Nov. igo2. Flora of the Island of St. Croix — Millspaugh. 443 



ably true of the cherry {Malpighia glabra L.) which often yields three 

 or more crops in one year. A number of trees and shrubs drop their 

 leaves during the dry season, such as Anona squamosa, Sainyda serru- 

 lata, Eriodendron anfractuosum, Erythroxylum ovatuin, Melicocca bijuga, 

 Spondias litiea, Comocladia ilicifoUa, Piscidia Erytlirina, Poinciana regia, 

 Bauhinia tomcntosa, Randia aculeata, Cordia alba, Crescentia cujete, 

 Tccoina leucoxylon, Bignonia unguis, Citharexylum qtiadrangulare, 

 Phyllanthus distichous, Hippoiiiane Alancitiella, Hura crepitans, and 

 ■others. 



Unlike St. Jan and St. Thomas, St. Croix is fertile and capable 

 of extensive agricultural operations, having already been one of the 

 notable sugar producing islands of the Antilles. The total number 

 of acres in cane cultivation in i88g was 16,479, yielding a little less 

 than 15,000 tons of sugar, 118,000 gallons of rum and 271,400 gallons 

 of molasses, the whole valued at $1,069,324. 



]\Iost of the sugar is manufactured at the great central sugar 

 factory, near Bassin, which is under government control. There are 

 about 72 estates ranging in size from 150 to 2,165 acres. The origi- 

 nal number of estates was much larger, but in recent years they have 

 been united; for example, "Wheel of Fortune" estate now includes 

 the original estate together with those of Fredericks Haab, Stony 

 Ground, Mar's Hill, Two Brothers, Hesselberg, and Smith's Field. 

 Each estate has its own little village of stone huts, surrounding or 

 near the estate house, where the people who are employed in the 

 fields live with their families. Isolated dwellings are uncommon. 

 For example: The estate of Big Princess is worked by 71 men and 

 62 women, most of whom live in its village with their families. This 

 is a village of average size. There are required besides, for this same 

 estate, 32 mules and 28 oxen. The total number of men thus 

 employed on the island, in 1890, was 3,635, or 23.6 to every 100 

 acres; the total number of women was 2,743, or 17.9 to each 100 acres; 

 the number of mules was 1,211, or 7.9 to each 100 acres; and the 

 number of oxen was 1,576, or 10.3 for 100 acres. These figures do 

 not include the owners, managers, overseers with their families, 

 squatters, invalids, nor children under thirteen years of age. The 

 amount of land leased to squatters is increasing year by year, show- 

 ing a tendency on the part of the natives to become independent. 

 Besides the laborers employed on the estates, many work in the sugar 

 factory and on the docks, others are engaged in fishing and himting, 

 while a large number live from hand to mouth. 



A few estates are engaged in raising fruit. Little La Grange has 

 an extensive banana field, and over 10,000 pineapples were grown in 



