51 



"Should cocoa ever touch say \~>j- and stay there awhile, no 

 further argumenl would. I imagine, be necessary, and the world's pro- 

 duction is increasing so enormously, that in the natural sequence of 

 such things there is bound to be a gradual but certain Levelling of 

 the prevailing average prices as time progresses. 



■■ 13. The important lessons they seemed to have learned in 

 Jamaica may be briefly summarized as under : — 



•• { i.) Thorough preparation of the land before planting, good 



drainage, and free use of the plough, fork and hoe after- 



u ards. 



•• In other words, nothing but high cultivation pays in 



the long run. 

 ■• (ii.) Planting at such time only, and pruning of suckers, as 



will ensure fruiting, and proper rotation, during those 



months when the highest prices prevail. 

 " (iii.) Religious care in cutting, handling and transporting 



the ripe fruit, without which everything else counts as 



nothing. 



"14. The process of cutting, handling and transporting is one of 

 unceasing care and anxiety. The stem is cut on the top, just below 

 the head, when the bunch topples over and is caught hy a second 

 helper. It is not allowed to fall to the ground. A sharp machete 

 or cutlass does the requisite trimming, and the refuse is afterwards 

 chopped up and left on the soil. The remaining stump is allowed 

 to gradually rot from the top. which admits of the heavy amount of 

 sap it contains being slowly returned to nourish the young suckers at 

 its root. * 



" Following this, the bunches are roughly graded and tallied, and 

 headed out to some convenient place, and there packed in trash to 

 await the later removal to the nearest railway station or shipping 

 depot. 



■• All this is done under the eye of an experienced Overseer. 



" Donkeys are used for carrying the bunches crook fashion, and 

 where carting has to be performed the fruit is carefully stowed in the 

 vehicles, trash being used to prevent bruising and chafing.^ 



" It is a crime for any person to even attempt to accommodate 

 himself on the top of a load of bananas in transit. 



" The wagons and carts generally used are made with spring-. 

 and are fitted with high sides and ends, as light and open as possible. 

 A fuller description of these conveyances will be given further on. 

 When the journey has to be performed partly by rail, the bananas are 

 brought to the station and transferred to the wagons with the same 

 amount of watchfulness and care as before. Trash is again used, and 

 the work of loading is undertaken almost entirely by the buyer's 

 agents. 



" I enclose a photograph that describes this operation perfectly. 



" 15. In Jamaica railway freights are generally paid by the 

 shippers, as they doubtlessly would be here, and such charges are 

 very considerably in advance of those contemplated in this Colony. 



