, 1898-09-14
TOBACCO, CORN. BANANAS, AND A
MORAI

There is much food for thought il the cur.
rent number of the Agricultural Society 5
journal. Several of he articles bear more or
less directly upon the present crisis m our
affairs, and indicate methods to relieve the
financial tension of which many people com
plain with an excess Of bitterness In all
the departments Of public and commercial
life in the Island, the idea that we can do
better for ourselves if only we will put our
shoulders to the wheel is finding wider and
beartier acceptance every day. Gentlemen
who have not the privilege of residing in
Jamaica, but who study our affairs, hold
the same view even more strongly. Take,
for example, the cage OF Mr.. g. j. McOnarrie
of Florida, who contributes an inter estipg
article to the Journal, entitled, TO Make
Tobacco Pay" He points out that tabacco
culture presents mo 9 problems than ara
generally met with in the ~cnlturp of ordina.
ry crops. and that to grow a tobacco crop
successfully o man must be acquainted both
with the idiOsyncrasies of the plant and the
nature and capabilities Of his soil. This is
of course, true and useful bu: the cist of
the article for Jamaica is contained in this
paragraph =
The tobacco grower to be successful. and
to grow his crop the most economically. .mnst
have tools adapted to his work. Mann.
faOturers, mechanics and OF hers hondlinu
tools use the most modern inventions and tho
most labOrBaving tools they can find in their
own particular line. The farmer or filler
of the soil is quite the reverse. As a ruIa
he is too conservative in his nature and likes
to stick to the old way Of his granddsddies
and thinks it good enough for al purposes
One or our modern cuItlvaters, taking in a
row at a time, saves oaboT and does better
Vrnrb 1IOoSNn ! q n ant -.
crops, but a good oultivaler will kill more
weeds and grass in one day than q dozen
men could do with thei hoes in O. week. Tho
less we disturb the leaf of the tobacco plant
and the more efficiently we do the ~cuitiva.
ton the better will be our crop. That il in
itself one good reason Why we should adopt
the best tools that we can find, even if they
are new-fangIed, as some call them.
Another correspondent, who writes to the
Journal on "the great corn question, " takes
much the same position. He expresses O
conviction that com growing or u large scale
can be made TO pay in Jamaica, and warns
Ills that u Mess we make up our minds to pro.
duce more food staff the country will 90
from bad to worse. 10 make OorncrowinD
pay here, he says, people must drop The
old-tlme methods at once, aud 20 in for good
strong, well fed mules, II or !4inch break.
ing piOw5, Burrows, markers, and planters.
The cost of all these. for twenty acres If
arabic corn land. he estimates at EST lGs.
by The old method, he rcckons that on II pro
duct of four hun ired bushels from the
twenty acres there is an outlay of GA los.
Sd. and q deficit on he final account of "a
los. Sd. BY the new method he recommends
the outlay on the product of Goo bushels from
the same land is only $50 Is; and the nett
profit. after dedncting five per cent, interest
on the capital of &57 los, is 800 l8s. Cd.
The Journal also deals with the impor.
tant subject of bahamas. 1t quotes the fol.
lowing paragraph from an American paper:
bananas are i'll sharp demand, with SUP.
ply not up to The demand. Ten wears AGO
the great fear of the banana people was
over production. We wonder Should Cuba
become part of the United States latter this
cruel war is over,) what effect it will have
on the banana industry of Jamaica. I'm.
doubtedly, the banana industry will be great.
~ promoted in the gem of the Antilles,
and with a high tariff on Jamaica's, Jamaica
as a banana growing country will he relega.
ted to The things that were The editor |
OF The JourHa! points out to his American