■388 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Decembee 12, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



FRUIT AT ST. LUCIA. 



Considerable attention is being paid by the Agri- 

 •cultural Department at St. Lucia to the propagation 

 of good varieties of ditt'erent kinds of fr\iit. Among 

 these, limes take a leading place. 



Evidence of the intere.st taken in lime planting is given 

 by the fact that a total of ■o6,-t2.5 [ilants were distributed 

 from the I'.otanie Station of the island in l907-f. This is an 

 increase of 19,309 as compared with the number sent out in 

 the previous year. It is mentioned, too, in t\ie Annual licport 

 I in the -Station, that large numbers of plants have also been 

 raised in private nurseries. 



A lime plot, established in 190.5 on the land worked in 

 <;onne.\ion with the Agricultural School, St. Lucia, is making 

 good progress. The orange snow scale ((Jhiomi^pit citri) 

 appeared on several of the trees, but .sjiraying \\\X\\ kerosene 

 and whale-oil soap solution proved an etticacious method ot 

 destroying this pest. 



In 1907, shipments of green limes were made to London 

 and New York. Those sent to England, it is stated, realized 

 a price of as nuich as 3.s. 9'/. [)er box of 200 fruits, while the 

 -shipment to Xcw York- was sold at prices rising to 14x. id. 

 per barrel of 1,200. 



The Fond Deveau.x estate possesses the jiii nicer lime 

 plantation of St. Lucia, and from thi.s, the fir.st e.Kport of 

 cuncentrated lime juice manufactured in the island was 

 shipped during the year. A lime factoiy constructed on 

 modern lines has lately been erected on this estate. The 

 juice is extracted by means of granite rollers, and concentra- 

 ted in wooden vats. 



The orange trees at the St. Lucia Kxperiiuent Station 

 are coming on well, and most of them liorc simic fruit in the 

 sea.son 1907-8. 



A tree of an early variety, ' Parson Ihown ' boic a crop 

 of nearly 200 oranges at four years from planting. \'arieties 

 that have been established at the Station for .some time are 

 I'ar.son Brown, Whittaker, .biffa, Washin.gton Xavel, Taiilifi', 

 and Union. In aildition four other varieiies — b'uby, I'inc- 

 apple, Major<-a, and Honuisassa — have lately been contributed 

 from the liotiuiical Deiiartmcnt, Trinidad. 



I'lants of several varieties of choice grafted mangos 

 liave lately been introduced and planted out in the grounds. 

 These include the ' Peters,' ' Peach,' and ' (lordon ' vurieties, 

 presented by the Trini<lad liotanical Uepartment, and which 

 are new to St. Lucia. .Mango |)lan;s of the varieties ' \) '( )r,' 

 ''Reine Amelie,' ' Divine,' and ' .lulie' have been olitained 

 from the Agricultural Department at Martinicjue. 



ORANGE TRADE IN SPAIN. 



Some notes on the depressed condition of the 

 orange-growing industry in Spain were given in the 

 A<jricaltaral News of November 14 hist (page 3.5b). 

 In further reference to this subject it maybe nu-iitioned 

 that the latest report of the British Consul at Barce- 

 lona di.r.closes no improvement in the situation, but 

 rather a more unsatisfictory cotidition than that previ- 

 ously described. 



A'alcncia is the chief Siianish [xirt front which oranges 

 are shipped to 'iceat iiritain, and while in 1905 the exports 

 to liritish markets reached 1,59-1,274 cases, they fell to 

 71.J,o99 cases in 1907. The freight jier case of oranges from 

 Valencia to England or (iennany averages from I.'j. to l.v. 3d. 



The Consul states that the 1907-8 season, from its 

 commencement at the beginiung of November 1907, up to 

 the end of the same year, was altogether disastrous. Tlie 

 output in the Spanish orange-growing provinces has contin- 

 ued steadily to increase for years i>ast, and, as previou.sly 

 mentioned, this overproduction has luul to compete with 

 large crops of fruit grown in other pai'ts i>t' tile woild. 



It is not expected thai the crop will continue to increa.se 

 in future sea.son.s. ' Growers have realized that it is useless to 

 [ilant more trees under )iresent conditions, and with the 

 unieinunerative returns which are now alone obtainable, they 

 cannot attbrd the generous applications of artificial manures 

 which have been regularly given in ])ast years. 



The ISiiti^h \'ice-(,'<iiisiil at ^■.dellcia in his report for 

 tile yeai- 1 '.107, also refers to the liail sea.son which orange 

 growers haxe suttered in his particular district. .\t tlie 

 commencement ot the .season in November 1907, shipments 

 began on an eiiormons scale, and as the fruit was mostly too 

 unripe, disastrous [trices resulted, and severe losses were 

 experienced. 



.\s mentioned in the previous article on this subject, 

 Spanish oranges pass through many intermediaries before 

 being placed on the British or other markets. Meetings of 

 growers and sl;ippers have of late been frequently held to 

 diseu>s tlie unsatisfactory condition, and to endeavour to 

 suggest a remedy. In general, the concensus of opinion points 

 to the necessity of develojiing a system of co-operation, and 

 to the formation of .syndicates of growers which would under 

 take the packing, shipping, and sale of the fruit in foreign 

 markets There is a desire to try the experiment of selling 

 direct to the consumer, and thus avoid the increased exiienses 

 caused a.s the ie>ult of the frnit iieing liiuulled by m. many 

 agent.s. 



