THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1892. 
gray soil. The red soil Is formed by the decay of 
rod kelp and the gray soil from gray kelp. The 
industry is necessarily limited in extent on account 
of the limited area of pineapple lands. This is 
worth from S80 to SlOd per acre. In Ooveinor's 
Harbor, Eleuthora, Sllkl.OOO ' was distributed among 
1,200 people; 300,000 dozen were exported in tliat 
collection district, which went mostly to Baltimore 
and New York. The Red or Cnban variety is pre- 
ferred for quality and size. They are planted in 
August and sometimes bear the next year, but some- 
times not until eighteen months after planting. The 
season liegins in May, and the product is from H(XI 
to 1,500 dozen per acre. Formerly it was the prac- 
tice after cropping the land for three or four years 
to let it come up to bushes or scrub, but now, bv 
the aid of fertilizers, continuous crops are produced. 
In one district one thousand bai-rels of fertilizer 
coating 87-50 per barrel were used. The plants form 
thickets with serrated leaves, through which it was 
impossible for the speaker to go without injury 
either to person or clothing, but the barefooted ne- 
groes passed through them easily and without harm. 
The fields lie wherever tho land is propitious, and the 
workers go to them in catboats, of which Colonel 
Wilson had seen thirty-Bve lying in Governor’s Harbor. 
Tho authorities of tho island have sought some 
new indnalry which should alTord employment to 
laborers where tho pineapple cs.imot ho grown. This 
has been found in the production of Hisal hemp, so 
nailed from the Agave JIfexintnn, which grows thcro 
as a noxious and por-sistent weed. It has pale green 
smooth edged leaves, iminted at tho extremity. Tho 
leaves are cut off and passed through a niachino 
which crushes them and scrapes oil' the pulp. There 
is another species with serrated- edged leaves, which 
affords a smaller quantity of liner iihre. They must 
bo weeded tho first year, after which they w ill take 
care of themselves. They are very tenacious of life; 
one grew after being kept in a tight box for eighteen 
months. They must not ho allowed to --pole 
that is to send up a flower stem. From -1110 to .5(K) 
E lants can bo set on an acre, and they will gi-ow 
ighor than a tall man can reach. One man can 
take care of ten acres. The pi-oduce is SIKl to KHXl 
pounds of hemp per acre, being about four per cent 
of the weight of leaves. Largo companies have been 
formed to pursue this culture, some having acquired 
20,000 acres and expended SdO,0(xi already in im- 
provements, but tho government will sell no more 
lanel in largo tracts, but tou-acro lota can bo bought 
by individuals for 810 to be paid from the first crop, 
and it is hoped that the people w-ill become self 
sustaining. It was jiitiful to see women coming 
with a load of truck on their heads into luarket, 
where they pay six pence xmr day for tho privilege 
of selling their wares: which each spreads on a 
board or barrel before her, gathered into little groups 
of the value of a ha'penny or a penny as the case 
may be, perhaps a single tomato w ith half an onion, 
and other things in like jiroportion. A markotinan's 
sales would not perhaps amount to more than a 
shilling or two per day. There are few horses in the 
islands, donkeys being used instead, and their fodder 
is brought into market in bundles and exposed in 
the street for sale and fli-owood the same. The peo- 
ple ore obliged and willing to do tedious labor for 
small returns. They realize that tho prosperity of 
the blockade-running days was a delirium. The price 
of casual labor is fifty cents per day. Sponge col- 
lectors cannot average S75 per year. Tho sponges 
are not agreeable to cure, for tho animal matter 
has to be decomposed. The sponge traliio amounts 
to 8300,000.— T/orb/a Despaleh and Fiuit-flrowcr. 
MEAT FOR FOWLS. 
It is necessary that fowls in close confinement should 
have a variety of food, and, as far as possible, a sub^iti- 
tute for what they would get if they w-ero at liberty. 
Grass can bo substituted by finely cut hay, scalded 
clover is beat instead of insects: desiccated fish is tho 
next best. Whole grain of different varieties takes the 
place of weed and grass seed, and for exercise, which 
IS one of tho essentials, see that tho grain is well 
mixed with leaves and trash, so that the fowls will 
earn by hard work every grain they eat. 
Moat food in some form is necessary, and now. that 
grain is high, I am using loss of it and more animal 
matter. Pesiccated fish (the Star brand), bran, clover 
hay, cut fine, with a little gromid grain, is my main 
dependence. * 
Our merchant had a supply of seed cow-peas left 
after tho season for planting w-as over, and I bought 
them for my fowls. At first they did not take to them 
kmdly, but soon learned to like them and will pick 
them up first if other gi-aiii is thrown to them at the 
same time. I have never raised cowpeas to gatiierand 
sboU for food, hut if the yield is anything what it 
seems lobe, I think they would bo a profitable crop to 
raise for poultry. I hope some one will tell us the 
average yield and tho cost of gathering and shelling. 
We w-ill give the comparative value of peas as food : 
Indian corn contains of flesh-forming food 11 por 
oent. ; of mineral substances (bone making food), I 
per cent. Oats, fiesh-foi-ming food), 15 per cent., bone- 
making, 2 per cent, I'eas, flesh forming food, 25 per 
cent. ; bone making, 2 per cent. While oats has Ij 
per cent, of w-annth giving food (oil or fat) com has 
8 per cent., and peas 2 per cent. 
The above table shows ns peas are more valuable as 
a food than either corn or oats, and more suited to 
onr warm climate than either oats, wheat or corn. — 
Florida Vinpatch. 
The Flora ok Cevlon. — Many of our readers 
will share the pleasure with whio'h we learn that 
tho first piart of this work, lo which Dr. Trimen 
iias devoted so tnnoh time, obssrvation and resfarcli, 
is BO well advanced that it is likely to bo published 
and be in Ceylon by the commencement of 1893. 
The Fourst Dki’autmrnt in Indu is happily in 
the position of rcliitning a large rsvenne to the 
State, and by the close of tho crnlury it is ex- 
pretod that it will yiild a profit of at least a 
crore of rupoes annually. In reviewing tho budget 
oslimatos of tho department t -r 1891-92 tho Govern- 
ment of India noln, that tho surplus in 1889 90 
was neaily 73 lakhs ns compand with lesajyihan 
o8 lakhs in the previous year and tho average of 
40 lakhs in the Hires yi srs 188C 88. Tho net re- 
venue which is expected I i bo realised in tlio 
financial year now drawing to a olcse, is a little 
under 03 lakhs. This shows a fnlling-oll, but it is 
only a temporary check, and tho decrease is entirely 
due to one oanee — tho stagnation in the teak tini- 
her trade of Lower Burma, consequent on tho fall 
in prices which occurred four years ago and still 
influences the market. Moreover tho iooreaso in 
expenditure on aooount of the re-organisation of the 
Forest Service kmounts to over two lakhs of rupees. 
In 1889-90 tho net profits in Lower Burma wore 
18 Iskhe, and in the Upper Provinces between 15 
and 1(1 loVhs. There oaii bo little doubt that in 
years to come the figures will bo still larger. The 
reserve from tho Madras and Bombay forests shows 
a steady growth. In tho former Prtsidenoy it has 
risen to 41 lakhs as oorapared with an average of 
about 27 lakhs for the five years ending with 1889; 
while in Bombay the inena e over the sumo period 
is three lakhs. The Andamans are also making 
good progress. Three years ago the forests in those 
islands were only proli able to the extent of some 
sixtecu thousanil rupees. Now tho> contribute one 
and a quarter Ukbs to the lovinuo. The depart- 
ment is essentially one in which the expenditure 
should bo generous, and with tho handsome sur- 
plus which it yields annually, the Government can 
afford to carry out the prcij-’cts suggested last year 
by the laspector-General The chief of these is 
the improvement of oommunioations, and it would 
be well if special grants were sanctiened for the 
next few years in making roads to forests which 
, are more or less landlocked. — Pioneer. 
