SELECTION OF LAND 23 



The best course for the intending investor to adopt is 

 to make himself acquainted with the several districts and 

 await his opportunity, residing in the colony and adding 

 to his experience in the meantime. In Trinidad, as 

 everywhere else, there are those present who will not 

 hesitate to recommend estates to buyers simply for the 

 commission they could get from the seller, and there are 

 others again who will accompany 'an intending buyer in a 

 friendly way on a visit to an estate and afterwards attempt 

 to recover an exorbitant fee for their services. Let the 

 investor beware of such or he will probably be landed in a 

 similar plight to that of Mark Tapley, but it is questionable 

 whether there would be " any credit in being jolly " under 

 such circumstances. Good estates have to be waited for, 

 and are always readily disposed of, so that the buyer 

 should quickly make up his mind when he sees " a thing 

 going " which is fairly in accord with his ideas. 



To buy forest land and make his own estate is a hard 

 task for a stranger, and one in which the new-comer is 

 seldom successful. After many years of experience, the 

 author suggests that it is preferable to let those do the 

 pioneering work, who, from a better knowledge of the 

 colony, are able to work with greater economy ; and to 

 buy an estate, partially or fully established, near to lands 

 which may be purchased later for extension. Such estate 

 should not be too large, as it is better to begin with a 

 medium area than with a large estate which is expensive 

 in its working. Many seek to buy lands in the vicinity of 

 a number of small owners buying small additions as they 

 fall upon the market. 



If, however, the planter buys an established estate, he 

 of coiu:se inherits all the mistakes of his predecessor, but 

 it is highly probable that, except under special advice, his 

 own mistakes would be quite as many as he could possibly 

 inherit. Inherited mistakes would probably include in- 

 juries due to pruning, bad drainage, too close or too wide 

 planting, insufficient or too heavy shading, &c. ; but these 

 drawbacks are not entirely to the planter's disadvantage. 



