35C 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



NOVEMBEU U, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT 



ORANGE TRADE IN SPAIN. 



From reports prepared by tlieKritish(Jonsul-Gciier;>l 

 ;it Barcelona, it would appear that the oran^'e trade of 

 Spain has of late years been in an unsatisfactory condi- 

 tion. This applies not only to Spanish growers and 

 shippers, but also to receivers in the United Kingdom 

 and other countries to which the fruit is sliipped. 



This depre.ssion is chioHy attributed t(i (1 ) uver-prodiic- 

 tidii. The size of the Spanish orange crop having steadily 

 increased for some years past : (2) the production of oranges 

 on a large scale in other countries, which are shipped to tlif 

 .sanif markets as the Spanish product ; (."i) the enormous 

 <inantities of fruit .such as banana.s, apples, etc. that flood the 

 same markets. 



The (,'onsular report referred to, which uus prepared at 

 the request of the Imperial (Jommissioiier (if Agriculture 

 for the West Indies, through the Colonial Office, states that 

 matters have shown a slight improvement (juite recently, 

 becau.se no more trees are likely to be planted, and the out- 

 put will not contiiute to increase. 



\'alencia is the chief port fi'om wliii-h Spanish iirangcs 

 urc exported to England, and in 190.") the shipments to 

 I'ritish markets reached l,.o9-f,"27-f cases, containing fioni 

 420 to 1,120 orange.s, according to size. In 190.'! the e.\ ports 

 were much larger in quantity. In adilition consideraMc 

 shipments of oranges are now made frcnu Se\ illr and M.daga. 



Orange growers in Spain usually sell tlicii- wlinlc crup 

 direct to packers, who pick, classify, and pack the fiuil, anil 

 either .sell it again in Valencia to dealers for export, or more 

 generally consign it by arrangement to a broker in a foi-cign 

 market. Some growers do their "wn packing, or pint ot it. 

 especially when the low price offered l)y the packers lead 

 them to think they could do the business better tlieiTiselves. 

 Other packers woik on I'oniniission either for dealers or 

 growers. 



It has been mentioned that one cause for the depression 

 in the Spanish orange trade is the large impoit into (Ireat 

 Kritain "i olhi-r fruits such as appio and l)ananas. 

 A tendency to increa.se tin; price of oianges leads to 

 a decreased demand, and the substitution of other fruits. It 

 is mentioned that oranges have already felt severely I hi' 

 introduction <if .lamaica bananas into the I'nited KiiiLidom. 

 and this has undoubtedly given :i cli-'ck to the developineiii 

 of the Spainsh trade 



I'ntil recently, it would appear that glowers liave been 

 making hand.some profits, and this opinion is contirme<l by the 

 large area under voum; trees. It has be-n the custom to 



force production by the ai))ilication of extravagant quantitie.'i 

 of artificial manure.s, which, it is stated, has increased the 

 ipiantity of the crop at the e.xpcnse of quality. .V continuon.< 

 advance in the price of the wood from which the orange 

 boxes are manufactured is mentioned as another difiirultv 

 w ith which till' Spanish industry has had to coiitenil. 



FRUIT PRODUCTION IN THE 

 BAHAMAS. 



The truit-piodiicing niihistrv of the Bahamas ha.s 

 not been in a ver\ satisfactory condition during the 

 past two years, but the latest report (1907) of tiie 

 Curator of the Botanic Station at Nassau sperd<s hcpe- 

 full}' as to the bitiire jn-ospoets of citrus iiuit, and 

 pine-apple jiroduclioii in the colony. 



The dioiiiiht experienced during I 9ori :uid eailv in 1907 

 to ;i luige c\t<'nt accounts for the recent falling oti'iiitlie 

 fruit output, while the opinion is also entertained that the 

 pine-apple industry of the liahainas.is sufl'ering from degener- 

 acy of the plants cultivated, owing to continuous inlirecdiiu^ 

 of local stock. 



A special grant of £100 lias been allotted l>y the I'.oard 

 of Agriciiltuie foi- e\pei iiiients in pine-ajtple cultivation. 

 These experiment.s, which wei-e started last year, include 

 both manurial trials and tests with local and imported varieties. 

 The imported varieties were obtained from Jamaica and 

 iiiciiiili^ lied Sjianish. Green Itijiley, lied Ripley, and Sugar 

 Loaf. They have so far made a more vigorous growth tlian 

 the local kinds of pine-apples. 



The total value of the pine-apples exported from the 

 r>ili,imas during 1906-7 was £'M),(M\. Tins shows a decrea.se 

 of £1*75 compared with the value of the piiie-appli> shipments 

 of 190-") (i and £r),0:b') from the exports of 1904-."). The pros- 

 pects for the 190S croii of pine ap|)les were stated to be 

 eneoura>;iiig. It has niulonbteilly been proved that gra|ie- 

 fruit and oianges of excellent (pialiiy can be j'rodnccd in the 

 I'ahamas, Imt the \alne of the citrus fniit exports fell from 

 £:!.7S.") in I90.")-G to i;2,G20iii 190(5-7. Samples of grape- 

 fruit aiid oranges from the colony have been shipped to 

 Isngland and Canada, and an improved condition of the 

 market is exjiected in the future. The Curator in his report 

 emphasizes the necessity of greater care in handling, .selecting, 

 grailing and packing citrus fruit intended for export, and 

 mentions that the grapefruit and oranges exported from tlie 

 I'.ahamas are at present in danger of getting a bad reputation 

 on the foreign market owing to negligence in these matters, 

 and the shipment of inferioi- fruit. 



