, 1890-09-17

seeing it taken up in our island where we
have land well suited for it hence my hav-
ing written about it. My pamphlet was
specially intended for this island. l have
cen thinking of publishing q End edition so
as to put in a number Uf important details IN
connection with its cultivation which were
omitted in the first pamphlet.
With reference to the report OF Mr.. Pres
ton commissioner on the Fibre Industry OF
the Bahamas which you publish, l have read
it with great interest.
Mr.. Preston says II have not yet been able
TO arrive at the probable life Of the plant for
no person has taken sufficient interesv IN
what was q weed. 1 have recently seem
plant only 8 years transplanted that will
pole and end its life this winter but ! could
not learn how old the plant was whenr set up:
it probably was a very old plant then again
it will be sometime yet before anything posi-
tive is known as to the number OF years its
life is prolonged by the removal of the leaves.
1t will not be from the early plantations that
any reliable data can be established, for IN
them are plants OF all ages, the demand for
them having been SO great that anything
offered was readily bought up, and many OF
the so-called suckers were nothing more or
less than old stunned trees of many years
growth, many of which ! believe will pole
C4OIO HAH &Cb01Jn " bNA0S AAOAAA $1,000 y
it can only be from the plantations set up
from these first fields, with suckers OF the
same age, that can settle this and other
queries, for there are many things yet to be
learnt that require both time and expe-
rience."
I say the plant can be prevented from
sending out it's pole, if even transplanted
at q large size, or is an old stunted tree Of
many years growth, IS MIR. Preston says.
On the other hand, at any time after leav-
ing the harvesting state, if it is wished, the
plant can be made to pole or it can be
prevented, and so go on giving leaves.
The Sisal Hemp plant of 4 or S years,
if allowed to send out it's pole, will give as
many as 1000 young plants. A plant that
/ gave Mr.. Mendez of Old Harbour, from
q few I brought with me from Yucatan,
sent out it's pole this year, and produced SO
many young poles that he (Mr. Mendez)
planted about 1000 1T his property, Lance
wood Valley, gave me nearly 1000, besides
what he gave to other parties it must also
be remembered that it produced around it's
root q large number Of suckers. The pole
plants are very delicate at first, and require
special treatment until they get out Of this
condition.
There is also q method OF forcing an early
growth of suckers around the root of the
plant. Mr.. Preston says II am often ask.
ed if this, that, and the other kind of land
is suitable for the growth of the plant,
and all that I can say in reply is that have
found it ina fourishing condition on the
top of a stone wall, and in the b~ay-sand
within a few feet of high water mark, there
fore I consider one may venture to plant it
almost anywhere" Now I say one cannot
venture V plant it almost anywhere in Ja-
meica for we possess a diversity of soil. and
although it may grow well on some land. 40
fibre viii be obtained-the yield poor. Again
on other land it may grow but is short lived,
consequently there is the necessity for the
iudicious selection OF the land. This, of
course, does not detract from the fact, which
I repeat unhesitatingly, that we have an
abundance of land in Jamaica highly adapted
to the cultivation of fibre.
hope you will not rest on the subject, but
go on advocating the establishment in our
Island Of an industry which will make us
wealthy.
I am, &C.,
b. j. sTODDART.
An0n- -. C.urfro-