Vol. XV. No. 372. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



25.5 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND 



SPICES ON THE 

 MARKETS. 



LONDON 



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

 ing report on the London drug and spice markets 

 for the month of June: — 



The month of June opened in the Produce Markets with 

 a quiet tone and a slow demand for produce generally, 

 especially for those products that come under our monthly 

 -survey, Jamaica ginger and sarsaparilla being, perhaps, the 

 most notable exceptions. As is usually the case, towards 

 the end of the first half-year a much quieter tone prevailed, 

 both in demand and in prices realized, as the following details 

 will show. As the first auction was held on the 1 st of the 

 month and the last on the 29th, a period of five weeks comes 

 under review— a sufficiently long period to cause radical 

 changes both in supply and demand. 



UINGER. 



At the first auction ginger was in good demand. Some 

 78 bags of new crop Jamaica were disposed of, good middling 

 fetching I1.5s , and good common 10.5s. to 1 07s. 6d. per cwt. 

 One hundred and sixteen bags of Cochin were also offered, 

 ■ and 16 sold at 40s. for wormy. The rest were all bought 

 in 47s. firf. for sound plump. A fortnight later, namely, on 

 the 15th of the month, the ofterings amounted to 16 cases 

 of Calicut, partly wormy unassorted, native cut, which were 

 sold at 56s. Some 600 bags of washed brown Calicut were 

 also offered, and bought in at 52s. 6rf. Washed Cochin and 

 wormy Cochin were further offered, and bought in at 47s. 

 and 43s. per cwt., respectively. Towards the end of the 

 month the quotations were as follows : good new crop 

 Jamaica, 120s. to 130s.; medium, 110s. to 115s.; and 

 common 90s. to 100s. Some 200 bags of Japan were offered 

 and sold without reserve at 32s. to 34s. 



NUTMEGS, MACE AND PIMENTO. 



At auction on the 28th, nutmegs were represented by 

 252 packages of West Indian, all of which were disposed of 

 at from 9hd. to Is. At the same auction, 160 packages of 

 mace were offered and sold at from 1?. 5d. to Is. \ld. per lb. 

 In pimento there has been a drop in price since last month. 

 At the beginning of June 3 j\f/. per B). was quoted, and at 

 auction on the 14th, 304 bags were olfered and bought in at 

 ■from 3^(/. to S^d. per B). 



SARSAPARILLA. 



At the beginning of the month grey Jamaica was 

 ■reported to be scarce. None was offered at auction on the 

 1st of the month; but of Lima-.Iamaica there were 35 bales, 

 15 of which sold, somewhat mouldy to fair fetching Is. 5c7. 

 to Is. Id. per Bb., while of native -Jamaica only 9 bales 

 were oifered, and all sold at prices varying from Is. \d. for 

 fair red, and Is. for dull red mixed. Thirteen bales of Hon- 

 duras were also oifered, and all sold at prices varying from 

 l.s. 7d. to Is. 8d. per lb. for woody to good, and Is. 7d. for 

 ■slightly mouldy. At the last auction on June 29, the offer- 



ings were as follows : 

 7 sold; Lima-.Jamaica, 

 offered and none sold. 

 dispo.sed of, 1 \d. to Is. 

 to lOd. for ordinary 

 Jamaica, 1 s. 3d. to I s. 

 and Is. 7d. for fair. 



native .Jamaica, 25 bales offered and 

 24 offered and 8 sold; Mexican, 2.5 

 Of the 7 bales of native Jamaica 

 per tt). was paid for fair red, and Qd. 

 palish. For the 8 bales of Lima- 

 5d. was paid for more or less mouldy 



CITRIC ACID, CASHEW NUTS, KOLA, TAM.4.RIND.S, ARROWROOT, 

 LIME OIL, AND ANNATTO .SEED. 



At the beginning of the month citric acid was steady at 

 3s. 9rf. per lb. At the first auction 12 cases were offered, but. 

 none sold; a week later the price had dropped to 3s. 8d., and 

 at the close of the month it stood at from 3s. 8d. to 3s. 9c?. 

 At the first sale cashew nuts were offered in great abundance, 

 no less than 393 packages being brou\;ht forward, but none 

 found buyers. At the last auction however, on the 29th, 

 when 151 packages were offered, two were sold at 32s. per 

 cwt. for very husky Bombay. Kola has much advanced in 

 price during the past few week.s, in consequence, it is said, 

 of an increased continental demand. At auction on the 

 1st of the month, as many as 94 packages were offered, and 

 sold at the following rates: West Indian, of which 5 bags 

 were sold, fetched from dhd. for slightly mouldy, to 6\d. for 

 fair dark halves; dark Java halves fetched from 6d. to 6hd., 

 and small ihd. At the last auction on the 29th, kola was 

 again represented by 13 packages, all of which were disposed 

 of, 1 bag of bright, bold West Indian washed, fetched 5|(i. 

 per ft)., while 12 bags of good bold Ceylon halves, realized 6d. 

 per 1). At auction on the 22nd, a consignment of new crop 

 West Indian tamarinds were oftered, 24s. being paid for 

 Antigua, and 29s. for Barbados. In ihe middle of the month 

 good manufacturing St. Vincent arrowroot was sold at 3^d. 

 per lb. Towards the end of the month. West Indian distilled 

 oil of lime was quoted at 8s. 6d. per lb., and 9s. for hand 

 pressed. At auction on the 29th of the month, 25 bags of 

 annatto seeds were offered, and 20 sold at 8d. per R). 



The Antigua Central Sugar Factory.— 



Dr. Watts's review of ten yeais' work of this Government-^ 

 aided enterprise is dealt with at consid- rable lenyth in an 

 article in the International Sugar Jom-nat for May 1916. 

 It is stated that the conclusion that financially the concern 

 must be regarded as being in a stroi g position, and that it 

 demonstrates that a well-managed sugar-ca e f ^ctory, working 

 on profit-sharing lines, is a safe and remunerative colonial 

 investment, even in times of low prices provided an adequate 

 supply of canes is available, is very opportune, in view of the 

 fact that the pro.spects of the sugar-growing colonies after the 

 war will be much brighter, as a result of the changed opinion 

 at home in regard to the Empire. The article in question 

 goes on to say that, while hardly comparing in size with the 

 enormous factories to be found in the American possessions 

 and in Cuba, this Antigua Central may be considered me- 

 chanically a very well equipped one, and thoroughly repre- 

 sentative of the best British practice for a moderate output 

 of sugar In considering the financial side of the concern, 

 It is noted that, after the redemption of the Debenture capital, 

 there are to be issued to the contracting estate proprietors 

 shares in the factory equal in number and value to the original 

 shares in the company, and it is remarked that it must be 

 frankly admitted that both the contracting proprietors and 

 the investing capitalists have been extremely well looked 

 after. 



