Aug 2, iSiyy.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
85 
in Jamaica will prove more promising than that 
but all that I can tell you is that at the present 
time I think I shall be doing yon a favour by ad- 
vising you not to embark in a I'amie or China grass 
industry until you are satisfied that this mechanical 
difficulty in regard to stripping the bark from the 
stem has been overcome (hear, hear.) It is quite 
possible that this difficulty will be overcome because 
1 was very pleased last winter in the Bahamas 
to see a thoroughly perfect machine work for 
more than two hours, cleaning and extracting the 
fibre from the sisal leaves. This machine was very 
simply constructed. The leaves were fed into the 
machine by a boy and the fibre was taken out at the 
other end by a woman — these were the only persons 
connected with the machine at all, except of course, 
the man driving the engine. The leaves were all 
fed in sideways — leaves that were foirr, five, six or 
seven feet long were put on the feeding table and a 
small boy pushed them into the machine at the rate 
of 40 to 60 leaves a minute. A large wheel was 
working across the machine that cleansed this end of 
the leaf. There was a large clamp that held the part 
that had been cleaned while the remaining portion 
was presented to a wheel working in that direction : 
the fibre was delivered at the end of the machine 
perfectly clean. I sat by that machine for two 
hours and it worked like clock work. That was a Todd 
machine, but there is another machine which turned 
out at the rate of half a ton per day. The difficulty 
has been entirely overcome as regards extracting fibre 
from sisal hemp. 
AGP.ICULTUBAL TEACHING. 
Most of the industries which I have reviewed this 
evening require for their successful issue a certain 
amount of skilled knowledge amongst the cultivators. 
A man that can simply hoe canes or weed coffee is 
o! little or no use in the cultiva.tion of delicate 
fruits. Jamaica will never be able to successfully 
compete with other countries until it has educated 
its people in fight methods of growing, pruning and 
manuring plants and in preparing the piroduce in an 
attractive manner for export purposes. The work of 
training agriculturists must be beyond theoretically at 
least in the elementary schools of the country. 
Already something is being done in this direction 
by the Board of JEducation and two ‘Jamaica 
Readers’ the use of which will be compulsory in all 
schools. These Readers consist of lessons on plant 
life and treatment of common objects of cultivation 
thoroughout the island. I had an opportunity of 
reading the proofs of these interesting little books 
and feel sure they will be of invaluable 'service in 
familarising the children with the proper mode of 
cultivating crops suitable to the island and in pre- 
paring them later on to take up the systematic 
study of agriculture as a science. They will be 
read by adults as well as by the children. As long 
ago as 1887 Mr. Craig was instrumental in the 
Legislative Council in obtaining a valuable text 
book of tropical agriculture from the pen of my 
friend Dr. Nicholls of Dominica. This work has 
greatly assisted in the teaching of agriculture in 
colleges and schools not only in Jamaica but in other 
parts of the West Indies. Steady pursuit with such 
various agencies as these cannot fail eventually to 
raise the character of practical agriculture in the 
island and render the people more capable than at 
present in responding to the requirements of the 
markets of the world. 
IRRIGATION. 
This is a subject that has already been touched 
upon in the remarks I have already addressed to 
you. The great success which, at last, has 
attended the utilization of the Rio Cobre irri- 
gation Canal and the enormous quantities 
of fruit which have been grown there will 
tend to bring up the practicability of extend- 
ing irrigation to ot-her parts of the country with a 
comparatively scanty rainfall. In the district of Vere 
it is believed that extensive areas could thus be 
maintained under cane cultivation and produce ex- 
cellent results, 
DEPENDENCE ON GOVERNMENT. 
I think there’s too much dependence in the West 
Indian Islands on Government (applause.) I think 
in a community like this in Jamaica we ought to 
Iry — I identify myself with you — we ought to tiy to 
do more ourselves and not depend 00 Government. 

COCONUT OILS, Etc. 
Ceylon. — The marlcet is firmer in all positions. 
Early in the week the av.ailable stock at dock 
was closeii out at 5c., about 50 tons being taken 
at this. Also 150 tons for June- August sail ship- 
ment from the Coast at 4 ' 72 ^- 0 ., further busine.ss 
being declined under 4Jc. P’or vessels on wa,y 
5e. is lowest, wdtli oilers of 4|c. being turned 
down tor 100 tons. The market closes strong 
at 5@5Jc. for spot, as to size of package. — Oil 
Paint and Drug Reporter. 
^ 
BORNEO TOBACCO. 
We have seen some of the Lukutan tobacco off 
the New London Borneo Tobacco Company’s 
estate on the west coast of Borneo, and find 
that it burns well, though with not quite so 
tvhite an ash as the best Borneo. It is pleasant 
s flavour and the new ex'periment in that district 
n certainly a success— X. and C. Express. 
^ . _ 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
The Tea Duty. — The reduction or abolition of the 
tea duty came up for discussion in the House of 
Commons on Monday, and led to an animated debate. 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer in a somewhat lame 
apology for leaving the duty as it is, twitted Mr. 
Kearley with having his own particular commercial 
interests in mind v.'hen complaining of the ware- 
house duty, but it seems to us that if the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer had simply stuck to his point that 
he would not afford to reduce or aboli.sh the duty 
on tea, it would have been more to the purpose. 
It is quite unnecessary to infer that those who wish 
for a change in the present impost on a product 
which is now mainly supplied by British enterprise 
in India and Ceylon are seeking to serve their own 
interests because they happen to be connected with 
the tea trade. The desire for the abolition 
of the tea duty is not by any means 
advocated by all members of the trade, although 
we do not see why it should not be. The 
removal of the duty would be welcome to consumers 
of tea, and we cannot see the force of reasoning 
which admits that a popular article of food supply 
should be taxed to a certain extent, but no more 
nor no less. That there is a divergence of opinion 
amongst members of the tea trade on the duty 
question is undoubtedly a fact, and if those who 
are in favour of the present or any duty on tea 
were simply representative of the bonded warehouse 
interest there would be reason and method in the 
argument. But the contention that no change is neces- 
sary because the duty on tea is sufficiently low already 
and the article itself cheap enough, ignores the re- 
quirements of the poorer consumer altogether. It 
fails also to grasp the fact that, to say nothing of 
the advantage to the trade of freedom from the 
trouble now attending the bonding process, the aboli- 
tion of the duty could not fail to give an impetus 
to the tea trade which, unless the laws of cause and 
effect and supply and demand are upset in this par- 
ticular instance, would certainly prove beneficial to 
the Indian and Ceylon tea industries. 
Trade Supporters op the Tea Duty.- It appears 
from what transpired at the quarterly meeting of 
the General Purposes Committee of the Federa- 
tion of Grocers’s Association last week that soma 
porminent members of the trade arp opposed W 
