Vol. XII. No. 285. 



THE AGllICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ill 



PERENNIAL RIOE. 



In West Africa, along the courses of the Senegal and ihe 

 Niger, there are tracts of land which, during the rains, are 

 often temporally flooded, but which, luring the greater part 

 of the year are e.vtreraely deficient in water-supply. In these 

 districts of alternating droughts and inundations, there grows 

 a remarkable graminaceous plant known as perennial rice. 



An article by M. Yves Henry, Directeur d' Agriculture 

 des Colonies Franijsises, published in /,' AyrifuUure Pratique 

 des Payf Ckauds, for December 1911, describes the botanical 

 and agricultural characteristics of this species, and although 

 the information there presented does not directly concern the 

 majority of the West Indian islands, the high degree of 

 interest attaching to the subject renders it desirable to 

 publish the following abstract. 



The seeds of perennial rice germinate under moist 

 conditions in about si.x days, aerial shoots are given otT and 

 the root system which at first is normal soon becomes greatly 

 modified by the gradual formation of a rhizome or under- 

 ground stem. Ordinarily the aerial shoots do not fructify 

 during the first year, but the time and extent of fruiting 

 appear to be largely determined by the regularity and 

 amount of flooding that the crop receives. One of the 

 difiiculties in cultivating this crop is the unevenness in the 

 ripening of the grain as a result of the irregular submersions 

 under natural conditions. 



During the dry season the plant's existence depends 

 entirely upon the rhizome which appears capable of resisting 

 inordinate extremes of drought and moisture. On the retreat 

 of the water the larger aerial shoots become layered, and it is 

 the custom of the natives to graze then their cattle on these 

 fields. The animals feed upon the layered straw which forms 

 a protective carpet for the developing shoots below. Chemi- 

 cal analysis shows this -straw to be nutritious: it is particularly 

 brittle, however, and exceptionally rich in silica. It has been 

 decided to utilize the coarser stems as a source of fibre for 

 paper-making and, in the article referred to above, the 

 practicability of the scheme is supported by a reference to 

 the facilities for transport occasioned by the close proxi- 

 mity of large water-courses. 



The grain is used as food by the natives. It is said not 

 to be sufHciently plump for exportation, though hybridization 

 experiments are in view, which may result in the breeding of 

 a perennial rice possessing several dillerent features of very 

 considerable economic importance. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES IN THE LONDON 

 MARKET. 

 The Report of Mr. J. R. Jackson is as follows: — 



The month of February opened with very little, if any 

 improvement in business, over the preceding month, or even 

 over the closing months of the old year, and this dullness 

 prevailed till the last week of the month, when an improved 

 business tone was apparent both in the increased number of 

 buyers, and in the demand for the several products. Several 

 drugs and chemicals have commanded higher prices, but with 

 the exception of sarsaparilla and lime juice, few alterations 

 have occurred in products affecting the West Indies. 



QmOER. 



At the first spice auction on February '>, 92 packages of 

 Cochin were offered, and sold without reserve, f7s. to 47s. Grf. 

 per cwt. being paid for small cut limed, and 25s. 6c/. for 

 good rough to cut brown Calicut. A week later, namely on 

 the 12th, ginger met with no demand; 231 bags of washed 

 rough Cochin were lirought forward, and bought in at 42s. 

 per cwt. On the 19th ginger was represented by 47 baga 

 only, of dull washed Jamaica, which sold at 48s. 6<i- On the 

 26th the otl'erings at auction were 259 bags of washed Cochin, 

 80 of these found private buyers, and the remainder were 

 bought in at .34,s-. per cwt. 



NDTMEGS AND MACE. 



Nutmegs have been in steady demand throughout the 

 month; on the 12th 34 packages of West Indian were sold 

 at the following rates: 93's 5|(i., and lOO's to 105's 5^d,; 

 66 packages of Eastern were also sold; limed 56's to 65'3 

 fetching 7kL, to 9'/. 76's 6ic7., 98^s 6d. and 130's, od. 

 A week later prices for West Indian had advanced \d. to 

 ^d. per lb. at which rate 330 packages were sold out of 

 343 offered. On the 19tli of the month mace was repre- 

 sented by -59 packages of West Indian, 2s. to 2s. id. being 

 paid for sound and l.s. 9'/ to 2s. 3d. for broken at which 

 rates the whole consignment was sold. There has been no 

 demand for pimento or arrowroot. 



SARSAPARILLA. 



For this drug, prices have advanced during the 

 month. At the first auction on the 6th the offerings were 

 as follows: grey Jamaica 1 1 bales, Lima Jamaica 4 bales, 

 and native .Jamaica 14 bales. The whole of the 

 grey Jamaica and Lima Jamaica were sold, and of the 

 native Jamaica 4 only out of the 14 offered found buyers 

 at Is for fair red, and lOd. for fair palish red slightly mixed. 

 The 1 1 bales of grey Jamaica fetched from 2s. Id. to 2s. '2d. 

 per Hi), which was from 2d. to 3d. per lb. advance on previous 

 prices; Is. lOd. per tt). was the price paid for tlie 4 bales 

 of Lima Jamaica A fortnight later, namely, on the 20th, the 

 offerings amounted to only 4 bales of grey Jamaica and 

 10 bales of Mexican, for the former 2s. id. per ft), was paid 

 for fair, and 2s. 5d. for good beardy. The Mexican was not 

 disposed of. 



KOLA, OAS.SIA FISTDXA, LIME JUICE, LIME OIL. 



In kola there has been a steady demand during the 

 month, and good prices have been realized, at the beginning 

 of the month as much as od. per ft), was the quoted price for 

 good West Indian halves. At auction on the 20th the offer- 

 ings amounted to only 3 bags, all of which were sold, i^d. 

 being paid for good West Indian whole nuts and halves, and 

 id. for slightly mouldy. Of Cassia Fistula 37 packages 

 were offered at auction on the 6 th, and 15 of Java, fair fresh 

 pod somewhat lean, were .sold without reserve at 17s. 6c/. 

 Lime juice has maintained a firm position throughout the 

 month, at the first sale some 16 packages were offi-red, but 

 two hogshead only were disposed of at Is. i^d. per 

 gallon for good pale raw Dominican. A week later 

 good green raw West Indian, was quoted at Is. Id. 

 and at the end of the month it was reported that 

 in consequence of its scarcity, good raw West Indian would 

 fetch 2s. if obtainable. Only one tin of hand pressed 

 Dominica lime oil was offered at the first auction on the 6th 

 and it was sold at 9s. 9c/. per lb. On the 20th 6 packages 

 were offered, namely, 2 of hand pressed St. Lucia and 

 4 of distilled St. Lucia, the former realized 1 Is. 6d. per lb. 

 and the latter Is. id. per R). 



