100 
Before selecting his land he looked over many of the large 
plantations in the vicinity of town in order that he might acquire 
a better insight into the cultivation of his new territory. His 
main object is the cultivation of rubber (Castl/oa elastica) and 
chocolate (Theobroma Cacao), both of which are frequently met 
with in the forest; but as it takes a considerable time for these 
plants to mature, a small strip along the river front was cleared 
for the cultivation of bananas, so as to obtain early returns. 
In preparing land for banana culture it is necessary to have the 
portions selected carefully gone over by the natives, who use 
their machettes to remove all underbush and small trees; the 
ground is then marked out in sections and staked in rows. The 
suckers (young plants) are obtained from some nearby planter and 
distributed along each stake, where a hole is made and the plants 
put into position. The large forest trees which were unmolested 
during the first clearing are now felled, a few being left for shade. 
During this operation an excellent opertunity was afforded me 
for the collection of specimens of many trees, which were left on 
the ground to decompose. After a plantation has once been 
established it is only necessary to remove the underbush that 
springs up in the newly cultivated soil every three or four months. 
In less than a year from the time of transplanting, the banana 
plants mature and produce fruit, which is transported on mule 
back, each animal laden with from five to seven bunches, a total 
weight of almost four hundred pounds, through streams and over 
muddy trails ; in ox-carts, or on rafts down many of the streams. 
On reaching the beach the fruit is carried to a shed and stacked 
on end, where it remains only a few hours before shipment. At 
several points along the Honduras coast they are not fortunate 
enough to have wharves, so it is necessary to handle the fruit 
in lighters, some of which carry as many as five hundred bunches. 
On ship-board only first-class fruit is received by the inspectors, 
bunches bruised in transit being rejected. 
Among the forest trees of economic importance are several 
interesting plants, a large variety of chocolate (Theobroma Cacao) 
attaining a height of thirty feet, and bearing on the trunk near 
the summit a considerable number of narrow, yellow pods con- 
