above; the sting of the wasp and hornet; one of your own hairs; a bit of wool, the hair of the deer (if you are near a Zoo), bat, mole, rabbit, horse, caterpillar, humble-bee; linen, cotton, and silk fibre; a piece of a frog's skin; a piece of bone or finger nail; a drop of blood, water, or vinegar; a morsel of sponge or rank cheese; and when you know how to arrange them, the foot of a living frog, or the tail of a living tadpole; but here is enough to keep you busy for a while, providing you have a good glass.

Where the Caribbean Breaks.

SIXTH TRAVEL PAPER.

PIMENTO TIME-FALMOUTH COURT HOUSE-LOGWOOD AND ROOTS.

It is an anxious time for the owners of pimento walks, from the beginning of blossoming season until the appearance of the young berries. If heavy rains or high winds destroy the tiny blossoms, there cannot be a profitable crop. On the crop whole families depend for support. The berries are gathered from October to January. The peasants are obliged to gather the spice at the proper season. They are well aware that the successful bearing of the tree depends upon its being regularly “limbed."

Pimento berries are not "hand picked," but the small limbs are broken from the trees by boys and girls. Then women, holding the branches in their left

Pimento Curing

549

hands, pull them quickly through their right hands.

By this means the berries are detached. They are then spread over large masonwork beds (barbacues) and exposed to the intense heat of the sun.

Large pimento walks have

two dozen barbacues and

turn out a couple of thousand bags of spice per season. When rain threatens to soak the exposed spice, tarpaulins (oiled cloths) are spread over it, and the rain runs off in gutters at the sides. The more modern barbacues are so arranged that, when rains descend, all the spice may be quickly shoveled into safe "dungeons" where rain cannot enter. It does not take many hours for the spice to get its initial curing. After it has changed from bright green to dark brown it is carried to the pimento room, where it is shoveled about occasionally. It gradually grows browner, then darker, and is ready for fanning when it emits an aromatic odor, is very dark, and the little kernels rattle in their skins.

The laborers thoroughly enjoy "breaking" pimento and curing it. They have an easy time and are paid by "task" (so much per regulation barrel) instead of by the day. After curing, the spice is fanned.

Formerly English fanning machinery was used, but of late this has given place to American hand and foot-worked fanners and blowers. The freighting of the crop is a large factor in the freight business of Jamaica, and rival steamship companies compete

keenly for their share. A short crop often means a bad year's business for the steamers.

It is not widely known that pimento is a fine preservative against moths. It is claimed that clothing and furs may be kept uninjured for years if packed in this spice.

The town of Falmouth is known to liquor dealers and drinkers by the fine quality of rum it exports. There are seven estates which make a peculiar rum that goes to Germany. The secret of its manipulation is known to few. Fathers impart it to their sons, and in this way it remains in the families which own the estates. "Falmouth rum" has thus become a trade mark. The article commands higher prices than any other on the Island.

There is a fine Court House, in which rich hangings and valuable paintings are shown. There are also magnificent candelabra

and rich furniture. When balls are given, one beholds a gorgeous sight. The striking uniforms of officers, the rich dresses of attractive women, the rare hospitality of the entertainers, and the delightful music of the band impress on-lookers

with the idea that after all there are worse things than life in Jamaica. These red letter days do not come often enough for the younger element. They enjoy dancing in September, despite the heat.

Logwood and Roots

551

Unfortunately, since the decadence of the sugar trade there, commerce in Falmouth has fallen off greatly. The wharves seem deserted. There is far less business activity than there was half a century ago. As an offset to this, the logwood trade is on the increase. Originally of small dimensions, it has grown to be very large.

There are two kinds of logwood; "straight wood" and "roots." The straight wood comes from the trunk and limbs. Labor is comparatively cheap and the expense of felling a tree is light. After the tree has been felled, the bark is stripped from it by "chippers." The tree is then cut into proper lengths and sent to the yards or wharves for exporting.

For many years roots were regarded as absolutely valueless. They remained in the ground, and attracted no attention. One day chemists discovered that roots contained far more of the active dye principle than straight wood. Some buyers, who were in the secret, quietly bought all the available stumpage and in a short time realized fortunes.

It seems amazing that no stump extractors are used, nor is a circular saw to be seen. If these modern improvements were utilized, there would not only be an immense saving in labor, but great economy through doing away with the clumsy process of chipping and cutting by manual labor. The day must dawn when dyewood extracts will be made in Jamaica, as well as in Chester, Philadelphia, Providence, and New York.

(Begun in issue March 16. To be continued.)

Picturing the Heavens.

A NEW and improved form of photographic telescope is under consideration at the Harvard Observatory, and it is hoped may eventually materialize, owing to the efforts Professor Edward C. Pickering is making in its behalf. This telescope will make images of the moon more than a foot in diameter, and even if printed without enlargement, will probably surpass the finest photographs ever taken. It is also possible that great results may be obtained with regard to the surface markings on the planets Jupiter and Saturn, and a solution of the problem of the so-called canals of Mars. It will be specially useful in photographing the sun, and showing, under favorable atmospheric conditions, finer details on the surface of the sun than have yet been photographed.

Preparations must soon be made for observing the total eclipse of the sun, on May 28, 1900. This fact is of special interest, since the eclipse will be visible in this country, the pathway of shadow crossing New Orleans, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia (Norfolk), and leaving Virginia, it will sweep over the Atlantic Ocean, and southeasterly across Portugal, Spain, and northern Africa. Imagine the inestimable value of the photographic telescope at such a time, probably revealing new wonders concerning the corona, or crown of glory that surrounds the sun, and is only visible during the few precious moments of a total eclipse of the sun.

The utility of picturing the heavens has already been proved by the wonderful photographs that have