98 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 19, 1902. 



the change, we are eonvineed, will be (jiitiivly in 

 the direction of brightening school life, in correcting 

 current ideats in I'egard to agric\dtural niattei's and in 

 placing the jirosjjerit}' "f these C'olonies on the solid 

 basis of the intelligence and active co-operation of the 

 peo])le. 



TRADE BETWEEN WEST INDIES 

 AND WEST AFRICA. 



PO,S.SIBLE NEW MARKET KoR MUSCOVADd .Sl(iAK. 



At a recent meeting of the Bai'bados Agricultural 

 Society a letter was read from a meiehant in Sc'negal, 

 West Africa, suggesting that the ])rincipal fii'iiis in 

 Bridgetown might agree to export, as an experiment, a 

 .shipload of muscovado .sugar to We.st Africa where, 

 he stated, there is a very good market for sugar, 

 and that West Indian sugars c luld be regularly 

 placed at the (Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Lagos, 

 Nigeria and the Congo. 



The suffS'estion that the West Indies miyht find 

 a remunerative market for some of its sugar in West 

 Africa reminds us that the subject is not entirely new 

 for it had already been discussed by Sir Robert B. 

 Llewelyn, tJovernor-in-chief of the Windward Islands, 

 when he was Administrator of the (Janibia in IM!)!). 

 The following extract is taken from tlu' R< ixirt <iii tlic 

 Gdmhiti Blue Hook fur the i/rar J.SUS. (Colonial 

 Reports, Annual, 2.54) : — 



No muscovado .sugiir is iinported, hut I am siu'e it 

 would he api)reciated by the natives to mix with their 

 'jiaji' — a ineiiaration of pounded corn — if it could lie 

 ohtained in liandy packages. Sugar packed in bagging get.s 

 nioi.st in this damii climate in lightly constructed native 

 hut.s ; hut 1 think if it could be put uji in tins or keg.s, 

 which could he retailed here at a dollar or two dollars a 

 package, it would take. 



The merchants here would cxjiect to get doulile tlieii- 

 invoice price. (!ould ten jiouuds of good clean nuiscovado 

 .sugar he packed in tins or snnill kegs and delivered here for 

 one shilling and eiglit pence "i 



I may, perha)).s, al.so mention, as a re(]uiienient in Africa, 

 salt — which one small English colony in the West Indies 

 produces of an excellent (piality. The .salt at present 

 imported here is made by .solar evaporation in the Cape 

 Verde Islands. It is not to he compared witli Turks Islands 

 salt for purit}', and I believe the latter could l>e sold as 

 cheap or cheaper. 



What is wanted, is to connect the West Indies ami the 

 West Coast of Africa by direct .steam conununication. 



Many connnon articles of food in the West Indies, such 

 as salt, fish, and cornmeal, would, if they were introduced 

 on the West Coast of Africa, he as iioi)ular there as they are 

 with their kinsfolk in the West Indies. 



I believe, too, in the course of time the iidialiitants 

 would jiass to and fro, as they would not on the voyage have 

 to leave a trojiical climate, which many now dread. Such a 

 steam .service would not pay at first, but it should in a 

 reasonable time, if (!arefully managed. 



fireat advantage, too, wimld accrue if some of the 

 better mechanics, such as engine-drivers for steam launches, 

 men win' have been trained in the working of niacliinery on 

 •sugar est-ates, carpenters, mason.-i, painters, blai'ksmitlis, and 

 even school ma.sters and native clerks could lie induced to 

 come to tlie West Coast of Africa ; and I think they would 



if transport was easy and cheap, for they could cro.'^s as deck 

 passengers in a voyage that would be entirely jierformed 

 within the tropics. Perhaps all the colonies in the West 

 Indies as well as those on the West Coast of Africa might 

 for a few jears contribute a small subsidy to a steamship 

 company. 



Sir Robert Llewelyn's suggestion is a valuable 

 one and deserves careful consideration. It is probable 

 that a lins of steamers starting from New York and 

 calling at one or more of the sugar islands in the West 

 Indies would be the means of establishing a consider- 

 able trade between the West Indies and West Africa. 

 In fact it is not impossible that if the matter were 

 taken ujj with energy and enterprise, the bulk of 

 the mu.scovado .sugar produced in these islands 

 might find a remunerative market amongst the teem- 

 ino millions of West Africa. 



PROPOSAL FOR STUDY OF MANUFAC- 

 TURE OF JAMAICA RUM. 



The following circular has recently been sent to 

 the managers of sugar estates and other.s interested 

 in the manufacture of rum, by Mr. H. H. Cou.sins 

 the Agricultural Chemist of Jamaica: — 



Sir, --I have the honour to recpiest your ojiinion upon 

 the following propo.sal which I intend to submit to the Hoard 

 of Agiiculture : — 



' That a specialist in Fermentation be appointeil by the 

 Ooverinnent, on a three years' contract, to co-operate with 

 the stati' of the Government Laboratory in the study of the 

 i-onditions of niaiuifacture of Jiiim in .lamaica : in the inve.s- 

 tigation of means of increasing the yield and impmving the 

 quality ; in the study of the types of yeast operating in 

 successful and unsuccessful fermentations, and the jiraciical 

 ajiiilication of such information. 



This Ofhcer tube further availalile for training Distillers 

 in improved methods of management and control as a branch 

 of the Agricultural Kducation work to he started at the 

 Government Laboratory.' 



Mr. Cotisins reports that twenty-seven rej)lies 

 were received, twenty-four approving and three 

 exjjressing disapproval of the .scheme. He a<l(is : 

 'There is a ])oweiful weight of opinion in favotn- of 

 im])roving the still-house managenient in Jamaic;i. 

 The rum crop is worth £150,000 a year, and an incrcjuse 

 of 2') ])er cent, on this is a very moderate view to kike 

 of the ])ossibiIity of impnived control and management. 



•We underst.uid that Mr. Steele [the Expert recently 

 sent out }}y the Home (lovenuuent] is impressed 

 with the crude and empirical manner in which the 

 feriiientation was carried out in Jamaica .still-houses. 

 Mr. Hoskins states that the lo.sses on "Rtim' estates 

 in Trelawny are frequently enormous ami shotdd be 

 avoided by nnui' accurate and intelligent (Muitrol. It 

 is ])roposed to ap]ioint a Chemisl with special training 

 in fermentation and bacteriology, and .some experience 

 in a distillery, and to get him to study the jirobh'ni 

 by resi(k>nce on estates during crop time. The 

 l.,aboratory staff would assist in the chemical work. 

 Kvintuallv, \\hen " coiidil ions' have been establishefl, 

 siiecial courses for training distillers wmild be given 

 under the .scheme of Agricultural Education authorized 

 bv the (iovernnient.' 



