Oct.  I,  1895.J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
247 
AGKR’UJ/rURAL  INDUSTRIES  IN  TRI- 
NIDAD AND  BRITISH  GUIANA. 
A Goinmis.sion  in  British  Giiuuia  lias  been 
inquiring  how  to  “ further  the  jiroduction  of 
minor  agricultural  industries”  and  the  Colonial 
Secretary  in  its  behalf  applied  to  tlie  Government 
of  Trinidad,  for  all  the  information  available 
there  on  the  subject.  The  matter  was  naturally 
referred  to  Mr.  Hart  of  the  Botanic  Gardens 
wlio  reganled  it  as  “ a large  order”  ; but  promised 
to  collect  a set  of  his  Beports,  although  tliese 
hail,  in  i-cality,  been  regularly  forwarded  to  Mr. 
Jenman  of  the  Guiana  Botanical  Department. 
Mr.  Hart  added  tlie  following  pithy  and  pr.ac- 
tical  paragra[)lis  in  his  preliminary  reply  to  his 
Government — paragraphs  that  carry  a lesson  for 
Colonies  in  the  Ear  East  as  well  as  in  tlie  Ear 
West : — 
While  prices  rule  low,  Sugar  planters  are  spe- 
cially kind  to  the  Subsidiary  Industries,  but  when 
prices  are  remunerative,  they  are,  as  a rule,  at  once 
pul  aside.” 
“How  often  I have  advocated  the  planting  of  Log- 
wood here,  the  Government  knows,  yet  in  only  one 
or  two  instances  has  either  Simar  or  Cacao  planter 
attempted  to  plant  it.  Yet  1 know  of  estates  in 
Jamaica  abandoned  by  sugar  planters,  which  have 
paid  their  purchase  money  by  the  sale  of  the  log- 
wood grown  on  them,  and  many  an  abandoned 
sugar  estate  now  pays  as  much  or  more  in  taxes  to 
the  Government  (sold  out  as  it  is  in  lots  to  the 
settlers  who  grow  “ minor  ” pi’oduce)  than  when  it  was 
in  full  running  as  a sugar  estate.  Ruin  of  sugar 
estate  proprietors,  does  not  necessarily  mean  ruin  to 
the  country,  but  simply  ruin  to  individuals.  At  least 
this  is  the  outcome  of  the  abandonment  of  estates  in 
Jamaica  in  many  cases.  The  sugar  planter  how- 
ever does  n.  t see  with  the  s ime  eyes  as  a com- 
pletely disinterested  person.” 
However,  Mr.  Hart  set  about  writing  a special 
or  a-s  he  calls  it, — “A  short  Erogre.ss  Report  on 
the  .Agricultural  Industries  of  Trinidad,  exclud- 
ing' Sugar.”  It  is  certaiuly  comprehensive  as 
well  as  concise,  and  we  are  not  surprised  at  its 
securing  the  special  praise  of  Governor  Napier 
Broome  who  had  it  published  forthwith  for  local 
and  general  use.  We  shall  probably  reprint  it 
in  full  in  our  Tropical  Agriculturist,  meantime 
remarking  that  Mr.  Hart  shews  the  Trinidad 
Cacao  crop  of  1894—21,(508,384  lb. — to  be  almost 
identical  with  that  of  1890,  although  the  crop 
for  1892  was  nearly  3i  million  lb.  ahead.  Alter 
nate  crops  of  cacao  seem  to  be  the  rule  in  Trini- 
dad as  they  a.ssuredly  have  been  in  Ceylon,  although 
our  highest  crop  of  cacao  iu  Ceylon  as  yet  has 
only  reached  to  30,(558  cwt.  (in  1893)  or  3,433,696 
lb.,  against  more  than  seven  times  that  quantity 
for  the  maximum  in  Trinidad. 
In  sending  in  his  report,  Mr.  Hart  called  special 
attention  to  .a  remark  made  by  the  Exjiert  of 
Eibres  at  the  Indian  and  Colonial  I'Ahibition, 
as  follows  : — 
“ The  authorities  iu  the  several  islands  should 
decide  generally  that  the  growth  and  preparation  of 
a Eibre  is  desirable  ; then  a particular  Fibre,  the 
best  for  each  locality,  should  be  selected,  and  the 
trade  in  that  fibre  thoroughly  organized.  The  im- 
portance of  an  organization  cannot  be  ov^r-estimated, 
and  in  support  of  this  we  may  cite  the  case  of  the 
trade  in  -Jute.’  There  are  as  we  know  from  the 
results  of  investigations,  not  a few  fibres  cajjable  of 
replacing  this  particular  cast,  some  iu  fact  being 
superior  iu  all  essentials.  Nevertheless  the  trade  iu 
Jute  holds  its  ow'ii  uuassailed,  and  the  cause  in  so 
far  as  it  does  not  reside  in  intrinsic  superiority  and 
couiuicrcial  Illness  mubl  be  sought  in  the  concentra- 
tion 01  attention  upon  tins  fibi-e,  and  the  resulting 
Oiganization  of  the  trade.  These  facts  deserve  to 
be  borne  iu  mind  by  all  who  are  conteiuplatiug 
the  founding  of  any  such  euterprize.” 
31 
I he  Report  itself  is,  a.s  we  have  said,  botli  full 
and  concise  : it  is  divided  into  the  following 
used  for  the  Preparation 
of  Dietetic  Beverages ; (2)  Cereals  (including 
maize,  rice,  sorghum,  pigeon  and  congo  pea, 
ground  nut,&c.);  (.3)  Starches  (cassav.a)”  &c.) ; 
0)  Dyes  find  Tannin  (including  divi-divi,  ^fiinbier, 
mangrove,  &c.);  (.5)  Vegetable  Oils;  (6)  Emits 
(.a  great  \ariety ; a large  trade  in  banamis  as 
w’ell  as  in  oranges  and  lemons  for  the  American 
market,  being  anticipated);  (7)  Spices;  (8) 
Rubbers  (Mr.  Hart  anticipates  that  Castilloa 
rubber,  200  trees  to  the  acre,  should  yield  at 
the  7th  to  8tii  year  2 to  3 lb.  per  tree  equal  to  a 
gro.ss  return  of  £60  per  acre!);  (9)  Eibres;  (10) 
Timbers  (about  which  Mr.  Hart  says  that  an 
estate  planted  with  mahog.any  and  cedar,  once 
established,  ivould  pay  better  than  the  liest  forest- 
and in  Europe,— mahogany  growing  1 inch  in  dia- 
meter per  annum;  the  hatter,  cellar  4 inch)  ; (11) 
Miscelhaneous  (cinchona,  tobacco  and  sarsaparilla). 
In  conclusion,  Mr.  H.art  winds  up  witli  some 
sensible  general  remarks,  sliewing  that  the  jirae- 
tical  planter  has  to  lind  out  what  can  reallj'  be 
well  (and  w’e  must  add,  profitably)  growm  ; and 
he  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  in  ‘British  Guiana 
and  Trinidad  as  in  the  West  Indies  gener.ally, — 
the  moat  encouraging  of  the  so-called  minor  or 
.subsidiary  industries  are  Rubbers,  Fibres,  Kola, 
Dyewoods  and  Timbers.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
in  Ceylon  whether  the  demand  for  Rliea  fibre 
13  likely  to  be  so  much  beyond  the  natural  supply 
as  to  warrant  cultivation.  Sapan  wood  for  a dye 
IS  a favourite  growth  on  many  low'country  estate 
boundaries,  but  we  do  not  suppose,  the  profit 
encourages  extensive  culture.  Many  of  our  planters 
will  erelong  be  able  to  shew  what  useful  if  not 
valuable  tiniber  trees  can  do  for  them  at  differ- 
ent elevations;  and  quietly  but  carefully  on  a 
few  plantations  at  least  is  a sufficient  trial  beine 
given  to  rubber,  though  not  in  so  many  di.stricts 
as  we  should  like  to  see  it  planted  in  Ceylon. 
Altogether,  Mr  Hart  s Report  when  it  appears 
in  full  in  our  Tropical  Agriculturist,  will  deserve 
the  careful  attention  of  all  sub-tropical  planters 
in  bouthern  India,  the  Straits,  Borneo,  East 
Africa  as  w'ell  as  in  Ceylon. 
THE OTTERY  TEA  COMEAN\  OF  CFVinv 
LIMITED. 
The  Memorandum  and  Articles  of  Association  of 
'■  of  Ceylon, 
Mbl..l,ed  m the  f.Wle  3 The  objeete  for  ihloh 
this  Company  is  established  are— amoni?  others— To 
acquire  the  Ottery  estate  and  half  of  Stamford  Hill 
estate,  subje^  as  to  the  Ottery  estate  to  a mortice 
whereof  £2,oOO  sterling  remains  due,  situated  in  ttf« 
Dikoya  District  of  the'’  Island  of  C^yC  to  ai  n 
manufacture,  or  cultivate  tea,  and  (or)  any  other  nro’ 
ducts  or  trees,  plants,  or  crops  Which  may  hereafter 
be  approved  ; to  purchase  tea  leaf  and  (or)  other 
mw  products  for  manufacture,  manipulation,  or  sale 
The  capital  of  this  Company  is  R.700,000,  divided  into 
five  thousand  shares  of  RlOO  each,  with  power  to 
increase  or  reduce  the  capital.  The  following  have 
VTCTURIA  REGIA  IN  THE  GORDON 
GARDENS. 
The  plants  that  were  sent  from  Madras  died,  I believe 
from  not  being  sufficiently  established  before  being  sent 
over,  this  was  no  doubt  due  to  their  anxiety  to  send 
the  Goveiument  plants  as  soon  as  possible  The 
seeds  have  germinated  very  well; — l,ove  stni-torl 
and  more  may  yet  come  up,  so  that  all  going  well 
in  a month  or  G weeks’  time  there  will  bl  an  Imule 
supply  of  plants  for  the  Gordon  Gardeus.-(7or“^^ 
