9 



that in that case the planters will be willing to furnish their small 

 bunches. I also read with pleasure that the price of 7d. might be ob- 

 tained by our own cultivation, especially with the purpose of having 

 only small bunches and by planting the suckers nearer to each other. 

 By all this we think that Jamaica would be a very good place for be- 

 ginning such a new industry ; th; t it will be necessary to have our own 

 plantations in order to remain independent, and that there will be much 

 probability that it will be profitable to buy a great deal of 6, 5 and 4 

 hand bunches from the surrounding plantations, if only the factory can 

 work even without that supply. 



Mr. Hartogh could go to Jamaica and see if persons there would agree 

 to invest some money in the business. I think this specially desirable 

 in order to have competent persons in the place itself interested in a 

 matter that can become of great value to this Colony not only, but to 

 all tropical countries. 



I am much pleased to make a collection of our different samples and 

 to send them at once to your address in Jamaica.* 



Very truly yours, 



L. E. Asser. 



The Hague, 2nd Nov., 1894. 



Dear Sir, 



Since I wrote to you last, we received very interesting details about 

 a very large quantity of bananas growing wild in T)eli, as you know, 

 one of our Tobacco producing colonies As all circumstances would be 

 favourable there, we think to examine the question by starting a factory 

 in the first place for that country. So it is probable that Mr. LI artogh 

 will go to Deli in some weeks in order to see if the informations we 

 received are quite as available as was said. 



It will be well to try to interest Jamaica planters in founding a 

 manufactory of banana flour. It can be safely certified that our pro- 

 cess can be managed in a quite industrial way and in very large quan- 

 tities at a very low cost, so that there might be every possibility of 

 finding a market in America. The drawback pointed out as to the 

 failing of suitable machinery is in my belief totally eliminated by our 

 process, whilst the experience of almost two years has showed that the 

 product is not deteriorated. As you ask me, I send you by the same 

 Mail, as you will take, per parcels post, a series of samples of our 

 different products and still some copies of the notice for the Antwerp 

 Exhibition. 



If you will show them to those gentlemen that can take interest in 

 the matter you will highly oblige me and perhaps some of them might 

 take the matter in hand and come to us for the informations they 

 should like and with some propositions for the application of our pro- 

 cess that at this moment must be patented in Jamaica. 



In every case I would very thankfully receive some indications from 

 yourself of what is thought about the matter in your country. I think 

 as there are many unsaleable bunches an employment of the same must 

 be of great interest as also is sufficiently shown by the papers you were 

 kind enough to communicate to me. Very truly yours, 



L. E. Asser. 



* These are placed at the Jamaica Institute for general inspection. 



