11 



At Hops Town, Mr. Thoma« Russell, whom I have elsewhere referred to, has about 20,000 plants, 

 some of which have been growing half a dozen years, and from these he expects to gather 1 OJ,000 

 pole plants this year, in addition to a large number of suckers. 



Ar.oiher gentleman of the same name, now residing in Nassau, has a very fine nursery at Black 

 Sound containing many thousands of young plants. , . . . 



Propagation. — The plant is propagated in two ways, namely, from the young plants furnished by 

 the pole, and the suckers which are thrown out from the root-". On the plant reaching maturity, a 

 pole 15 to 20 feet in height grows out from its centre, on which a numbar of blossjms appeir borne 

 on arms which extend laterally from the upper part of the p >le. In about six months after the ap- 

 pearance of the pole, so far as I can learn, these blossoms develop into young plants varying in length 

 from 2 to 4 inches, and in number from 1 ,0 »0 to 2,500 and occasion illy more. 1 They aye then 

 gathered and set out 8 or 9 inches apart each way in nursery beds. In 6 months they will attain a 

 growth of 8 to 12 inches, and they may then bo transferrel to tho field. The age at which the pole 

 is produced, when not extended by the removal of leaves, as I have elsewhere shown, is 6 to 7 years. 



Suckers are plants which grow out from tho roots of the parent tree, and in congenial soil are 

 produced in 12 to 18 months. From this time, on to the third or fourth year, they appear in great 

 numbers, manv plants producing as many as 20 to 3 > suckers during that period ; after which they 

 beo-in to decreas°, until they finally cease to appear. The plant suckers much eirlier, and in g -eater 

 abundance in black or rocky land than in white lan 1. This is easily accounted for. The tendency of 

 the shoots on which the suckers are produced is to grow downwards, and the black soil b -ing shal- 

 lower than the while, the shoots reach the rock much earlier, and are then turn id upwards in their 

 growth until the surface is reached and the suckers appear. I have s?en plants suckering on black 

 land, which I was assured had not been planted longer than six months; and at 12 to 18 months, I 

 have seen them suckering most abundantly; while on the white land the suckers do not generally ap- 

 pear until after the second year. 



With respect to t he taking up and planting of suckers, I think it well, having regard to the 

 speedv production of new planis, to call attention to a method which I have seen practised with very 

 satisfactory results, viz. : In removing a sucker from the parent tree, instead of cutting or breaking 

 off the sucker only, to uproot entirely the white shoot at the end of which it is growing, and cat that 

 off as near the parent trunk as possible. This shoot will be found to hi jointed like a sugar cane. 

 After the removal of the sucker, the shoot is cut up into lengths of two or threi joints. These bits 

 are then planted in nursery beds, and in a short time each bit will produce as many suckers as there 

 are joints. Tbis method has the two fold advantage of speedily increasing the supply of the new 

 stock, and relieving the parent tree of tne support of the suckers. 



Field Planting — The system adopted by those who have engaged largely in planting varies. 

 Some have planted as near as 6 feet each way, others 7 X 7, 7 X 8, 7 X 9, « X 8, and 9 X 9. The 

 Munro Company at Abuco plant three rows 8 feet apart with 7 feet interval between the plants, and 

 leave a space of 12 feet between every fourth row. The " Bahama Hemp Company, Limited," which 

 is under the efficient supervision of Mr. Abbott, plant four rows 8x8. leaving a distance of 12 feet 

 betwein every fifih row. Most planters, however, have found it advisable, owing to the rocky nature 

 of the land, not to observe too strict regularity in planting, but while adhering as near as practicable 

 to it, to put the plants in the most favourable spots. Most of the labouring class who have engaged 

 in planting have observed no method at all, but have put the plants in the ground wherever a good 

 " pot bole" or chink in the rock occurs, and have planted much too thickly. 



Manv planters have planted the spaces between the Sisal plants with some other crop, either 

 ground provisions such as pigeon peas, coin, &c, or cotton. This plan appears to be attended with 

 excellent results, and is one that I cannot too strongly recommend, provided always that such auxi- 

 liarv crops be not tco thickly planted. The slight shelter they afford seems to hi beneficial to the 

 bisal plants in their eaily growth, and tends to suppress the growth of weeds, thereby lessening the 

 cost of keeping clean the field, beside yielding a remunerative crop. Sweet potatoos should not be 

 planted in a Sisal field, at least not until the plants have attained a growth of a foot and a half to two 

 feet, as the vines very soon cover the field and completely envelop the young plants, and retard their 

 growth. 



Clean ing.— Both Messrs. Stodd art and Preston, in their respective pamphlets, urge the impor- 

 tance of thoroughly "cleaning" i.e. paring off the roots of the ycung plants before they are planted in 

 the field. Tbe effect, of this practice, however, is undoubtedly to lessen the yield of suckers after the 

 plant has commenced to grow. Such ceitainlv has been the experience of nearly every one engaged 

 in the cultivation in these Islands, to whom I have spoken on the subject; and as the rapid acquisi- 

 tion of plant 8 is at present of piimary importance, the practice of cleaning has been discontinued. Of 

 course when plants have been long taken irom the ground and the ends of the roots have become dry, 

 or when the roots are so numerous and bulky as to render planting inc >nvenient, the roots may be 

 trimmed with advantage, as the effect of this naturally is to encourage the more rapid production of 

 new roots. This is a practise constantly observed by gardeners in transplanting large rooted plants, 

 but in the thorough "cleaning" as recommended in the above named pamphlets, the eyes which throw 

 out the shoots that produce the suckers are destroyed. As one gentleman connected with a large Sisal 

 Company remaiked to me it is like planting a potato after cutting out the eyes 



It is possible that for this reason the system of cleaning is practised in Yucatan, where as I un- 

 derstand u large proportion of the suckers produced are treated as weeds. 



Effect of different soils and aspect on growth. — I have both read and heard it broadly asserted 

 that Sisal will grow and flourish anywhere, no matter how sterile or impoverished the land may be. 

 My observations however do not confirm this. I do not mean to convey the idea that really good rick 



