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THE AORICUTURAL NEWS. 



ACi.csT ZO, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN OILS 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 •write as follows, under dace August 11, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report an extensive business has been 

 done in West Indian Sea Island cotton at easier prices. 

 About 1,500 or 1,600 bales have been sold, including 

 Barbados \8d. to 20r/., St.Kitts 16id. to \8d., Antigua 18rf., 

 St. Martin and Anguilla \6d. to Hid., Barbuda \6d. to 

 16|(/., Nevis 16rf. to \ld.. St.Croix 165. to I7d. and Jamaica 

 15W. to Ud. 



The larger buyers, recognizing that planters could not 

 told their cotton in Liverpool indefinitely, resolved to 

 purchase to stock, although they have not any improved 

 demand for yarn, but they naturally were not prepared to 

 purchase in such large quantities except at a concession. 

 Seeing the condition of the market and the state of the fine 

 trade generally, we think the sales are quite satisfactory. 



The report of Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 endine; August 9, is as follows: — 



We quote, 



Extra Fine 28c. to 29c. = 16d. to 16W. c.i.f., 4 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = Ufrf. to 15Jrf „ „ 



Fine 25c. = Hid. „ „ „ „ 



?^''^^'"^°'^|24c.to26c. = 13Jd.tol4H„ „ „ „ 

 in preparation i -^ j >i » >< n 



Fully Fine ofT^ ~„ . ,, , 



^ ,. }22c. = 12Jd. ,, „ ., 



in preparation j ^ )> » i > 



Fine off in "I „„ 1 1 1 j 



20c. = Ilia. „ ,, „ „ 



-preparation J ^ " >> '■ » 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 



Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 



Manchester and Havre up to August 9, 1913, were 



2,977 bales, 7,3<S1 bales, and 4,820 bales, respectively. 



Bending Cotton Plants for Protective Pur- 

 poses. — Interesting facts are presented in T/ie Board 

 of Tradr Journal (.Tuly 17, 1913) concerning the 

 cultivation of cotton in Columbia. 'Bogotano" is con- 

 sidered to be the superior variety. It has a long- 

 stsple lint and a very l.irge boll. The fibre is yellowish. 

 Tl e .'hrul.<. which grow t-. a height of 10 feet, last from two 

 to three years. 



The variety called 'pajarito', which is usually grown in 

 the hot coastal districts, is cultivated in a somewhat remark- 

 able manner. It is customary to bend over the stock some 

 1 to 2 fett above the .soil about a fortnight to a month before 

 the harvest, so that the plant leans right over and yet draws 

 sufficient sap for its growth. This is done in order to 

 preserve the cotton shrubs from being uprooted by the very 

 Tiolent winds which prevail from January to April, and 

 especially, also, to hasten the breaking open of the pods, 

 and thereby the harvest, and to facilitate gathering. The 

 only disadvantage is that the cotton naturally becomes 

 .rather dirtier than when left to grow erect. 



ACTION OP BAY OIL ON LEAD. 



In view of the increasing attention directed 

 towards the commercial production of bay oil in certain 

 islands of the West Indies, and in view of the infor- 

 mation published in a foriner issue of this journal 

 concerning reports on the inferior quality of West 

 Indian bay oil compared with oil distilled in Germany, 

 the following observations recently forwarded by 

 Mr. II. A Tempany, BSc, F.I.C., are of consider.vble 

 interest and importance: — 



On several occasions the circumstance has been reported 

 that the distillation of bay oil from bay leaves is accompanied 

 by the production of small and varying amounts of a black 

 greasy substance, which appear in the receiver together with 

 the bay oil and water. 



It was at first thought that this might be due to accidental 

 contamination with heavy mineral oil residues; in view of the 

 fact that stills are not infrequently constructed from mineral 

 oil drums, the explanation did not appear unlikely. 



In the systematic distillation trials which have been 

 in progress at .Montserrat for .some time past, the appearance 

 of small (juantities of this black grease was observed with 

 considerable regularity. With the idea that accidental 

 contamination was going on, precautions were taken to guard 

 against its occurrence, but, in spite of this, the production 

 of small amounts of the material continued. 



It therefore appeared nei;es.sary to seek for some other 

 explanation of the circumstance. 



The worm-tube conden.ser used in the experiments had 

 been constructed locally and was fitted with a coil made of 

 J-inch lead pipe. It seemed possible that the production 

 of the black grease might be explained by the interaction 

 of bay oil and the lead of the condenser coil. 



To test this hypothesis, samples of the substance were 

 examined in the Government Laboratory for the Leeward 

 Islands and found to contain considerable amounts of lead. 



Subsequently it wa.s discovered that the lead coil of the 

 condenser had become considerably corroded in places. 



To obtain further information on the subject, a mixture 

 of bay oil and water was boiled with small pieces of lead 

 for some hours in a Ha.sk fitted with a reflux conden.ser. At 

 the end of that time it was found that the bay oil itself had 

 darkened considerably in colour, and the pieces of lead had 

 become coated with a film of black grease similar in appear- 

 ance to that already encountered. 



In order to ascertain whether action of this description 

 was to be anticipated with other metals, similar experiments 

 were tried, using strips of copper and tin, respectively, but 

 in neither case was an effect of this description observed. 



Bay oils normally contain a high percentage of eugenol — 

 a substance which possesses the power to unite and form 

 compounds with metallic oxides. The appearances observed 

 are no doubt due to the contamination of this substance with 

 hydrated lead oxide formed on the interior of the coil by 

 the action of air and steam. 



The principal importance of these observations lies in 

 the fact that it seems certain that the use of lead coils in 

 worm-tubes employed in bay oil distillation should be avoided, 

 since they are apt to lead to loss of oil and contamination^ 

 and also, they do not last. 



Coile of copper or block tin are apparently free from 

 these objections, and on this account they are to be pre- 

 ferred. 



