260 



THE AGEICULTUllAL NEWS. 



August 13, 1904. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



PACKING ORANGES FOR THE ENGLISH 

 MARKET. 



The Ci/jiru'i J'liiriiiil i'or May contains an article 

 in which the following hint.s on packing oranges for the 

 English market are given by a well-known firm of fruit 

 brokers : — 



Divide the oranges, keeping the rounds from the ovals, 

 and pack each kind se})arately. This is absolutely necessary. 



Grade the oranges into three to five size.s and pack each 

 size separately. This also is absolutely necessary. 



Pack the cases so that each case shall contain an epuil 

 number of ei|ual-sized fruit, and on the end of the box brand 

 the number of oranges contained therein. 



When branding the boxes state if they contain foiiinl or 

 oval. It is of no use to pack both round and oval in the 

 same box. 



In packing see that each orange is firmly [ilaced so that 

 it is not shaken loose when the case is handled. 



One of the several important reasons why the oranges 

 in each case should be of equal size is to enable the retailers, 

 wlio sell to the pul)lic at a certain rate, to give equal-sized 

 fruit to their customers. 



The large fruit is preferred, as heavy su[iplies of small 

 fruit are received from Spain, and prices rule much lower for 

 these than for large fiuit. Attention should, therefore, be 

 given to large fruit, and by preference to ovals, and exporters 

 should, as much as possible, avoid shipping small oranges. 

 The round orange has to compete with those from Valeui-ia 

 and Sidon. 



CHINESE BANANAS. 



The following note appeared in the JtiaraaJ <>/ 

 the Jamaica A'jriadtural Socieiij for June : — 



After the storm of November 1899, and the hurricane 

 of August last, when so much damage was done to bananas, 

 we called attention to the dwarf banana {}fma Caveiidishii) 

 commonly called here the Chinese banana, and its stout, 

 wind-proof growth. It easily withstood the rain and wind- 

 storm of November 1899, it even withstood the hurricane of 

 August ; and both times a good quantity of this variety was 

 under our personal observation. In Fiji, where the people 

 have always depended largely upon the banana for food, and 

 whicli now supplies the Australian and New Zealand markets 

 with this variety, the introduction of the dwarf banana in 

 jilace of the imiiosing-looking tall varieties saved the people 



frum being sometimes on the verge of famine, as they 

 formerly were, through losses by storms recurring at sjiort 

 intervals. This variety is said not to keep as well as the 

 Martini(]ue : we have not found it so. It grows better on 

 poorer soils and does not require so much moisture. It 

 certainly does not sucker so profusely as the Martinique ; but 

 is not that an advantage, so long as it gives a succession of 

 one or two, which it never fails to do 1 It can be planted 

 6 feet apart. At ]iresent our market in the United States- 

 does not want it, although it is the variety which goes from 

 Hawaii to San Francisco and suiiidies the Pacific coast of 

 North America. But in the British markets it is preferred, 

 liecause it is the kind which has been and is now being 

 supjilied from the Canary Islands and is now also being 

 shipped in small ipiantities, and successfully, from Barbados. 

 The dwarf banana ought to be taken up and cultivated by 

 those who would make a specialty of supplying the British 

 market. It can be grown on this plan with a far more 

 moderate supply of water than the ilartinique. A .systematic 

 test of the dwarf banana should be made. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE BAHAMAS. 



We extract the following notes from the United 

 States C<ni>!ular Reports for March I!)04:— 



Fruit Trade. — The crop of pine-apples was fairly good, 

 prices ranging rather lower than usual. More than •?! 50,000 

 worth was .■-hipped to the United States. There was some 

 increase in the number preserved. Some guavas were also 

 preserved. The orange and grape fruit came into market 

 later in the season. The quantity of grape fruit is increas- 

 ing. A destructive hurricane has just passed over this 

 colony, which will seriously injure the orange and grape 

 fruit crops for the ensuing fall. 



Ifcmp Trade. — The, increase in the quantity of hemp 

 produced is quite marked, and this industry will continue to 

 prosper. Over -SI 00,000 worth was exported, niostlj' to the 

 Uiiiteil States, during this period. 



A<iri<-idturi'.—A.hho\\g\\ considerable is done in the way 

 of agriculture, there is little in the sale or use of machinery, 

 the soil being altogether too rough and rocky. The 

 implements in use are of an old-fashioned kind. 



Spoiific ludtiftri/. — The sponge industry continues to be 

 the most important business of the colony, and the amount 

 taken by the United States maintained about its usual pro- 

 portion, reaching some 827-5,000 per annum. The trade wa.s, 

 for a jiortion of 1902, rather dull, but during the first si.x: 

 months of 1903 it began to recover. 



