Vol. hi. No. 48. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



61 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Market. 

 R. Jackson, 



markets lor the 



I 



Drugs and Spices in the London 



The following is a report by Mr. J. 

 A.L.S., on the London drug and spice 

 month of December 1903: — 



During the whole month of Decemher, the reports of 

 the markets in drugs and spices were characterized as more or 

 less inactive. At the beginning of the mouth business was 

 stated to be 'far from brisk' with but few changes of 

 importance in any of the products for the preceding month. 

 At the last drug sale of the year, which took place on 

 December 10, nothing of sjiecial interest occurred ; Ijujers, 

 it was said, were ' holding back in view of a]>i)roaching stock 

 taking.' A week later, business both in drugs and si)ices 

 ■was limited to immediate necessities, and on the 2.'5rd., two 

 days before Cluistmas, the markets were reported as 'practi- 

 cally at a standstill.' 



Besides the actual business transacted nothing of any 

 interest has occurred either in the appearance of any new 

 product or fresh sources of supply. The following details 

 respecting the produce of the West Indian Colonies will 

 illustrate the state of the London markets generally during 

 the closing month of the year, a condition that is with very 

 little change of annual recurrence. 

 giX(;ee. 



At the first .spice sale on the 2nd. of the month, there 

 was a slow demand for ginger, the rates for which were 

 ti-enerally lower than in the previous month : 488 packages 

 of .Jamaica were ottered and 216 sold, the prices ranging from 

 i7s. Qd. to 50s. for middling to fair bright small ; 41s. to 

 43s. for medium dullish, and 37s. to 38.<. for ordinary to 

 ordinary dullish. There was a slow demand for Cochin, 

 aood, small cut being sold at 38s. 6'?. without reserve, and 

 medium and bold bought in at 6.5s. A week later, namelj', 

 on the 9th., no Jamaica ginger was offered and Cochin was 

 again bought in, including medium to bold cut, at 6.5s. ; 

 small, washed rough was sold at 26s. ; fair was bought in at 

 28s., and good, limed .Japan sold at 21s. On the 16th., which 

 was the last public spice sale of the year, no Jamaica was 

 offered, but about 200 packages of Cochin were disposed of at 

 the following rates: — Washed, rough worinj-, 21s. 6d. to 

 22s. 6(?. ; damaged, 22s. to 2.5s.; white sound was bought 

 in at 26s., and small cut Cochin at 40s. 



PIMENTO, NUTMEOS AND MACE. 



At the first spice .sale 70 bags of good pimento sold at 

 4i?., fair fetching 3^'^, and greyish 3|<7. A week later the 

 prices showed a downward tendency, 209 bags selling at 

 from 3^</. to 3|'/. for fair. At the last .sale, on the 23rd., 

 the demand had improved at somewhat advanced rates, 

 about 300 bags of fair selling at 4(/. per lb. 



West Indian nutmegs at the beginning of the month 

 .showed a slight decline on the prices of the jirevious month, 

 without any appreciable change at the succeeding sales. 



Mace also began the month at lower rates. West Indian 

 selling at 2s. 4(7. to 2s. 6J. for good ; 2s. Id. to 2s. 2d. for 

 fair; Is. Ud. to 2s. for ordinary, and Is. lOd. to Is. lit/, 

 for broken. At this same sale Java realized 2s. 4(7. 



ARROWROOT, SARSAPARILLA, ETC. 



No St. Vincent arrowroot was ottered at the first sale, 

 and 1-5 barrels of Xatal were bought in at 6i(/. At the sale 

 a week later, 830 packages of St. Vincent were ottered and 

 liought in, good to fine manufacturing at 21(7. to 3i(?. On 

 the 16th., over 300 barrels of St. A'iucent were .sold without 

 jeserve at Id. to Ihd. for common to ordinary. 



Sarsaparilla occupied but little attention during the 

 month, there being practically no demand. Three bales 

 of Lima Jamaica, fair sound, were sold at 10(7. at the auction 

 on the 10th., and no .sale was effected for the native Jamaica 

 ottered. A small (juantity of Honduras was sold at Is. Id. 

 per lb. 



Of the other products it may be mentioned that 

 14 bales of fair, bright, West Indian Cassia Fistida were sold 

 in the middle of the month at 30.s-. per cwt., and that good 

 West Indian kola nuts realized old. per lb. 



c> 



Kr^ 



A TREATISE OX CACAO {Theohmma camo) : By 

 F. Emmanuel Olivieri. Trinidad : Mole Bros., 27, Cliacou 

 Street, Port-of-Siiain. (3rd. Edition.) Price m. 



This work on the cultivation of the cacao tree and the 

 curing and preparation of the produce for market is stated 

 by the writer to be the outcome of twenty years' practical 

 experience. The author treats the subject entirely from the 

 point of view of a Trinidad cacao planter, and while the 

 book contains much that is of interest and value to cultivators 

 in that island, the chapters devoted to shade trees, cultivation 

 generally and manuring, describe methods which differ in 

 some respects from those practised in Grenada and elsewhere 

 in the West Indies. 



Parts vii and viii deal chiefly with the Bois Inimortel cT-s 

 a shade tree for cacao, its manurial value and its effect as a 

 preserver of the fertility of the soil as compared with other 

 trees grown in cacao plantations in Trinidad. 



The chapters on insect and fungoid diseases of the cacao 

 tree are of interest, as showing the importance which the 

 writer attaches to the use of the remedial measures suggested 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture. 



The book is fairlj" well printed and illustrated, although 

 in the case of the various types of cacao represented in the 

 latter, the wood cuts would be of greater value were the local 

 names given to each variety instead of the general terms 

 ' lied ' and ' Yellow ' cacao, etc. 



The jiurpose of the book is excellent, and to all who are 

 practically interested in cacao we have no hesitation in 

 recommending it. 



DOMINICA. 



PROPERTY FOR SALE. 



In the Pegona district ; said to contain 252 acres 

 of valley land, .3-5 acres in cacao (11 acres having 

 flowered) and 20 acres in lime (4 acres in bearing). 

 Price— £3,000. 



Apply by letter to 



Mr. Wm. Davies, 



Roseau, 



Dominica. 



