Vol. VIII. No. 192. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



•287 



((j) To give a practical turn to scliool life, and provide 

 a training in elementary agricultural .science. 



(7) To serve a.? centres for the dissemination of seeds 

 and plants, and of information concerning them. 



(8) To be mediums of communication between the 

 agencies that aim at the improvement of agriculture and the 

 cultivating classes. 



(9) To induce the cultivator, directly or through the 

 schoolboys, to take up new and improved products, and to 

 adopt better methods of cultivation. 



(10) To awaken in school children a new interest in the 

 cultivation of plants, and to instil into them a love of nature, 

 and .so reconcile them to a country life and to agricultural 

 pursuits. 



(11) To encourage school children to establish gardens 

 .at their homes. 



(12) To make schoolboys take an honest pride in 

 manual labour, and to induce a healthy competition among 

 them as well as between one school and another. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices on the London Market. 



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

 followincj report on the London drug and spice market 

 for the month of July : — 



The month of July has been an unsatisfactory one for 

 many reasons — first on account of the continued unseason- 

 able conditions of the weather, by the prevalence of low 

 temperatures and much rain, which have had the effect of 

 reducing the demand for such articles as are usually in 

 request in hot weather, and secondly the intervention of the 

 usual stock-taking and holiday seasons, which always have 

 a quietening ettect upon the markets. Besides these the 

 unusual length of time occupied in the discus.sion of the 

 budget in the House of Commons continues to have 

 a deterrent eli'ect on business generally, neverthele.ss our 

 report, for the month, on West Indian products, will be 

 found to be of a normal character. 



GINGEE. 



This article has excited but comparatively little interest, 

 as the following details will show. At the first spice .sale on 

 the 7th. of the month some 175 packages of Jamaica were 

 ■offered, 54 barrels and 7 bags only being disposed of, 

 good middling realizing from 5Ss-. to 5Ss. Crf. and small dull 

 52s. Private sales were reported to have been made with 

 washed rough Cochin, at 3'Jf. to i\s., and a large quantity 

 ■of fair limed Japan at from 32s. to 32.s. (id. per cwt, A week 

 later, tifty cases of small and medium cut Cochin were 

 disposed of at 55s. per cwt. Washed rough Cochin, and brown 

 rough Calicut, was all bought in, the former at 42s. and the 

 latter at 40.S. to 41s. There was no Jamaica offered at this 

 sale. On the 21st. Jamaica, Cochin and Japan were all 

 offered, but there was no demand and all were bought in, 

 •Cochin and Japan at slightly advanced rates. At the last 

 auction on the 27th., unsorted native cut Calicut was bought 

 in at 54.?. to 57s. 6'/. and brown rough at 42s. to 45.s. 

 Small washed rough Cochin was also bought in at 42s. No 

 -Jamaica was offered. 



NUTMEGS, MA(.'E AND PIMENTO. 



At the first auction on the 7th. of the month, about 280 

 packages of West Indian nutmegs were offered, all of which 

 were sold at in advance of jrf. to id. per lb. over previous 

 rates. On the 21.st. there was a good demand at the auction 

 for West Indian, the smaller sizes declining |</. per lb. and 

 the larger sizes advancing. For mace there was a fair 

 demand during the month. At the first auction on the 7th. 

 62 packages of West Indian were sold at the follow- 

 ing rates : good pale l^. 9c/., pale and reddish Is. Id. to 

 Is. Sd, fair to good red Is. 5rf. to Is, 7c?., dark red and brokea 

 Is. to Is. id. On the 21st. a good supply of West Indian 

 was offered and disposed of at slightly varying rates. Is. 10c?. 

 to 2s. being paid for fair to good pale. Is Id. to Is. 9c/. for 

 palish. Is. id. to Is. 6c/. for fair, to good red, and Is. to Is. '2d. 

 for broken. At the last auction on the 27th. only 16 

 pxckagps of West Indian were sold. Is. 9c/. being paid for 

 fair pale. Is. 6d. to Is. Id. for ordinary, and Is. '3d. for low 

 red and broken. 



At the first auction there were no offerings of Pimento 

 but 2jVr(/. to 2ic/. per lb. were the prices quoted. On the 

 21st., out of SO bag-i oftered only 12 were sold, bold greyish 

 fetching 2ijc/. per Itj. 



There has been but little demand for arrowroot during 

 the month : 100 barrels of manufacturing St. Vincent were 

 offered on the 14th. and bought in at '2d. per lb. 



SAR.SP.VRILLA. 



At the drug auction on July 1, 54 bales of 

 genuine grey Jamaica were ofl'ered, all of which were sold 

 with a brisk demand. Is. 4c/. per H). being paid for fair and 

 Is. 3(/. for dark roughish, and part mouldy. Ten bales of 

 native Jamaica were offered and sold ; good red, and dull 

 red mixed realized Is. per lb. and common greyish and yellow 

 lie/. Two bales of deep red fetched Is lc7. per K). and 10 

 bales of Lima Jamaica — all that was ottered — .sold at Is. Id. 

 per fc. for fair and Is. for ordinary rough. A fortnight later,, 

 namely on the 14th. the oft'erings consisted of 30 package."* 

 of Lima Jamaica, and 12 of native Jamaica, but no grey 

 Jamaica, there were also 5 packages of Honduras oftered 

 but none sold. Of the 30 packages of Lima Jamaica^ 

 18 were sold at Is. per lb. for slightly rough and dark 

 to fair and lid. for sea damaged. Of native .Jamaica, good red 

 fetched Is. Id. per lb. and dull red and yellow mi.xed lie?. 

 At the last drug auction on the 29th. there were heavy 

 oft'erings of grey Jamaica consisting of 61 packages, 

 besides 29 of native Jamaica and 3 of Guatemala. In. 

 consequence of the very large consignment of grey .Jamaica, 

 no business was done in tills article ; Is. '2d. was ofl'ered for 

 fair grey, which was not accepted, buyers anticipating lower 

 rates at a future auction or by private sale. Fifteen bale.'j 

 of the 29 offered of native Jamaica, found buyers at Is. Id. 

 for good red. Is. for fair red, and 10c/. to lid. for dull red 

 and yellow. The 3 bales of Guatemala which was rough 

 and slightly chumpy were disposed of at 8-hd. per lb. 



LIME JUICE, TAJIARINDS, CASSIA FISTULA. 



Good pale, raw AVest Indian lime juice was ottered oa 

 the 21st., but met with very little interest. It was held at 

 Is. 3c/. to Is. 4c/. In the middle of the month a single cask 

 of fair pale St. Lucia tamarinds was sold at 14.s-. per cwt. 

 and at the last auction on the 28th. 19 packages of Antigua, 

 realized 9.s. 6d. to 12s. 6c/. per cwt. in bond. Cassia. 

 Fistula, of which a single bag of ordinary Dominica was 

 offered at the last sale, realized 18s. 



