92 TlMEHRl. 



at other times grew at the bottom of the drains, and a 

 grass called locally busy-busy (Cyperus laxus). The 

 reason for these substitutions must be that the land is 

 now so sodden and altered that it can no longer support 

 the former w^eeds, and so the latter, which are more 

 hardy and require less depth of soil have taken their 

 place. 



When you now abandon fields to rest them or change 

 their crops, you will not find them covered by black sage 

 in say 6 months as formerly, but if let alone there will 

 shortly be a heavy growth of sour grass. 



Provision growing is an entirely separate industry 

 from cane-cultivation, it is under a quite different set of 

 people, and it too has suffered quite as much if not more 

 than the latter. The following fa£ts I am enabled to lay 

 before you. At Houston, which is conveniently situated 

 to the Georgetown Markets, there has always been a 

 considerable acreage so cultivated; in 1889 there were 

 305^ acres being worked; i8go, 152 acres; 1891,69^ 

 acres; 1892, 67 acres and last year only 47^ acres. 

 This falling off is entirely due to unfavourable seasons 

 and it is within my personal knowledge that many of 

 these Farmers, principally Portuguese, lost very large 

 sums of money. I saw them persevering in weeding and 

 supplying, but the rains kept on and they threw up the 

 sponge and left, leaving in many cases fields on which 

 $50 per acre had been expended, with absolutely no 

 return, rather than continue against what they considered 

 such fearful odds. 



There are many more ill-effe6ls I might mention, such 

 as the wretched spring we get from fields cut in heavy 

 weather, entailing a highly increased expenditure in sup- 



