iSS 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [September i, i885< 



atioa are about as good and promising investment^ 

 as can be obtained in the tropica : there is abund- 

 ance of suitable laud ou the EOith side within reason- 

 able distance of the shipping ports, and now that the 

 quarantine is removed, the trade of New Orleans, the 

 Mississippi valley, as well as that of Baltimore, 

 Philadelphia, New York and Canada, is open to our 

 Jamaica banana and orange growers : there is 

 indeed a very good prospect and opening for those 

 •who have the capital and need employment for their 

 sons. As to Jamaica " cacao " there is no reason why 

 in time it should not be as much a favorite in the 

 market as that of Caracas, Trinidad, or Ceylon. 



A Commission appointed by the Legislative Council 

 has lately proceeded to Canada with the object of bring- 

 ing about a reciprocity treaty with the Dominion ; if 

 successful, it should be a good thing for our sugar 

 planters to have that market more fully opened to 

 them, and the poor people will get their salt- fish, flour, 

 etc., at even a more reasonable rate than they do at 

 present. If a treaty of the same nature could be ob- 

 tained with the United States, the prospects of our 

 sugar industry would much improve. 



As to " law " affairs in Jamaica, there is 

 a Chief Justice and two Puisne Justices ; the 

 Supreme Court is held at Kingston ; the Judges 

 sit also occasionally at Circuit Courts : in the country 

 parishes. There are also District Courts, these seem to 

 have become very unpopular, and the general idea seem 

 to be that they should be discontinueil ; but it strikes 

 one that an intermediate tribunal should exist between 

 the Supreme Court and the petty sessions or Police 

 Courts for the trial of important land cases and 

 cases involving a large amount of money. The exist- 

 ing system of allowing,' a dffendant to elect whether 

 he will be tried by the petty sessions or the District, 

 Court, even though it be a most trivial ca-e, should 

 be discontinued, and the powers of the pttty sessions 

 and Police Courts be enlarged and defined, so that 

 even trials for trespass, and non-payment of rent, 

 small debts and such like causes might be tried by 

 the stipendiary magistrate or local Justicis of the 

 Peace, who are usually planters or business men, all 

 well versed in the laws and customs of Jamaica; if 

 it wtre so, people would be saved the expcDse and 

 trouble of travelling long distances to obtain legal 

 redress, sometimes having to attiud two or three times 

 before their cases can be finallv settled. At present 

 if I fine a'man for bad work, misconduct, or impertinence, 

 and he takes me to court, he may, to spite me and 

 cause me .annoyance and expense, elect to have his 

 case tried by the District Court Judges at Eisington, 

 many miles off, where there is no rtsthouse or con- 

 venience of any tort for travellers ; and in other 

 parishes the distances poor suilors have to travel to 

 the District Court are even much greatfr. I hope 

 therefore that the law will be revised. A Commission 

 has been sitting to LoUect evidence and sent out a 

 printed list of (juestions for answers, to all from whom 

 an opinion would he of service. 



I he.ird a vei y good story the other day which will 

 amuse your readers : it is real Jam-aica. A Creole 

 labourer came to town on Katorday with his earnings, 

 and amongst i ther purchases bought a pair of boots : 

 after long purleving with himself whether he should 

 put them ou there ami then or keep them for church 

 next morning, he deteriuiufd to adopt tlie latter plan, 

 80 slung them over his shouMcr and m-mly went "ii 

 his way, till coming to a bad gully lie knocked his 

 big toe against a stone, nearly tearing oil" I he nail j 

 after wincing and making wry faces and getting 

 over the paiu as best he could, he (xrliimed; " My 

 king, worry good ting 1 no put ou dcm new toots." 

 —Yours faithfully, W. S. 



COFFEE IN UVA CEYLON : THE SPRING VAL- 

 LEY AND UVA COMPANIES' REPORTS. 



Enclosed with this letter you will receive the re- 

 ports of the Spring Valley and Uva Companies. 

 We have not been led to anticipate that those 

 reports will be particularly satisfactory ; but they will 

 at all events, we are informed, set forth certain 

 facts which justify a contideut hope that the long 

 lane is being turned, and that those reports which 

 may follow will be able to anuounce a very improved 

 state of affairs. In this connection it occurs to me 

 to mention that very curious intelligence has been 

 received from the Companies' local management which 

 seem to atiord ground for hope that the leaf-disease 

 which has so long distressed your planters is, if not 

 positively leaving you. at all events showing a dimin- 

 ished virulence of eli'ect which may herald the entire 

 loss of power by it to produce ill-effect upon the 

 coffee crop. On the Uva estates during last autumn 

 they bad a most splendid blossom. The hope to 

 which such an appearance would naturally give rise 

 had, however, too often been disappointed in the 

 past to warrant the directors building much upon it, 

 or their agents in estimating for a good yield of 

 coffee thereupon. Year after year had seen the spring 

 accompanied by a virulent attack of leaf-disease and 

 the trees lose both leaf and berry. In accordance 

 with this precedent, the early months of the current 

 year witnessed as strong an outbreak of the disease 

 as ever ; but when the superintendents naturally ex- 

 pected to see it followed by the usual evideuoe of 

 weakness in the trees they were as surprised as gratified 

 to find tlie latter resisting it and the berries holding 

 on and filling out almost .ts well as in the old days 

 before the pest had made its appearance. So, just 

 whtu the directois were writing out urgiag the 

 greatest economy in expenditure in view of the 

 ant cipated shortness of crop, they receive from their 

 local managers the most satisfactory statement of the 

 prospects fur the coming crop, and they now feel 

 justified in counting ou a full 5 cwt. to the acre. 

 Now all this may be stale news to you ; but certainly 

 no iiUusion to it has been remarked by us in j-our 

 oveiland issue. What does the fact bode ? It seems 

 unreasonable not to conclude that the disease, as re- 

 gards its power for ill-effect on the coffee trees, 

 has worn or is weaiiug itse'f out. Cert duly, it is 

 a new phase, so far as we at home are aware, in the 

 histo'-y of the coffee-Ieaf-disease, and it seems 

 justifiable to hope that the woist results to be 

 dreaded from tlie visitation are passing aw..y and that 

 our old frii nd ciiff'ee may again resume its place as a 

 highly profitable investment in Ceylon. Whether with 

 your local knowlei'ge you can endorse this hope 

 we at home do not know ; but we confidently ex. 

 pect to bear that you f^el able 10 do so. Everything 

 that tends to show that the loug-expected "rift in 

 the cloud" is within sight naturally gives confidence 

 here, and, should the untie pation of the directors 

 of the two Companies under reference be fulfilled, it 

 will be a matter for extreme corigratulation to all those 

 interested in Ceylou plantinu; enterprises. 



Report of Spriii;/ J'a/ltf/ Coffee Company. 



The accounts now presenti il to shareholders comprise a 

 balance sheel. showhiy the Company's financial position on 

 31st ^[ay, 1885, and the profit and loss account for season 

 1SP3-84. Spring A'alley crop ameuuteil to the estimate given 

 ill last year's report, viz., 'Afi^i cwt qrs 10 lb of coffee, 

 the proceeds of wliieli were i'lO.CiliJ Os Pd, or a not average 

 of 5Ds 6d per ewt. Oinchoiia bark was sold to the value of 

 £724 Ills 7il, and .sales of refuse eolfec iu Colombo realized 

 X'!58 3s 6d, making a total of £11,717 Us lOd received from 

 sales of produce. The Ceylon expenditure includes £398 

 8s 8d spent on lea, making the result of the season's work- 

 ing a loss of £2:;2 i"s 7d. which, drdueted from the balance 

 of £1,673 7s Gd, brought forward from last year, leaves a 



