Hayti; or, The black republic.St. John, Spenser, Sir
History
Hayti; or, The black republic.
St. John, Spenser, Sir
Haiti; Haiti -- History
When the prices rose to three or four times the former value, the
Government abolished the system of bounties, and imposed a tax of one
penny a pound, but had to abolish it in 1865 on the sudden fall in
prices. The cultivation is now again neglected, as Haytian cotton has
returned to its old level in price, and the land must be more valuable
for provision crops. With the uncertainty which characterises the
supply of labour in Hayti, it is not likely that cotton will again
become an important export.
The French appear to have paid but little attention to the cultivation
of the cacao-tree, and in 1789 only exported 600,000 lbs. Even this
small quantity decreased, and the amount that passed through the
custom-house in 1821 fell to 264,792 lbs. The crops have since much
varied, but the export rose gradually, until, in 1863, the amount was
2,217,769 lbs. As far as I have been able to ascertain, no subsequent
year has produced so abundant a crop.
Cacao is principally grown near the farthest point of the peninsula,
west of Jérémie, amid a population rarely visited, and reported as
among the most barbarous of the island.
Tobacco is not mentioned in the list of exports during the French
period, and only appears in those returns which were published when
the Dominican end of the island formed part of the Haytian republic.
A little has been occasionally grown for home consumption, as at the
Fonds-aux-Nègres.
Logwood is found in all parts of the country, and is a very important
article of export.
There is nothing else grown in Hayti which can be called an article of
commerce, but the peasantry cultivate large amounts of garden produce,
and some rice and Indian-corn, but they do not do so in sufficient
quantities to supply the market. Bananas for cooking purposes are a
valuable crop, as they take the place of bread in the daily consumption
of the people. Fruit-trees abound, particularly mangoes, sour oranges,
and the avocado (alligator pear). The last fruit comes to great
perfection, whilst the mango is inferior except in a few localities,
and is not to be compared to the “number elevens” grown in Jamaica.
The markets of the capital are well supplied with European vegetables,
which are grown in the mountains at the back of La Coupe, the old
summer resort of the people of the capital. When staying there, I have
often walked to the gardens at the foot of Fort Jaques, where not only
vegetables may be found, but many orchards full of peach-trees--sadly
neglected, however--with their branches covered with long moss,
to the exclusion of leaf and fruit. A few apples and chestnuts are
occasionally brought to market. Fort Jaques is situated about 6000 feet
above the level of the sea. I may notice that the peaches are usually
picked before they ripen, on account of the pilfering habits of the
people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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