ToL. IX. No. 201. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



15 



In the horticultural section, the exhibits showed improve- 

 ment on those of last year, both in number and quality. 

 'The show of fruits and vegetables was especially good, chiefly 

 owing to the favourable growing weather that has been 

 experienced; in this section there were 'chiefly in evidence 

 yams, sweet potatos, eddos, pumpkins, cucumbers, various 

 peas and beans, groiind nuts, Indian 'and Guinea corn, 

 .ginger, lettuce, cabbages, citrur. fruits and sorrel. The canes 

 shown were not as good as might have been expected. 



The show of horses was better than that of last year; 

 the exhibits of cattle and goats were numerous, and generally 

 good. The poultry, rabbits and hares 'shown were quite 

 below the average. Pigeons and ducks, however, showed 

 improvement. 



Space does not admit of a descrijitinn'of the more purely 

 industrial .section of the show, several of the exhibits in which 

 were of a specially interesting and useful character. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 

 MARKET. 



Mr. J. L. Jackson, A.L..S., h.is forwarded the 

 following report on the London drug and spice market 

 for the month of November : — 



During the early' part of November the markets were 

 for the most part firmer in tone than they'had been tor some 

 time previously, but in the week ending ou the 20th bu.sine.ss 

 was less brisk, and the news of the storm and floods in the 

 AVe.st Indies had an immediate disquieting eft'ect on several 

 of the products of the islands; a week later, namely at the 

 close of the month, the tlireatened doom of the iiudget had 

 a further disturbing etfect upon the markets generally. 



The following are the details specially referring to West 

 Indian products. 



GIXGEE. 



Xo .Jamaica was brought forward during the month, but 

 at the last auction on the 2-tth it was stated that the crop 

 was late in arriving, and in consequence, together with the 

 serious reports of the floods, holders are asking advanced 

 rates. In other sorts, at the first spice sale on the 3rd of the 

 month, as many as 900 packages of Cochin and Calicut were 

 offered, and .300 sold, .54s. being paid for nn.sorted native 

 cut, 43s. for good, bold rough Calicut, and 35»'. 6</. for small 

 shrivelled, brown Calicut. In the following week, 140 bags 

 of washed, rough Cochin were oft'ered, and bought in at 40s. 

 per cwt.; and on the 24th 280 bags of Calicut were ofTered, 

 and 80 .sold without reserve at 41.s-. Ri/. for fair bright, rather 

 lean; 4.5.'f. was wanted for good, bright, wasjied Cochin. 



NUTMEG^^, MACE .\ND PIMKNTO. 



In nutmegs, there has been no change since last 

 month's report. At the second spice auction on the 10th, 

 as many as 318 packages of West Indian were disposed 

 of at previous rates. Mace has showii an advance in 

 price, some 80 packages of West Indian were disposed 

 •of at the auction on the 10th, and realized the fol- 

 lowing prices; fair to good palish Is. !>d. to Is. 10</., fair 

 reddish Is. Qd. to Is. 7d., dark red Is. ijd. to Is. 6d. and 

 broken Is. to l.«. 3d. At the last sale on the 24th, prices for 

 the better qualities were slightly higher: good pale fetched 

 2s, fair pale and reddish Is. Sd. to Is. 9d., fair red Is 6d. 

 to Is. Id. and fair to good Is. 3(/. to Is. Qd. Pimento was 

 quiet; at the beginning of the month 17 bags of greyish 



found buyers at 2-]d to 2-H., an the 10th 88 bags were 

 oflered and bought in at 2|." OAthe 17th, 351 bags were 

 offered and a few only dispose^ of at 2^d., 2|<;. being 

 demanded in most cases on acco\jrit of the disastrous new.s 

 from .Jamaica. There was none oSiered at the last auction on 

 the 24th. f 



Little or no interest has Ijieen taken in arrowroot 

 throughout the month. 



SAESAPAEII,LA. 



There was no great demand i for this article during the 

 month; the following are the deti4.jls in reference to it. At 

 the first auction on the 4th there was no grey Jamaica 

 offered: but for 8 bales of native .Jamaica, out of 24 

 brought forward, the prices realized were, 10(7. to lie?, per lb. 

 for fair to good red, and dd. for yellowish dull mixed. The 

 other oft'erings were .^(i bales of -Guatemala and 14 bales of 

 Honduras, all of which were bought in. A fortnight later 

 the oft'erings were 41 bales of ^rey .Jamaica, 6 of Lima- 

 Jamaica and 10 of native Jamaica. The whole of the grey 

 Jamaica was disposed of at the following rates: for slightly 

 coarse and rough to good fibrous Js. \d. to Is. 2d., and 

 ordinary rough 1 s. per lb. The 6' bales of Lima- Jamaica of 

 roughi.sh quality were sold at from lid. to Is. per lb. One 

 bale out of the ten of native .Jamaica found a buyer at Sd. 

 per ft)., the remainder being bought in at from 9rf. to 1 [d. 

 per tt). 



KOLA, IJA.SSIA ri.STULA, LIMIi: .JUICE, TAMARINDS, ETC. 



At auction on the 4th 42 packages of kola were offered. 

 For 15 bags of sea-damaged Ceylon 2^d. to 3|rf. per lb. was 

 paid, and 2 bags of West Indian' sold at 3d. per ft. At 

 the same sale, 4 cases of West Indian Cassia Fistula were 

 offered, all of which sold at 16.9. per cwt. for partially dry 

 pods. In lime juice there has been but little demand ; the 

 i[Uotation at the end of the month for concentrated West 

 Indian was £17, and for raw West Indian lOd. to Is. per 

 gallon. Seventeen barrels of tamarinds were brought for- 

 ward at the first auction in the month, and 10 of fair 

 Antigua were .sold without reserve in bond at 10s. Gd. per 

 cwt. Some sales of West Indian distilled oil of limes have 

 been ettected at Is. od. per lb. and it has been stated that 

 hand pressed oil is ^\orth (is. A statement has been made 

 during the month that there is a demand for cashew nuts, 

 but at the end of the month 24 cases were brought forward 

 and the whole bought in at ROs, 



Rice in British Guiana. 



The last fortnightly reporjt of Messrs. Sandbach, 

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

 British Guiana, dated December 23, 1909, gives 

 information as follows : — 



The weather during the fortnight has been very wet, 

 and considerable damage has been done to paddy remaining 

 uncut. 



grilling has been suspended in all factories other than 

 those that employ artificial driers. 



Shipment to West Indian islands amounted to 3,800 

 bags during the fortnight. , 



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

 quality : — ' . 



Nominally IGs. &d: to 17s.' 6 A' per bag of 180 ft. gross. 

 15s. Gd. to 16s. Gd. „ „ „ 164 B>. „ 



