January z, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
47i 
THE OFFICIAL REPORTS ON THE COLONIAL 
SECTION OF THE EXHIBITION 1886, 
WITH REMARKS. 
Tropical Products : Fruits, Coffee, Cocoa, Sugar, 
Todacco, Drugs, &c, 
By G. H. Hawtayne, c. m. g., f. r. g. s. 
Fruits are reported upon by Mr. U. Morris formerly 
of Jamaica, now assistant-director at Kew, who takes 
the greatest interest in tho fruit of this and our neigh- 
bouring colonies. Mr Morris recently read ;i most in- 
teresting paper on the subject at the Royal Colonial 
Institute, and in a lecture given at the Exhibition last 
year, illustrated his remarks on the fruit of this colony, 
by tho papier- rnacho and wax models exhibited in the 
British Guiana Oourt, and by specimens of fresh fruit 
of various descriptions imported from here. 
In the report before me, Mr. Morris statos that " it 
" is now clearly demonstrated that by careful and 
' ' judicious treatment and storage in a cool chamber, 
" numerous tropical fruits from the "West Indies can be 
" brought to England in a perfectly sound condition. 
"Bananas arrived from British Uuiana, whilo such per- 
" ishablo fruits as papaw, sapodilla, mango, avocado 
" pear were received from the West Indies (and from 
"this colony) in excellent condition. In the rich, allu- 
" vial soils of British Guiana all tropical fruits are 
" capable of being cultivated, and the dried and preserved 
" articles shewn in the British Guiana Court, no less 
"than the models of fruits produced in the colony, in- 
" dicate that a large and undeveloped field of industry 
" is connected with them." 
As one of the Executive Commissioners, I have already 
reported to the Royal Agricultural and Commercial 
Society on the ready sale of our bananas in the ex- 
hibiton market, over £13 worth having been sold in 
penny-worths in one day; other fruits as sapodilloes, 
semitoes, &c, were in excellent order and were evi- 
dently an agreeable novelty. Souarrie nuts were also 
readily purchased, and from my own observation I am 
convinced that many, if not all the fruits which arc 
or can be produced in British Guiana, woidd find a 
quick ami profitable sale in Knglattd, where there ii so 
large a demand at certain seasons. Of oranges and 
lemons or limes, for instance, there were imported 
into the United Kingdom in one year (l,^t>-3) upwards 
of seven million dollars worth, of which only thirty 
thousand dollars worth came from British Posses- 
sions; indeed, -of the £7,587,523 worth of all 
kinds of fruit imported that year, only £302,399 
worth came from our colonies. With so enormous 
a demand for fruits, many of which are so easily 
grown here, it seems almost a culpable neglect of 
opportunities not to direct our attention to the culti- 
vation and export of products with which nature has 
so bountifully provided us. Pines which will keep 
without special storage for 12 days, besides being 
shipped from the Bahamas in largo numbers in a 
green state (-155,90.) dozen, worth over £50,000 having 
been exported thence in 1SS.">), are also largely export- 
ed in syrup. Singapore, however, has established 
itself as tho best source of preserved pines in the 
London Market. 
Tho small island of Montserrat, the area of which 
is but IT square miles, with a population of 10,000, is 
tho head quarters of the lime industry in the West 
Indies, and in 18SI exported £10,300 worth of lime- 
juice. To Tobago belongs the credit of having in 
quantity and general representative character, the 
most complete exhibit of preserved fruits, 200 in 
number, of any in the tropical section. 
Mr. Morris in his interesting report, fays much 
that should cause attention to be directed to the 
development ot ;iu in lush \ followed profitably in 
Jamaica nnd elsewhere, for which this colony with 
its abundant and fertile lauds, easy eo ininunicatioii 
with the United Kingdom ami with America, is 
espeei ill v suit ,1.1. 
Tho Fruit industry, moreover, whether confined to 
raising and shipping bananas, oranges, pines fa] , or 
extended to the preserving ami canning fruit nnd 
the iimuufarturo of jellies, syrups A.C.. would nlford 
employment to a largo class who now find it difficult 
to obtaiu the mean* of existence. 
The Reports on coffee and cocoa were intrusted to Mr. 
Henry Pasteur, who, it will be recollected, was good 
enough to make the special report on tho specimens 
of these products shewn by British Guiana, which 
was communicated to the Royal Agricultural and 
Commerical Society last year. 
Mr. Pasteur reports that India is first and foro- 
most amongst British Possessions both for the quantity 
and quality of its production of coffee in spite of 
the ravages of tho loaf disease. He strongly advoc- 
ates the shipment of coffee in parchment, to be 
peeled and sized in London, and gives instances of 
coffee from Oosta Rica thus treated, realising from 
10/ to 14/ per cwt. more than that cured in tho 
ordinary way. The parchment not only preserves 
the colour and quality of the berry against damage, 
but allows the berry to mature more completely. 
There were specimens of coffee shewn by Jamaica, 
the only island of the West Indies where cultivation 
is carried out on a large scale. This island, which in 
1885 exported 80,000 cwt., possesses in the high lands 
of the Blue Mountains, one of the finest coffee growing 
districts iu the world. 
Mr. Pasteur evidently has an unfavourable opinion 
of Liberian coffee which has been to some extent tried 
in this colony. He says its quality is so poor, so defi- 
cient in strength and aroma, and so little appreciated 
in the home markets, that any material increase in 
supply must inevitably tend to a lower range of prices, 
which will fail to repay the outlay. The value set on 
the specimens shewn ranged from 140s. to 47s. per 
cwt. The Liberian was worth 50s. 
Nearly all the other West Indian colonies sent ex- 
hibits of coffee, which in the case of most of them was 
an important article of export in byegoue years, but is 
now scarcely cultivated. Domiuica, which at onetime, 
produced one of the best kinds in the market, suffered 
from an insect blight forty years ago, and now raises 
not more than equals the consumption in the islaud. 
Trinidad, Mr. Pasteur considers, well fitted for the 
growth of coffee, — tho shape and size of the berries 
showing that soil and climate are favourable, and that 
only labour, care, and skill are required to give the 
coffee its proper value. 
The Reporter is of opinion that the samples from 
British Guiana tend to prove that excellent coffee can 
be grown in this colony. Those specimens were affected 
by sugar, and if this product over assumes its place 
as an article of export, it will be necessary to avoid 
its being so injured, either by shipping the bean in 
its parchment envelope, or by selecting vessels in 
which care is taken to prevent contact between coffee 
and other cargo. 
British grown coffee is superior to that of other coun- 
tries for reasous which Mr. Pasteur mentions. The 
increasing demand, and tho diminished supply from 
Ceylon and elsewhere, should encourage the renewal 
of a cultivation, which, once a sourco of wealth to 
the older colonists of British Guiana, now exists only 
in small and scattered patches. 
Cocoa was exhibitod by the West Indies, British 
Guiana, Ceylon, and Mauritius. The world's produc- 
tion of this article is estimated at 100 to 120 million 
pounds, of which 25 millions are raised in English 
colonies. Its consumption is on the increase in Great 
Britaiu, ami iu I8S5 amounted to 14,500,000 lb. 
Ecuador supplies tho largest quautity, aud its crop 
influences tho market. 
With regard to Trinidad cocoa, although it is not 
considered equal to that from Caraccas, which is tho 
finest produced, the quality of the seed, and attention 
paid to its growth aud preparation result in tho 
attainment of great perfection. The samples showed 
large size, weight, and solidity of the kernel of tho 
cocoa, with fermentation carried to the point at 
which tho fullest amount of strength and flavour 
can bo obtained. 
Grenada which produces 5 to 0 million pounds yearly, 
sent a few specimens which do not appear to have 
beeu of first class character, so that it was scarcely 
represented in the tirei.ida Court. The cocoa is 
inferior to that of Trinidad, being smaller, and 
coarser iu flavour. It is however used iu the 
