340 PLANTING ENTEBPBISE IN THE WEST INDIES. [IMarch, 



land bordering the sea-coast of our West India possessions are capable 

 of immense development. 



The largest export trade in coco-nuts is, probably, from Jamaica, 

 where in 1880 over six million nuts, of the value of £20,500, were 

 shipped, chiefly to the United States and Europe. Next to Jamaica 

 comes Trinidad, with exports of over four million nuts, of the value of 

 £14,000. British Guiana exported in 1879 a little over a million 

 coco-nuts, but it is probable that this number has been greatly 

 exceeded. It is remarkable that localities possessing such wonderful 

 facilities for the cultivation of coco-nuts as the Windward and Leeward 

 Islands should, up to the present time, do little beyond supplying 

 their own wants, Dominica, with its unrivalled lands for the culti- 

 vation of this valuable palm, does not export a single nut. Barbados 

 is in a worse position, for she has to import coco-nuts for her own 

 use. Whether this is due to want of cultivation, or to the 

 unsuitability of the soil and climate to the growth of the plant, is 

 not known. I believe the coco-nut palm at Barbados is affected by 

 an insect pest ; but if this is the only deterrent to the cultivation of so 

 useful and so valuable a plant, I believe it might be overcome. 



The manufacture of 'copra,' the kernel of the coco-nut dried and 

 cured, has not been taken up in the West Indies; nor has the 

 manufacture of coco-nut oil or coco-nut fibre been established. These 

 industries are chiefly confined to the Pacific Islands, to the Seychelles, 

 to Ceylon, and to countries remote from good markets for fresh nuts, 

 and where the value of the nuts is below 40s. per thousand. Owing 

 to the lower value of coco-nuts in Ceylon, coco-nut oil can be actually 

 manufactured there and shipped and sold in the West Indies at a 

 lower rate than we can make it ourselves. If, by making the nuts 

 into copra, the West Indian planter obtains only some 40s. per thousand 

 for them, and if, by making them into oil, he only just clears his 

 expenses, it is manifestly to his interest to dispose of the nuts in 

 the green state, and especially at present prices of 70s, per thousand. 

 For the American market the nuts must have the outer husk removed ; 

 and latterly it is found more convenient and economical to ship the 

 nuts in a similar state to the English market. In the latter case, the 

 nuts are packed in gunny bags, and forwarded as merchandise instead 

 of as * dunnage,' 



In the Bahamas, ' the Madeira of the United States,' the cultiva- 

 tion of tropical fruits, especially pine-apples, bananas, oranges, and 

 coco-nuts, has assumed considerable importance. Under the foster- 

 ing care of a former governor — now Sir William Kobinson, K.CM.G., 

 — and a system of local boards of agriculture, tobacco, onions, 

 tomatoes, and numerous other small industries, have also been 

 started, which must eventually, in the aggregate, add greatly to the 



