29 



1SS4-, Seeds and Plants Importation Law, first brought into existence to 

 deal with the coffee leaf disease of Ceylon. A portion of this Act has since been 

 modified to allow the authorities to fumigate plants with hydrocyanic acid gas 

 for fungous diseases. There are six of these fumigators in use at the Botanic 

 Gardens, wharves, and Post Office. In the Hope Gardens was planted one of 

 the original bread-fruit trees obtained by Captain Bligh, and from it great 

 quantities of bread-fruit have been planted all over the island ; and bread- 

 fruit is one of the foods of Jamaica. A fine collection of Algerian date palms 

 are growing in the gardens, but the foliage suffers much from a leaf rust 

 (Puccinum phenocia*). Cocoanut bud rot disease is common in the planta- 

 tions, generally starting on the flower bud and then extending to the terminal 

 leaf bud ; prompt spraying with strong Bordeaux mixture is said to check it 



Experiments are being carried out in growing vanilla, and with ordinary 

 care it do?s very well. The Seychelles Islands, some years ago, were the 

 centre of this valuable industry, but a leaf fungous disease broke out and 

 destroyed all the plants. 



As in every place, the cultivation of cotton has been pushed along the last 

 few .years, but in consequence of the cotton moth Aletia argillacea doing so 

 much damage to a large experiment plot planted last year, the industry had a 

 serious set back. 



Mr. Faucett also gave me some reports and information regarding the fruit- 

 fly in Bermuda, and the methods adopted to get rid of it in that country ; 

 those will appear in my report upon the Fruit Flies. Mr. Faucett gave me 

 introductions to several of the leading planters indifferent parts of the island, 

 and on the following afternoon I left by train for Port Antonio, the head- 

 quarters of the United Fruit Company, which controls the whole of the banana 

 trade, one of the most important industries in the island. The greater part 

 of the fruit is grown by the negroes, who sell them to the agents of the Com- 

 pany. In 1906, 16,000,000 bunches of bananas were shipped from Jamaica, 

 nearly all of which went into the United States. Each bunch consists of 

 from twelvo to nine hands ; anything under nine hands is called a half- 

 bunch. In the season, four or five boats load up with bananas every week 

 from Port Antonio, and the estimated value of the banana was nearly 

 XI, 000,000. Sulphate of ammonia is used by the large growers as a fertiliser 

 for bananas. 



At the Hon. H. Cork's estate, at Burlington, I saw his plantations of 

 cocoa-nut palms, just recovering after the great hurricane of 1903, when nearly 

 all the old palms were destroyed. Mr. Cork lost the best part of 24 acres of 

 full-bearing trees. This is one of the most profitable crops grown, cocoanuts 

 being worth up to 11s. p?r hundred. Last season 11,000.000 cocoa-nuts were 

 exported, at an average valae of 8s. per hundred. From Burlington I took 

 the train to Bog Walk, and the following morning left for Ewarton and 

 coachrd across the range to the Hon. J. V. Calder's estate, at Worthy Park. 

 Here I went over one of the oldest plantations on the island, where all kinds 

 of different tropical crops are grown. 



A considerable amount of cocoa is grown here, and I spent the greater part 

 of the hfrernoon riding through the cocoa plantation. The cocoa tree, for 

 the first two or three years of its life, is a very delicate tree, but when once 

 established, is very hmlv. Tt is, however, subject to some serious diseases, 

 the worst among which is canker. This commences as a blister on the trunk, 

 or main branches ; a quantity of gum accumulates under the blister, and the 

 bark decays ; the treatment is to cut away all the diseased bark and paint 

 the wound with a mixture of tar and fish oil. BUck rot attacks the pods, 

 and if they are not cut off it spiv ids into the growing wood, from which the 



