12 AGRICULTURE IN THE TROPICS [PT. I 



Mahrattas, Tamils, Telugus, Burmese, and many others of 

 less note. In the south-eastern parts of Asia the Malayan 

 races are of importance, more especially the natives of Java. 

 Africa is mainly inhabited by negro races, and the same is the 

 case in the West Indies, while Mexico and South America are 

 chiefly the home of the mixed race derived from the Spaniard 

 or Portuguese and the Indian. There is also a sprinkling of half- 

 caste races in Asia. 



Speaking in a broad general way, all these races have 

 similar faults regarded from the agricultural point of view. In 

 particular, they may all be justly accused of what we may 

 perhaps term in a general way indolence. However hard they 

 may have to work upon their own properties to make a liveli- 

 hood, the general principles upon which they act would seem to 

 be to do no work that can possibly be avoided, never to do 

 to-day what can possibly be put off until to-morrow, and to do 

 as their great grandfather did and because he did it. It can 

 be readily seen, therefore, that to induce people like these to 

 progress in agriculture, or in anything else, is a work of extra- 

 ordinary difficulty. Such people show no desire for progress, 

 and have no enterprise in taking up new industries or under- 

 takings. Unless, therefore, they have some examples before 

 them for instance European or Chinese planters they take 

 but little part in the trades which furnish exportable products. 

 A glance over the table of exports in the Introduction will 

 illustrate this. Practically the entire exports of cardamoms, 

 cinchona, cocoa, coffee, spices, sugar, and tea, and a large part 

 of those of bananas, coconut products, oranges, tapioca, and 

 tobacco, are from estates owned or worked by Europeans or 

 Chinese, the important articles of produce the export trade in 

 which is mainly in native hands being citronella oil, cinnamon, 

 cotton (and this is the worst and cheapest cotton on the 

 market), dyes and tans, jute, lac, opium, palm-oil, rice and 

 some spices. 



Not only is the tropical native characterised by indolence, 

 but also by want of foresight. The man who looks forward 

 more than a few months is a very provident individual indeed. 

 A not untypical case was lately furnished in a certain district of 



