Vol. IX. No. 224. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



383 



Furtlier information recently received indicates that the latter 

 fungus has spread from the caeau to the woody stem of 

 a pigeon pea plant, which was growi-jg near. The fungus 

 originated in a groove on the sheltered side of the stem, and 

 subsequently spread to a considerable extent. Such a position 

 as that mentioned would favour the germination of any fungus 

 spores which might be lodged there by wind or rain, as it 

 would afford a certain amount of moi.sture to start with, and 

 prevent the spores from being blown away l>y the wind, or dried 

 up by the wind or sun. The fungus probably commenced its 

 growth purelj" as a saprophyte m any fratjments of material 

 that may have been caught in the groove. Once establi.-^hed, it 

 could attack the plant itself Recently, Curticium jamnicn/n 

 (the pink disease of ruliber and other plants) has been found on 

 Crotalaria in Southern India, this host having been planted as 

 a green dressing for rubber. The two cases are of interest but 

 DOC exactly parallel, since the fungus on the pigeon pea should 

 prove easy to control in the usual way. Both fungi grow better 

 in damp weather, so lutich so that the rubber fungus dis- 

 appears during the dry season in Ceylon in many localities, 

 and only reappears after the south-west monsoon, when fresh 

 spores are blown on to cultivated plants from the jungle. 

 Probably forest plants are also the source of infection in the 

 ■e&se of pink disease in the West Indies. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



5Ir. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the 

 following report on the London drug and spice market 

 for the month of ()cti)l)cr; — 



The general character of the markets during the month 

 of October may be summed up in one word — normal, though 

 exception may perhaps be taken in a few special instances, 

 but these were mostly in products not affecting the West 

 Indies. As was expected, the rubber boom has passed, and 

 prices are now .settling down to conditions that prevailed 

 before the boom was started, and may probably drop even 

 lower, with the likelihood of increased imports. Buchu 

 leaves also continue to attract attention, but of West Indian 

 produce the market condition was quit* an average one. 



GINGER. 



There has been little or no demand for this article. In 

 the early part of the month none was brought forward at the 

 spice auctions, but at the last sale on the 26th, 178 packages 

 of Jamaica were offered, all of which were bought in together, 

 with 16 cases of Calicut, at prices ranging from 85.s. to 95s. 

 It was stated that sales had been effected privately for 150 

 packages of Jamaica. 



NUTMEGS, MACE AND PIMENTO. 



The two former, at the earlier auctions, have not lieen 

 represented, Ijut on the 26th, 29 packages of West Indian mace 

 found buyers at the following rates: good pale 2.<. Id., fair 

 broken Is. lOd. to Is. lie?., red Is. 9rl., and broken l.<. 6d 

 to Is. 7fZ. Nutmegs were referred to only as private sales 

 none being brought forward at auction. Pimento, likewise, 

 has attracted but little notice; on the 19th, at auction, some 

 100 bags of greyish were offered, all of which were bought in 

 at 2Jrf. per lb. 



AEROWnOOT. 



There has lieen but very little demand for this article, 

 but on the 26th, 20 half-barrels of Bermuda and 28 cases of 

 Natal were offered, all of which were bought in, the first at 

 Is. Id., and the last at 9i. per lb. 



SAESAPAUILLA. 



At the first auction on the 6th, the offerings were Lima- 

 Jamaica 18 bale-s, native Jamaica 28 bales and Mexican 2 

 bales: of the first, 16 bales were disposed of at Is. id. per ft), 

 tor good .■^elected, and Is. for fair. Of the 28 bales of native 

 .lamaica, 4 only were disposed of at 6W. per lb for common 

 dull mixed red and yellow. The 2 bales of Mexican found 

 no bu3'er.s, \0d. per lb. being the reserved price. A fortnight 

 later the auction opened with 21 bales of grey Jamaica, all of 

 which found buyers at an advance over previous rates; Is. &d. 

 being paid for fair filirous, and Is. 2d. for coarse. Native 

 Jamaica was represented by 25 bales, but only one was dis- 

 posed of re<*lizing 9rf. per Db. for dull red. Sixteen bales of 

 Lima-Jamaica were offered and all bought in at Is. 2(/. per lb. 

 I^ight bales, only, of Honduras were brought forward and 

 none sold, Is. id. being the price at which they were held. 

 Two bales of Guayaquil were offered and sold at lOd. to \Old. 

 per lb. 



KOI. A, LIME .lUICE AMI OIL Ol' LIMK. 



At the beginning of the month kola was reported to be 

 in demand and scarce. At the first auction 22 bags were 

 offered, 20 of which were West Indian. The whole were 

 disposed of, the West Indian realizing 3}d, to 3icl for fair 

 bright and '2^d. for mouldy. A week later, the demand 

 being continued, 4»/. was paid. On the 19th, 21 bags of 

 Ceylon were offered and bought in at od. for fair dried. Two 

 liags of very wormy fetched '2d. per lb. At the last sale, on 

 the 26th, West Indian was represented by 10 bags of dried, 

 which sold at 3Jrf. per B). Concentrated West India lime 

 juice was quoted at the beginning of the month at £18 15s. 

 and at the close dropped to £18 5.< Of good West Indian 

 distilled oil of limes the supplies at the beginning of the 

 month were limited, and prices varied from Is. 5d. to Is. Gd. 

 per lb. and -ds. 9d. to 6.s-. for hand-pressed. At the close 

 of the month there was a slight decline, fair West Indian 

 distilled slightly rusty being sold at Is. 4c?., and hand-pressed 

 washed at 5s. 6d. per lb. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left 

 Barbados by the ,S.S. ' Oruro', on November 24, 

 lyiO, for St. Lucia, for the purpose of conferring with 

 His Honour the Administrator on official matters. 

 Dr. Walls will probably return to Barbados by the 

 R.M.S. ' Berbice', on the 29th instant. 



Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Sc, Entomologist on the stall 

 of thf Imperial Department of Agi-iculture, returned to 

 Barbados on November 12, 1910, after leave of absence 

 for about four months. 



Ml-. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc, Superintendent of 

 Agriculture for the Loewaifl Islands, returned to 

 Antigua on November 24. 1910. alter about four 

 months' leave of absence. 



