July i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST 
15 
and yet leaves the enterprise full of promise. At 
a fair price ho makes the money value of an acre 
about eighty dollars anuually, but His Excellency 
prefers a lower basis of calculation to cover all assum- 
able adverse contingencies. The Governor in this 
view takes fifty dollars an acre annually, which gives 
a handsome margin of profit on the cultivation. The 
return of wheat farming ia highly enough placed 
at 35 bushels an acre, or as many dollars at a reason- 
able computation of price, and we are thus brought 
in presence of the extraordinary conclusion that the 
barren lands of the Bahamas, through the fibre cul- 
tivation, are made to bear an economic value beyond 
the favoured wheat-growing regions of the United 
States and Canada. We moreover find this difference 
enhanced by the fact that the fibre needs but one 
planting for 15 to 20 crops, while wheat must be 
planted annually, and is liable to many injurious con- 
tingencies from which the Sisal plant is exempt. 
These islands should be the Paradise of the working 
man. The land is obtainable on very easy terms, 
and in lots to meet the circumstances of the labour- 
ing pupulation. To create the largest possible number 
of peasant proprietors is the great desire of the 
Government. But it is not their intention to lead 
the people away from their present pursuits, for the 
new industry can be combined with those existing, 
as it will involve little more than the use of 
the time now left on their hands. There are nearly 
2,000,000 acres of ungranted lands in the Colony, 
and with the conditions of purchase, the facilities 
for prosecuting the fibre cultivation and its value as 
a staple article of commerce, the countries are few 
that offer so fair a field for the reward of the capital 
and labour that may seek investment in this under- 
taking. 
It is intended immediately to despatch a Commis- 
sioner from this Government to Yucatan to make 
further inquires, as it is of the utmost importance 
to have the fullest information on the whole economy 
of the industry, in which the people of this Colony 
are now so vitally interested. 
Mr. Stoddart's report (.published by the Government 
of Jamaica) on which the estimates of profit in Mr. 
Taylor's memorandum are based, was communicated 
by Kew to the Colonial Office for transmission to 
the Government of the Bahamas in reply to a des- 
patch from Governor (Sir Henry) Blake, dated 
24th January 1887. 
It was pointed out at the time in par. 5 of the 
Kew letter, dated loth February 1887, that "the 
statements contained in the pamphlet are not neces- 
sarily endorsed, either by the Government of Jamaica 
or by Kew. It professes to be nothing more than 
an account given by a Jamaican resident of the fibre 
industry in Yucatan in which he was practically en- 
gaged for some time." 
It is to the credit of Mr. Stoddart, however, that 
his account of the fibre industry of Yucatan is con- 
firmed in most particulars by other writers, and there 
is no reason to believe that it requires correction 
in any essential part. It may at the same time be 
desirable to point out some of the conditions under 
which the industry is remunerative in Yucatan. 
For instance the rates of wages in Yucatan are 
comparatively low (ranging from 9d. to Is. per day 
for labourers), and under such circumstances, Mr. 
Stoddart estimates (at page 10) the net profit on 
current expenses at "between 41, and 51, per acre" 
(equal to between 20 and 30 dollars per acre). The 
plants, if 18 inches high when first put out, are 
said to be ready for a first cutting in three years. 
This period may, however, under unfavourable cir- 
cumstances, be prolonged to five or sis years. Another 
important point to bear in mind is that Mr. Stoddart 
speaks only of returns obtained by the use of machines 
driven by steampower, and by working plantations 
of say 100 acres or more. The methods suited to 
one country are not necessarily suited to another. 
Possibly at the Bahamas it might be advantageous 
for small cultivators to clean the fibre ia their leisure 
hours by hand, and sell it locally to merchants who 
would ultimately undertake the business of baling 
and shipping it. If the fibre is not properly baled, 
the cost of freight would be so large as to greatly 
reduce the returns. Indeed the fibre in a lose state 
is so bulky that it would be almost impossible to 
ship it at such a rate as would enable it to compete 
successfully with fibres from other countries. It is 
usual to pack this class of fibre by means of hydraulic 
presses, in bales of about 400 pounds each. If the 
small proprietors in the Bahamas take up a fibre 
industry, it is evident that some one possessing capital 
should be prepared to purchase the fibre in small 
quantities and pack it by means of suitable presses 
ready for shipment. There are no grounds, however, 
for supposing that a fibre industry based ou Agave 
and Furcrcea plants, and judiciously pursued, can be 
otherwise than satisfactory. 
A collection of fibre plants was received at Kew 
about two years ago from the Government of Bahamas, 
and it was stated in a letter dated the 16th May 
1887, that among these specimens there is no species 
exactly answering to that yielding the Sisal Hemp 
of commerce. The fibres of No. 2 (Furcrcea cubensis), 
and No. 3 (Furcrcea cubensis, var. inermis), are 
the most valuable, and these are used partly as a 
source of commercial fibres in Yucatan. The true 
Sisal Hemp plant is Agave rigida. This may be 
abundant in the Bahamas, but no specimens were 
received of it. Other fibre plants received at the 
time mentioned were Agave fwrida and Agave ameri- 
cana var. variegata, the latter a variegated form of 
the common American Agave. These latter are of 
little value for fibre as compared with the true Sisal 
hemp plant. Specimens of African bow-string hemp 
(Sansevieria guiniensis) were also received, the fibre 
of which is of high value. 
A fibre industry has been in existence in Mauritius 
for some years. The experience gained there might be 
of service in the Bahamas, especially in regard to the 
initial difficulties to be overcome in establishing a new 
industry. 
The market value of this class of fibre, and the 
permanency of demand for it, has been fully investiga- 
ted at Kew, and in a note on p. 3 of the Kew Bulletin 
for April 1887, there is a summary furnished by 
Messrs. Ide and Christie, which gives the average 
price per ton for Sisal hemp in London for the years 
1879-86 inclusive. These are 1879, 27/.; 1880, 27/ • 
1881, 28/.; 1882, 28/.; 1883, 27/.; 1884, 21/.; 1885, 
19/. ; 1886, 21/. The highest price paid was 32/. 10s.' 
0c/. in December 1879 to February 1880, the lowest 
price was 17/. 15s. Od. in January and February 1886. 
Recently there has been an increased demand for 
white fibres, with a corresponding rice in prices. 
There were no quotations for Sisal hemp in Messrs. 
Ide and Christie's London Monthly Circular for 
December 15th, 1888. The only remark being " in 
retail supply, and selling at fancy prices." In the 
United States, Messrs. Crocker's statistics, dated the 
1st December, gave the price at 8 to 8| cents, per 
lb. (equal to about 37/. to 39/. per ton). A rough 
Agave fibre from Bombay (probably prepared by hand) 
was valued last December at 15/. to 17/. per ton. 
Mauritius hemp prepared by machinery from Furcrcea 
gigantea (known as the green aloe or green Agave) 
was valued : good, 34/. to 35/. per ton j fair, 33/. per 
ton; common, 30/. per ton. D. M.J 
Hardy Species of Eucalyptus. 
It is well known that 6ome species of Eucalyptus 
are hardy in certain districts in this country, but the 
ordinary Blue Gum, E. globulus is only sparingly so. 
We have recently received from Mr. F. Abbott, 
Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens at Hobart 
Town, Tasmania, a small quantity of seed of this 
species collected from trees growing at high alti- 
tudes and exposed to severe frosts. Seeds were also 
received of E. coccifera from trees which were coat- 
ed with icicles "a foot long." It is probable that 
plants raised from seed of such hardy forms would 
be likely to bear with impunity the rigours of an 
English winter. The seed received has all been 
sown and the results will be duly noted later. In 
tho meantime the following extract from a letter 
received from Mr. Abbott will be read with interest;— 
