628 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1893. 
KOLA : THE  LOWCOUHTRY  PRODUCT 
OF  THE  FUTURE. 
An  esteemed  correspondent  writes  : — 
I enclose  two  slips  about  Kola  from  the  Jamaica 
Gleaner , which  may  be  useful,  and  Kola  will  probably 
be  a paying  lowcountxy  product  of  the  future.  Mr. 
Christy  of  Jjondon  has  sent  me  a tin  of  prepared  Kola 
for  trial,  and  it  is  simply  delicious  in  boiled  milk,  and 
if  not  too  dear,  I should  think  would  be  drunk  largely. 
From  the  extract  we  quote  as  follows: — 
(1 Jamaica  Gleaner.) 
TEE  FURNITURE  OF  KOLA. 
The  thousand  Kola  plants  offered  at  the  price  of  two 
pence  each  by  the  Director  of  Gardens  should  be 
quickly  bought  up  end  planted  in  suitaMe  soils.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  he  has  many  more  coming  forward, 
for  there  CBn  be  no  doubt  that  Kola  has  a future. 
Its  value  has  been  proved,  and  its  relation  to  coflee  and 
oocoa  is  the  best  of  evidence,  taken  along  with  its 
peculiar  properties,  to  ensure  an  extensive  use  at  an 
early  date.  Mr.  Kinkesd  has  made  from  it,  with 
aromatic  herbs,  a pleasant  beverage  that  is  finding  its 
way  into  many  homes.  “ Kola  Champagne  ” is  rather 
too  fine  a name  for  it,  but  the  thing  itself  isexoellent. 
The  dried  and  ground  nuts  have  been  sold  to  be  need 
as  coffee  but  unfortunately  in  many  cases,  the  failure 
to  prepare  it  properly  has  led  to  a loss  of  the  favour- 
able reputation  with  which  it  was  first  begun.  In  homes 
in  different  parts  of  the  island  the  knack  of  preparing 
kola  as  a beverage  is  understood,  and  there  a cup  of 
kola  is  at  once  palatable  and  refreshing.  It  has  been 
proved  that  the  nuts  thrive  here,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  guided  by  what  Mr.  Fawcett  has  said  of  soil  and 
climate  suitable  for  the  plant,  the  1,000  young  plants 
may  soon  find  their  way  to  the  right  places,  and  a few 
years  hence  be  bringing  grist  to  ttie  p'anter’s  mill. 
Tea,  coffee,  cocoa  have  hitherto  bad  it  all  to  them- 
selves, and  they  have  had  it  long  and  over  a wild  field, 
kola  will  oertainly  take  a place  beside  them  and  also 
fill  a large  place,  such  are  its  proved  merits.  It  should 
in  the  near  future  take  a good  place  among  our  exports. 
COMMUNIQUE  FROM  THE  DIRECTOR  OF  PUBLIC  GARDENS 
AND  PLANTATIONS  : KOLA  NUT  OR  BIS^Y. 
The  Kola  Nut  or  Bissy  (Oola  acuminate  K.  Br.) 
is  ft  native  of  western  tropical  Afrioa.  It  is  a tree  from 
30  to  60  feet  high,  flourishing  best  in  moist  lands  from 
sea-level  up  to  1,000  feet.  A full  crop  of  120  lb.  of 
nuts  or  seeds  cannot  be  expected  till  the  tree  is  ten 
years  old,  but  in  favorable  situations  fruit  may  appear 
after  four  years.  Great  care  is  taken  in  Africa  in 
the  selection  of  nuts  for  sale,  they  are  carefully  picked 
cut,  and  damaged  and  worm  eaten  are  removed.  The 
sound  nuts  ere  packed  in  huge  baskets  made  of  bark, 
lined  and  covered  with  large  thick  leaves.  The 
baskets  hold  each  3 cwts-  Willi  the  leaves  on  the 
top  kept  moist;  the  nuts  last  well  for  a month  ; after 
ibat  th«y  are  picked  over  again,  washed  and  repacked, 
and  will  last  for  another  month  ; this  process  being 
repeated  every  month.  From  the  country  between 
Sierra  Leone  and  the  Congo  thev  are  carried  to  Gambia 
where  the  merchants  tradingwith  the  interior,  purchase 
and  dry  them.  It  is  said  that  by  the  time  the  nuts 
reach  the  tribes  who  live  furthest  from  where  they 
grow  they  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold.  The  nuts 
are  reputed  to  clarify  and  render  healthy  the  most 
foul  water,  and  to  render  tainted  meat  edible,  and 
■when  chewed  either  fresher  as  a dry  powder  and  the 
salvia  swallowed,  to  be  a sure  preventive  against 
dysentery.  They  are  also  said  to  be  good  for  the  liver 
and  to  possess  the  property  of  enabling  persons  eating 
them  to  undergo  prolonged  exertion  without  fatigue. 
Dr.  Neish  says  that  the  nuts,  furnish  “ a nutrient 
arid  stimulant  beverage,  rich  in  the  aotive  principle 
of  coffee,  containing  also  a large  proportion  of  theo- 
bromine, the  active  principle  of  oacao.  These  nuts, 
in  addition,  oontain  three  times  the  percentage  of 
Btarch  contained  in  chooolate,  and  moreover,  they  also 
contain  less  fat,  so  that  Decides  stimulant  and 
nutritive  properties,  there  is  the  probability  that  a 
Chocolate  prepaid  from  them  will  mora  readily  agree 
with  delicate  stomaohs What  enhances 
the  value  of  kolanuts,  is  the  fact  that  oitrate  of 
caffeine— a medicine  now  much  employed  for  the  relief 
of  sea  sickness,  megrim,  and  other  nervous  complaints 
—can  be  readily  obtained  from  these  nuts,  for  the 
reason  that  the  Dots  contain  more  caffeine  than  coffee 
ber'ies,  and  in  the  kolanut  the  caffeine  is  in  the  tree 
or  UDCombimd  state.”  There  are  now  about  1,000 
stroug  p'ants  at  Hope  Garden,  ready  for  distribution. 
They  will  be  delivered  in  Kingston  at  the  rate  of  2d. 
each.  Application  may  be  made  direct  to  Superin- 
tendent, Hope  Garden,  Kingston  P.O. 
Not  much  has  yet  been  done  with  the  Kola-nuts 
in  Ceylon  ; but  it  has  scarcely  had  a fair  trial  in 
the  lowcountry,  save  at  Henaratgoda  Gardens,  and 
there  it  has  grown  to  the  satisfaction  we  believe  of 
Dr.  Tiimen.  Who  will  give  it  a proper  chanoe  in 
the  Awisawella,  Kalutara  and  Galle  districts. 
OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  YOUNG  MEN 
IN  JAMAICA. 
BY  H.  E.  SIR  HENRY  A.  BLAKE 
GOVERNOR  OF  JAMAICA. 
The  following  appears  in  the  North  American 
Review  for  December: — 
The  Jamaica  International  Exhibition  which  was 
opened  by  H.  R.  H.  PriDce  George  of  Wales  in  January, 
1391,  and  remained  open  until  May,  resulted  in  the 
influx  of  a considerable  number  of  observing  visitors, 
and  the  dissemination  of  a large  amount  of  informa- 
tion, through  the  English  and  Amerioan  press,  as  to 
the  I-land  its  beauties,  its  progress  and  its  capabilities. 
The  interest  aroused  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic 
has  been  shown  by  numerous  letters  received  by  me 
and  bv  olhers  in  the  colony  ask  ng  for  further  in- 
formation,  especially  as  to  the  prospects  of  success 
for  young  men  desirous  of  trying  tbeir  fortune  and  the 
beautiful  surroundings  so  often  described,  but  whose  in- 
finite variety  baffles  ihe  power  of  words  to  fully  paint. 
These  inquiries  resolve  themselves  into  two  divisions 
—those  who  have  capital  and  those  who  have  none. 
To  the  latter  I have  always  replied  that  there  is 
t o opening  for  them.  The  inquirer  wilh  the  capital  I 
have  advissd  to  come  to  Jamaica,  and  to  spead  at 
least  twelve  months  in  examining  the  different  parts 
of  the  island  before  investing  his  money.  If  he  can 
gdt  temporary  employment  on  an  estate  or  on  a 
11  Peib”  so  much  the  better.  He  will  learn  how  to 
deal  with  the  people,  aod  also  find  out  if  the  olimate 
suits  him  forpraotioal  work.  It  must  he  remembered 
that  visiting  a tropical  oountry  is  very  different  to 
wo! king  in  it.  Even  though  the  work  be  simply 
supervision.  If  he  is  satisfied,  be  can  then  choose 
whether  he  will  invest  in  the  purchase  of  a pen, 
and  become  a breeder  of  cattle,  horses  or  mules,  or  all 
three;  or  whether  he  will  purchase  an  estate, 
that  is,  a property  on  which  the  business  is  the  culti- 
vation of  sugar,  coffee  fruit  or  fibre. 
As  to  the  kind  of  crops  that  can  be  produced  in 
Jamaica,  if  we  leave  out  the  cereals,  wheat,  barley  and 
oa's,  the  island  will  produce  anything  that  can  be 
grown  in  the  North  American  continent.  Its  soil,  ele- 
vation and  climate  are  so  diversified  that  while  BUgar- 
cane  and  pine  apples  are  growing  in  the  plains,  English 
gorse  is  in  bloom  in  the  high  hills,  and  wild  straw- 
berries abound  on  all  the  mountain  paths. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  go  into  particulars  of  the 
various  crops  that  now  form  the  staple  exports  of 
Jamaica.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  they  pay  (he  growers 
well,  when  the  profits  are  not  swallowed  up  in  the 
expenses  attending  the  management  of  properties 
belonging  to  absentees.  The  average  cost  of 
management  and  commissions  on  such  properties  is 
about  10  per  cent.,  at  least  one-half  of  which  could 
be  saved  to  a resident  and  industrious  owner.  But 
fha  crops  may  be  divided  into  two  broad  divisions, 
those  that  pay  best  when  grown  extensively,  and 
those  suitable  for  small  proprietors,  of  whom  over 
fifty  thousand  are  to  be  found  iu  Jamaica.  In  the 
