ToL. VI r. No. 151] 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



65 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices on the London Market. 



Mr. J. R. Jackson, A. L. 8., has forwarded the 

 following report on the Londuu drug and spice market 

 •during the month of December : — 



At the beginning of Deocuiljci- there was a slight 

 improvement in certain articles at the spice and drng 

 auctions, but the general character tln-oughoiit the month 

 was one of decided dullness, due both to the continued high 

 bank rate, to the Christmas holidays, and to the New Year's 

 -annual stock takings. 



At the first drug sale on the -"ith, it was announred 

 that the next sale would not take place till the middle of 

 January. Our present report will therefore he of a brief 

 nature, more especially as there is but little to say about 

 West Indian products. 



CINGER. 



With regard to ginger, no .Jamaica was offered at the 

 first auction and the other kinds weije quite unimportant. 

 At the second auction on the 11th, .Jamaica was represented, 

 and 38 bags and 5 barrels sold at the following rales : 

 Good ordinary, 70.s-. ; ordinary small, Ga.s. ; and dark, G2.s- 6<;. 

 Some ordinary washed rough Cochin, in bags, was offered 

 and bought 'in at 36.s. per cwt. On the lt<th, all the 

 ofTerings, which consisted of 180 packages of Jamaica, were 

 boui'ht in, and there was no further business done in this 

 article during the remainder of the month. 



NUTMEOS, MACE, ANli I'IMENTO. 



A very quiet trade was done in nutmegs. On the 11th, 

 •2[ packages of West Indian were disposed of at -l-ld for 

 Ill's, and 1-s. for Go's, there being mo dealings at a later 

 period. ^Mace at the same sale realized for dark red West 

 Indian Ls. 1'/., at which rate 2 packages were sold. Fair 

 Peuang was bought in at l.s. 7'?. No further dealings were 

 reported. .Small sales of Pimento were also made at the same 

 auction at 3d. per lb,, at which price a few bags were 

 disposed of on the IStli, but no sales were made later. 



AUROAVKOOT. 



This article was not much in evidence during the month, 

 but at the sale on the 11th, the offerings of St. Vhicent 

 amounted to 19G barrels, but a few only were sold at 2^iL 

 per lb. for good manufacturing. S9me sales were effected 

 privately at from 2.J/7. to ?>^d. for f;iir to good fair manufac- 

 turinr.'. and 2^d. foi- good, while fine commanded id. per IT). 

 sAi;sAi'Ai;iLi-\. 



At the first drug sale on the dth, 15 bales of genuine 

 o-rey Jamaica Avere disposed of at Is 8t/. per ft), for gcjod 

 tibrous, but partly coarse : Ls. 6-^. per ,1I)._ was paid for 3 bales 

 of partly black mixed, and for a consignment of 15 bales 

 from j:cuador, of the character of ')uayat|uil, 4 only were 

 dispo.-.id of at lb/, jier it. Or.e bale of native Jamaica, 

 common mixed grey and red, was bought in at l.s. per lb. 

 Thou'di information was at hai'.d in^ the middle of the month 

 of the arrival of G bales of grey .Jamaica, and of the same 

 ipiantity "f niiti\c Jauiai.n. tlie-,e had not yet apjieared at 

 auction. 



CANHLLA ALISA, KOI..\, \ niV, .i C H li,, TA.M AKINUS, ETC. 



Fen- Canella bark, of which 5 b;des of fair bright, mostly 



ijale quill, were offeied in the early part of the month, G-^i.s. 



was(|unted. Good West Indian, p.irtly washed, kola, also 



offered at the same sale, sold at 2?,'/. to 2^(?., and ordinary 



■ at l.\'/. -Vt the first .spice sale lime juice was represented by 



11 piackages of raw West Indian, which realized l.s. 3d. per 

 gallon ; also 2 hogsheads of raw Dominica were sold at 1*-. 

 per gallon. Private dealings were also made in good I'ow 

 Jamaica at Is. od , and fair at l.s. 3d. Four ca.ses of West 

 Indian distillcil oil of linie realized l.s. 9d. per K). Pdack 

 Calcutta tamarinds were bought in at 13.s. per cwt., and fair 

 Ceylon annatto at '2''ld., ami ordinary 2]'/. jier lb. 



MILLIONS IN ANTIGUA. 



The Hon. I'^-ancis Watts, C'.M.G., has forwarded 

 the accompanying note in reference to the small fish 

 known as ' millions,' which, as mentioned in the 

 Afjrieidtural iSfei('.9, was recently identified by Jlr. G. A. 

 Boulenger, F.RS., of the British Museum as 

 (i Irurtl hii'y iio/'rilfiidci : — ■ 



The small fish which in Barbados is known as " nullions ' 

 were introduced from that island into Antigua in August 

 1905, by the Imperial Department of Agriculture. 



The}' were found to thrive exceedingly well in the ponds 

 and tanks at the Hotaiuc Station. From the Hotanic Station 

 they were distributed to various ponds and streams. 



It is interesting to record that the Country Health 

 Board, being convinced of the useful part played by these 

 fish in consuming mosquito larvae, have arranged for their 

 systematic distribution throughout the ponds and streams of 

 the island. The official rejaorts show that these fish are now 

 abundant in every district and practically in every pond anil 

 stream. 



DOMINICA AGRICULTURAL AND 

 COMMERCIAL SOCIETY. 



A general meeting of the above Society was held 

 on December 28 last. 



The first subject wJneh received attention was 

 a connnuuication from .Sir ])aniel Morris, covering a letter 

 from 'Sir. W. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent of 

 St. Vincent, with respect to an enquii'y from ^Messrs. Robert- 

 son Bros., Ltd., of Toronto, Canada, for samples of sweet 

 potato flour and starch. Copies of the correspondence were 

 provided for jJanters wdio thought of taking up the matter, 

 and these planters were asked to submit the prices at which 

 they would be able to suj^ply the flour and starch. 



Mr. A. R. C. Lockhart was appointed to represent the 

 Society at the late West Indian Agricultural Conference held 

 at P.arbados. 



A letter on the subject of means of communication and 

 trade relations between the West Indies and Canada, seut by 

 the ■'vVest India Comnuttee in October, 1907, to the Hon. W. S. 

 Fielding, Canadian Finance Minister, and reprinted in the 

 U'cif India. Committer Cimdar of December 10 last, came 

 \\\< for consideration by the Society. The Secretary was 

 instructed to inform the West India Committee that the 

 Society was iu general accord with the views and suggestions 

 expressed in the letter referred to, as to means whereby 

 relations between the West Indies and Canada might be 

 inqn'oved. 



The Society also carried unanimously a mention, in which. 

 it plcilgcd its support to the French Conqjagine Generalc 

 Transatlantic pie, if this company, by calling regularly at the 

 island, would afford shijipers of Dominica an opportniuty to 

 establish trade relations with France. 



