Vol. VII. No. 163. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



23a 



Barbados Lemon Grass Oil. ' 



A report has been received from London on 

 samples of lemon grass oil prepared iit the Government 

 Laboratory, Barbados, from grass grown in the island. 



The report, which is by the chief chemist to the 

 London Essence Company, speaks very favourably of 

 the oil, and the statement of analysis shows that the 

 high citral content (8S per cent.) and freedom from 

 resinous matter should enable the Barbados product to 

 compete very favourably with oil from other sources. 



The price of lemon grass oil for the imst, six 

 months has been stationary at 2Uh per oz., which 

 is rather low, the normal price being about 3'/. per oz. 

 In 1906 the price reached 9(i. per oz. It is believed 

 that notwithstanding present low prices, the production 

 of' this oil in suitable localities in tlie West Indies 

 would prove remunerative. 



m I ^ 



Mineral Wealth of San Domin,go. 



The British Consul at San Domingo diaws atten- 

 tion to the enormous mineral wealth which exists 

 in the republic, but which under present conditions it 

 is impossible to exploit, owing to the scarcity of labour 

 and the absence of means of inland communication. 

 Allnvial gold showing a high degree of purity is found 

 in several districts, and veins of auriferous quartz exist 

 all along the central mountain chain. Copper comes 

 next in importance, on account of the Jarge quantities 

 ill which it is known to occur in several provinces. 

 Some mines that are being worked are said to yield the 

 very high percentage of from 30 to 33 [ler cent, of pure 

 oopper. Iron is also found in immense quantities in 

 different sections of the country, occurring both as 

 magnetic oxide of iron and in the form of iron pyrites. 

 VaUiable deposits of coal both anthracite and lignite, 

 have also been .discovered. Other minerals known to 

 ■exist in the republic include manganese, petroleum, 

 mercury tin, and salt. 



Orange Production in Palestine. 



Orange cultivation is largely on the increase in 

 Palestine, the headquarters of the industry being on tiie 

 plain of Sharon, and producers arc anxious to find an 

 output for their fruit on the markets of Great Britain. 

 The oranges grown are of the Jaffa variety and are 

 reported as being of high quality. Ten years ago 

 only 290,000 cases were exported : the total has now 

 risen to 630,000 cases, and it is anticipated that within 

 a very few years the output will reach 1,000,000 cases, 

 ^ach case contains from 120 to 1.50 oranges, according 

 to the size of the fruit ; the weiglit of the case is 80 lb. 

 Growers are at present in the habit 6f selling their 

 fruit to agents at a price of about 2*. 4i'/. per case; 

 the cost of packing is estimated at ;ibout is. 2d., and, 

 taking into account the freight cost to Liverpool (l.s. Sd. 

 per case), it will be seen that anything obtained over 

 and above 4x. 92'/- per case on the Liverpool market 

 represents the agent's profit. The trees begin to yield 

 at the end of the fifth year : in the sixth year it is esti- 

 mated that the returns balance the ex'penditure, and 

 thereafter profitable returns may be expected 



The Alfoos Mango. 



The London l^imcs of June 19 last contained 

 a note on the excellent qualities of the East Indian 

 mango known as the 'Alfoos' or ' Alphonso.' This 

 variety is stated to be so popular in Bombaj" that the 

 fruits command a price of from 'id. to M. each in the 

 open market. Attemj)ts made to get this mango upon 

 the English mq.Eket in quantity have so far failed, 

 owing to the decay- of the fruit during shipment. 

 During recent years grafts of the Alfoos mango have 

 been imported into Florida, and the fruit growers of 

 that State are reported to have given close attention 

 to its cultivation, since it is recognized that on account 

 of its high quality it would command the best prices. 

 Producers claim that in a short time they will be able 

 to export the fruit in quantity to the London market, 

 and this may be possible, in view of the shorter voyage 

 entaile<l as compared with that from Bombay. 



Manila Hemp at Trinidad. 



The fibre known as Manila hemp is produced from 

 the plant Masa lej-tilis, a native of the Pbilippines, 

 and a near relative of the banana. Seeds and plants 

 of ilA tc.H'di>i were a few years ago imported into Trini- 

 dad by the Botanic Department, ami a plot is now 

 growing at the St. Clair Gardens. 



Samples of the fibre from these plants have 

 recently been submitted to the Imperial Institute, 

 London, for examination, and the report issued was 

 published in the Trinidad Offtrial Gazette of July 2. 

 In this report, the fibre is described as well cleaned, 

 white, and possessing a good lustre. Its strength was 

 good, though not so great as that grown in the Philip- 

 pines. The length of staple was .5 feet. The commer- 

 cial value of the sajnples ^^as placed at £30 per ton, 

 with 'fair current ' Manila hemp at £25 per ton, and it 

 was remarked that fibre of the (piality of the specimen 

 would be saleable in any quantity. 



Praedial Larceny at Jamaica. 



A Bill dealing with praedial larceny in Jamaica is 

 about to be introduced into the Legislative Council of 

 the colony, and at a recent meeting of the Agricultural 

 Society, the (iovernor gave some indication of the main. 

 provisions of this Bill. It is proposed that any per- 

 sons found with agricultural produce, and who cannot 

 give a satisfactory account of how it came into their 

 possession, may be liable to arrest on suspicion, and the 

 onus of proving their ownership to the article challen- 

 ged rests on the suspected person. Further, it- 

 provides that, besides the police, other authorized 

 jjersons, such as magistrates, district constables, person.s- 

 nominated by branch Agricultural Societies, and others 

 appointed as special constables shall have the right to 

 arrest persons whom they have reason to suspect. It 

 will be seen that the proposed enactments are very 

 stringent in nature, but praedial larceny has largely 

 increased in Jamaica of late, and demands drastic 

 treatment. 



