630 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1893. 
there  is  a tendency  of  many  writers  to  jump  to  general 
conclusions  as  to  the  negroes,  fromlimited  observations. 
I find  the  following  passage  in  a book  by  Philip  A. 
Brnce,  on  ‘'The  Plantation  negro  as  a free  man,”  pub- 
lished in  New  York.  Having  spoken  of  the  revertiDg  of 
the  Haytian  negro  to  African  tribal  customs,  he  says  : 
— “ Jamaica  has  sunk  to  an  equally  hopeless  condition, 
one  of  the  first  parts  of  the  globe,  a part  upon  which 
nature  has  lavished  without  stint  her  greatest  treasures 
and  beauties,  has  declined  to  a tropical  wilderness  far 
more  wretched,  with  its  evidence  of  former  prosperity, 
than  when  the  foot  of  Columbus  first  touched  the 
shores  of  San  Salvador.” 
Now  I can  only  say  that  this  is  ridiculously  untrue. 
The  aggregate  amount  of  land  in  cultivation  has  been 
steadily  inoreaeiDg  since  the  date  of  emancipation,  and 
is  still  increasing.  In  1870  there  wtre  1,832,386  acres 
in  cultivation,  in  1890  there  were  1,896,290,  and  while 
there  is  still  ample  room  for  improvement  there  is 
much  reason  for  satisfaction  with  the  social  advance- 
ment of  the  people.  They  are  fulfilling  their  duties  as 
citizens  quietly  and  well,  and  there  are  no  grounds  for 
apprehension  that  they  will  retrograde  from  their 
present  position.  Jamaica,  beautiful,  healthy  and  fertile, 
with  a law-abiding  population,  aud  a good  supply  cf 
labour,  offers  opportunities  for  investment  that  only 
require  to  be  known  to  secure  an  influx  of  industrious 
capitalists  whose  advent  must  accelerate  her  material 
progress.  Henry  A.  Blake, 
PLANTING  PROGRESS  IN  EAST  AFRICA. 
That  the  withdrawal  of  the  British  East  Africa 
Company  from  the  far  interior  is  not  without  its 
compensations  is  evident  from  reports  just  to  hand 
as  to  the  company’s  operations  in  the  regions 
accessible  with  comparative  ease  from  the  coast. 
Unhampered  by  anxieties  concerning  Uganda  and  the 
large  expenditure  required  to  maintain  its  position 
there,  the  company  is  able  to  devote  its  energies  and  its 
limited  resources  to  the  development  of  comparatively 
rioh  regions  near  the  coast.  It  is  evident  that  road- 
making is  being  carried  out  with  creditable  activity 
and  efficiency  from  the  main  poiuts  of  departure  from 
the  coa9t.  Many  miles  of  good  roads  have  already  been 
made  ftom  Mombtea  and  elsewhere,  and  if  this 
laudable  enterprise  is  persevered  in  within  a very  few 
years  it  will  be  possible  to  take  vehicles  and  beasts 
of  burden  with  the  greatest  ease  from  the  coast  to 
the  great  central  station  at  Mach»ko°,  some  250 
miles  into  the  interior;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  road- 
niakiog  will  stop  there.  The  company  has  had, 
exports  at  work  quietly  for  a considerable  time, 
and  their  reports  make  it  evident  that  with  capital 
skilled  and  energetic  planters,  adequate  labour,  and 
cheap  meaD3  of  conveyance,  the  region  between  the 
coast  and  Lake  Victoria,  as  well  as  between  the 
rivers  Tana  find  Juba,  ought  to  yield  very  satisfactory 
returns  to  the  company’s  shareholders.  Their  lies 
before  us  a short  report  on  the  products  and 
oapabilties  of  the  various  districts  of  the  company’s 
territories.  These  territories,  for  the  purpose  of  the 
report  are  divided  into  three  portions 
The  coast  and  low-ljing  districts;  II,.  the  inland 
hilly  districts;  III.,  the  mountain  ranges  and  plateaux. 
The  following  general  statement  as  to  the  industrial 
capabilities  of  each  section  may  be  useful  ; even  when 
the  speculative  element  is  eliminated  it  leaves  a fairly 
solid  balance  of  possibilities ; — 
The  districts  comprised  in  the  first  category  are 
capable  of  producing  all  varieties  of  low-elevation 
tropical  produoe,  such  as  rice,  maize,  millet,  and 
similar  grains,  coconut,  cotton,  fibres,  simsim  ground 
nuts,  tobacco,  orchella  weed,  plantains,  orange  and 
other  fruit  trees,  indiarubber,  gums,  hides,  &c.,  and 
would  afford  a great  field  for  the  immigration  of 
Hindoo*,  Chinese,  and  Easterns  generally.  Taken  in 
order  from  north  tOBOuth  the  districts  are:— (1)  Kis- 
muyu  and  Juba  river;  (2)  Witu  and  Tana  river ; (3) 
Malindi  and  Sabaki  river  (4)  Wanga  and  Umba 
river.  The  districts  in  the  second  category  include 
the  higher  land  of  the  interior,  of  an  elevation  of 
3,000ft.  and  upwards,  and  would  produce  all  trop- 
ical high-elevation  products,  as  coffee,  tea,  sugar, 
cinchona,  timber  of  many  descriptions  aud  would 
be  suitable  for  the  residence  of  planters  and  agri- 
culturists interested  in  the  same,  besides  being  a 
country  iD  which  Southern  Europeans  would  find  a 
congenial  borne,  these  districts  are  : — (5)  Ukambani  ; 
(6)  Kikuyu  ; (7)  Kaviroudo  ; (8)  Uganda  and  the  Lake 
districts.  The  third  and  last  division  includes  fbe  lands 
of  high  elevation  ranging  from  9,000  to  19,000  ft.,  being 
the  extensive  regions  around  (9)  Mount  Kenia  ; (10) 
the  Aberdare  range  ; (11)  the  Mau  Escarpment ; (.12) 
Mount  E'gon,  These  are  suitable  for  residence  of 
Europeans  generally  and  are  considered  capable  of 
producirg  wheat,  barley  and  the  general  produoe  of  the 
temperate  zone. 
The  products  of  the  Kasmayu  and  Juba  rivers  dis- 
tricts are  referred  to  in  detail,  and  the  prices  realized 
in  the  London  market  for  the  following  artioles  are 
given  : — Ivory,  indiarubber,  maize,  millet,  simsim, 
orchella  weed,  hides,  rice.  Besides  these,  such  artioles 
as  ootton  (in  great  abundance),  tobacco,  ground  nut3 
and  opiumare  produced  on  the  coast;whlleinthe  interior 
are  vast  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  besides  ghee,  gums, 
senna,  ebony,  Manilla  fibre  and  ostrich  feathers,  It  is 
even  stated  that  in  the  Upper  Juba  rubies  and  emeralds 
are  obtainable,  and  gold  is  said  to  have  been  found  at 
Bardera.  But  putting  ail  conjectural  treasure  out  of  con- 
sideration, it  is  evident  that  over  all  the  coast 
regions,  and  up  the  Sabaki  river,  there  is  ample 
scope  tor  plantation  work.  We  know  that  to  the 
south  of  Mount  Kenia  there  are  considerable  dis- 
tricts of  undoubted  fertility  and  salubrity,  but  these 
must  wait  uDtil  the  means  of  communication  are 
improved. 
In  the  Witu  and  Tana  district  ootton  cultivation 
is  stated  to  bo  making  rapid  progress,  and  a de- 
tailed account  is  given  on  the  working  and  results 
of  a plantation  at  Wange,  near  the  port  of  Lamu, 
the  crop  of  which  amounted  to  80,000  1b  “lint 
cotton  ” (Sea  Is'aud),  140,000  lb.  of  cotton  seed,  and 
20,0001b.  of  refuse.  With  more  efficient  laboar.it  is 
believed  the  outturn  would  probably  have  exceeded 
100,0001b,  Simples  sent  to  Bremen  were  valued  by 
brokers  at  7 25-32d.  to  9 12-32d.  per  lb.,  a higher 
assessment,  it  is  stated,  than  that  of  Amerioan  cotton 
then  in  the  markets  of  the  plaoe.  According  to  returns 
showing  expeudi'ure  incurred  in  production,  and 
a pro  forma  acoount  of  sales,  the  profit  on  an 
expenditure  of  under  £1 ,200  was  £370,  or  over  30 
per  cent.  Highly  favourable  reports  p re  quoted  from 
Liverpool  respecting  this  cotton,  which  is  pronounced 
“ better  than  any  but  the  best  Egypiian.”  The 
natives  themselves  are  said  to  be  extremely  anxious 
to  grow  cotton,  aud  it  is  considered  that  it  would 
pay  a cotton  planter  to  establish  at  the  port  of 
Lamu  proper  machinery  for  cleaning  aud  pressing 
cotton  for  export-  On  the  cotton  estates  8,000  coco- 
nut trees  have  been  planted  aud  do  not  interfere 
with  the  cultivation  of  cotton. 
Equally  satisfactory  reports  are  given  of  the 
results  of  tobacco  cultivation  at  Witu,  But  space  for- 
bids our  analyzing  this  interesting  report  in  detail. 
Very  full  information  is  given  as  to  the  results  and 
possibilities  ot  cultivation  of  a variety  of  commercial 
produots  over  all  the  coast  region  ; and  with  regard 
to  the  interior,  evidence  of  experts  is  given  to  show 
that  the  South  and  Central  American  rubber  trees 
might  be  introduced  ai  d flourish  as  well  as  the 
indigenous  Landolphia.  The  whole  report  is  so 
full  of  detail  aud  so  ueeful  that  the  company 
ought  to  print  it  for  circlulation.  When  all  de- 
ductions are  made  it  shows  that  Sir  William  Mackin- 
aon  and  his  friends  have  really  got  hold  of  a “ good 
thing”  commercially,  w.hich,  with  judicious,  skilled, 
and  liberal  management  may  in  the  future  yield  satis- 
factory results. 
One  interesting  point  as  regards  slavery  is  brought 
out  in  the  report.  The  company  have  granted  free- 
dom papers  to  date  to  2,634  slaves.  It  was  the 
practice  of  Government  to  grant  a bonus  of  £5  per 
head  to  the  mission  societies  who  took  charge  of 
all  slavos  released  by  Het  Majesty’s  oruisers,  and, 
