VERTEUIL — TRINIDAD AGRICULTURE. 
219 
tinned to labor, and finally attracted to their holdings former 
comrades, both free and indentured, thus creating the spit it of 
desertion, now so prevalent. This unsatisfactory state of things 
could hardly have arisen had these settlements been laid out 
along established metalled roads, and in already settled centres. 
The soil of the abandoned sugar estates will certainly give 
better results than those obtained in most of the old settlements. 
The land has been laid out for cultivation, drained in the 
majority of the estates, and been lying fallow for many years, 
and with tillage and manure will yield excellent returns. the 
' small cultivator will work indifferent lands more successfully 
probably than large and wealthy owners. He loves tilling his 
land, and will sometimes get wonderful results. He counts his 
day’s work for nothing, and does for himself double the work 
and produces a much better result than if he worked for hire. 
Cane farming will under these conditions be successfully carried 
on, being in proximity to factories. Provisions of e\eiy m , 
live stock, poultry, &c., will be raised readily and disposed of on 
account of easy communication with the best markets. ese 
facilities cannot be obtained on Crown lands, where health is 
exposed, living more difficult, social and m°ra 3 v f’ n 3 o e ® 
altogether wanting. If all the money expended in laying out 
the early settlements, the cost to . the colony m lospita s an 
accessories caused by the injudicious location o t epeop e, 
and the final abandonment by many of their holdings be 
taken into account, the thirty shillings which the acre of Crown 
land is valued at have been supplemented three or four t ri es 
over. The colony has in addition witnessed the fruitless labor 
and deaths of many industrious people. 
The purchase of these now idle lands could likewise be 
facilitated to others, if Banks in aid o agticu 
established, through which advances would be nuide, repayable 
in instalments. A large amount of the fun s . " t ed in 
into the Savings Bank could be mow * b J Government 
agricultural institutions of credit, protec ■> , 
guarantee of interest. Depositors would get more than the 
3 per cent, which are paid in the Savings an 's, y j. )e 
Institutions would be in working order, an su cent, 
entitled to borrow from them, advances at <• e ra 
People’s banks would save the small proprietors here as tt ley 
have done in Europe. I fail, however to see how they are to 
be started without Government aid in the eg 1 j j 
thropic Mayors, the clergy and large proprietors started and 
managed these Banks in Europe Here our 
the Wardens, who are servants of the State. O oi 
