April  t,  897/ 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
669 
milk  obtains  the  condition  when  it  runs  most  plenti- 
fully. The  leaves  of  the  old  trees,  the  milk  which 
is  not  easily  getablo  are  dirk-brown  on  the  lower 
side  and  green  above,  the  younger  trees  are  light 
green  on  both  sides.  During  the  flowering  season 
the  milk  dues  not  flow  to  any  paying  extent.  The 
leaves  of  the  young  trees  are  thick,  and,  when 
broken,  the  milk  issues  freely  from  the  wounds. 
After  the  month  of  August  to  the  middle  of  Janu- 
ary no  work  is  done,  this  leaves  about  eight  work- 
ing months.’ 
‘ Balata  cannot  be  purchased  in  the  market  in 
Paramaribo.  It  is  only  gathered  for  those  who  em- 
ploy balata  bleeders,  therefore,  no  quotation  as  to 
i.s  price  can  be  given,  although  it  will  be  seen 
from  the  statistics  of  the  exportation  of  this  com- 
modity, winch  the  Colonial  Government  have  very 
kindly  placed  at  my  disposal,  that  for  statistical 
purposes  a valuation  is  given.  The  only  certnin 
thing  that  is  known  is,  that  the  bleeder  receives  from 
some  employers  50  and  from  others  55c.  per  1 lb.  for 
the  balata  which  he  produces  on  the  concession.  Be- 
yond this,  however,  there  are  other  e.Npenses  which 
must  be  added,  such  as  commissions  to  fosemen,  loss 
by  runaway  bleeders,  deaths,  thefts,  loss  by  capsizing 
of  boats,  cost  of  transportation,  surveying  of  conces- 
sions on  occasions  of  dispu'e  as  to  boundaries,  assis- 
tance of  pilots,  Indian  trackers,  &c.’ 
‘ KETUHN  OF  JiALATa  E.\T11ACTUD  FllOM  THE  COLONY  OP 
.NETIIEPvLANDS  GUIANA.’ 
Tear. 
Quantity. 
Value. 
Kilos. 
Florins. 
1880 
1,509 
1,500 
1800 
. . 70,320 
95,407 
1801 
. . 05,587 
143,381 
1892 
120,080 
181,019 
1803 
32,540 
05,002 
1804 
108,280 
210,573 
1895 
133,081 
207,302 
—The  Indian  Forester. 
COFFEE  PLANTING  IN 
HONDUKAS. 
We  have  before  u.s  an  interesting  little  hroclnire 
of  ‘24  pages  on  the  above  .subject,  in  which 
there  is  a strange  omission  of  the  date  of 
])ublicatidn  by  the  American  Company  that  pub- 
lished it.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  is 
of  earlier  date  than  last  year,  though  the  latest 
date  of  the  documents  from  which  it  <|Uotes 
is  1894.  It  is  a publication  j)ut  forth  by  the 
Honduras  Planting  and  Trading  Company,  with 
the  object  of  setting  forth  the  attractions  gener- 
ally of  Honduras  as  a spot  for  the  investment 
of  capital,  and  specially  the  qualifications  of 
the  Company  as  a guide  to  those  seeking  in- 
vestments. Though  the  Company  counsels  large 
investments,  and  would  almost  seem  to  dis- 
courage sm.all  cajiitalists — whether  thiough  its 
own  dicta  or  through  the  opinion  of  Consul  Peterson 
whom  it  (piotes — it  does  not  profess  to  have, 
or  to  have  had,  the  command  of  uidimited 
capital.  Thus,  Avhile  we  lind  on  page  10  that 
no  one  should  “attempt  to  do  a ]>aying  busi- 
ness in  Collee-raising  in  Honduras  ” on  less 
than  15!25,000  to  have  a plantation  of  125,000 
trees,  and  “ double  that  amount  would  bring 
in  much  better  returns  the  vConi|)any  itself 
was  incorporated  with  a cajiital  of  but  $100,000, 
and  it  owns  “ a coli'ee  farm  of  only  100,000 
trees  and  it  is  the  experience  gained  from 
these  which  has  induced  it  to  invite  others  to 
join  them  in  i)lucking'  the  golden  fruit.  From 
the  mention  of  trees  as  a prime  element  in  the 
calculation,  our  readers  will  infer  that  the 
system  of  planting  which  linds  favour  in  Hon- 
duras is  dilTerent  from  that  which  obtained 
here,  and  even  yet  obtains  in  the  remnants  of 
the  industry  wiiich  once  represented  the  wealth 
of  the  country.  Such  inference  would  be  cor- 
rect ; but  before  we  jiroceed  to  discuss  differ- 
ences in  the  system  of  planting,  we  must 
point  out  that  tire  Honduras  treated  of  in  the 
booklet  is  not  the  British  Possession,  \yhich 
represents  only  about  7,000  to  8,000  square 
miles,  but  the  extensive  Central  American  terri- 
tory, out  of  which  that  slice  had  been  carved 
just  99  years  ago.  Here  is  a description  of  the 
territory  on  page  13  of  the  pamj)hlet  : — 
If  the  I'eader,  looking  over  a map  of  North  America 
will  pause  at  a point  just  south  of  Mexico  where  the 
continent  begins  to  narrow  down  preparatory  to  form- 
ing itself  into  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  he  will  notice 
five  small  divisions,  each  having  a different  color 
denoting  one  or  other  of  the  five  Central  American 
Itepublifis.  The  largest  of  these  patches  of  cclor 
running  from  tlie  Caribbean  Sea  on  the  Atlantic  side 
to  the  Gulf  of  Fonseca  on  the  Pacific,  represents  the 
Republic  o''  Honduras.  Its  two  sister  Republics 
Guatemala  and  Nicaivigua,  are  on  either  side,  while 
saudvdehed  in,  and  lookii  g as  if  they  had  each  pre- 
empted a piece  of  ground  from  the  others,  are  the 
two  smaller  countries  of  Salvador  and  Costa  Rica. 
And  if  any  reader  feels  any  doubt  after  it.s  peru- 
sal that  the  Company  i.s  an  American  one  the 
following  from  page  14  (apart  from  the  .single  I 
in  traveller)  should  place  the  matter  beyond  all 
doubt : — J • 
The  name  Honduras,  meaning  “laud  of  heights  and 
depihs,’’is  so  aptly  applied  that  it  is  almost  the  first 
thought  forced  upon  the  traveler’s  attention  as  he 
makes  Ins  way  into  the  interior.  Quoting  the 
same  author  again,  we  find  him  cornmentinff  norm 
this  fact  in  these  words  : “ IVhen  the  greater  paid  of 
all  the  earth  of  a country  stands  on  edge  in  the  air 
it  would  be  invidious  to  designate  any  one  naiti’ 
cular  hill  or  chain  of  hills.  A Honduranian  Denutv 
once  crumpled  up  a page  of  letter  pauer  in  Ids  hand 
and  dropped  it  on  the  desk  before  him  ‘ That  ’ he 
said,  ‘ is  an  outli  e map  of  Honduras.’’  These 
mountains,  ranging  in  height  from  1,000  feet  to  C 000 
feet,  and  the  deep  valleys  between  them,  afford ’cH 
matic  conditions  varying  from  the  tropical  to  the' 
most  temperate  where  wheat  can  be  successfullv 
grown.  It  is  between  these  extremes  that  the  best 
Coffee  lands  are  found— lands  where  the  climate  is 
neither  too  hot  nor  too  cool,  and  capable  of  nrodne 
ing  such  Coffee  as  to  draw  the  following  exnresshm 
of  opinion  from  the  same  traveler  whom  we  havo 
already  twice  quoted  : “ The  Coffee  was  alwavs 
ex- 
cellent,  as  it  should  have  been,  for  the  Honduranian 
Coffee  IS  as  fine  as  any  grown  in  Central  America  and 
we  never  had  too  much  of  it.’’  ’ “ 
ci.m  eiimauc  condi- 
tions above  described,  one  need  feel  no  snr 
prise  on  reading  of  the  luxuriance  of  the 
coffee  grown  in  that  region  ; but  the  Com 
pany  evidently  recognizes  the  fact  that  the 
c iniate  and  physical  features  of  acountrv  can  nor 
alone  attract  investors,  and  that  agricultn 
enterprise  takes  count  of  something  more  tl.nn 
cheap  labour  and  facilities  of  transport  besides 
A settled  Government  is  a most  imriortant  fan 
tor  in  the  calculation  ; and  the  difticlilty  arisimr 
from  tlie  tendency  to  unrest  and  revolution  "n 
the  numerous  Kepiiblics  of  the  Wesi 
to  be  met  by  an*  extract  from 
Pueblo,  whicii  IS  described  as  one  of  fim 
ernment  ollicial  organs.  In  its  Issue  of 
May  1894,  tins  combination  of  the  voicG  1.«h 
of  the  peoi.le  a„.l  of  tl.e  G,.ver„,,;e“t“  ^ 
warmly  welconiing  ininiigrants  to  its  hospitaWe 
shores,  thus  indicates,  m its  sham  referince  to 
others,  the  su.spicions  which  investors  might  fed  ■- 
These  men  from  the  cities,  the  indefatigable 
