2 



Doting the month of February four more plots are to be planted 

 out with seedlings of the following varieties: — Sumatra (^eed from Pub- 

 lic Gardens) Vuelta de Abajo ; Silky Pryor ; Connecticut seed leaf ; 

 (the three last varieties imported by Mr. Zurcher) 



About six months ago this land was a pasture in bush, with a great 

 many large trees. The lower portion of the land was swampy and had 

 to be drained. The bush and trees were cut down, and the large roots 

 and rocks were blown up by dynamite. Trenches from three feet to five 

 feet deep were dug to carry off surface water af ter heavy rains. After 

 getting rid of the bush, the land was ploughed and cross-ploughed ; 

 harrowed, and broken up with clod crushers and cultivators ; all stones, 

 roots and rubbish removed ; the heavy land drained, and the whole so 

 thoroughly turned up and pulverised as to resemble an immense garden 

 seed-bed, Water-pipes were laid do wn through the plantation so that 

 the young plants may be watered during dry weather till they are estab- 

 lished. The plantation is divided into plots of equal dimensions, each plot 

 contains 2 acres. There is a colourod plan of the plantation giving the 

 number of each plot, and a very carefully kept record shows the date of 

 planting each plot, the number and distances of plants put in, the date* 

 of hoeing, moulding, disbudding, topping, suckering, and of cutting. 

 The following is an example : — 



1st Plot planted 3rd and 4th November 1898. 



1st Hoeing 14th November. 



2nd Hoeing 30th November. 



3rd Hoeingr 16th December. 



1st Moulding 30th November 



2nd Moulding 16th December. 



Disbudding commenced, 9th December 



Topping commenced 14th December. 



Suckering 27th December. 



First plants cut 28th December. 



Second lot cut 30th December. 



Third lot cut 5th January, 18l>9, and every day after. 

 The total plants put out/in rouud numbers, is 450,000. 



Thennost remarkable thing about the plantation is that there is not 

 the vestige of a weed to be seen. A large number of labourers are 

 employed, and the owners believe in thorough supervision. 



Every gang of 8 to 12 labourers is supervised by a headman, and 

 these are in turn supervised by experts, who are again under the direc- 

 tion of a Cuban manager and his assistant, and the whole is under the 

 personal supervision of the courteous and energetic co-proprietor, Mr. 

 O. Zurcher. A cook and water-carrier is provided for each gang. The 

 wages paid are — men 1/, women 6d, and headmen 1/3 and 2/ per day. 

 Everything is being done, and no expense is spared, to make this exper- 

 iment a success. Gangs of children are employed searching for cater- 

 pillars and grubs. Two kinds of caterpillar are troublesome; one cuts 

 round holes in the leaves which render them useless for wrappers, and 

 considerably reduce their value; another cuts the plants below the sur- 

 cace of the ground and of course kills them. Thousands of these pests 

 are captured every day by boys and girls. In addition to the gangs of 



