OH, A 'iUiii? AO A.UH UAl^'iiAWfh. §7 
informed were owned by American and G-erman gentlemen con^ 
nected with the New York fruit trade. We again landed at that 
belonging to Mr. I^ilej^^ an American gentleman, who has been a 
resident for some years. Here the banana was perfectly at home, 
and I was informed on reliable authority that from the time of 
planting to the production of fruit, only some nine or ten months 
were required, and the plants from their thriving and luxuriant 
appearance would assist to bear out this statement. They were 
planted in straight rows some ten to twelve feet apart, and were 
producing enormous bunches of splendid fruit at the time of our 
visit. So productive are these plantations becoming on this and 
other rivers in the locality that large steamers begin to come in 
regularly to load for the American market, and when it is consi- 
dered that the depth of water in the Lagoon is sufficient to allow 
them to come within a distance of an hour, or a hour and a half’s 
journey by canoe, from the ship to the plantation, it will easily 
be seen what a profitable business it is likely to become in the 
very near future. As the plantations are situated immediately on 
the river banks the labour of shipping the cargo is reduced to a 
minimum, and hands from the various settlements find it a pro- 
fitable occupation to go down with the steamers to the anchorage 
at the river’s mouth, to assist in the loading. The transit of the- 
fruit from the plantations to the steamers is all performed by 
large cedar canoes, similar to the one in which we travelled, or in 
large- ones, dug out from the enormous cotton trees. 
Itice was growing wild on the river banks and appeared to be 
of good quality. 
Several large cane fields were also seen and canes 15 to 20 
feet high were common objects. 
We landed about noon at Mr. Ptiley’s dwelling house, and 
durino- the preparation of some refreshment we were invited to 
take a walk along the adjacent property situated on the shores of 
the Lao'oon. Here again we found the Soopa” was highly es- 
teemed and numerous specimens were under cultivation. Yanilla 
was also a common plant, as well here, as in the majority of places 
visited, and though but little fruit was seen, the vines bore traces 
of the recent abundant crops. It is cured by simply drying it in 
the sun, the pods being gathered when ''full,” and^ before they 
commence to turn yellow. We brought some home with us, 
which in aroma, was far preferable to that usually purchased. 
The pods were not so long as those of the ordinary commercial 
kind, so that it is probably a different species to that producing 
the commercial article. 
Several ferns wore noticed, and the herbage on the beach 
