, 1896-08-29

have much that combines together TO make
the caoao an agreeable industry here. There
is. besides climatic conditions, the tact that
the land belongs TO the people, whilst it does
not require extensive labour TO grow a small
cacao plantation, Time and space during
its cultivation are also afforded the agricultu-
riSt to attend to other industries. Such then
being the case the people were not slow to
direct their attention to cacao Immediately
they found it to be no longer worth their
while to plaat the sugar cane. Cacao will
also grow luxnriautly where Other Industrial
plants have sheWn a tendency to suffer. And
it requires no heavy outlay to maintain d
cacao plantation. Under these conditions it
is fair to infer that no matter how low the
price of that industry may fall-and indeed
it has fallen low enough already-lt can
never share the same fate with the peasantry
as has been the case with the sugar cane.
According to Mr.. Donavon, the Grenada peo-
pie, unlike our own. have hitherto believed
in the theory of preserving their eggs IN one
basket only. For SO long, says he, as cacao
fetched high prices the people cultivated no
other product AS q result they suffer ssri-
ously to-day at the hands of the money-lend-
ers. He believes, however, that the present
depressed state Of the oacao market is a
blessing in DISCUS 10 the cacAo planters of
his country, because it should have the eff
feet of directing their attention to other in
dustries which he advises them to turn their
attention to.
Among the various products recommended
by the Federalist is Coffee. History not quits
very old, tells us that at one time our for
ests were clad with coffee bearing trees, and
according to a cory of FiIlanS Almanac
which we have before us, the quantity of
coffee formerly raised and exported, used to
be from ? million to 5 million lbs. a year
Writing of Dominica to the Edinburgh Medi-
cal and Surgical Journal in 1913, the late DR..
lmray said
Tn mountains bordering on the sea round
the whole island were at one time covered
with fine plantations of coffee, which then
formed the staple export of the colony. About
eighteen years ago there appeared on the
trees a blight, which has completely ruined
these properties-not much more coffee being
now produced than suficos for the consump~
ton of the inhabitants.
Although coffee cultivation suffered severe
ly with The appearance of tht blight, 1t will
be seen from The above extract that 1T VS.
never abandoned here. But the cultivation
of the sugar cane on tie Metayer SYSTEM
having then amply rewarded the labour and
industry of petty cultivators, the latter never
seriously bothered their minds about putting
new coffee trees among the old ones standing
on their lands, until the operation OF the low
prices of sugar compelled hem to do so, aud
hence we find to-day chat besides cultivating
coffee for local couSumutIO alone, we have
been exporting thousands of pounds of the
article to London, America, the Leeward Is
land and Martinique That the cofee indus
try is reviving in Dominica Is because our
cultivators have iong ago seen the necessity
of doing the very thing which Mr.. Donavon
advises those of Grenada to do in the article
below. For our own part, We must go OH
planting not only coffee aud cocoa. but every
other paying article of export. There is no
thing that the other islands can grow which
we cannot; the only disadvantages We ars
likely to labour under being the want OF
spirited men to aid, counsel, and advise us as
to what is best to plant. Our peasantry must &C.
knowledge the fact that they are almostfriend-
less in matters of,this kind. If they will remain
arms-folded and leave their fates in the hands
Of people who have as much to do to take
care Of themselves, and of others who care
nothing for their neighbour SO long as they
can provide for themselves by themselves,
they will be worse fools in the long run.
The tine is critical, but inactivity will not
make it less so. If it costs nothing to put
into the earth IA coffee trees to-day plant