322 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[November i, i8go. 
grass of commerce, but it may be a fibre used to 
adulterate. The adulteration of China grass for ship- 
ment is not new, and has frequently attracted the 
attention of shippers. 
The mechanical decortication of ramie in the field 
has not made such progress as has been made in the 
degummiug of the ribbons. The reasons are plain. 
In solving the degumming problem, many tons of 
China grass were at once imported and the product 
turned out, not by the pound, but by the ton. Yarn 
is now being made by the ton, and the products are 
being sold by the bolt. Machines that effectually and 
rapidly produce the ribbons from the green stems in 
the field will put the United States in the lead as a 
ramie producing and manufacturing country. But the 
ramie must be grown to be decorticated. The ribbons 
must be produced by the ton and continued until 
many tons are produced before results are obtained. 
Po.ssibly the recent off-r of the use of a machine free 
to those who will grow 25 acres of ramie within the 
next two years will stimulate its cultivation. 
T. Albee Smith. 

JAMAICA AND ITS FORTHCOMING 
EXHIBITION, 
By C. Washington Eyes, C.M.G. 
Planting Progress in Jamaica. 
Jamaica is singularly varied in its climate and natural 
features. Its general botanical resources are of a 
wonderful extent and richness ; its useful or economic 
plants have beeu thoroughly investiga ect, although as 
yet a small number have entered lar-gely into com- 
merce. These latter have, however, received much 
attention from Mr. D. Morris, the present Assisiaut 
Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, when he was 
in charge of the public gardens and plantations of 
the island, and one of the important features of the 
exhibition will be the proof of the value in arts, manu- 
factur :s, and food, of the economic plants of Jamaica. 
The isla: d is 144 miles long, its greatest width is 49 
miles, aud its least width — going straight across from 
Kinssion to Annotto Bay — is 21J miles. It contains 
4,193 square miles. It is diversified by mountains and 
th> ir attendant streams, and the climate ranges from 
7.5° to 80° on the coast and flat lands a Ijoining, to 
00° and 65° on the high mountains, such as the Blue 
mountain range. The dryness of the atmo.sphere upon 
elevated portions, such as the Santa Cruz mountains, 
has attracted much attention for it.s health-giving 
quaiit es, aud its influence up n consumption and bron- 
chial affections generally. 
This deversitie 1 elevation is naturally conducive to 
variety of culsivatio'i. Sugar is grown (though to a 
much less extent than formerly) in those parts of the 
island specially adapted to its cultivation, whilst the. 
Blue Mountain coffee is the finest in the world. Fruit 
especially the banana, is grown extensively. Cinchona 
bark does not, at present, appear to be increasing as 
an article of export, chiefly owing to the low prices 
at present ruling. If a febrifuge could be produced 
on the spot cheaper than quinine, there would be a 
better prospect of success lor this industry. In the 
cultivation of tea the labour difficulty may possibly be 
felt. The director of public gardens, Mr. Fawcett, 
reports; — “From the Blue Mountain ridge down almost 
to the sea coast on the north side the conditions are 
favourable for the growth of tea. The plant has 
become naturalised, springing spontaneously from self- 
K.)wu bee 1 ; ” aud the manufactured leaf, when shown 
at exhibitious, has been much approved. Jamaica 
oranges, says Mr. Fawcetr, “ ought to be able to hold 
their own anywhere against those from Florida; they 
ar fin r fruit, and produced at much less expense. 
IjUkI in .Jamaiei is abundant and cheap, and the soil 
is fenilo.” A great drawback is that the fruit is i ither 
bhipped in an improper cmdition, or is not packed 
with care. An object lesson in packing oranges wi 1 
be one. of the most useful features of the Exhibition. 
While upon this point, 1 might refer to some remarks 
made by Mr. D. Morris, in the paner read by him before 
the Royal Colonial Institute in February, 1887. Fruit 
eaual to a va’ue of £8.000,000 sterling is yearly imported 
into the. United Kingdom. The import into the United 
Stat°8 must also be very large, nea'ly the whole 
of the fru’t grown in Jamaica going to that coun- 
try. Mr. Morris says, and I quite agree with him, that 
“ when fruit is produced in large quantities, and 
it possesses a distinct va'ne in foreign markets, it is a 
matter which concerns the Government, no less than 
the people generally, to take, every step that is practi- 
cable and suitable to place that fruit in such a market 
in the beat possible condition. Great care is taken 
generally in the preparation of crops of sugar, coffee, 
cacao, pimento, tobacco, ginger, and other produce ; 
but the careful and scientific treatment of fuiit, 
although capable of yielding returns proportionately 
quite as large as any of these, is practically overlooked, 
and consequently the loss entailed upon both growers 
and shippers is enormous.” We may hope that the 
Exhibition will produce such examoles as will remove 
this reproach so justly made by Mr. Morris. In-'e d. 
hi« remarks have had already considerable effect. 
A select committee of the Jamaica Legislative Conn- 
cil recently renorted as follows upon this question : — 
“ Your Committee, believe that one chief danger to the 
fruit trade lies in the fact that the parties engaged in 
packing fruit are ignorant of the best methods in force 
in countries where the trade has reached far larger 
dimensions than is likely to result in Jamaica, at least 
for some years to come; and they are of opinion that 
great benefit would accrue if experienced frnit packers 
could be introduced from the Mediterranean, or the 
Western or Canary Islands. If the trade accepts this 
suggestion, and should ask the Government toassi'tin 
introducing this class of skilled labour, yo'ir Committee 
recommend that the Government should render all 
the a'd it can in its introduction.” 
It cannot be ton plainly stated that the future of the 
fruit trade of this island depends mainly on the pro- 
per selection and packing of all kinds of fruit exported ; 
and the trade will not on'y be injured directly but the 
island must also suffer, if those who ate engaged in 
the business do not combine to do all that can be done 
to prevent the shipment of frnit of poor qualify, or 
defectively put up. 
The total acreage in Jamaica under cultivation and 
care, in 1879 and 1888, was as 
follows : — 
1879. 
1888. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Canes 
44,948 
... 33,616 
Coffee 
22,853 
... 20,075 
Ginger ... ... 
130 
218 
Arrowroot ... 
33 
10 
Corn 
649 
822 
Tobacco 
841 
167 
Cacao 
37 
935 
Vegetables ... 
44 
51 
Ground provisions ... 
58,444 
... 79,382 
Guinea grass 
122,369 
... 122,197 
Common pa.sture 
272.431 
... 313,137 
Common pasture and pimento 
42,010 
... 44,539 
Pimento 
1,155 
1,455 
Total number of acres under 
cultivation and care 
565,448 
... 616,594 
ISoie ■ — Fruits are not included in the above statement, 
as they grow indifferently among other products. 
It cannot be held that the above figures show any 
sensible advance iu ten .years. The most satisfactory 
items are the ground provisions, grown by the peasamry 
occupying small holdings ; and the cacao cultivation 
There are a number of small settlers in Jamaica, groov- 
ing patches of cane, and possessing sugar mills mad< of 
the liard woods of the country. The appliances are no 
doubt very crude, but if they could be improved, and 
the extraction made more economically, such as in- 
dustry might increase. 
Of the actual resources of the island available for 
export, the Table of Exports for the years 1888 and 
