'Vol. VIII. No. 188. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



225- 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drus;s and Spices on the London Market. 



Mr. J. R. ■ Jackson, A.L.S., • has forwarded the 

 following report on the London drug and spice market 

 for the niontii of May: — 



Business in spices and drugs has sliown some general 

 improveiiient during the month of May, in spite of the fact 

 that the effects of the long antici|)ated and delayed budget 

 began to be felt in many directions, notably in the drug 

 trade, affecting as it does such articles as chloroform, ether, 

 fluid extracts, tinctures, fruit juices, etc., by the extra duty 

 of 2s. 9d. imposed on proof spirit. Directly, however, no 

 interference has been made with any raw product of the 

 West Indies coming under recognition in these notes. 



GlNt!ER. 



A good supply of .Jamaican, amounting to 81-5 packages, 

 ■was brought forward at the first spice sale on the .5th of the 

 month, 104 packages of which were sold at prices ranging 

 from 2s. to 3s. below those obtained at previous auctions. 

 The quotations were as follows : 58s. to .59s. for fair 

 washed, and 50s. for small dull. Cochin and Calicut were 

 represented by 300 packages, all of which were bought in at 

 the following prices : 50s. for unsorted native cut, and 

 small medium ; 42s. 6d. for brown rough Calicut, and 40s. 

 for washed roughed Cochin. Some limed Japan was also 

 •ofiered and bought in at 23s. per cwt. 



At an auction on the 12th, only 250 bags of good 

 ■washed rough Cochin were offered, all of which were bought 

 in at 42s. per cwt. "West Indian green, ginger, of which 

 4 barrels were brought forward, realized 25s. per cwt. In the 

 following week as many as 1,098 barrels and 235 bags of 

 Jamaica were brought forward, but only 180 packages were 

 sold. Good bold fetched from 65s. to 68s., fair washed 

 -59s. dd. to 64s., bold 61s., and dull washed from 55s. to 58s. 

 The rest was bought in at the following prices : Small cut 

 Calicut 55s., unsorted native cut from 55s. to 57s., medium 

 ■cut 60s., rough washed Cochin 40s., limed Japan 32s., and 

 Bengal 30s. 



At the last auction on the 26th, Jamaica was repre- 

 sented by 112 barrels and 75 bags ; the sales, however, were 

 limited. Middling to gool bright was sold at 61s. to 67s., and 

 ordinary to good ordinary at 51s. to 52s. 6d. Common 

 ratoon realized 47s. to 49s., while Calicut was bought in as 

 follows : fair washed at 42s,, and brown rough at 41.s. 

 Washed Cochin was also offered and bought in at 42s. per cwt. 



NUTMEOS, M.VCE, AND PIMENTO. 



The dealings in nutmegs have been quiet throughout 

 the month, calling for no special remarks. The same may 

 be said with regard to mace, as far as the early part of the 

 month is concerned ; but at the spice auction held on the 

 26th, some 50 packages of West Indian were disposed of at 

 the following prices: good. Is. 9d.; pale and reddish. Is. 7d. 

 to Is. Sd.; and fair red Is. 6d to Is. 7d. per lb. 



The demand for pimento was quiet throughout the 

 month. At the auction on the 19th, out of 130 bags offered, 

 40 bags were sold at 2s. per lb. for fair. A iveek later 

 ■5 bags only were offered, and all sold at the same price. 



AEEOWEOOT. 



One hundred and twenty barrels of St. Vincent were 

 brought forward at the auction on the 19th, and disposed of 

 at 2d. per lb. A week later some 50 barrels were offered, 

 lO of ■s\'hich ■were sold at 1 Id. for ordinary manufacturing. 



SAESAPAEILtA. 



At the first drug sale on the 6th, sarsaparilla from all 

 .sources was put forward in greitt bulk, as many as 152 

 packages being offered. Thirty-two bales of genuine grey 

 Jamaica were all sold at the following rates : Fair, good, 

 slightly rough. Is. id. to l.s. M.; very ordinary rough, and 

 common rough dark. Is. \d. per R). : while 71 bales of 

 Lima-Jamaica found purchasers at Is. to Is. Id. for ordinary 

 part rough to fair, and at lb/, to 11-^(7. for dark rough. 

 Twelve bales of native Jamaica were offered, and 11 sold ati 

 Is. Id. to Is. 2d. for good red, and lid. for yellow. 



The prices realized were considered very good, especially 

 in view of the fact that some of the grey and Lima-.Jamaica. 

 showed signs of having been packed while in a damp condi- 

 tion. 



Twenty-one bales of Guatemala and 16 of Honduras 

 were also offered at this auction, and ■ft'ere bought in. 



On the 19th, again there was a good supply of grey 

 .Jamaica, native Jamaica, and Lima. Out of 41 bales of the 

 first named, 38 were .sold at Is. 4d: to 1-9. 5d. for fair to good ; 

 part slightly rough, and coarse rough realized Is. 2d. to 

 Is. 3d. Only 14 out of the 31 bales of native Jamaica 

 were .sold, fair red fetching Is. 2rf., and dull red and yellow 

 mixed lO'i. to Is. Six bales of Lima- Jamaica were offered 

 and bought in at Is. 2d. per lb., and 5 bales of ^Mexican 

 were disjjosed of at 4icZ. per lb. 



CASSIA FISTULA, KOLA, AND OIL OF LIME. 



At the first sale in the month, 11 bags of Dominican 

 Cassia Fistula were offered and disposed of at 1 7s. 6(7. per 

 cwt., part of which were good bold pods, and part dark and 

 mouldy. On the 20th, 21 bags of Dominican of a similar 

 character were again ottered, and sold at a lower rate, viz., 

 16.S. 6d. per cwt. 



At the first sale some 20 packages of small drierl 

 Jamaica kola were offered and held at 2s. per lb., and at the 

 same sale 5 cases of distilled Dominican oil of liu-ie \\ere 

 offered, and 3 sold at 1.?. 8(?. to Is. lid. 



Thirty packages of West Indian tamarinds were brought 

 forward on the 19th, 12 of which, of good pale juicy 

 Barbados, were held at 12s. Gd., while 18 packages of rather 

 dark Antigua were disposed of at 8s. in bond. 



RICE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



The latest report issued by Messrs. Saiidbach, 

 Parker & Co., of Georgetown, on the rice industry of 

 British Guiana, dated June 2.5 last, contains the 

 following notes : — • 



The weather during the past fortnight has been very 

 wet and unfavourable for milling, and no cleaned rice has 

 been received from the small mills in the country. 



The area that has been planted with rice in the colony 

 is somewhat greater than last year, but we fear that the 

 heavy and continuous rains that are being experienced are 

 injuring the young plants, and there are already complaints 

 from a few districts that several acres have been lost through 

 Hooding. 



Shipments to the West Indian islands during the fort- 

 night amount to about 3,000 bags, principally foi- Trinidad 

 and Barbados. 



We quote to-day, f.o.b. Demerara, for good export 

 quality :17.s. lOhd. to ISs, lOid per bag of 180 ft. gross, 

 and lC).<.*ihd. to"'l7s. 4-1(7. per bag of 164 Hi. gross. 



