84 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Aug. 2, 1897, 
pn new lines and used for such purely dietetic pur- 
poses as those which have given such special value to 
the grape fruit. The tree tomato is sometimes to be 
found in the Covent Garden market where it is 
received from Madei’-a. It is generally known in 
England as the granadilla ; but it is not a pressi-^* 
fruit. It is more closely allied to the tomato. Any 
man vfho buys a tree tomato and expects to find a 
hard stone in it is disappointed. I think it is a pity 
to call it a plum -a gooseberry is a better name for it 
— for it is a berry and in no case or condition is it a 
plum. But whether a plum or a berry I am afraid its 
qualities are not appreciated in America. I am afraid 
Jamaicans do not approach the American in the 
right way. The right way to approach him is on 
the diatetic side. In the island where the largest 
stock of it exists at least where it originated he might 
say (although it came originally from Peru), 
there is no place where it grows so freely 
as in Jamaica and it is a great pity 
something more is not done with the fruit. 
POTATOES. 
In my lecture, already referred to, I recommend 
that an attempt should be made to grow new pota- 
toes for the New York market. Such potatoes are 
a luxury in nothern countries dining the winter 
mouths. Hence ti.ey obtain comparatively good prices. 
So far, experiments have been on a small scale. I 
find, however, that an attempt made last year, 
although seriously affected by the drought was not 
of an unpromising character. It might be suggested 
to make turee plantings in the season, say aboiu Nov- 
ember 1st, November 15th aud December 1st. The 
crop should be ready for shipment from January 1.5th 
to March 15th, thus covering the best shipping sea- 
son. It is essential that the seed potatoes should be 
specially selected for planting purposes. In the Baha- 
mas for early planting rather small uncut seed pota- 
toes are used. Later on larger seed potatoes are cut 
to two eyes to a piece. These are said to give a 
larger and better reUun. The tubers should be gathered 
when fully developed aud packed in stout wooden 
cases. No wrapping is necessary'. With potatoes as 
everything else they should be presented in as fresh 
and attractive a way as possible 
OINGER. 
of the small industries of Jamaica there is hardly 
one more w'orthy of attention just now than ginger. 
During the v/hole time I was in Jamaica I regarded 
c'lnger as my personal enemy. I understood that 
the culture of it is detrimental to lands m the interior. 
But I have had most gratifying news from His Ex- 
cellency the President of that Society that by means 
of suitable manures the land had been saved. There 
has been a considerable rise in prices of late years. 
For instance during the last 10 years what is com- 
mercially known as common Jamaica ginger has risen 
from 51s to 74s. per cwt. whilst good qualities have 
risen from 62s to 98s 6d per cwt. Hitherto ginger 
has been regarded as a most exhausting crop, re- 
quiring fresh forest land to be cleared every year. 
lowlands and highlands. 
I think that the sooner we can turn the attention 
of the provision cultivator from the high lands to 
the interior — tlie low lands — the sooner the better 
for the interests of the island. On Saturday after- 
noon I went up iir the direction of Blue Mountain 
Beak and fortunately it was a beautiful clear day 
and one on which a fine survey of the island was 
obtainable. From what I saw I was perfectly satis- 
fied that forest land was still being cleared at high 
levels for provision grounds and that this laud is 
practically being ruined fiom year to year. The only 
■way to prevent this is to give the peasant proprie- 
tor the means of the knowledge to turn these abun- 
dant lands in the island to some good account— to 
divert his energy from destroying the various lands 
and devoting them to the cultivation of the lands 
in the low lands. I may tell you this— that the low 
lairds in Jam*aica are far richer than the best forest 
lands in other couuLries. I am afraid we have been 
^poile^ by having so many advantages in Jamaica, 
As I said before I came to this meeting “ all the 
logwood in the island came to ycu bj the hwnd of 
nature ; all the pimento crops have been a present 
from nature's lap.” All the orange crops which last 
year reached the total value of i'490,000 all these 
oranges were sown for you hy the birds. They came 
to your pastures in spite of you, and you reaped the 
handsome return. It is impossible tliat an island 
like this is going back or that it can be depressed, 
if the people of the island will only muster their 
strength aud energy, and put their ability forward to 
raising crops suitable to the island and suitable for 
the markets that are around us. 
TOBACCO. 
This is a very interesting Jamaica industry. Its 
development has not been tree from vicissitudes ; but 
where the cultivation is in the hands of expeiitnced 
Cubans the quality of the produce is oi high order. At 
one time there w'as a considerable tiade in tobacco 
and cigars with the United Kingdom. That fell off 
for some time, but latterly it has again improved. 
It would be a very fortunate circumstance fur the 
island if the large number of tobacco cultivators now 
driven out of Cuba were induced to settle in Jamaica. 
There are extensive tracts of land suited to the 
cultivation and the industry might in a few years 
assume large proportions. It is a singular fact that 
only the Spanish speaking people have become sne- 
cessful tobacco growers in tlie West India I.slands. 
Europeans who have attempted to start tobacco 
growing have almost invariably failed. .laiiiaica cigars 
are now in great demand in neighbouring countries 
and they are pronounced to be as good as the 
Havana cigars. 
IIBKES. 
Now that the cultivation of Sisal hemp has been 
so largely taken up in the Bahamas and Turks 
Island it is probable that they will be able to sup- 
ply fibre necessary to supplement that produced in 
Yucatan. Jamaica has so many other and more pro- 
mising industries that I can hardly recommend it 
now to take up that of growing white rope fibres 
The only fibre industry that is at all suitable to the 
present circumstances of Jamaica is that known as 
China Grass or Ramie. 
The plants yielding these fibres are allied to 
the common nettle but without stinging hair. 
Numerous straight shoots grow up to a height of 
4 to 6 ft. The inner bark of tliese shoots contains 
a fibre which is pre-eminent for strength, fineness 
and lustre. It is necessary first of all to strip the 
bark from the stems and produce dry strips which 
are known in commerce as “ribbons.” In the second 
place it is necessary to treat these ribbons by means 
of chemicals and extract the fiine in t!;e form of 
white soft threads known as “filasse.’’ The chemical 
part of the preparation has apparently been success- 
fully worked out. The chief difficulty now is with 
stripping the bark from the green stems. N'umerous 
machines have been put forward for this purpose 
but, as far as I am aware, and I have seen and 
carefully tested nearly all those brought out during 
the last 20 years, not one can be said to have been 
completely successful. The fibre that is now used 
in commerce has been cleaned by hand in China. 
It is regularly woven into beautiful fabrics resembling 
the finest damask. If once ihe mechanical difficulty 
of separating the ribbons from the stem was solved, 
a China grass or ramie industry might be very suc- 
cessfully started in certain parts cf Jamaica es- 
pecially those with a rich soil aud an abundant rain- 
fall. It would be useless to attempt to grow these 
plants elsewhere except under irrigation aud I am 
doubtful whether they would do so well uuder the 
latter system. I am sorry I am unable to give a more 
favourable account about ramie. Two machines have 
come out in the West Indies this winter — one has 
gone to Trinidad and the other to Jamaica. I don't 
know what reasons there are for the non-success 
of these machines, but so far I have not been able 
to hear a satisfactory account of either of them. I 
raw the cue at work in Triuidsd and the result was 
not satisfactory. I don’t know whether the machines 
