COFFEE COUNTRIES. 25Q 



group in the West Indies not producing enough 

 to give them a position as first-class Coffee-growing 

 countries. The total production of all the West 

 India Islands does not exceed 40,000 to 42,000 

 tons. In regard to Dominica, Dr. Alford Nicholls 

 reports on the rich-soiled, well-watered and heavily- 

 timbered Layon Flats in this the largest of the 

 Leeward Islands. He says the island is of volcanic 

 origin, and some of its mountains rise to 5,000 feet. 

 Dominica was once a scene of prosperous cultiva- 

 tion ; but first the Maroon War (waged by escaped 

 Negroes), then the effects of emancipation, and, 

 finally, the destruction of the Coffee trees by an 

 insect blight (Cemeostoma coffeellum) brought the 

 island down to depths of depression. The blight 

 still affects the Arabian Coffee, but, according to 

 Dr. Nicholls, the Liberian 'species resists Its 

 attacks. Cacao (so Dr. Nicholls spells it) flourishes 

 even when neglected, and he mentions a red pottery 

 clay eminently suitable for "claying" the beans. 

 Were a road or a tramway run through the rich 

 central flats, there would be a mine of wealth in 

 the fine timbers alone, including the bullet tree 

 (Bumelia retusa), the -trunk of which sometimes 

 attains a diameter of 7 feet, which means 21 in 

 circumference ! Also the green-heart (Nectandra 

 rodicei), which is placed first-class in Lloyd's list 

 of timbers for shipbuilding. 



During 1884 Coffee in Jamaica the most im- 

 portant Coffee island of the region was very fairly 



