Nov.  2,  1896. J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
351 
essed  tlic  funds  to  enable  it  to  do  so,  and  a 
loan  for  the  purpose  would  t.e  a necessity.  A 
loan  for  a like  i)urpose  sanctioned  by  tlie  Sec- 
retary oi  State,  was  recently  iicffotiated  on 
the  London  market  by  the  Crown  Colony  of 
British  Guiana.  In  many  other  ways  the  future 
of  the  colony  requires  to  be  anticipated.  For 
instance — and  we  are  not  sure  but  that  the  funds 
of  the  colony  may  be  of  a siuhciemly  elastic 
nature  to  permit  of  the  ex]iense  being  defrayed 
out  of  revenue — the  natives  at  their  last  annual 
meeting  suggested  for  the  consideration  of  the 
Governor,  that  a commission  of  one  or  more  be 
sent  to  Honolulu  to  find  out  the  method  of  pre- 
paring dalo  there,  as  the  chiefs  here,  were  desirous 
of  adoj)ting  so  good  an  e.vample.  The  same 
commission  might  also,  with  advantage,  learn 
something  with  reference  to  rice  cultivation,  and 
the  prolits  which  accrue.  Wrinkles  might  also,  at 
the  same  time,  be  gleaned  with  respect  to  sugar- 
cane growing  and  manipulation  with  economies, 
and  the  methods  pursued  with  regard  to  packing 
and  shipping  bananas  to  San  Francisco.  And  if  the 
experiences  gleaned  were  afterwards  approved  of 
and  deemed  aihantageous,  thei'e  is  no  reason 
why  the  Ma.untius  should  not  be  visited,  and 
this  colony  instructed  what  is  being  done  there 
with  the  fibre  industry,  as  we  are  informed  that 
the  fibre  i)lant  which  nourishes  so  well  in  this 
colony  is  of  the  same  variety  as  that  M'hich  is 
manufactured  in  Mauritius.  And  then,  why 
not  Cuba  be  likewise  visited.  The  “ jn-ospect” 
is  certainly  encouraging  enough  if  we  were 
only  a little  more  enterprising.  Wrinkles  with 
re'uard  to  sugar  could  be  noted  but  more  parti- 
cularly with  respect  to  Havannah  tobacco  and 
cigar  manufacture.  The  condition  of  that  un- 
fortunate island  is  such  that  there  should  be 
little  difficulty  at  this  time  in  inducing  a small 
colony  of  say  a dozen  tobacco  producers  and 
cigar  manufacturers  to  transfer  themselves  from 
that  fever  and  war-stricken  country  to  Fiji,  were 
opportunity  afforded  them.  The  tobacco  industry  at 
Jamaica  is  not  yet,  if  we  remember  rightly, 
forty  years  old,  and  was  introduced  into  that 
country  niiicli  in  the  same  way  as  now  suggest- 
eil.  All  fhe  products  we  have  enumerated 
are  grown  here,  but  the  colony  re<[uires 
to  glean  more  exact  information  regarding 
their  gro\'th  and  manufacture.  In  fact  we 
require  to  be  fortilled  with  a lot  of  technical 
matters  with  regaial  to  them  which  can  only  be 
ascertained  by  .some  cute  me.ssengcr  whose  ser- 
vices require  to  be  retained  for  the  ex[iress  pur- 
]iose,  and  we  think  the  public  excheijuer  should 
defray  the  cost.  The  amount  of  energy  now 
being  <Us)dayed  by  Governments,  both  sm.all  and 
large,  in  leaving  no  stone  unturned  to  keep  their 
people  well-posted  in  all  matters  effecting  their 
natural  products  wouhl  have  been  \ieweil  ,..s 
marvellous  a few  years  ago  but  is  now  only  re- 
garded in  the  light  of  a duty  engendered  by 
competition  and  as  absolutely  a necessity  if  the 
survival  of  the  fittest  is  to  be  jnstilied  and 
maintained. 
If  no  ability  or  inclination  be  c\inced  on  our 
part  to  enter  the  arena  of  progress  than  we 
hav'e  only  ourselves  to  thank  f(»r  our  su]iinenes,s 
if  other  countries  march  ahead  of  us.  If  there 
be  no 'seed-time  on  our  pai't  then  we  are  perfectly 
certain  there  can  he  no  h.arvest.  And  it  shoulll 
be  ])lain  to  all  of  us  that  if  our  progress  be  not 
nearly  so  rajuil  as  our  neighbours,  its  cause  must 
be  attributed  to  our  lack  nf  energy  and  that  our 
nonprogressivene.ss  is  but  a conscciucnt  and 
natural  effect. — Fiji  Timc-i,  Sei)t.  !). 
44 
VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS  OF  AMERICA. 
From  Ratzel’s  “ History  of  Mankind,”  Part 
XI,  we  quote  the  following  : — 
The  climate  of  America  used  in  the  last  century 
to  pass  for  inordinately  co’d  and  damp,  and  the 
highly  premature  question,  whether  it  were  nob 
detrimental  to  the  development  of  American 
humanity,  long  forme<l  a standing  subject  of  dis- 
cussion. America  embraces  very  hot  and  dry 
regions  ; but  in  the  north  the  Arctic  climate 
penetrates  so  far  into  the  continent  that  even 
Labrador,  in  the  latitude  of  England,  is  an  in- 
hospitable polar  country.  Cold  winters  and  hot 
summers  cliaracterise  the  larger  part  of  North 
America.  The  southern  half  of  California  on  the 
Pacific  coast  is  an  Italy-like  oasis  ; but  as  we 
proceeil  inland,  with  the  rising  ground  the  driest 
portions  of  the  continent  soon  come  into  view. 
It  is  only  to  the  east  of  longitude  98°  W.  that 
agriculture  is  practicable  without  artificial  irri- 
gation, and  that  forests  or  even  groves  of  any 
extent  ai'e  found. 
In  Mexico,  too,  and  as  far  as  Patagonia,  the 
western  region  is  the  driest.  Westward  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  River  Plate  we  come  into  a 
distiict  the  steppe-like  character  of  which  quite 
reminds  us  of  that  about  the  sources  of  the 
western  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi.  The  Paan- 
pas  may  be  called  the  prairies  of  Houth  America  ; 
the  wormwood  Hats  of  the  north  are  rejrroduced 
in  the  Chauar  steppe  at  the  foot  of  the  Ande.s, 
and  the  desert  of  Atacama  in  the  .Salinas  and  the 
Cam|)o  del  Arenal.  Bub  the  genuine  prairies  are 
the  Paiu))as  which  from  Corcloba  to  Patagonia, 
between  29°  and  40°  >S.  latituile,  cover  a .soft 
soil  free  from  shingle — one  of  the  most  monoto- 
nous grass-steppes  in  the  world.  Fhirther  south- 
rvard  comes  the  Patagonian  steppe  with  its  rough 
stony  soil. 
Between  the  tropics  lies  a highly-favoured  region 
of  the  world.  'I'he  manifold  conliguration  of  the 
ground  offers  a rich  variety,  and  above  the  eternal 
midsummer  of  the  Amazon  and  Orinoco  low- 
lands, eternal  sjiring  is  gorgeous  on  the  lovely 
middle  shqres  of  the  Corililleras.  It  is  just  the 
regions  of  the  ancient  civilization  of  America 
wliich  share  this  good  fortune  ; Mexico,  Bogota, 
(i}uibo,  have  perjietually  a temperature  of  early 
summer,  while  in  tiuito  the  difference  between 
summer  and  winter  is  not  more  than  3°.  Near 
Cuzco  the  spring  is  permanent,  at  least  in  some 
charming  oases. 
Flora  and  fauna  are  richly  developed,  but  have 
supplied  fewer  cultivable  plants  and  domestic 
animals  than  has  the  Old  World.  Maize,  pota- 
toes, sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  cacao,  mate,  are 
all  we  can  name  as  having  acquii'e<l  importance 
for  mankind  ; mIuIc  of  animals  hardly  any  can 
be  jucked  out.  Turkeys,  the  cochineal  insect, 
guinca-))igs.  stand  at  most  on  the  same  level  as 
vanilla.  The  later  acquisition  for  medicine  of 
Peruvian  bnrk  and  curare  gives  reason  to  ho|)e 
that  many  another  \'aluable  pi’oduct  may  yet 
spread  from  those  countries  over  the  world.  One 
can  jiuiut  to  a long  list  of  pi  nits  of  which  the 
settlers  have  learnt  from  the  Indians,  and  Mhich 
have  become  useful  and  often  indispensable  to 
them,  grain  bearing  grasses  among  them— the 
zizania  or  water-rice  of  America,  and  the  lloating 
(jhli'cria  ; thmi  tlie  ccltinoc/iloa,  cultivated  in 
Alex'ico  like  millet,  the  Euc/i/acna  lunirians, 
closely  .akin  to  maize,  growing  wild  in  Guate- 
mala, and  bearing  there  the  name  teosinte,  “ the 
maize  of  the  gods.”  Species  of  andjounf- 
c.um  with  edible  grains  occur  in  South  America. 
If  wo  add  the  quinoa,  the  Peruvian  grain-bear- 
