, 1898-10-01

plenty If manure, but take longer to come to
the fnll stage than in the tropics. When
planted from he small suckers, as Is usually
4 done ia British Guiana, they take about
eigjteen months to produce the first fruit.
Here. however, if they can possibly be got,
$the plants are generally fonr 10 five feet high,
and from these plants. with plenty Of manure
and saflirient water, the first, bMnch can be
reaped in about niue months. With good
cultivation they afterwards give a bunch
sevorv six months. They are planted origi-
nnliy from nix to eight feet apart and require
t. be manured every six mouths to keep up
tho size OF the buuches. They are also the
better for pen manure as often as possible.
mo other tiIlage is given them. The fruit is
net very large but of very fine favour and
is said 20 be preferred in the British market
to any other. Certainly the taste for them
at hom, Is growing rapidly, aud IN the
Cantrles every piece of land that will bear
Thorn Is beng put in as faSt as plants can be
got. Inleed, in Grand Canary where the
cane is mostly grown by farmers and sold to
the factories. they are speaking of closing
up s,mo Of the ftctorier, so many Of the
farmers are giving up cane and putting in
bananas. The price paid on the farms is
for 80 hand punches, 22B to 2'75 pese.
tas - ljI04 to 2I34 for ten hands and up
wards 3 to l posetas = 2I6 to 3j4, according
to distance from port Of shipment. These
Figures give the par value Of the peseta, viz,
IOd., but for some time, owing to the rise III
exchange, it haA only been worth about Cd.
'Exchange has fallen about 1926 during the
past week, 80 it. is doubtful If the buyers
Will bo able to continue giving these prices.
For 7 hand lunches only l peSela is p"id,
these not being shipped. but sold in Santa
Cruz. principally to supply the abIes Of the
. DNat, laCra oFnabIaro that in 1IpTnlI fimAa
make il II port OF call. Anything Smaller
has to he sold locally for what it will fetch,
They are nil packed in crates the size of the
various bu ches, being first wrapped in cot
ton wool, then IN old newspapers, and packed
with straw and dry banana leaves. The
firms engaged have packing-houses in all the
principal villages. sometimes not more than
a couple of miles apart. They are nearly all,
IN Trneriffa. but not i'm Canary, grown under
Contract to firms who supply the m 'nures,
plants, etc. on credit. The chief firms
,eagaged are the agents Of the West African
steamers and a gentleman who is agent for
one Of the London lines. These have each Il
little steamer going round the coast every
sweek picking mp fruit at tho various ports.
There are also n few Spanish firms engaged
On II smaller scale who send round smart
SsclIoOneIs: and from round about Santa Cruz
}they are sent in on camel back.
( Very fine tomatoes arc also grown, par
ticularIy during the winter months, under
Sthe same conditions Of contract as the
bananas, tho exporting firms supplying the
seed. These are neatlypacked in small boxes
according to size. The prices paid at the
:packing,h houses are from IL to Is pesetas per
%3quiutal, and they pay very we'll when free
from disease. q
Potatoes are grown everywhere. but the
fine kidney variety, so much sought after in
the early British markets, is grown mostly
among the mountains aud ON tne nigh slopes
above Orotara. The native varieties do not
keep quite 50 w5il us the kidney. but they
can be grown even IN the walmest parts.
The exporting firms import the seed of those
that are grown for export, aud distribute it
Samong the farmers.
Canary vino, which was once SO popular,
but the export Of which had almost ceased
owing to disease among the vines, is again
coming to tire front, since the discovery OF
ssulphur as a preventive TO the principal:dis.
ease which affected them. When we'll made
it is a very sound, wholesome wine. and ought
to regain its popularity very quickly when
once its quality is known.
But what shall [ say of the climate Of
these glorious islands They were well
named by the oncients, The Fortunate Isles"