THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Av&MT t, 1887, 
in character and appearance, and at least in as great 
a degree as any other vegetable production. This 
variety and divergence may be partly owing to the 
selective agency of the cultivators, but the sole effect 
of soil and climate seems, more than any other cause, 
to impress a certain definite character on the respective 
growth of each country. For example, certain southern 
parts of the United States, in which tobacco is so largely 
and successfully cultivated, can only produce the 
heavy sorts suitable for Bmoking in the pipe; and 
the State?, notwithstanding th^ variety of soil and 
climate, and the extent of territory at their command, 
have to draw their supply of the finer sorts from 
distant and foreign sources. I venture to point to 
the obvious conclusion that the acquisition of a true 
knowledge of the special class of tobacco naturally 
produced in their various localities is the first of all 
necessary. It would be a waste of effort to attempt 
the growth of any other variety, or to prepare it for 
a purpose to which it is not adapted, whether for 
segars, the pipe, or for cigarettes. It may also be 
mentioned that, though • tobacco of a sort will grow 
almost anywhere, it is only in special limited localities, 
even in the countries which have proved well adapt- 
ed for its cultivation, that the superior and paying 
classes of each sort can alone be prdduced. This points 
to the necessity of a careful and experimental selec- 
tion of site, and of due observation of results, guided, 
if possible, by a knowledge of the article itself, a 
knowledge of the constituents of soils, and of the 
requirements of the world's markets. 
Sponges 
The exhibits of this useful article were chiefly from 
the Bahamas. There are many varieties ; the prin- 
cipal in order of their value are the iheepwool, white 
reef, Abaco velvet, dark reef, boat, hardhead, grass, 
yellow, and glove, principally used for mechanical, 
surgical, and bathing purposes.' The best description 
of Bahamas is inferior to those of the Mediterranean, 
although the sheepwool, for bathing purposes, is 
stronger in texture and more durable than the Medi- 
terranean kind, but not so good-looking. The exports 
amount to £60,000 annually. The bulk of the Bahamas 
sponge is taken by the United States and part by 
France. Sponges were first discovered in the Bahamas 
by Sir John L ;es, the father of the present Governor 
of Barbadoes. A question in my mind is whether the 
existing sponge beds, if continually fished, as at pre- 
sent, are not likely to be exhausted, and whether, to 
gaurd against this, it would not be possible to instit- 
ute a periodical close time for the protection during 
the reproductive season, or, at all events, a close time 
in certain areas which have been fished for years, to 
act as nurseries, and allow the germs or embryos to 
be distributed to the other waters. 
The importation of the g«rms of the finer kinds of 
the Mediterranean sponge is well worth the effort. 
Success, which is more than probable, would enorm- 
ously increase the value of the fisheries. I understand 
sponges have been Successfully cultivated by cuttings, 
both in florida and by Professor Schmidt and Mr. 
Giegor Buccich in the Adriatic Sea. I believe these 
experiments were only stopped by the hostility of 
the fishermen. 
Fibres. 
Of these raw materials, the West Indies have, until 
the present time contributed little --that there in 
scope for a large trade few can doubt. In the Indian 
Section, where the flora is so similar to the West 
Indies, the extensive collection of raw materials hove 
been submitted to an exhaustive examination by Mr. 
0. F. Gross and others. Their report contains full 
accounts of the scientific methods pursued, and should 
be studied by all who are interested in this subject. 
Mr. Cross has kindly made the following report 
for me : — 
Manocotyledonous Fibre. — Iu this are included all the 
lower grades of textile fibre, used for ropes and 
coarser twines, obtained from plants of the aloe and 
plantain orders. Not only is the climate of the West 
Indies especially adapted to the production of these 
in full luxuriance, but many of them grow under con- 
fljti bi Hi' least favourable to other forms of veget- 
ation — i.e., on barren or rocky soils. Such consider- 
ations, or a collateral purpose of cultivation, for fruit 
or seed, as in the case of the banana, may determine 
an advantageous cultivation, by outweighing the dis- 
advantages of low yield of fibre and difficulty of 
isolation. Taking this latter case, by reason of its 
importance, first i what prospect is there of working 
up the refuse banana stalks into a paper material, to 
sell in European markets at a remunerative price 'i 
Mr. Morris has dealt with the question of preliminary 
treatment of the stems in his paper read before the 
Institute of Jamaica, February 1884, and I can, from 
my point of view, fully endorse what he says. But 
in my opinion, the treatment he recommends, though 
perfectly good as far as it goes, must be supple- 
mented ; the material most be so prepared as to 
yield to the paper maker here not 30 per cent., but 
50 to 60 per cent, and to sell at about £8 a ton. So 
to concentrate the substance, a process of boiling is 
necessary, with the addition of a cheap base, such 
as lime or even chalk to neutralise the acids of the 
plant, and allow of boiling in iron vessels. Having 
thus got rid of soluble matters, the material must 
be crushed or stamped, and washed, to remove cellular 
matter, and lastly, dried and presspacked. The chief 
point to consider is the probable yield of such a pro- 
duct. Mr. O. M. King, who has been associated with 
me in this Exhibition work, during bis residence in 
Jamaica, investigated the yield obtained by treatment 
with tbe Ekman process, which he found 1£ per cent, 
on the green stems. Such a product was, of course, 
much more highly " cleaned " than the one we have 
been considering. Estimating for the difference, the 
yield of paper-making material on the above treat- 
ment may be taken at, say, 2 per cent. On 100 tons 
of green stems, therefore, £16 represents the trading 
basis, i.e., the sum out of which all charges and the 
profits are to be met. There is as far as I can see, 
nothing further to be said on this vexed question : it 
should be solved by a definitive trial, and it should 
be borne in mind that such an enterprise, established 
on the basis of a satisfactory issue of the trial, could 
only be successfully carried on by a co-operative union 
of those interested. Coming now the higher group, 
i.e., the textile fibres obtainable from Monocotyledons, 
the most expedient course would be to select two 
fibres, one coarse and one fine — say, for instance Four- 
croya gignated and Acroconria (tbe Gru-gru fibre ex- 
hibited in the St. Vincent Court). These fibres have 
proved themselves, on the results of investigation of 
the prepared specimens, to be the most valuable. 
All that is wanted for a commercial estimate is the 
cost of preparation in a satisfactory condition. This 
will very much depend upon the yield on the green 
substance, and the process adopted for obtaining the 
fibre ; upon the selection of a machine for the pur- 
pose I am not prepared to advise. I should recom- 
mend a preliminary steeping of the green substance, 
and with the addition of an anti-ferment, such as 
sulphite of soda, or preferably, sulphite of lime, in 
virtue of its relative cheapness. I base this recom- 
mendation upon the recognised advantages of the 
steep, together with the common experience of the 
dangers attending a fermentation which is difficult to 
control. 
Dicotyledonous Fibres. — Of these we may also distin- 
guish two grades, the lower available for paper-making, 
the higher for textiles. Of the former I selected for 
investigation from amongst those exhibited the sugar- 
bark fibre, Malva viscus, Malva sylvestris and Daph- 
nopsis, all in the Jamaica Court. These give from 
58 to 63 per cent, cellulose, and are easily treated. 
I should advise the preparation of further and larger 
specimens, so as to determine the cost of produc- 
tion on the one hand, and selling value on the other ; 
for the latter a paper-making trial is necessary. Of 
the above three I should prefer to give the pre- 
ference to the Malva, on account of the superior 
length of its ultimate fibre. 
(b) Textiles. — Of the jute class, the Mahoe is worthy 
of special notice ; I have given in my official report 
the results of the analysis of the specimens exhibited. 
I am of opinion that this fibre is capable of con- 
