Vol. XII. No. 290. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,- 



191 



institutions who require a special knowledge of methods in 

 agricultural chemistry. 



The field experiments, which were begun in 1843, have 

 on some of the plots been continued without break or altera- 

 tion up to the present day — for seventy years; it is in)[)ossible 

 to exaggerate the importance of continuing these experi- 

 ments without any change, as nowhere else in the world do 

 such data exist for studying the etlects of season and 

 manuring npon the yield and quality of the crop, and for 

 watching the progressive changes which are going on in the 

 soil 'I'he maintenance, however, of the old data throws 

 a heavy burden on the Experiment Station. There are 210 

 plots, and every year 243 samples have to be taken with 

 proper precaution and put into store for future reference. 

 In additi'iii, there are made 486 determinations of dry matter. 

 243 of ash, 170 of nitrogen, fifty of phosphoric acid, and 

 twenty-four of potash, also 180 deterniinatLons of nitrates, 

 etc in rain and drainage waters, and seventeen botanical 

 analyses of hay. This does not include examinations of 

 soil, the complete grass separations, and other extensive 

 series of determinations which are made at longer intervals. 

 All the above determinations, however, are part of a 

 necessary routine which must be completed before any new 

 investigations can be undertaken. 



It should be remembered that the objpct of the Rotham- 

 sted expeiiments is to ascertain how the plant grows, and 

 only indirectly to find the most paying methods in which to 

 provide nutrients for cultivated plants; hence neither the 

 nature nor the quantitj- of material applied is to be taken 

 as indicating the manures which should be used in practice 



It may be added in concluding this abstract of the 

 introduction to the report, that the benefit derived from 

 Rothamsted is not merely confined to British or even to 

 European agriculture, for the results of abstract re.search are 

 frequently of the greatest value in directing and in interpret- 

 ing the results of soil investigations in the Tropici, and in 

 many cases the results rf special investigations at Rothamsted 

 arc directly applicable under tropical conditions. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



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



Little or no improvement can be reported on the general 

 condition of the markets during the muntli of April. The 

 supplies were normal, but the demand slow. Amongst West 

 Indian products mace, nutmegs and lime oil commanded 

 slightly higher prices. 



GINGER. 



At the first spice auction on the 2nd of the month, 

 ginger was represented by 100 packages of Cochin, which 

 were sold without reserve at the fcillowing rates: limed 

 Calicut 40s., and brown rough 30.s. to 31.s. per cwt. A week 

 later 631 bags of washed rough Cochin were offered, and 

 bought in at 31s. to 32s. At auction on the 16th, Jamaica was 

 represented by 110 packages which sold at the following 

 rates: fair to good common 45s. 6c?. to 49s. 6c/., and bold 

 middling 53s. to 53s 6d . Some 239 bags of washed rough 

 Cochin were offered and bought in at 33s. per cwt. On the 

 23rd no Jamaica was offered, Init cochin was represented by 

 631 bags, a small part only finding purchasers, 37s. being 

 paid for cut tips, and 35.<. for brown cuttings; some sales 

 wore also eificted for rough brown Calicut at 30s. to 31s. per 



cwt. Good small cut Calicut was bought in at 45s ; at 

 auction on the last day of the month the ofterings were small 

 and no sales were effected 



NUTMEGS AND MACE. 



At the first sale on the 2nd of the month, 64 [jackages 

 of West Indian nutmegs were brought forward and partly 

 .sold, 84's to 9rs fetching 5}.(l lo 5|rf. per lb., 102'8 to Ill's 

 5ld. to 5|(i. On the 9th, 277 packages of West Indian were 

 ottered and sold at the following rates: 75's to 85',s, 6rf. to 6hd.; 

 8S'8 to 9S's, 5Jd to Gd; 114's to 124's, bid. to Gd. Again 

 at the auction on the 16th, 9 packages of West Indian were 

 offered and sold at similar rates; 60 packages of limed 

 Eastern were also sold, 55's fetching 9hd., 68'3 7d., 80's 6hd. 

 and 98's to 106's, 5id. to 5^rf. At the two concluding sales 

 in the month similar prices ruled, 46 packages of West Indian 

 being sold at one and 14 packages at the other, respectively. 

 For mace there has also been a stea.ly demand. .\t auction 

 on the 9th, 95 packages of WeM Indian were brought forward 

 most of which were sold, fair mi.xed to pale fetching 2s. id. 

 to 2.S-. 7d., ordinary and red 2s. '2d. to 2s, 'M , and broken Is. 9 J. 

 to 2s. '2d per lb On the 16th, the offerings consisted of 6 

 packages of West Indian and 20 packages of Eastern; the 

 former sold at 2s 2d. to 2s. -id. and 2s. for broken, whilst 

 for the Eastern 2s. 3d. to 2s 5d. v/aa obtained. At the last 

 sile there was a continued steady demand, 3 packages of 

 West Indian selling at 2s. Id. for good pale, and 2s. 2d. to 

 2s. 3d. for dark red and pickings. 



S.\RS.\P.^KILLA. 



The month commenced with an increased demand for 

 grey .Jamaica, which was represented at the first drug 

 auction on the 3rd of the month by 17 bales, and of native 

 Jamaica 8 bales. The whole of these were sold, the former 

 at an advance of from 3d. to id per lb., fair fibrous realizing 

 from 2.< Sd. to 2s 9rf. per fti. Of the native Jamaica, !<. to 

 ].<. Id was paid for dull red to fair red, in part mouldy. 

 At auction on the 17th no grey Jamaica was ottered, but 

 native -Jamaica was represented by 15 bales and Lima 

 .Jamaica by 5. Of the former 12 bales were disposed of, 

 9 of which realized, from fair to good red. Is to Is 1(/. 

 per lb., lid. to ll|d. being paid for fair red, and 8d. to lOd. 

 for dull mixed tawny. Two bales only out of the 6 

 offered, found buyers, and these 2 fetched 2» 8d. per Bb. 



CASSIA FISTULA, KOL.V AND LI.ME OIL. 



On the 3rd of the month 8 b<skets of Cassia 

 Fistula, fair thin fresh pods from Java, were sold without 

 reserve at 23s. Kola continues scarce and dear. At auction 

 at the beginning of the month one bag of fair dried West 

 Indian halves, part mouldy, realized 4./. per &., and a week 

 later a few bags of fair dried were ottered at 5d. On the 

 17th, at auction, 42 Itags from Java were brought forward, 

 36 of which sold at from i\d. to 4|c? per ft). They were 

 of ordinary dullish halves, partly broken. About the middle 

 of the month two cases of hand pressed West India oil of 

 lime were offered and sold at lis. 6rf. to lis. 7d., and 4 

 cases of di-stilled yellow to pale were sold at l.v. to is. 2d. 

 per K). 



Cotton growing in the Dominican Republic is referred 

 to in a recent issue of I'he Hoard nf Tradi; Journal (April 24, 

 1913). Great expectations were formed of the results of 

 a trial to grow Sea Island cotton under irrigation, though 

 political disturbances apparently interfered. Cotton gins are 

 in operation at Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi, and samples 

 of Sea Island cotton grown near Barahona have been valued 

 at lid. to Is. per lb. by Liverpool experts. 



