Oct.  I,  1895.1 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
225 
hecjMucs. — There  are  mauy  other  leguiniuous  p'aiits 
which  are  successfully  cultivated,  and  are  especially 
useful  for  restoring  nitrogen  to  the  soil,  as  rotation 
crops  ; but  they  are  so  coinmoniy  known  that  it 
would  be  useless  to  discuss  them  here. 
Section  3. — STARCHES. 
The  starch-producing  plants  are  many,  but  th  y 
have  so  frequently  been  “ trotted  out  ” before  the 
public  at  e-Khibitions  that  the  majority  are  well 
known. 
Cassa^'A  ou  Manioc. — Jlanihot  aipi  PoJil,  and 
Arrowroot — .U.n-anta  amtuUnacea. — The  first  is  a 
staple  food  for  th  maands  of  people  in  Mexico, 
Central  and  South  America,  and  the  West  Indies. 
The  TortUla  properly  prepared  in  Central  Atnerican 
style,  is  a food  which  may  be  taken  by  the  most 
delicate,  relished  by  the  most  prejudiced,  and  enjoyed 
by  the  most  particular  connoisseur  of  dietetics. 
Cufisava  meal  or  Fariiic  is  also  largely  us.sd  in  various 
ways.  The  starch  of  this  plant  is  in  common  use 
throughout  the  West  Indies.  The  plant  is  success- 
fully grown  in  Trinidad  and  must  be  consideied 
an  important  minor  product. 
Of  the  latter  plant  no  large  quantity  is  grown 
in  Trinidad.  An  idea  prevails  that  Arrowroot  cannot 
be  successfully  cultivated. 
This  appears  to  have  arisen  from  the  fact  that 
the  variety  generally  grown  is  a very  inferior  on=>. 
It  has  been  successfully  shewn  by  the  Botanical 
Department  that  when  a superior  variety  is  planted 
the  produce  is  abundant  and  of  first  class  quality. 
Section  4.— DYES  AND  TANNINS. 
Logwood. — IIa:mafoxijlon  campeachianum, — One  of 
the  principal  products  in  this  class  is  Logwood, 
which  form.s  so  cinsiderable  an  article  of  export 
from  many  West  Indian  and  Central  American  Ports. 
It  is  fully  proved  bliat  Logwood  of  first  class 
quality  can  be  produced  in  Trinidad.  Shipments 
made  to  European  markets  of  wood  grown  in  the 
Colony,  realized  prices  above  that  obtained  by  any 
other  West  Indian  Islands,  viz.  : £7  16s.  per  ton. 
This  proves  that  our  wood  is  one  of  the  best  quality 
and  can  be  grown  to  perfection  in  our  lands. 
It  grows  on  poor  as  well  as  rich  soil,  but  reaches 
a larger  size  most  quickly  on  the  better  lands. 
Once  trees  -are  established  they'  will  produce  self- 
sown  plants  over  a large  area,  and  the  plants 
require  little  or  no  protection  from  stock.  (See 
Bulletin,  articles  35  and  105). 
Divi-Divi. — Coesalpinia  coviaria. — This  a well  known 
tree,  which  produces  seed  pods  used  for  tanning 
purposes. 
It  grows  well  in  Trinidad  and  affords  an  article 
wh  ch  has  considerable  repute.  A large  quantity  is 
annually  imported  into  European  markets,  and  it 
obtains  fair  prices 
Gambier  ok  Gajibir.— O'ambir. — -This  plant 
has  only  recently  been  introduced,  and  so  far,  I 
believe,  only  Dominica  and  Trinidad  has  succeeded 
in  establishing  the  plants. 
It  forms  an  article  of  export  from  the  East  Indies, 
and  the  possibility  of  our  being  able  to  produce  it 
economically  in  the  West  is  a question  which  only 
careful  experiment  can  solve. 
ANNATTO. — Bixa  orellana. — Some  of  the  finest 
kinds  of  Annatto  have  been  introduced  to  Trinidad 
where  it  has  beed  as  well  grown  as  in  the  French 
Islands,  which  are  the  seat  of  the  greatest  production 
There  would  be  no  limit  to  the  production,  if 
the  prices  were  such  as  would  give  good  returns 
for  its  cultivation,  collections,  and  preparation. 
Myrabolans. — Terminalia  of  species. — These  trees 
grow  to  a large  size  in  Trinidad,  and  probably 
yield  as  much  produce  as  in  the  country  to  which 
they  are  indigenous.  Little  attention  is  required 
after  the  first  planting,  and  the  collection  of  the 
produce  is  simple. 
Mangrove. — Rhi'Mphora  manrfe. — This  indigenous 
tree  yields  a bark  which  is  excellent  for  tanning 
purposes,  the  only  apparent  objection  to  its  use  bemg 
the  somewhat  fanciful  one  of  its  giving  the  tanned 
hides  a red  colour. 
Good  “ Cutch  ’ can  readily  be  produced  by  a 
simple  operation.  From  the  Mangrove  lands  of  the 
Gulf  of  Faria  is  obtained  the  greater  part  of  the 
fire-wood  used  in  the  city  of  Port-of- Spain. 
No  cultivation  is  required. 
Turmeric — Curcuma  longa. — This  plant  produced 
a well  known  yellow  dye.  The  roots  are  locally 
known  as  yellow  ginger  and  are  in  demand  among 
the  East  Indian  immigrants,  for  curries,  drc. 
It  has  been  most  successfully  grown  in  the  Royal 
Botanic  Gardens,  Trinidad. 
Fustic. — Madura  tinctoria. — This  plant  produces  a 
yellow  dye.  The  plant  is  indigenous  and  grows  to 
a large  size  in  Trinidad.  It  is  valued  at  from  60/* 
to  105/-  per  ton  at  this  date. 
Section  5.— VEGETABLE  OILS. 
CocoNCT. — -Cocos  Hucifera. — The  process  of  ex- 
tracting oil  from  the  Coconut  is  well  known.  Large 
areas  of  laud  are  cultivated  in  Coconut  groves  in 
Trinidad,  and  the  export  of  nuts  is  a large  one. 
Several  oil  factories  are  now  working  and  the  oil 
made  is  of  excellent  quality.  The  meal  or  cake 
produced  when  extracting  oil  is  of  first  rate  quality, 
and  very  suitable  for  feeding  cattle,  poultry  and  pigs. 
Carai’. — Caropi  guiaueusis.—Ga,i'&'p  or  Crab  oil 
only  needs  to  be  mentioned.  Bettor  methods  of 
extraction  than  those  at  present  in  use  are  urgently 
required. 
Lemon  Grass  or  Citronella. — Andropoyon 
sdicenanthus.—Xn  essential  oil  can  be  distilled  from 
the  Lemon  grass,  which  flourishes  readily  here. 
Orange. — Citrus  aurantium  and  other  species. — Rs- 
sential  oils  of  Orange,  Lemon,  &c.,  <fec.,  of  high 
quality  have  been  produced  in  Trinidad. 
Bay  Tree. — Pnuento  acris.^From  the  leaves  and 
fruit  of  this  tree  is  produced  the  celebrated  Oil  of 
Bay  so  much  used  in  the  composition  of  hair  washes, 
&c.  It  is  indigenous  to  Trinidad  and  grows  well 
in  almost  any  soil.  Tiie  oil  is  easily  extracted. 
Clove. — Caryophi/Uus  aromaticus, — From  the  leaves 
or  fruits  the  essential  oil  of  cloves  is  readily  pro- 
duced by  aqueous  distillation,  the  trees  introduced 
in  1818  have  reached  a large  size,  and  annually  yield 
crops  of  fruit. 
Nutmeg. — Myristica  moschata. — From  the  fruit  of 
the  Nutmeg  tree  two  kinds  of  essential  oils  are  pro- 
duced, namely  that  from  the  nut,  and  that  from 
ths  mace  which  surrounds  the  nut. 
Many  other  oils,  natural,  as  well  as  “ essential  ” 
can  be  readily  produced. 
Section  6.— FRUITS. 
Banana. — Musa  sapientum. — Eight  years  ago  it  vVaa 
scarcely  possih'e  to  find  the  kind  of  fruit  known  as 
the  Gros  Michel  or  Jamaica  Banana  (the  principal 
kind  exported  from  Jamaica)  in  any  district  of  the 
Island  of  Trinidad.  The  attempt  to  induce  planters 
to  grow  it  was  so  far  successful  that  the  larger 
portion  of  40,000  plants  imported  by  the  Government 
were  taken  up  by  them,  and  large  numbers  were 
afterwards  sold  from  Government  Establishments. 
For  an  Island,  practically  without  a suitable  fruit 
to  export,  to  at  once  develop  a fruit  trade  was  not 
to  be  expected,  and  the  attempt  nfade  in  1889  to 
sat  such  an  enterprize  astir,  has  succeeded,  if  not 
as  fully  as  was  expected,  yet  it  has  resulted  in  pre- 
paring us  more  effectually  for  any  future  effort  that 
it  may  be  necessary  to  make. 
To-day  can  be  purchased  in  the  markets,  fruit, 
that  six  years  ago  might  be  looked  for  in  vain. 
At  that  time,  little  else  was  known  here  but  the 
small  varieties  of  fruit  utterly  unsuited  for  export, 
but  now  the  demand  for  the  better  and  larger 
variety  is  general  among  the  people  ; and  there  are 
few  indeed  who  do  not  know  the  Jamaica  or  Gros 
Michel  Banana,  and  I look  forward  to  the  time 
when  they  will  be  generally  cultivated  both  for 
home  use,  and  for  export. 
Opinions  differ  as  to  the  practicability  of  exporting 
fruit  from  Trinidad.  Our  first  shipments  consisted 
of  small  lots  of  fruit,  inferior  in  'size  and  badly 
packed,  which  naturally  sold-=-outside  the  ring--^in 
New  York  at  low  prices. 
If  we  had  had  large  cargoes  and  sent  them  by  fast 
steamers,  well  packed,  and  had  sold  them,  inside 
the  ring  ; I am  of  opinion  the  result  would  have 
beeu  differoat,  But  eveo  this  shipmeot  would  load 
