APRIL 27.
Many years ago, a new species of grass was imported into
Jamaica, by Mr. Vassal (to whom an estate near my own then
belonged), as he said " for the purpose of feeding his pigs and
his book-keepers" Its seeds being soon scattered about by the
birds, it has taken possession of the cane-pieces, whence to eradicate it is
an utter impossibility,
the roots being as strong as those
of ginger, and insinuating themselves under ground to a great
extent ; so that the only means of preventing it from entirely
choking up the canes, is plucking it out with the hand, which is
obliged to be done frequently, and has increased the labour of
the plantation at least one third. This nuisance, which is called
" Vassal's grass," from its original introducer, has now com-pletely overrun the parish of Westmoreland, has begun to show
itself in the neighbouring parishes, and probably in time will
get a footing throughout the island. St. Thomas's in the East
has been inoculated with another self-inflicted plague, under the
name of " the rifle-ant," which was imported for the purpose of
eating up the ants of the country ; and so to be sure they did ,
but into the bargain they eat up every thing else which came in
their way, a practice in which they persist to this hour; so that
it may be doubted whether in Jamaica most execrations are
bestowed in the course of the day upon Vassal's grass, the rifleants, Sir
Charles Price's rats, or the
Reporter of the African
Society ; onl that the maledictions uttered against the first
three are necessarily local, while the Reporter of the African'
Society comes in for curses from all quarters.
