

 for Colon, and only 9,600 had returned to the end of 

 September, but that is not so much out of a poiml- 

 aHou of 5S0.U00, at the census of 18S1 ; moreover, the 

 construction of the canal cannot last many years 

 longer,; as it is many who go, never return as they 

 de from the effects of climate, and those who remain 

 do not find it the "Eldorado" they expected, prices 

 of provisions and other necessaries being exorbitant 

 which runs away with the greater part of the higher 

 wages. Of course, a few are fortunate and save money, 

 but as a general rule most are like the boy who 

 goes to sea for the first time, and often wishes 

 to be at home again ; eo the Jamaicans must wish 

 them' elves back at their old work on the sug nr ostites, 

 and enjoyment of their own huts and family life. 

 67 y 



As a colony Jamaica is still a long way behind Cey- 

 lon in many respects, though it is the oldest of tne 

 British Colonies. This is no doubt attributable to the 

 curse brought upon it by slavery, and the negro 

 race being less energetic and intelligent than the 

 Indian. As a city Kingston is a long way heir ml 

 Colombo, though it has many natural advantages and 

 has one of the finest laud locked harbours in the 

 world, the far-famed "Pallisadoes" forming a natural 

 bieakwater some six miles in length. The Btreets are 

 disgracefully kept, but at length they are a beginning 

 to reconstruct them. There is now next to no drain- 

 age, though water is laid on from the adjacent hills. 

 The buildings and shops are poor, though the fire 

 has been the means of getting better ones erected, and 

 it is a pity the authorities are allowing many of the 

 roofs to be "shingled" though a byelaw has been passsed 

 forbidding it. 



At Spanish Town the old capital, the Government 

 buildings are large, handsome and substantial: it woul.l 

 undoubtedly be the finest town in th. t v spect for 

 the seat of Government, the Legislature, and the public 

 offices; but Kingston is cooler, healthier aud nearer the 

 sea, and seems to be preferred ; there are yet a few 

 who stdl contend for the removal oi the Governor's 

 headquarters to Spanish Town. 



This reminds me to mention that our new Legis- 

 lative Council, the unofficial members of which have 

 been elected by the people, has commenced its first 

 session, and the Council as reconstructed, is now at 

 work. The elected members seem determined to give 

 the Govirnment no peace in the way of questions, about 

 retrenchment, economy and reduction of Establish- 

 ments. Many of the pucea Europeans or "Buekras," 

 as they are called here, were quite content with' a 

 Crown Government and a Council such as you now 

 have in Ceylon, but the "Brown" population (Burghers 

 of Ceylon), aud the Jews of whom there is a large 

 elemeut, agitated, ?nd were backed up by the news- 

 papers, to have back again the Constitution they lost 

 after the Rebellion of 1865; aud Lord Derby at last 

 yielded in so far as giving them nine unofficial mem- 

 bers representing the various island parishes as against 

 eix official, — power, however being reserved to the 

 Govervor to elect additional official members in case the 

 elected members refuse to pass any measure the Home 

 Government may deem of paramount importance to the 

 well-being of the kingdom or the island. But in 

 matters of finance and regulating expenditure, the elected 

 members will have a decided majority, which is what 

 they had been clamouring for : and yet they are not 

 content, but like "Oliver Twist" want more, in the 

 way of further extension of the franchi-e; but I hope it 

 may be withheld until the Creoles, as they call thriri- 

 selves, are fitted for ihe suffrage-. W. S. 



PLANTING NOTES FBOM UVA (CEYLON). 



CROPS— COFFER PRICES AND CUBING— AN ESSAY ON CUEINO 

 WANTED— WESTLAND'S SIEVE VLATES— THE NATIVES OF U\ i 

 AND NEW PRODUCTS. 



Haputale, December .".th. 

 liie total rainfall up here for last mouth was about 

 16 inches— not very much over the average of former 

 years has fallen to date . though occasionally the 

 fall has been very heavy, that of the night of the 

 16th November beiug the heaviest rainfall known for 

 many years back. Since beginuing of December there has 

 not been much rain, but the temperature and fall of the 

 thermometer has been very perceptible, sometimes as low 

 as .".2 - at night. Gathering of autumn crop has been 

 proceeding briskly, the earlier samples contained much 

 light aud deficient beans, but the later pickings have im- 

 proved in quality. Spring crop on the higher estates 

 promises to be particularly good ; the best crop of many 

 seasons past will be picked in the spring of - S5 for the 

 sale of which it is to be hoped prices will continue rising 



