THE COCONUT BELT 47 



But owing to the impetus given to the coconut 

 industry by rising prices considerable activity has 

 been displayed in the West Indies, as elsewhere, 

 and we may expect to see this movement develop. 

 Labour is plentiful men, women and children all 

 working. The metayer system, explained on page 

 67, not only enables the planters to save considerably 

 on the cost of planting, but, when sugar prices are 

 good, to make a profit during the period that the 

 coconuts are arriving at maturity. Transport 

 facilities generally are excellent, a preponderat- 

 ing proportion of the exported coconuts being 

 marketed in New York. 



In the West Indies the by-products of the coco- 

 nut have not been, as a rule, turned to much 

 account. But with the introduction by European 

 commercial experts of more scientific methods 

 there is no doubt that such sources of additional 

 profit will be studied and d veloped. 



The export of coconuts from Jamaica was reduced 

 by the hurricane of 1902 to 4,000,000 per annum, 

 but during 1912 a total of 20,000,000 was 

 reached. 



ZANZIBAR 



The Island of Zanzibar, distant from the East 

 African coast about twenty-five miles, comprises 

 an area of over six hundred square miles, the soil, 

 generally speaking, being of remarkable fertility. 

 Coconuts, cloves, chillies, rubber, fruits, etc., grow 



