274 
were made independent of the Bahamas, and were pese under the 
Governor of Jamaica, an arrangement which still continue 
Salt-making is die only industry of any importance, the quantity 
annually gathered ranae 1} million arere Sponges are found in 
schooners and carried to Nassau. There is one spon moms establish- 
ment on the Caicos Islands. The woltivitios of the ila fibre (or 
Pita plant) is being extensively introduced, with tif prospect of 
success. 
An agricultural settlement was started under Government auspices 
at Kew, North Caicos, in 1882, to grow fruit for export, but has proved 
a failure, owing to the absence of any remunerative market for the 
produce. The soil elsewhere is totally unfit for agricultural purposes. 
Practioslly the jo of the food and household necessaries are im- 
sere The commercial intercourse is almost wholly with the United 
State 
The inhabitants are of mixed European and African extraction, the 
proportion of whites to coloured people being larger than in most of 
the West Indies, 
The following correspondence relates to the attempt which is being 
made to develop the cultivation of fibre plants. 
Royan GARDENS, Kew, to COLONIAL OFFICE. 
Sir, 3 Royal Gardens, Kew, 21 February 1890. 
M desired by Mr. Thi jeelton Ak r to acknowledge the receipt 
D. we 
3. The plant Cog aia E Manila” aci B., but supposed 
by Captain Jackson, as expressed in his letter of the 22nd July, “to be 
2 the Sacqui or Henequen of Yucatan, of lighter colour and having 
thorns on the edge of the leaf and growing freel wild," is FirtFiea 
cubensis. This is well distributed nearly everywhere in the West 
Indies and is known in Jamaica , Tobago, and elsewhere as “ Silk 
Grass.” It is closely allied to us plant yielding Mauritius hemp. It 
yields a good fibre, but it cannot be regarded as so valuable a plant as 
e ‘Pita.” Where this latter is plentiful already or easily obtainable 
n large pee it would hot be desirable to devote attention entirely 
tö the * Silk Gras 
4. It will be noticed that an apr of these specimens from the 
Turks Islands has proved very interesting. Ca pui Jackson has 
