Which crops were grown on early Montserrat plantations?

Following the colonization of Montserrat in 1632 by Irish Catholics, early plantations were established to cultivate tobacco and indigo. These initial crops were eventually followed by the cultivation of cotton and sugar.1

The plantation system on the island relied heavily on enslaved labor from Africa, which grew significantly in number throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the abolition of slavery in 1834 and a subsequent decline in global sugar prices, the plantation economy shifted; by 1857, the Montserrat Company began purchasing abandoned estates to encourage the cultivation of limes.1