YoL. 1. No. 9. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



137 



_givt'n away to various cultivators to test 

 bility for local conditions. 



its siiita- 



LOCAL USES. 



The nuts are eaten either fresh or parched, used in 

 the preparation of nut cakes, and sometimes emploj-ed 

 to make a 'cocoa.' Their most imjwrtant value in other 

 countries as a source of oil is not taken a<lvanta£re of. 



VALUATION IN ENGLAND. 



In order to ascertain 

 their value for dessert pur- 

 poses in the London market 

 the Imperial De{)artment of 

 Agriculture forwarded two 

 small consignments for re- 

 jiort as to their merits and 

 market price. The samples 

 sent consisted of nuts of last 

 year's crop, selected for size 

 and general appearance. 

 Messrs. Leete, Son & Co., 

 Liverpool, reported on their 

 sample in the following 

 terms : — 



'Having examined tlie 

 sample of ground-nuts, we are 

 of opinion that sam3 are very 

 fine in size, and would be sale- 

 able in considerable quantities 

 for eating purposes at a value 

 of about i/16 10s. to £17 per 

 ton, if the outside shell could be 

 kept clean and bright, (this i.s 

 important, as people buying for 

 de.5sjrt purposss require a nice 

 appearance) also the nuts should 

 be dry when shippscl, as we find 

 that inside the shell the kernels 

 are in^liuji to be mouldy in the 

 sample. 



' Should it be impossible to 

 obtain the nuts in any better 

 conditions than the sample 

 shows, they would only be fit 

 for cru.shiiig purposes, and the 

 value would only be from £10 

 to £11 per ton, but no doubt 

 large (piantities could be sold 

 for this purpose. 



' This year there is a partial 

 failure in the Senegal ground 

 nut crop, while India (East) has 

 jiroduced a consideralily larger 

 croii than usual.' 



Messrs. James Philip & 

 Co., to whom the second sam- 

 ple was sent, reported as 

 follows : — 



'With reference to the ground-nuts we sliall be happy 

 to try and sell any you may send over, but the brokers .say 

 they ought to be cleaner looking. Sluch lietter .specimens 

 •come from the States and elsewhere, and they will fetch 

 a,bout £3 or £4 a ton more without the shells. At present 



Fi^ 



they are worth about £9 to £1 2 a ton here, perhaps more, 

 but like everything else it is all a question of supi)ly and 

 demand.' 



POSSIIiLE EXPORT TRADE. 



There is thus a possible opening for an export 

 trade in ground-nuts for dessert purjjoses. But as will 

 be seen from the reports, it is essential that the nuts are 

 p('rfectly dry and of good coloui- and appearance. These 



desiderata can be obtained 

 by growing the crop on light 

 calcareous soil, harvesting the 

 nuts carefully, washing if 

 necessaiy and thoroughly dry- 

 ing them before export. 



VALUE OF THE OIL AND 

 OIL CAKE. 



Of j)r(jl)ably more value, 

 even, to Barbad(js are the local 

 uses to which they might be 

 ])ut. Ground-nut oil is one of 

 the best f>ils. Its good quali- 

 ties are perhaps best summed 

 np by saying that gu)und-nufc 

 oil is the most common adul- 

 terant of olive oil, and the 

 most difficult to recognize. It 

 could be employed as a substi- 

 tute in many cases for cotton 

 seed, and cocoanut oil in these 

 Colonies. The potential value 

 of the plant to Barbados alone, 

 which in 1900 imported over 

 £8,000 worth of cotton .seed oil, 

 and £4,000 worth of other oils 

 is very considerable. After the 

 oil has been expressed an oil 

 cake is left which has been ex- 

 perimented with in England, 

 India, and elsewhere as food 

 for stock, etc. Chemical analy- 

 ses show it to contain rough- 

 ly speaking 50 per cent, of 

 nitrogenous matter, 25 per 

 cent, to 30 per cent, of carbohy- 

 drates, and about 8 per cent, 

 of fat. ' It is one of the most 

 concentrated feeding stuffs 

 with which we are familiar, 

 raidviug with cotton seed meal, 

 linseed meal, etc., and in some 

 cases ahead of them.' (U.S.A. 

 Department of Agriculture, 

 Farmrrs Bidletin, No. 2-5, 

 p. G.) 



That there is room for 

 the local {jroduction of such 

 a material in Barbados is indicated by the fact 

 that in 1900 oil-cake and oil-meal were imported 

 to the value of over £15,000. Oil-meal and oil-cake 

 are in great demand on estates and it remains to be 

 seen whether it may not be po.ssible to satisfy part, 

 if not all the demand, by locally grown produce. 



13. TheG.hound Nut. (Arachis nyrotiAEA.) 

 (From tlie Dictionary of Gardening.) 



