The Hawaiian gazette., 1876-01-12
The Island of GuadaIonpe.

The island of Guadaloupe is a French colony,
and is one of the best cultivated and most pros
porous Of the West Indies. Its urea is 400 655
acres, which in 1872 were apportioued thus :
Cultivated land - S35 acres pasture land, 3D..
$40 acres forest land, 1852 acres waste and
uucultivated land. SO 3T3 acres. The tax upon
cultivated land Is IL centimes, or about one
penny three farthIngs per acre annually. The
number of landowners amounts to 1868, nearly
all of whom are French Creoles; the estates vary
10 size from 5000 to ~ acres There are 4737
rented properties. of which about two-thrds also
belong to French Creoles. Very few Of the col
ored population either own or rent land beyond
few perches of garden ground. Upon the large
estates-Clo1dines- single staple product such
as cotton, coffee, or sugar cane. is grown for ex
portation, whilst the small culIivators-petiLs
ha6,tdnLs--are chiefly occupied in producing
grain and vegetables for consumption in the ISL
and The last class form the real peasantry Ut
the colony, and are the chief providers of the
daily food of the inhabitants they are in general
an industrious and we.to-dO class. The petts
haJHanks occupy 5l69 plantations none Of which
exceed 80 acres in extent. The rent varies from
3Os to 5Us. per acre. These plantations cover
1880 acres, and give employment to 1886 per-
sons The products chiefly cultivated upon these
farms ore the usual tropical ones-manlOc yams
sweet potatoes, ignalnes, cocons, meIangas, and
pine apples ); rice and maize are the only grains.
Amongst the fruits, bananas, grapes and bread
fruits hold the principal place. The houses ut
tached TO these farms are comparatively very
large, although but little care is bestowed upon
their structure. They are often 100 feet long by
60 in breadth, and are divided by wooden parti-
tiOns into three apartments the kitchen is in the
centre the sleeping-room upon the left, and the
storeroom upon the right. These apartments
are entered from verandah in front by doors Of
palm-wood secured by clumsy wooden locks.
The houses are built OF timber, generally orange
or citrOn, painted white and covered with palm
thaich as safe guard against the violence of the
hurricanes, they are seldom more than one story
high. The furniture is of the most primitive
nd-hammocks tables chests and cane-chairs
are the chief items. little In the rear of the
house is long, low building in which are con-
tanned under one roof the barn, stable, and byre.
The farm is invariably surrounded with q close
fence Of orange or lemon trees and is divided
into two parts-one for pasture and the other for
cultivation. About every six years the arabic
land is sown down and the lea broken up guine;
grass is the only gramineous plant grown. The
farmer carefully and assiduousy cultivates the
SOIL though his implements are of the most
wretched character. The plough, which is a
oxen long leather belts fastened TO the horns OF
the oxen serve as rens. Carts, spades and har
rows are also entirely of wood, generally that of
the palm. The work upon these small farms Is
performed by the owner and his family, assisted
by laborers, hired at the rate of two francs and
their rations per diem. 1t is upon this class of
farms. too that nearly all the cattle in the island
are kept. The only animals kept by the large
planters are oxen and mules for plOughing and
carting. and horses for riding aud driving. Every
small farmer keeps at least pair of oxen, q eou-
pie of mich cows. and small herd of pigs. The
cattle OF Guadalupe, like those of Martinique,
belong to the long-haIred breed of Senegal; they
are good draught animals, and their beef and
milk is Of superior quality. In 1869 there we're
in Gaudaioupe 1912 horned cattle, 1898 mules,
l0,2l3 goats, 1884 sheep, and 1913 pigs. The
goats are kept only by negroes and squutters in
the mountainous districts they are large animals
with long silky hair and good mixers. The
horses are 1921 in number, and belong chiefly to
the planters, cavalry, and gendarmey.