140 BIUTISH HONDURAS. 



ment of labour ; as also to become inured to the climate and the 

 somewhat rough and hard life of the pioneer in new lands. So 

 that, apart from what knowledge they may have of the principles 

 of agriculture, and of the cultivation of tropical plants, it is very 

 important that new men should spend some time in the colony, 

 and become 'thoroughly acquainted with it, before they invest 

 their money. 



If such men were to place themselves under experienced and 

 successful planters, such as the managers of Eegalia, Serpon, or 

 Seven Hills Estates, and make arrangements to spend, say, 

 twelve or eighteen months in learning the details of estate life, 

 they would at the end of that time be in a position to invest their 

 capital to the best advantage, and be prepared to undertake 

 the management of their own property with every prospect of 

 success. 



I would be inclined to place 1,000 as the lowest sum a man 

 should have to embark in fruit-growing in British Honduras. 

 Many, already established in the colony, have started on much 

 less, but they have had the advantage of local knowledge and 

 experience to guide them. During the first year of a cadet's 

 life, his expenses will probably be 120 to 150. He has to 

 maintain himself for another year or two before any returns 

 come in from his plantation : this will bring up his expenditure 

 to some 350 ; and at the lowest calculation a plantation of fifty 

 acres of bananas, with a small house for the manager, and some 

 huts for the labourers, cannot cost less than 500 to 600. 

 Hence it would appear that 1,000 is about the lowest sum 

 required. It would be more advantageous to possess 2,000, as, 

 in addition to bananas, coco-nuts might also be planted, which, 

 as they require some five or six years to mature, should be put 

 out during the first year of the planter's operations. 



The great want of the colony would appear to be not merely 



