Daily Gleaner, January 27, 1899
Mr. Douet's Trip to the Country.
FAVOURABLE REPORTS.
Interviewed by a representative of the GLEANER yesterday respecting his recent trip to the country, Mr. George A. Douet, the Secretary of the Agricultural Society was full of enthusiasm over the progess now being made in all parts by the small settlers in the understanding of agricultural questions.
In company with Mr. J. Doidge, the expert on the subject of bee-keeping, Mr. Douet left Kingston on Thursday in last week, visited apiaries at Ewarton, proceeded to Moneague, and left there on Friday morning for St. Ann's Bay where a successful meeting was held at the Court House. It was addressed by Mr. Douet and Mr Doidge, one of the main reasons of the trip being to hold meetings in the various districts, so that Mr. Douet might speak to the people about the agriculture of the island in general, and Mr. Doidge lecture upon and explain his own special subject of bee-keeping. “Seville” the property of Mr. R.W. Harris, and “Duncan’s” were next visited; and then they proceeded on Saturday to Falmouth and held the enthusiastic meeting which has already been fully reported in the GLEANER.
At this meeting, Mr. Douet took the opportunity o£ thanking Dr. Vine for
RICE CULTIVATION
in the parish of Trelawny. So successful have Dr. Vine's efforts in this direction proved, that a company has now been started there to develop the cultivation. A Chinaman is also going in for it on a largo scale, and it bids fair to become a local industry of considerable importance.
Messrs. Douet and Doidge went on from Falmouth to Mr. Nunes' property Merrywood Pen, where they were very kindly entertained. They also visited Dr. Vine's apiary, which was very carefully inspected by Mr. Doidge, and the rice cultivation; The last crop here yielded from 300 to 400 bags now waiting to be manufactured. Mr. Douet was also glad to find here a very fine vegetable garden. "In fact" he told the reporter, "from all I can gather, it appears that the inhabitants round about that part of the island are thoroughly awake to the fact that now-a days it will not do to overlook the smaller things, but do their utmost to cultivate all kinds of products.
The Hon. L. C. Shirley's estate, “Etingdon,” where the Society's horse Cavalier is stationed, was also visited, the party going on to Brown's Town on Monday.
Here an unfortunate episode occurred in the shape of a
MUCH DELAYED MEETING,
owing to a misunderstanding. The meeting was originally fixed for the morning, but owing to a telegram he received at Falmouth Mr. Douet thought it had been postponed to the afternoon. When he arrived at Brown's Town in the afternoon, he found to his dismay and regret that the people had been waiting, there since eleven o'clock – that is, those who had not gone home. However, the meeting was held, about a hundred people being present. As it turned out, the sender of the telegram intended that there should be another meeting at St. Acre, near Brown's Town in the afternoon, but of course, the meeting had to be postponed..
Mr. Douet thoroughly inspected the model farm and was most favourably impressed by what he saw done there under the charge of Mr. R. L. Young. All the departments of the farm were in the most perfect order. " I should like it to be known," said Mr. Douet to the representative of the GLEANER, "how much I appreciate all that Mr. Young has done here. The farm is a valuable
OBJECT LESSON
in the midst of a large community of small cultivators, who constantly visit the farm and appear highly interested in all that is going on."
As a recompense to the Brown's Town folk for their disappointment, Mr. Douet and Mr. Doidge have promised to return in a short time and hold a meeting in the Town Hall in the evening, and another in the morning at St. Acre, one of the large stations of the Hon. Dr. Johnston. A visit was paid to Mrs. Johnson here; and subsequently at “Huntcliff” the property of Mr. J H. Levy, who is going in largely for the cultivation of the best kinds of
CITRUS FRUIT
and pineapples. On Wednesday Claremont was reached. Here Mr. Doidge gave a lecture, and Mr. Douet parted company with him, returning to Kingston.
Mr. Doidge continued his tour giving another lecture at Moneague on Wednesday evening, and yet others yesterday at Ewarton and Linstead. Mr. Douet is loud in the praises of Mr. Doidge, than whom he declares there could not be a better lecturer or a more competent authority on bee-keeping. His lectures throughout the country have been of the greatest interest and value to the people. Everywhere they went the two delegates were most hospitably received; and the only difficulty, so Mr. Douet declares, was to get away.
THE PEASANTRY
are much interested in the visits, and the small settlers are becoming more and more eager to have the advise of Mr. Douet on agricultural matters of all kinds. There can be no doubt that these visits to the country are of the greatest mutual benefit.
