Vol. VII. No. 167. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



297 



Production and Uses of Annatto' 



Annatto is the orange-red colouring mutter which 

 -occurs as a layer of pulp on tlje outside of the seeds of 

 Bixa orellanu', a small tree native to Central and 

 South America, and now cidtivated on a commercial 

 ^cale both in the West and East Indies. 



This product is largely used in many countries to 

 impart a yellow colour to such articles of food as 

 butter, margarine, and cheese. It was formerly used 

 for dyeing silks, but is now little einpioyed for this 

 .purpose. 



The atmatto plant is largely grown in Jamaica, 

 more esj)ecially by small holders. The exports of this 

 product from the island have largely increased of late 

 years. In 1882, the shipments were 147,000 If)., while 

 in 190.5-G they reached 4.57,248 tb. Owing to the 

 •drought of 1906-7, the Jamaica crop was nnirh curtailed, 

 .and the exports fell to 290,.578 It)., of which 204,730 tb. 

 went to the United States. 



Annatto seeds may V)e first collected when the 

 plants are about eighteen months old, but a fidl crop 

 vill not be obtained within three or four years from 

 the time of sowing. Growers sometimes prepare the 

 •dye themselves by treatment of the seeds with hot 

 water, and subsequent evaporation of the liquid, the 

 dye being exported in the form of a paste. In most 

 cases, however, the seeds themselves are shipped abroad, 

 .and the dye is prepared in Europe Or America. At 

 present the average price of annatto seed is about 

 ill. per lb. 



■■ 1-^^—— — — 



Dominica Limes at the Canadian Exhibitions. 



Particulars have been given in recent issues of 

 the Agricultund News of the samples of produce and 

 •other articles that have been forwarded to the Toronto 

 National Exhibition by Barbados, St. Lucia, and 

 British Gluiana. Dominica is also taking part in the 

 •exhibition, but it was considered advisal)le, by the 

 Permanent Exhibition Committee, to limit the articles 

 sent, to limes and lime products only, and to concen- 

 trate all efforts on making a really good collection in 

 this line. 



The nroduce was forwarded to Toronto from 

 Dominica on July 27, by the C.L.S. 'Dahome,' and 

 •comprised 14 boxes and 1 barrel of green limes, 

 16 bottles of raw, .-md .5 bottles of concentrated lime 

 juice, -i bottles of citrate of lime, 4 l)Ottles of distilled 

 lime oil, 1 bottle of otto of limes, and 1 bottle of hand- 

 pressed lime oil. Bundles of cocoa-nut leaves and a case 

 of Roseau plumes were sent at the same time to 

 serve as decorative material in arranging the exhibits. 



Eight large crates of green limes were also for- 

 warded by the ' Oruro' on September 1, for display at 

 the Ottawa Exhibition, which will be held this month. 



Fruit for exhibition was supplied by the owners of 

 the St. Aroment, Hillsborough, (Jeneva, Lisdara, Ever- 

 ton, Clark Hall, Bath, Wall House, Ancastor Park, 

 Canefield, and Castle Comfort estates, and the Dominica 

 Fruit Growers' Association, while the Botanic Station 

 and Agricultural School al.so contributed. 



YouDg Cotton and Old Cotton. 



The Imperial Department of Agriculture has 

 always recommended to planters that old cotton plants 

 from the crop of the previous year, should be entirely 

 cleared from the estate before the young crop is sown. 

 By this means the danger of infection to the young 

 plants with scale insects and other pests from the old 

 cotton is removed. The wisdom of this course has been 

 abundantly proved by experience. In St. Croix a law 

 has been passed which makes it compulsory for growers 

 to pull up and burn their cotton plants as soon as thw 

 second picking has taken place. Legislation of a similar 

 nature has been under i-onsideration in the Leeward 

 Islands but up to the pi-esent no law has been passed 

 (in the subject. 



In spite of the above considerations, old cotton is 

 sometimes noticed at Barbados and in other islands, 

 growing side by side with the young seedling crop. The 

 former is retained for the sake of the third picking, 

 and in niany cases, no doubt, the monetary returns 

 obtained seem, for the time, to justify the practice. 

 Planters should, however, consider whether the profit 

 so gained is not balanced by the risk to which the 

 young cotton on the estate is exposed, especially when 

 it is considered that the lint from the third picking is 

 usually, if not always, much inferior in qualit}'. The 

 practice has undoubtedly in some cases, resulted in the 

 destruction of at least a portion of the growing crop. 



Rubber from Trinidad. 



A collection of rubbers prepared in Trinidad from 

 trees growing on lands belonging to the Botanical 

 Department, or on private estates, was forwarded some 

 tin)e ago to the Imperial Institute, London for exami- 

 nation and valuation, and the report on these samples 

 is published in the latest issue of the Balleti u of the 

 Institute (Vol. VI, No. 2). 



Para rubber, the product of two trees just over 

 30 years old, was forwarded in biscuit, ball, and scrap 

 form. The biscuits were reported on as well-prepared, 

 and were valued at from 4.v. 1\<I. to .5.---. 1'/. per It)., at 

 a time when Para biscuits from the East commanded 

 a price of from -o.s-. 1(/. to .5.v. Ihl. per lb. 



Twelve samples of Castilloa rubber, in block, sheet, 

 and scrap forms, from trees of varying ages, were 

 forwarded. The chief point noticeable from a considera- 

 tion of the results of analysis of these rubbers is the 

 large amounts of resin present, which considerably 

 depreciated the value of the product. Two samples 

 (block), the produce of trees 7i years old, contained 

 37 and .52 per cent., respectively, of resin. Another 

 sample, possessing good physical properties, and from 

 a tree 17 years old, contained 23 per cent, of resin. 

 This proportion is much higher than that usually 

 recorded for Castilloa rubber from mature trees. The 

 values placed upon the sheet Castilloa rubbers sent> 

 varied from 2.s. to 4.s. ()'/. per lb., the highest figure 

 being obtained for rubber the product of trees only 

 six years old. The samples of scrap Castilloa rubber 

 sent were estimated to be worth from 2.s. \d. to 3.* 

 per lb. 



