December i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
423 
North America and tho Lesser Antilles, for with so 
perishable an article as frnit even a few hours curtail- 
ment of an ocean voyage means sometimes all the 
difference between profit and loss. Possessing a fertile 
soil, unsurpassed iu any other part of tire world, an 
abundant rainfall, and a wide diversity of climate, 
owing to the mountainous nature of tho couutry, the 
capabilities of Dominica for the culture of tropical and 
sub-tropical fruits can scarcely bo over-estimated. 
There can, therefore, be no doubt that when the 
natural advantages of the island become more widely 
known, the necessary capital will bo found to form 
farms for tho growth of the various fruits and vege- 
tables that can be exported at a profit. 
Tho earliest recorded instance of a trade iu Domi- 
nica fruits is found in Atwood's history of tho island, 
published iu London in 1791. Atwood says, " The 
Lemon and the lime trees bear also very aromatic 
Scenting blossoms, and the fruit of both is in great 
abundance, large aud of excellent quality. Of these, 
the latter especially, great quantities are often sent 
in barrels to England and America. The neighbour- 
ing English islands are likewise often supplied with 
them Iron this couutry, especially those of Antigua 
and Barbados." What the old historian of the Dominica 
wroto nearly a century ago is true even now, for 
quantities of tho island fruit are exported not only to 
England and America but also to many of the neigh- 
bouring islands. It was not, however, until recent 
years that fruit become a regular article of export 
from the Colony, for the successful prosecutiou of 
such an industry requires experieuse in what is styled 
" the bundling " of the fruit, experience also in the 
various systems of packing, and a knowledge of the re- 
qiroments of the markets abroad. Iu past times Amori- 
ican schooners used to come to Roseau, the chief port of 
Dominica, for oranges, but owing to ignorance of tho 
buyers and sellers tho ventures did not pay ; and it is 
scarcely to be wondered at, as the oranges were 
knocked oft" tho trees, and the bruised fruit was shipped 
roughly in bulk in tho hold of the vessel, with the 
result that most of it became rotten long before its port 
of distinntion was reached. As a case in point it may 
be mentioned that the Blue Books show that in the 
year lfciJl the fruit exports from the island are esti- 
mated at TO:!/., which sum includes 115/., the value of 
the Lime juice exported that year. With the excep- 
tion of 1,019,800 oranges shipped to the United 
States, aud valued at 489/., there are no details given 
of tho kinds of fruit exported ; and as no more orangos 
were shipped to America until many years afterwards 
it must be assumed that the venture was not a pay- 
ing one. About 11 years ago, with a view of demons- 
trating the capabilities of the islaud lor a fruit trade, 
1 made a few trial shipments of oranges aud shaddocks 
to Messrs. Keeling and Hunt, of Monument Yard, 
London. Notwithstanding the long voyage by the 
Hoyal Mail steamers, longer in point of time than it 
is now, and tho transhipments at Barbados ar.d St. 
Thoina-', the fruit, which was carefully seleoted and 
packed, arrived in London in excellent condition, and 
fetched the highest price in the market, where it wiib 
then somewhat scarce, and as a consequence tho 
results of tin' shipments showed a large prolit on the 
outlay, I showed several of our local merchants the 
hoc unit sales, but nothing was done to pro-ootito the 
tra If, and tilings went on iu their usual style, for 
oranges appear iu the ofliciai lists of exports 
for til" years l.sT'i and l->77, and they then disappear 
again, as might be expected, for the shipments could 
not po.-wibU h ive paid owing to tho rough handling of 
tho fruit. Probably there would hue boen no con- 
siderable fruit trade in Dominica now but for tlio 
enterprise of some Americans who dime to tho 
island in the proper season, bought up orangM au I 
Other kinds Ol fruit, and shipped them to the New 
York market, Those Americans went the right way 
to w, rk. They refused to purchase oranges that 
diit u;t have the stalks attached and properly out, 
and in tins way they ensure I, to a great extent, the 
proper hand-picking ol the fruit. They rejected with 
ridicule all bruised fruit, and what they bought tie y 
packed carefully in suitable boxes, each orange having 
been examined for bruises, and if found sound wrapped 
in paper specially imported for the purpose. The 
result was a revolution in the desultory and insigni- 
ficant fruit trade of the island. The Americans came 
back year after year, thereby showing the people that 
the trade was successful, and then local meu began to 
take up the matter, with the result that at the present 
time tho Americans have to compete with resident 
shippers. 
With tho exception of the Limes, which are exten- 
sively grown in the island for tho 9ake of their juico, 
and the bananas which are cultivated by the peasants, 
the greater part of tho fruit shipped from the island 
is gathered from trees that have grown up, in most 
cases accidentally, in gardens, iu odd corners of estates 
and by the roadside. Considering that the exports of 
fruit, excluding lime juice and other fruit products, 
now reach in value a good deal over 1,000/. a year, or 
about one forty-eighth of the total value of the exports 
of the islaud these facts are v> ry striking, and they 
are pregnant with promise for the future of the trade. 
Some of the planters and peasant proprietors are now 
turning their attention to the systematic cultivation 
of oranges, shaddocks, and other fruit trees on a 
small scale, but the only estates in the island devoted 
en'irely to fruit culture are those belonging to the 
lime planters, who do not, however, ship the fruit in 
its natural condition in any considerable quantity. 
The chief fruits exported from the island are oranges , 
coconuts, banana", limes (both fresh and pickled in 
brine), mangoes, shaddocks, and pineapples. The tama- 
rind is exported in a preserved state, but it is only 
when the prices are high in the home market 
that local shippers consider it worth their while 
to ship this article, and thus the quantity ex- 
ported varies considerably year by year. The juice 
of the lime (both fresh and concentrated) has 
become a very important export from the island, and 
any account of the fruit trade would be incomplete 
without some details of the industry, which was started 
in Dominica years ago by the late Dr. Imray, to whom 
the island owes, on that account alone, an everlasting 
debt of gratitude. The lime, wdiich is the fruit of a 
tree closely allied to the orange and lemon, has done 
much to help to revive the prosperity of Dominica ; 
and, as the industry is constantly growing, it gives 
promise of great things iu the future. In addition to 
the juico of tho fruit, very fragraut essential oil, 
called commercially the ''essential oil of limes," is 
obtained from the rind of the fruit. This oil is not 
yot very well known in the trade, but the demand for 
it is increasing, and the exports of the article are accor- 
dingly running up iu value. Besides lime juice, other 
fruit juice has been exported by one of the planters 
during the last two years. The principal kind is that 
obtained from tho pineapple. It is shipped prin- 
cipally to tho United States, and it is used for flavour- 
ing purposes. 
Iu order to give a correct idea of tiio fruit industry 
in Dominica, I have mode a careful examination of 
the Blue- Hooks kept at Government Office, but as the 
volume for 1880 is lost, ami as no other copy exists in 
tho island, I have been unable to go back for more 
than seven consecutive ycurs. 
As will bo seen from this table, the total value of 
the exports of fruit and fruit products for the seven 
years amounts to the sum of lt»,03o/. 9.*. I" '. Since it 
has uot been possible, for the reasons given, to obtain 
any statistics lor the year IsSO, I have drawn up the 
following table showing the value of tin- same article 
exported during the si veil years ended 1879, and a 
comparison of the two tables will conclusively show the 
satisfactory progress made in tho pro-eeutiou of tho 
fruit industry notwithstanding tho many disadvantages 
that the shiupers and growers have hud lo couleud 
with. 
Until the jo.u liSStl the various kin Is of frnit ex- 
ported from the island wore not enumerated in tho 
ollicial returns ; but, cxr pt in the case of coconuts, 
w. ro nil included under the headings " fresh fruit 
or " fresh frnit and vegetabli s." I pointed out, how- 
ever, In 1886 to Mr. if. Murrain, iho ohd f clerk iii the 
Treasury Department! tho advantage tot statistical 
