Vol. XV. No. 375. 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



295 



Under these conditions the vendors received a total pay- 

 ment of 9s. \\d. per barrel of limes, and Is. 1 4'^- per gallon 

 of raw juice, this being 4s. 2irf. per barrel, and 5|c/. per 

 gallon in advance of the price paid to vendor.s the previous 

 year. 



The amount paid to the Government, as shown by 

 the attached balance sheet, was £\2S 14v. as against 

 £13 2s. Id. for the year 1913-14. 



Results for the crop commencing June 22, 1914, and 

 ending February 27, 191.'». 



RECEIPT.S. 



£ s. d. 



Net proceeds from sale of 44 casks concen- 

 trated lime juice 1,102 7 7 



Net proceeds from sale of 9 carboys distilled 



lime oil 115 3 6 



£1,217 11 1 



Total receipts 



EXPENDITURE. 



£ s. d. 

 Paid for produce 298 18 6 



Deferred payment bringing produce to rate 



of 4s. Sd. per barrel limes and 6d. per 



gallon of juice 174 18 6 



Factory working expenses including labour, 



coal, oil, packages, repairs, etc. 54 18 9 



Total e.xpen.'ses £528 15 9 



GOVERNMEN^r REFUND. 



£ S. d. 



Ten per cent, interest and sinking fund on 

 capital account of £550 for tea years 

 from April 1, 1914 55 



Six per cent, on purchase of proiluce ad- 



"vances£300 18 



Supervision 50 



Value of lime oil on hand and paid to vendors 



in last crop 3 12 



Value of concentrated juice on hand. etc. 2 2 



Total Government refund 



Total receipts 



Total working expenses 

 Government refund 



Total expenditure £ 657 9 9 



Profits for distribution £ 560 1 4 



Profits now due to vendors at the rate of 

 5s. 3d. per barrel limes, bringing the total price to 



9s. lid. per barrel. 



7 Id. per gallon juice, bringing the total price to 



Is. Ifd. per gallon. 



Progeess During 1915-16. 



The factory opened for its third annual crop on May 29, 

 1915, and closed on March 11, 1916. The crop came in 

 with a rush, and although the lattory was kept working 

 during several nights to relieve the pre.ssure, it was not 

 possible to handle the whole of the produce oflered. This 

 .strain upon the cajiaoity of the factory was not due so much 

 to the increase of the peasant-grown produce as to the large 



quantities of juice sent in by planters, several of whom 

 would, had it not been for the high prices of machinery 

 created by the war, have been in possession of factories of 

 their own. 



Arrangements have been made for increasing the capa- 

 city of the factory to eui.ble it to deal with the produce of 

 the peasant and of the small planter whose output does not 

 jtistify the immediate erection of his own works. 



The produce dealt with during the year was 22,120 

 barrels of fruit, and 11,973 gallons of juice, which represents 

 a total crop of 3,450 barrels, this being an increase of 1,644 

 barrels on the previous crop. 



The number of persons having business dealings witk 

 the factory increased from 728 to 903 — an increase of 175. 



Jtt/ce ejrtraclion. An average juice extraction of 9 

 gallons per barrel of limes was obtained throughout the 

 year; this was an increase of 1 gallon per barrel on the 

 previous year's working. The juice was, however, of a slightly 

 lower acidity, averaging 122 oz. per gallon. 



Distilliiig. The still, which is constructed of wallaba 

 staves and greenheart bottom, has given entire satisfaction 

 throughout all three crops, and small stills of such construc- 

 tion can, therefore, be confidently recommended. 



Whether a wooden still of double the capacity will 

 answer equally well is a matter of some importance, now that 

 the market price of copper is almost prohibitive. A wooden 

 still of 300 gallons capacity has been ordered to replace the 

 small ore now in use, »o that in the near future the question 

 of wooden versus, copper stills will be decided. 



The yield of e.ssential oil obtained was equal to 6"6oz. 

 per barrel of limes or '73 oz. per gallon of juice. 



Conctntrating. The average degree of concentration 

 was approximately 9 to 1, and the average test of prepared 

 juice was 108 oz. citric acid per gallon. The quality of the 

 juice was slightly inipr(?ved upon, and the average sediment 

 was 2'5 units. 



PRICES OBTAINED FOK FACTORY .lUICE. 



The price obtained for concentrated lime juice has been 

 exceedingly .satisfactory. Every shipment of juice from the 

 factory has realized a much higher price than the London 

 market quotations at the time of sale. The average differ- 

 ence between the two rates for the year 1914 was £10 2s. %d. 

 per standard pipe (lO* gallons testing 64 oz.) in favour of 

 the factory juice, and the maximum difierence was reached 

 in November, when an advance of £22 10s. over market 

 quotations obtained. 



During 1915, the prices, relatively .speaking were not so 

 high as in the previous year; nevertheless a satisfactory 

 difference in favour of the factory juice was maintained 

 throughout. 



The average gain throughout the year was £10 l.s. tid. 

 per standard pipe, and the maximum difference £16, being 

 obtained in March, and the minimum, £6, in August. 



NEW DEVELOPMENTS. 



During the period under review an Advisory Committee 

 was appointed by the Administrator of the Colony, on 

 which the general pub'ic are represented. During the year 

 also, arrangements were made for extending the factory. This 

 will have the effect of relieving the pressure that was felt 

 during the past season. 



