Now if such were the fact in the Parish of St.Thomas in the East, where greater confidence was felt probably than in any other parish, we have a clue by which we may conjecture (if indeed we were left to conjecture) to what extent the cultivation was diminished in the island generally.
This of itself would satisfactorily account for the falling off in the crops--which at most is not above one third.

Nor would this explain the decrease in '34 _only_, for it is well known among sugar planters that a neglect of planting, either total or partial, for one year, will affect the crops for two or three successive years.
The other cause of short crops has been the _diminished amount of time for labor_.

One fourth of the time now belongs to the laborers, and they often prefer to employ it in cultivating their provision grounds and carrying their produce to market.

Thus the estate cultivation is necessarily impeded.

This cause operates very extensively, particularly on two classes of estates: those which lie convenient to market places, where the apprentices have strong inducements to cultivate their grounds, and those (more numerous still) which _have harsh overseers_, to whom the apprentices are averse to hire their time--in which cases they will choose to work for neighboring planters, who are better men.
We should not omit to add here, that owing to a singular fact, the falling off of the crops _appears_ greater than it really has been.