JAMAICA OKANGES 409 



ness and folly might induce other Islands to do better. On 

 the table to-day, there were even worse specimens than what 

 Mrs. Morris saw, trash in fact, as the best have 28 seeds ! 

 I wish I could continue to patronise Jamaica oranges, but it 

 is impossible. 



But he could not throw up a cause he had championed so 

 long, and when staying at Bexhill in the following January, 

 he ' kept his eye on the fruiterers in re oranges,' and learnt 

 that these now arrived in good condition, wrapped in papers, 

 but not graded. The grading was done by the fruiterers, 

 who declared the best grade to be usually excellent save for 

 their colour. A fresh supply coming in the day before he 

 left, Hooker sampled a dozen of the best, and * at the risk of 

 being thought a bore,' reported them as larger and better 

 coloured than before, seedless and thin-skinned, but dis- 

 appointing in flavour and substance. 



The pity is, that in buying a Jamaica orange, you do not 

 know what you will get — and the Jamaica growers should, 

 I think, have a governing syndicate of experts to direct their 

 efforts. 



He paid no less attention to detail with regard to other 

 W. Indian products, all of which he faithfully tried in his own 

 household. Thus taught by experience he notes that the 

 public should be warned that sweet potatoes, unlike the 

 common potato, will not keep long. 



His triumph was great, however, when success followed. 



To Sir D. Morris 



July 19, 1904. 



It is indeed good of you to send me those splendid Bar- 

 bados Bananas, which are quite the finest I ever ate in 

 England. I am delighted to hear from my daughter in 

 London that W. Indians in good condition are now hawked 

 about at \d. each ! They are thus becoming what I have 

 long hoped to see, a food for poor people. For this they 

 are mainly indebted to you and you may well be proud 

 of it, 

 vol. n 2d 



