102 BRITISH HONDURAS. 



Tobacco. Tobacco is raised in small quantities by Indians 

 and Caribs, but not nearly sufficient to meet the demands of the 

 colony. In 1880, 62,004 pounds of tobacco were imported for 

 local consumption. 



The introduction of the best kinds of Havana tobacco seed 

 from Cuba, and the settlement of a few Cubans, would no doubt 

 give this cultivation an important impulse. 



The light fiHe soils along banks of rivers are admirably 

 adapted for tobacco, which, if well cured, might compete with 

 that grown in any country. 



pine-Apples. Little attention appears to be directed as yet 

 to the cultivation of this finest West Indian fruit, although land 

 of a very suitable character is found near most of the settle- 

 ments. The soil should be a fine gravelly loam, free from clay 

 and perfectly drained. The plants, consisting of suckers from 

 older plants, may be put out at about 3J feet apart, care being- 

 taken to keep them free from weeds, and give the land, in dry 

 weather, a dressing of decayed leaf-mould or rotten turf ; animal 

 manure, unless very old, and in fact reduced to black earth, is 

 not suitable for pine-apples, and should be carefully avoided. 



In rather moist lands, pines may be .planted in ridges with 

 drains between ; but in hot dry soils, after a preparatory trench- 

 ing of the whole surface, pines maybe planted on level land. 



The best kind's to cultivate for .export are the Black Antigua, 

 Black Jamaica or Cow-boy, Ripley, Charlotte Rothschild, Smooth 

 Cayenne, Scarlet or Cuban Pine, and British Queen. 



cinchona. At present, with the highlands, i.e., above 3,000 

 feet, quite unexplored, it is doubtful whether cinchona can be 

 placed amongst plants likely to succeed in British Honduras. 

 On the occasion of my late visit, I was pointed out a tree at 

 Government House supposed to be cinchona. This, however, 

 was a plant of Barringtonia speciosa, a native of the East Indies. 



