The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1956, Side 26

24
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Summer 1956
Asa Wright and Her Plantation in Trinidad, H.W.I.
by W. J. LINDAL
(Continued from the Spring Issue)
THE SURROUNDINGS
OF THE SPRINGHILL ESTATE
As already stated the Springhill
Estate nestles in the upper reaches of
the Arima Valley. Behind the plant-
ation is the heavy forest and jungle of
the Forest Reserve in the Northern
Range, a mountain range extending
east and west across the north part
of the island. Almost directly behind
and north of the Springhill Estate is
Marne Bleu Mountain, the fourth
highest mountain on Trinidad. Even
at that height the mountains are
densely covered with trees and heavy
undergrowth The area around Morne
Bleu is comparatively unexplored and
in the tropical forest many rare ani-
mals are to be found. There is the tayra
which resembles the North Amerioan
fisher; the kinkajou, about three feet
long, with a very long tail which it
winds around branches for support;
and an animal of the otter family, local-
ly called a wood-dog. There are deer
and wild hogs and one unusual and
most interesting member of the rodent
family called the agouti. It is light of
foot, about the size of a rabbit, brown-
ish or grizzled in color.
The house on the Springhill Estate
is about twelve hundred feet above sea
level and it is so placed that from
the front there is a magnificent view
down the Arima River valley. Eight
miles lower down the valley lies the
town of Arima which arose from one
of the original Caribbean settlements.
A road, called the Arima-Blanchisseuse
Road, crosses the main ridge of the
Northern Range about three miles
from the Springhill house. The eleva-
tion at the point where the road
crosses the ridge is 1800 feet above sea
level and from this spot there is a
most beautiful view down two valleys,
the Arima and Lopinot. In the distance
about twelve miles away is the Trini-
dad airport, called Piarco, situated on
the plain below which extends to the
sea. Although the road, which the
Wrights had to build, covers a distance
of only three miles, as the crow flies,
it is actually about five miles in length
and covers a drop in elevation of 600
feet. It can be truly said that it zig-
zags both vertically and horizontally.
About half a mile below the estate,
in the Arima Valley, is a very narrow
gorge which has die appearance of a
cave and is always referred to as such.
That is the place the Wrights were
going to visit when they encountered
the boa-constrictor.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCE
Three products of the soil are pro-
duced in commercial qauntities on the
Springhill Estate: cocoa, coffee and
citrus fruits. The cocoa and coffee
trees are a little larger than the wild
plum trees of Manitoba but the leaves
are much larger and the trees, especial-
ly the cocoa tree, much sturdier. On
account of the very hot tropical sun
both the cocoa and the coffee trees
require shade trees for protection. The
shade trees are discussed below.
A considerable amount of work has
to be done before the cocoa and coffee
are ready for the market. In the first
place the fruit has to be gathered. On
account of the uneven terrain and