THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1890. 
LETTERS FROM JAMAICA. — No. 31. 
WEATHER AND CROPS IN 1889 — LABOUlt SUPPLY — THE 
FORTHCOMING JAMAICA EXHIBITION — THE LOCAL LEGIS- 
LATURE PASSING 23 LAWS IN AS MANY DAYS — ST. 
LUCIA TO BECOME THE PRINCIPAL NAVAL STATION OP 
THE WEST INDIES — MR. ESPEUT AND THE RAT 
PLAGUE — THE MONGOOSE, BECOME AN KVIL IN PLACE OF 
FRIEND ! ENEMY— GUATEMALA : THE CITY AND COIFEE 
DISTRICTS — COFFEE CULTIVATION, LAB' 'UR SUPPLY AND 
TRANSPORT — ROADS — GERMANS, THK LARGEST PRO- 
PRIETORS — POLITICAL WARS — RELIGION AND SUPERSTI- 
TION OF THE NATIVES — FOOD SUPPLY AND TRAVELLING 
ACCOMMODATION. 
Blue Mountain Dip trict, Jamaica. 
For packet of January 29th. 
It is quite three months since I had this 
pleasure, dearth of matter must be my excuse. 
As in Ceylon, bo in Jamaica, will 1889 be noteable 
as one of the rainiest years on record . Fortunately 
there were no heavy floods, and the rain was more 
evenly distributed than is usual ; fine days were few 
and far between. The above state of things no doubt 
benefited our " settlers," both as regards their coffee 
patohes and provision grounds, so that with coffee 
selling at high prices, and a plentiful supply of yams, 
our friends Mr. and Mrs. Quashie have had no in- 
ducement to come and "give Massi a little assist- 
ance," as it has sometimes been said to me. 
Labour is truly with us very precarious ; the old 
Ceylon planter sadly misses his regular foroe of 
coolies working fromMonday to Saturday, and, barring 
very bad weather, he can pretty well see his way 
to getting his work regularly and properly done ; 
here in Jamaioa we must be content to have 
patience and wait for the labour, when it suits our 
neighbours (for none reside on the estate) to come 
and work for us. 
Crops in the high districts will not as a rule be 
large, for the rain quite spoilt the ohance of good 
blossoms : I have only heard of two or three proper- 
ties where a good yield is expeoted: wo must therefore 
hope that in 1890 seasons will be more propitious, 
so that we may look for a good paying yield for the 
1890-91 crop. 
The chief topic of interest at present is the 
Jamaica Exhibition, whioh is fixed to be opened 
in January 1891. The buildings are to be 
erected on a piece of land 12 acres in extent, 
just above the racecourse and within easy reach 
of Kingston ; the grounds will be nicely laid out. 
As regards guarantee, upwards of £23,000 has been 
promised, and the matter seems to have been very 
warmly taken up in London. Jamaioa has not 
much to show except local products ; and hardly 
any manufactures ; so very much depends upon 
what will be sent from abroad, and whether it will 
draw Amerioans, and other "strangers," to the 
island. Of our own population, but a small portion 
can be expeoted to attend, as distanoe, lack of 
oheap transport, and want of the needful funds will 
prevent very many from attending Kingston. It 
will therefore be very fortunate if the Exhibition 
when closed does not leave a debt to be made good 
by the guarantors; but even if it does, the good the 
Exhbition must do indirectly to Jamaioa will be full 
compensation for any expense incurred by its 
inhabitants. Of course there are to be amusements 
as well as the Exhibition pure and simple : a small 
aquarium has been suggested, and a looal native 
village, after the manner of the Paris Exhibition. 
Our local Legislature surpassed itself by passing 
%% laws in almost as many days amongst others 
' the Mountain and River Reserve Law" has 
not found favour amongst the planters and settlers, 
and will it is hoped be amended next session. 
General Pearson of Ekowe fame, the present Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the West Indies line of service, 
will be up next April, when the Head-quarters are to 
be moved to Jamaioa, and St. Lucia will become 
the principal Naval Station and port of call for 
the Royal Mail Steamers, whence the branch lines 
will radiate to the other islands. >St. Lucia has 
a magnificent harbour, but unfortunately the island 
is notorious for the deadly snake the " Fer de 
Lanoe " ; and it is hoped some means may be 
found of exterminating them. In Jamaica Mr. 
Espeut who introduced the mongoose has won for 
himself the name of " Espeut Ratta " from the 
natives : the object, that of stamping out the rats 
which played havoc with the sugareanes, was an 
excellent and laudable one, and I believe answered 
at first, but " Massa Mongoose " proved fasti- 
dious as time grew on, he killed off the snakes 
and lizards, and then proceeded to eat up the 
eggs of all the ground birds, now he robs hen roosts 
of eggs and chickens, and eats bananas, and other 
" sweet stuff," so unfortunately the rat once more 
flourishes in the sugar and ooffee fislds, and the 
insect-eating birds having also almost died out. 
The ticks on whioh they fed have become so 
terribly bad on cattle-pens that legislation must 
soon be brought in to rid the islatd of them and 
of the mongoose, he now proving himself no 
longer a friend but a most mischevous enemy. 
Since I wrote my last letter I have met a friend 
who has lately travelled in Guatemala, and as 
some of the information I derived from him is 
sure to be interesting to your readers, especially 
my brother planters, I propose ending up my letter 
therewith : — 
Guatemala as generally known is the most 
Northern of the Central American Republics, and 
produces an excellent quality of coffee. It is best 
reached from Jamaica, via LivingEton, the port 
on the Caribbean Sea: my friend went by that route, 
travelling across country to the capital, thenoe he w<-nt 
north to Coban, the principal coffee dstrict, and re- 
turned to Livingston by the route made ush of by 
the planters for the despatch of their coffee to 
the seaboard. My friend's chief desire to 
visit the country was to see for himself some of 
the anoient ruins for which Guatemala is cele- 
brated, and in this he was in great measure suc- 
cessful ; he also went north to visit the Coban 
coffee district : this naturally was the subject upon 
which I was most anxious to obtain information. 
Guatemala City is situated at 4,850 feet above 
the sea, the climate is therefore very pleasant and 
healthy ; the adjaoent peaks of Agua and 
Fugo both volcanic are 13,400 and 12,000 feet 
in height, and tower above the plateau, and render 
the scenery very fine and grand. 
Coffee Districts.— There are two— Costa Cuca 
in the south, and Coban in the north, the 
former was visited by my friend and is evidently 
the best of the two. 
The Coffee is magnificent, is allowed to grow 
native fashion, and is picked from portable 
ladders : 8 owt. an acre, is considered a fair crop, 
but most often is largely exceeded. When a pro- 
perty gets down to 5 owt. an acre it is abandoned 
and fresh land is opened, of which there still 
appears to be any extent, it is marvelously rich in 
soil, and lies on a very gradual slope. Cultivation 
except in one or two instances does not appear to be 
kept up, as in Ceylon. 
Labour. — The grants of land obtainable from Go- 
vernment are generally found to contain settlers 
