, 1874-08-19

of the islands prosperity, entirely overlook this
important factor, in the belief that the culti-
walton Is all that could be expected, whilst,
in reality, it may, with great certainty, from
evidences extant, be concluded, that the mis-
fortune of st. Oroix must, first and foremost,
be attributed to a very defective agriculture.
From personal and reliable evidence from
men who have accurate knowledge of such
matters in the island, it is manifest that the
agriculture stands greatly in need of a rotation
of crops, as, for nearly 900 years, nothing
but the sugar cane has been cultivated.
There is furthermore a necessity for an ar
rangement with regard to cattle, SO that the
manure may be made fully available, whilst
it is now either not used, or is only used after
being alternately exposed to repeated lixivia.
tions in q tropical rain and parching in q
tropical sun. Next, there is the want of better
blowing, for the present IS next to worth
less. Finally may be added as progressive
measures, called forth by the nature of local
relations, but not carried out, artificial manur.
ing, cleaning of the fields of weeds, draining
where necessary, planting of trees, etc. Also
the planting of the cane is defective. 1t has
been asserted by good authority, that the
planting of the uppermost top of the cane is
very often not executed before having laid
several days, in spite of the damage thereby
sustained, and the preparation of the soil for
this planting is anything but reOommendable.
When agriculture is carried on after this
fashion, it is easily understood that the crop
in dry years is small, and there is 10 reality
more reason for being astonished that it, when
heaven sends the suitable quantity of moisture
and in the right time, can still be so rich as in
rainy years is always the case.
In addition to The direct aud personal evil
dence, pointing out where the fault lies in St,
Oroix, may be added q direct argument, as it can
be shown what has been the result Of good til
lage elsewhere. Every planter in St. Croix
will, when complaining of the unfavourable rela-
tons of his own island, point to the island of
Barbados, which, with its great annual rainfall,
its dense population lit is said to be denser than
that of China) and its constantly increasing su.
gar crop, appears to him to be a striking proof
of, and a good excuse for, the retrogression of
St. Croix. Well, Barbados is certainly we'll
fitted for the comparison, but the result is quite
the contrary of that which the planters in st.
Croix wish to draw from it. Barbados has had
a constantly increasing expectation OF sugar, but
as the manufacture is not-at all events not
with respect to quantity, even if in regard to
quality,-much better than that of St. Oroix,
the reason for it can only be found in a supe-
TloE culClVatAouJ subsequently, olCueC III q great"
er capacity for producing or in a greater area
cultivated. If the neason be the latter and of
this, | regret to say, exact statements are want
ing it indicates that sugar cane cultivation
must yield q good return, for otherwise tho area
10 cultivation would be restricted and not ex-
tended. But it is likely that the increased ex-
p~ortation also, at least in part, arises from an
augmentation of the produotiveness. of the old
estates. In the list below there are indeed
some holes, but it is, nevertheless, on the whole,
calculated to throw much light on the questions
now under consideration. It will be seen from
it that the rainfall, which from 1871 was
at an average 57.74 English inches, is as vari-
able as in St. Croix, even if, on the whole
greater (The average rainfall in ST. Croix for
1928 was 44.47 English ioches) but when
there is thus 10 Barbados q greater rainfall, on
the whole, it must not be forgotten that the
average for that place is taken from over 200
stations of observation, whose height above the
level of the sea varies from % to 1910 feet,
whereas the average fall for St. Croix is only
calculated from 8 places of observation, of which
2 are at the level of the sea-" That this circum-
stance may be of Importance, and that the
average fall is probably iu reality considerably
larger than stated according to the scant OBJ
servations in St. Croix, will be perceived from
the lat below of the average rainfall at different
elevations in Barbados. *")
From the List of Rainfall for 3 years last
nnhISohn1 ~1kfoL -sIa~kI 4-%o- "a