125 



the 1st, but the people were not aware of the alteration of the date, and 

 consequently no audience was obtainable. 



I however, visited the Public Park at the request of Mr. Cocking, the 

 Clerk of the Parochial Board, St. Mary, and gave him advice on several 

 points in connection with the management of the plants there ; also how 

 and when to plant Eucalypti, which he is anxious to establish. 



I also overhauled the sugar canes which were sent from the Hope 

 Gardens for the Public Park. The majority of them have died, and the 

 remainder were in such poor condition that they were hardly recognisa- 

 ble, with the exception of two varieties. One of them, the " Po-a-ole," 

 was in really fine condition, and again helped to prove that this is really 

 a splendid cane for the northside of Jamaica, and I think the Depart- 

 ment would be doing the peasantry particularly a good turn if it would 

 help them to get this cane and persuade them to plant it. It could get 

 hardly less care anywhere than it does in the Public Park at Port Maria 

 and yet it was flourishing luxuriantly. 



May 2nd, Thursday: — Carron Hall School House. A good and 

 appreciative audience of 40 adults (and in addition nearly a hundred- 

 school children) were lectured to in the School-house. 



People about here grow coffee and cocoa, but very rudely, having no 

 knowledge of either how to grow the plants or cure the produce when 

 obtained, the land is rich, heavy, but inclined to be wet, and a long 

 hard day was spent in showing them how to fork and prepare the land, 

 how to make drains and the proper way to make the drains run accord- 

 ing to the contour of the land. Demonstrations were also given in pru- 

 ning coffee and cocoa in the grounds of David Tucker, Mr. Walker and 

 Mr. Stanton. 



May 3rd, Friday : — Highgate School House. This would no doubt 

 have been the best centre of the lot, but unfortunately the Clergyman, 

 Mr. Graham, by some oversight was not informed of the alteration in the 

 date. He apparently takes great interest in the advancement of the 

 people, and expressed himself deeply grieved and a good deal annoyed 

 to think that the opportunity was lost to a good many of his people who 

 he said were looking out for me for a long time. However, a very 

 appreciative audience of over 50 people turned out, and were full of 

 intelligent questions. I lectured to them on cocoa and coffee, and de- 

 monstrated as to pruning, planting and caring the young plants ; also 

 on the importance of kola, many of them having trees of the latter but 

 to which they pay very little attention, as they have no idea of the 

 value of the product- 

 May 4th, Saturday : — Lewis' Store School House. A very appreciative 

 audience of about 50 people were lectured to in the School-house on 

 cocoa, coffee and kola. I also visited the fields of three growers and 

 demonstrated on pruning and planting, the importance of selecting 

 good seed, the evils of overcrowding, the importance of drainage, etc. 

 The people here were highly interested and particularly anxious to 

 know when I should return. 



On the whole the people seem more wid e awake than the people in 

 Portland, but the heavy retentive soil of St. Mary wants a lot of intelli- 

 gent hard work put into it. 



