342 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov.  X,  1895. 
AS  TO  liANANAS 
(or  plaiitiuns,  a.s  we  called  tliem  in  Ceylon)  the  edict 
has  >'oiie  forth  that  the  trade  as  reyard?  Jamaica 
has  passedi  its  zenith  and  that  conipelition  from  the 
Pentral  American  countries,  and  sucii  jjlaccs  a.s 
Honduras,  and  Boca  del  Toro,  Cuba,  nay  even 
t,'olon  will  soon  run  ihe  Jamaica  exporter  very 
liard,  the  more  especially  unless  he  improves  the 
(Quality  of  his  shii)ments,  and  makes  them  ar- 
rive at  market  in  the  “ littcst  condition.” 
OUll  SICTI'LEUS  HAVE  BEEN  SO  CARELESS 
in  the  preparation  of  their  ))roducts  tor  ship- 
ment, be  it  Coffee,  Cocoa,  Bananas,  Oranges, 
Pimento,  etc.  that  except  for  mouutain-grown 
and  prepared  Coffee,  Jamaica  obtains  much 
lower  prices  for  its  [iroducts  than  would  be  the 
case,  were  they  shipped  in  good  order.  1 have 
seen  it  suggested  in  the  papers  that  a law  should 
be  passed  that  would  cause  all  produce  to  be 
inspected  by  Government  officials  before  ship- 
ment ; and  that  all  bad  and  doubtful  packages 
should  be  rejected  and  not  allowed  to  be  put 
on  board  ship.  It  would  be  a somewhat  drastic 
measure,  but  it  would  he  one  to  make  “t>uashie” 
sit  up,  and  see  his  sins  “ of  negligences  and 
ignorancies.”  xs’o  fault  can  be  found  1 believe 
as  regaials 
RUM  AND  SUCAR, 
excejit  that  if  more  modern  machinery  were  uni- 
versally adopted,  better  results  would  be  obtained. 
The  usine  system  is  once  more  being  urged 
u|)on  our  .Sugar  Proprietors,  as  a means  of 
lighting  Beetroot  .Sugar  which  under  the  sub- 
sidized system,  the  Cane  Sugar  Planter  is  not 
able  to  overcome.  Something  must  ere  long  be 
done  to  enable  our  Sugar  1 lanters  all  over  the 
British  Uominions  to  light  beet  sugar  and  to  hold 
their  own,  and  it  will  be  a most  suicidal  act 
on  the  part  of  Gre.at  Britain,  if  she  allows  her 
Colonies  to  be  ruined,  for  the  mere  jirinciple  or 
“fad”  of  Free  Trade.  Trade  to  my  mind  is  no 
longer  free  unless  it  is  reciprocal,  even  Cobden 
himself  were  he  alive  would  admit  the  present 
state  of  things  is  not  just  or  equitable;  and 
that  when  he  started 
FREE  TRADE, 
he  believed  other  nations  would  follow  England’s 
examiile,  and  that  tr.ade  would  universally  be- 
come fair  trade,  and  not  all  one-sided  as  it  is 
now,  to  the  serious  loss  and  next  door  to  ruin 
of  our  English  I'armers  and  Manufacturers,  and 
our  Colonial  Planters  and  Agriculturists  and 
Stock  growers  all  over  the  Kingdom.  How 
Ministers,  whether  Unionist,  or  Liberal,  do  not 
see  the  unfairness  of  letting  subsidized  articles 
like  beet  root  sugar  come  in  freely',  with  non- 
siibsidized  sugar,  has  been  a puzzle  to  me,  and 
proves  tliat  jmlitics  are  not  honest  and  .straight- 
torward,  but  simply  pandering  for  popularity  to 
the  mob,  and  the  rag-tag  and  bobtail  of  the 
constituencies.  Couhl  I becoine  ruler  of  Great 
Britain’s  policy,  I would  have  free  trade  with 
our  Colonies,  getting  them  to 
i’rotect  all  britlsh  rroduct.s 
by  a favourable  tarilV,  as  ag.ainst  foreigners.  1 
would  also  only  have  free  trade  with  such  nations 
as  idaced  no  duties  on  British  productions,  and  1 be- 
lieve if  this  were  done,  the  revenue  would  very  much 
increase,  and  the  money  couhl  boilevoted  to  the 
better  payment  of  our  sailors  iiud  soldiers,  and 
to  the  iiayment  of  pensions  to  people  too  old  to 
work  who  have  lived  an  honest  and  hardworking 
life.  This  wouhl  be  making  re.ally  good  use  of 
the  money.*  We  arc  shortly  to  have  
* In  Ceylon  we  have  bad  for  three  years  “ pro- 
tection ” of  the  local  rice  growers,^  and  yet  our  im- 
ports of  rico  go  on  increasing  !— En.  T.A. 
A GENERAL  ELECTION, 
as  we  are  to  liave  a Member  of  Council  for  each 
Parish  i)i  the  island,  and  a very  sensible  law  lias 
liaen  passed  to  the  effect  that  such  member  must 
be  a resident  in,  or  be  a proprietor  in  the  parish. 
Tills  will  keej)  out  lawyers  of  whom  there  are 
already  too  many  in  the  Council ; and  also  should 
prevent  all  demagogues,  and  those  who  wish  to  set 
the  black  man  against  tlie  white,  from  airing 
their  Radical  and  di.sloyal  opinions  in  the  Council. 
r.  .S'.  — I beliei  e you  still  get  the  Gleaner — I see 
in  its  columns  that  there  is  a likelihood,  of  Ja- 
maica supplanting  Florida  and  that  Americans 
are  likely  to  come  here  to  start  orange  groves. 
— - —————  - 
OLD  FARMERS  AND  MODERN  AGRI- 
CULTURE. 
Prof.  Wiles  of  the  Depai’tment  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  in  an  address  on  “ the  chemists, 
the  farmer  and  the  jieople,”  drew  the  following 
amusing  picture  in  verse  of  the  old-fashioned 
farmer,  moralizing  over  modern  agricultural 
science  : — 
And  the  fellers  from  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture, they 
Wuz  thick  az  lightning  bugs  in  .June,  and  had 
a heap  to  say. 
There  wuz  one  they  called  a chemist,  and  he 
kind  a seemed  to  know 
All  that  wuz  iu  the  air  above  and  in  the  ground 
below'. 
He  sed  we  needed  uitorgin,  and  showed  us  how 
the  stuff 
Wuz  awful  high  and  skecrce  for  crops,  w'hile 
iu  the  air  enuff 
Wuz  found  to  make  us  ’tarnal  rich  if  we  could 
ouly  git 
Some  cheap  aud  sartin  projeck  of  hitchin’ 
on  to  it. 
He  sed  that  peas  and  clover  and  other  crops 
like  them 
Wuz  jist  the  stuff  to  do  it  and  store  it  in 
the  stem. 
And  the  yeerth  is  full  of  critters  that  eat  this 
stuff,  you  see. 
And  change  it  in  a twinkle  into  ammoniee. 
Since  I come  back  from  the  institoot,  it  really 
appears 
That  potash,  nitrate,  fesferus,  wuz  ringing  in 
my  ears. 
And,  William,  it  seems  perty  tuff  that  you  and 
Jim  and  me 
Hev  went  along  so  igu’rant  of  what  we 
daily  see. 
Jist  hauled  manure  out  on  the  pints  aud  plowed 
aud  hoed  and  mowed 
And  worked  so  hard  for  little  pay,  and  never, 
never  kiiowed 
Thet  clover,  peas,  aud  beans,  and  sich  oz  the 
chimist  mentioned  there 
Hev  the  highly  useful  knack  of  suckin  niter 
from  the  air. 
INDIAN  TEA  SALES. 
(From  William  Moran  rbt'o.’s  Market  Report.) 
Calouti'a,  Sept.  17th,  189.5. 
TEA. — The  market  during  the  last  fortnight  lias 
been  strong,  and  of  the  IJ.OOO  chests  brought  to 
auction,  practically  all  were  sold.  I’riccs  have  ruled 
very  hrm  for  all  descriptions,  while  common  grades, 
especially  leafy  sorts,  show  a rise  of  from  i to  4 
an  anna  per  pound. 
tju.ality  genei-ally  has  been  bettor,  the  most 
marked  improvouicnt  being  on  ti>as  from  .Assam, 
Dooars  ami  Sylhet.  This  week’s  sale,  being  the 
last  before  the  holidays,  will  be  largo,  probably 
33,000  chests.  'The  following  sale  will  be  neld  oh 
the  2nd  October. 
