94 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Maech 1-2, 1904. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



I'he li)llo\viiig is a rcijoit by Mv. J. R. Jack.son, 

 A.L.S., on the Lomlon drug anil spice markets for the 

 month of January 1!)04 : — 



The interest in eoniiexioii with the fiscal pi-obloiu has 

 rather increased than aliated during tlie month, due in 

 a great measure to tlie opening of ParUament and the 

 excitement surrounding several of tlie bye-elections. These 

 matters, together with the tension of affairs in the Far East 

 have caused a condition of unsettlement in the markets, 

 esjiecially with regard to cam|ih<ir and menthol, both of 

 which are certain of advancement in the event of hostilities 

 taking place between Russia and .Japan, which at the time of 

 writing are reiiorted to have actually commenced. Towards 

 the end of .January the camphor market was in a very 

 excited condition, manufacturers selling only small tjuantities 

 from stock at considerably enhanced rates. 



With regard to articles affecting the West Indies, little 

 or nothing of any .special interest occurred during the month, 

 as will be seen from the following details. 



OINliEl!. 



At the first spice sales on .January G, ordinary to 

 medium dullish .Jamaiea'sold at 3S.<. to iOs., and fair l>right 

 washed at 49.<., while wormy, native cut Cochin fetched 39.*. 

 to 40.5. A week later, out of 4.50 barrels of .Jamaica offered 

 about 100 sold at 41s. 6(7. for fair, 38.«. to 40s. 6./. for small 

 bright in bags, while lean and dark fetched 37s. to .^S.'s. At 

 this sale 200 bags of Cochin were sold out of -5.50 ottered ; 

 22.«. 6(/. being given for low, brown, wormy Calicut. The 

 following (jualities were bought in at the [irices named : 

 medium and bold, 60s.: small and medium, ios.: ordinary 

 un.sorted native cut, 4.5.s. Good Hengal was Ixmght in at 

 26s. and fair limed .Japan at 2os. At the end of the iminth 

 these prices had changed but little. 



AEEOWKOOT. 



( lood manufacturing St. Vincent at the beginning of the 

 month sold in quantities at \^(!. jier tt>. for barrels and 2'ld. 

 for tins, Bermudan kegs being bought in at |.<. 4*7. At the 

 second sale, on the 13th., the figures stood thus: 400 barrels 

 of St. Vincent fetched from 1|(/. to 1;^(/., and 4 half-barrels 

 of Bernnida realized l.s. 5J. per Itj. These jirices remained 

 unchanged at succeeding sales. 



MACE, NUTMEGS AX I) I'IMENTO. 



The markets during the month were generally quiet, but 

 at the last spice sale on the 27th. there was a large sui)ply of 

 West IiKlian nutmegs offered, 234 packages being dis[>osed 

 of at steady rates. At the same .sale 66 Ijags of fair pimento 

 sold at 4(/., out of 319 bags offered. 



SAESAPARILLA. 



At the first ilrug .sale, on the 7tli., the following were the 

 quotations : Is. 1</. was demanded for fair, sound, grey 

 .Jamaica, inferior coar.se sold at 9A(/., sea-damaged 9il. and 

 red native 10f7. Seven bales of sound (iuatemala fetched 

 71(1., and water damaged 6(7. A fortnight later the only kind 

 ottered at auction was Lima .Jamaica for which 1 b/. per lb. 

 was askeil. 



ANNATTO. 



At each of the two sales in tiie month annatto has been 

 in good supply, but with little demand. On the 7th. 14 

 packages were offered and 2 sold. Good Madras was held at 



31J. and 2(/. was given for mixed sweepings. At the second 

 sale 71 iiackages were ottered and none sold. 



LIME JUICE. 



This also appeared at the sales on the 7th. and 21st. At 

 the former a (piantity of unworked West Indian juice .sold at 

 from 9(/. to lOlJ. per gallon. On the 21st. 6 hog.sheads of 

 Dominican unworked realized the .same price, and 1 cask of 

 concentrated West Indian (with analy.sis) sold at £12 10s. 

 for 108 gallons. At the .same sale a case of West Indian 

 distilled lime oil was sold at Is 3J. per It)., and 1 ca.se, out of 

 ■") ottered, of Hay oil from Tobago, at Is. CmI. ]ier lb. 



MUSK SEED. 



Five packages of fair (juality from St. Lucia .sold at 8i(/. 

 per lb. and another lot at from Sd. to 8|r?., at the first di"ug 

 sale, and at the second, a single box from Grenada realized 

 9(1. per H>. 



KOLA. 



It is worthy of note that at the spice auction on the 

 6th. and at the drug auction on the following day, kola was 

 ottered. At the former date •") bags of fair, dry West Indian 

 realized oil. per lb., while on the next day at the drug sale 

 the same quantity of good bold West Indian halves sold at 

 6(?. per lb. A case of fair Ceylon at the same .sale brought 

 the same price, while .small dull African was limited at 6(/., 

 an otter of 4(7. lieing refused. 



CASSIA FISTULA. 



Though no West Indian pods have been reported at the 

 auctions during the month, a parcel of 1 6 baskets of fair but 

 lean East Indian, .slightly worm}-, was .said to be lying at one 

 of the warehouses. Eight baskets of this consignment were 

 sold privately, 30s. being asked for the remainder. 



VANILLA. 



It may be interesting to note that vanilla has been very 

 much in evidence. At the first sale of the month as many 

 as 2,<S60 tins, chiefly from the Seychelle.s, were ottered, nearly 

 all of which were sold, the demand being great at the 

 following [irices : Fine, 12s. to l-")s. 6(/.: split, 12s. to 14s.; 

 medium long, 9s. 3(7. to 10s.; medium, 6.<. 3d. to 9s.; fair to 

 good short, 4s. 9(7.; and common dry brown, 2s. 6(7. to 4s. 9(/. 

 jier lb. This was stated to have been a record sale, the 

 total weight of vanilla disposed of amounting to about 15| 

 tons. 



GUADELOUPE JABORANDI. 



A note appeared in the Ar/rtcaltij ml Xcws (Vol. 

 II, p. 40(i) on the subject of this new variety of 

 jaborandi. We extract the foUowing reference to it 

 from tlu' Pliarmdccaticdl Joiinxil of January IG, 

 1904 :— 



Further experiments as to the physiological action of 

 the alkaloids of Guadeloupe jaborandi are necessary, when 

 larger supplies can be ol)tained, before it is certain that 

 these leaves can lie used as a source of i>ilocarpine nitrate. 

 At present the )iilocarpine nitiate of commerce is obtained 

 chierty from the leaves of J'i/tiairjuiK inicrDjihyllus, ,so far as 

 can be judged from the imports. The demand for the.se 

 leaves is alreadj' considerable, orders for .5 or 10 tons beint^ 

 })laced at one time. 



The discrepancy in the results obtained as to percentage 

 of alkaloid in Guadeloupe jaljorandi leaves may p(issibly be 

 due to the leaves having been collected at ditt'erent periods of 

 the year. 



