The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-24

up from the sea, with deep gorges rum
ming UP into the central range and a
belt of exceedingly fertile soil around
the coast.
Owing to the restricted area of soil
suitable for sugar plantations they had
long since ceased to pay, one after
another becoming saddled with mort
gage that the owner could not raise,
and hence falling into the hands of
London merchants who had advanced
money for their working.
The taking up of the lime industry
saved the little island from actual dis
tress, and to-day a single man owns
more than 600 acres, and exports an
nually 100000 gallons of concentrated
lime juice.
When / was in Montserrat a few
years ago the leading planters were
the Sturges. English merchants of
Quaker stock. celebrated for their phil
anthropy. One of the family, Joseph
Surge, was a friend and correspondent
for many years of the poet Whittier. At
Olveston, in this island, the beautiful
residence of the Sturges and their man
ager, a niece of Joseph Sturges, Mrs.
Hollings told me that she was always
taught to revere the good Quaker
poet" and expressed herself as delight
ed to meet one who had known him. As
my home was in the same county as
Winters, and had frequently visited
lin, at l)dnVeTS ana AneSDury, Wnere
l had always been received as one of
the "home folks it was my delight
full privilege to describe the personality
of one whom she had known only
through his poems and letters to her
uncle.
When the invitation came to visit at
the Sturges plantation l was stopping
with the rector of the parish, the Rev.
Henry ]. Holme, whose valuable life
was cut short by drowning a few years
ago, as he was on his way to Panama.
A horse arrived for me at in the
morning. and at $3.50 l was cantering
through the cane fields-seas of waving
green pillows, relieved here and there
by giant mangoes and sand box trees.
The horse carried me easily, and as the
sun appeared above the eastern hills
had reached teh river two miles from
Olveston, flowing peacefully through a
quiet vale. AS the golden shafts pene-
trated this secluded spot they illumi-
mated the great silk cotton trees, with
bursting bolls of shiny silk, and lighted
up the four spreading arms of a wind
mill, making it look like Greek cross
of gold. Beyond the river 1 rode
through a mile or more of lime groves,
over private avenue winding up
steep hill, where at the top l dismount-
ed at an Italian villa of stone, 1900 feet
| above the sea.
The elevation bestows temperature
| always cool, and the many trees, such
as the 'galba,'' which perfumes the air,
| and is hung with jessamne and passion
| flower, yield delightful shade. Beneath
| the trees the grass formed a fine sward,
| through which paths were cut to diff
| ferent parts of the estate, and one trail
| led to a spring of cool water, from
| which the house was supplied by ram.
| This water fed an immense swimming
bath also, after dip in which l was
| invited to breakfast, and at II o'clock
| climbed a forest-covered hill. with my
| gun in search of "perdrix," or par
| tridges. In the woods l encountered
those minute but terrible pests, the
| "betes rouge" which swarm in grass
| and bush, and which were only re-
moved from my person by rubbing my
self all over with lime juice and by an
other swim in the pool. One generally
| writes of those things that impress him
most, and surely the red bugs" made
their impression on me.
| Luncheon followed, about mid AFTER
noon, and then I was taken down to
| the works" where the lines are
ground. The Sturges had about 1000
acres in lines, and their largest yield
was about 900 bushels in a season,
| said season being almost perpetual, for
| the lines are always falling, and as
| fast as they fall to the ground are
picked up, yellow and ripe, and taken
to the machine, where they are sliced
at the rate of 90 barrels per hour. They
| are then boiled down until the Juice is
sufficiently concentrated for shipping
to London, where it is made into citric
| acid. The essential oil is extracted by
rubbing the rinds in a sort of funnel
lined with crooked points. This was
| formerly done by machinery, but soon
| the market was overstocked and more
than 20 tons of oil had been accumu-
lated
The preparation of the lime juice as
a beverage was in the nature of an
after thought. as the first intention in
planting the trees was to produce
material for citric acid. But now the
shipment of juice quite exceeds that of
the crystals or the concentrated article,
and, besides, there are the millions of
picked lines. which are mainly sent to
the United States.
The raiser of lines for export must
| be something of a chemist as well as
an agricultur.st, or else have an ex-
pert in his employ, and attached to the
boiling house is laboratory fitted with
| everything necessary for the business
The view from the house at Olyestor
is superb, over glossy green lime groves
and wooded ravines, far away to the
sea. 1 trust the hurricane spared the
place. though it is doubtful. such g
bright and shining mark 1t was.
IT NAV seem a swift descent from the
sublime to the ridiculous to associate
with the erstwhie home of the fahleo
Amazons the vocation of these modern
'lime-juicers," but so far as we can as
certain, the latter have been of greater
| benefit to the world than their antiscor-
butte then the former with the primi-
tive notions of woman's rights.-Wash-
ington Star.
.,,-z.,,,, boya opapad tho finest