41i 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 17, 1904. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on West Indian products in 

 tlir London market during the montli of October has 

 been forwarded by Mr. John K. Jackson, A.L.S. : — 



In the Loiidoii ding markets the month of October 

 opened very quietly, .slightly improving as the month went 

 on and ending with a generally better tone. Xo one product 

 ■\\a> marked by any prominence with, perhai'S, the exception 

 of iiuinine, which drojiped at the close of the month to Ik?, 

 jier oz. for German makes. At the spice sale.-, prices for all 

 articles ruled at rates varying but .slightly from those of the 

 previous month. The following are the chief items : — 

 gi>'(.;er. 



At the tirst sale on October 5, Jamaica Avas in small 

 sujiply and piartially sold at the following rates: middling 

 boldish, S^.'. ; ordinary small dullish, 31?.: and common small, 

 2w. to '27s. About 130 packages of Cochin and Calicut were 

 .siild at this sale at ordinary rates, including 'i5s. to 36*. for 

 fair unassorted native Cochin, and 26^'. to 26,«. Gd. for bright 

 rough Calicut, slightly wormy. A week later over 600 

 packages of Jamaica were offered and were chiefly disposed 

 of at previous rates ; fair bright realizing 39f. to 40s. ; 

 middling did), 35s. Gd. to 37s. 6(7. ; and common to ordinary, 

 ti8.s. Gd. to Bis. At this sale native-cut Cochin was 

 bought in at 38s. to 40s. On the 19th., of 400 packages 

 of Jamaica offered, 36 were sold, fair bright fetching 

 4.")j. : ordinary to good ordinary, iSs. to 34s. : and connnon 

 lean and dark ratoon, 25s. to 26s. Cochin and Calicut 

 were offered in very large quantities and about half 

 sold at firm j'rices, common small rough fetching 16s. Gd. 



S.\ESAr.\i;iLLA. 



At the first drug sale in the month 2 bales of genuine 

 grey Jamaica were submitted to auction and Is. 3d. per lb. 

 accepted, 2 other bales having been sold privately. Three 

 bales of very common Lima-Jamaica realized 7d. \>n Bb., and 

 11(7. was asked for a quantity of rather coarse, chnmpy : 7-k/. 

 was jiaid for a bale of medium yellow native Jamaica, and 

 9;\('. for medium red. At the last sale on the 27th., 46 bales 

 of Jamaica were oft'ered. all of which were sold. In con- 

 .sequence of its .scarcity, grey Jamaica was readily disposed 

 (>f at Is. 2f/. per 11>. for good, and 1 U(/. for coarse, badly 

 .Sea-damaged: for l."> bales of native Jamaica, G^<1. to 7;U?. w'as 

 jiaid for dull medium red to common mixed; for 3 bales of 

 dull lean Lima-Jamaica, 11(?. per lb. was c>btained. 



AEEOWEOOr. 



At the first .spice sale good manufacturing St. Vincent 

 s(ild at 1|(7. to lid. per It)., and a week later .")0 cases of 

 ciiaise Natal were offered, 10 of which sold at 4i(7. per %. 

 On the 19th., 580 packages of 8t. Vincent were offered and 

 498 sold at 1|(?., and on the 26th. St. Vincent was again 

 offered and bought in at from 2(7. to 2d., while 100 boxes of 

 Natal, slightlv country-damaged were disposed of at from 

 2ir/. to 2]f/. 



KOL.V MT^. 



Kola nuts were offered at the first auction to the extent 

 of 8 bags of dry Grenada, which realized from 'lid. to 3\d. 

 per It). In the middle of the month the quotations were : 

 good wa.shed Jamaica, 3i(7.; and sea-damaged, 2-^'(/. : while for 

 good bright washed, rather dark. 5f?. -was asked, a bid of 4(7. 

 being refiwed. 



NITMEGS, 31AI E, Pl.MENTO, FTl. . 



At the first sale nutmegs were in good supi'ly and sold 



at firm to dearer rates, while AVest Indian mace realized 

 higher prices than previoush', the position of both remaining 

 about the same to the end of the month. 



Pimento was steady throughout the month, the prices 

 ruling from 2i(/. for ordinary, and 2^d. for fair. At these 

 rates some 130 bags were sold at the mid-monthly sale out 

 of 194 ottered. At this sale 5 bags of dull AVest Indiar» 

 Cassia Fistula were sold without reserve at 18.<. per cwt. ; 

 98 packages were offered. 



In connexion with the subject of new drugs and other 

 vegetable products which not infrequently find their way to> 

 the produce brokers, we may draw attention to the appearance 

 during the month of a consignment of 35 bales of a wild or 

 false ipecacua)dia, the produce of Aschpias oii-assavica. 



The use of a technical museum attached to warehouses 

 and factories was proved by the identification of this .sample 

 with one contained in the museum attached to the Crutched 

 Friars drug warehouse where the sample came originally from 

 Trinidad under the name of Trinidad iiiecacuanha. 



MINOR INDUSTRIES IN JAMAICA. 



The Annual Keport of the Collector Gener.-rl in 

 Jamaica contains the following reference to the 

 progress of minor industries in that island : — 



Cassava. — The interest taken in cassava growing is 

 increasing, and 15 tons of starch manufactured from this 

 plant have been exported to England. I learn that in one 

 jiarish the manufacture of starch is to be undertaken on 

 a large scale by a compianj-, and if this enterprise passes 

 through the experimental stage successfully, the manufacture 

 of starch should become one of our paying industries. 



Cotton. — The interest taken in the cultivation of cotton 

 in this i.sland is increasing steadily. Two small .shipments 

 have been made, indicating the beginning of wdiat may yet 

 prove to be a very important industry, and in this connexion 

 I may mention that a gin has been erected on one property 

 at which cotton from other places is prepared for market. 



Eke. — Eice is grown in but few jiarishes, viz., Trelawny, 

 Westmoreland and St. Catherine. The cultivation in 

 Trelawny consists of 41 acres: in Westmoreland there are 

 100 acres under cultivation, and in St. Catherine 7 acres. 

 This smallness of cultivation is disappointing, in the face of 

 the fact that we send out of the countrj" large sums of money 

 to purchase a commodity which could be produced to 

 a large extent at home. 



Tea. — Tea is now grown in one ]iarish, St. Ann, and 

 a measure of success lias attended this industry, but the 

 cultivation has not yet been taken up by more than one 

 proprietor. The collector for St. Ann reports that the 

 undertaking is full of promise : — 'The Hon. H. E. Cox 

 (Custos) has been extending his tea cultivation, and it is 

 j)leasing to the eye as one drives along the road.s jiassing 

 the tea fields to see how beautifully they are kept : besides 

 which he has imported machinerj' at an enormous cost for 

 curing the tea, and it is hojied that his reward is looming 

 ahead. The average expenditure per week is from £30 to 

 £40, which is a boon to the people living in the district.' 



Hard-irood$. — lieference has from time to time been 

 made to the hard-woods in the country, but there has 

 been no attempt hitherto to show their value in money. The 

 Director of the Jamaica Railway who has become a large 

 purchaser of late years for the railway has, however, 

 afforded some information from which it is gleaned that 

 during the past year 69,795 hard- wood .sleepers were supplied 

 to the railway f 'r which the sum of £1.3,587 was paid. 



