Vol. XI No. 253. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



15 



true that the yield fluctuates considerably, but even the 

 famine harvest of 1909 (11 tons) realized over Its. 200,000, 

 and was third in value in the exports for that year. 



Calipee has risen to sixth on the list of exports. The 

 whole of the commodity is absorbed ia the United Kingdom. 



Tortoise-.shell may show a very substantial iiicrea.se in 

 future year.s, as artificial rearing in enclosed areas is being 

 tried, and the pnnnoters appear confident of .success. If the 

 hawksbill turtle can be reared to maturity, the profit in these 

 ventures should prove enormous. 



Straw plait from the cocode-nier straw has been tried, 

 but the venture does not promise well. In any case the 

 restricted area of the growth of these palms would tell 

 against any considerable expansion. 



The manufacture of rum is likely to cease, as the natives 

 of .Seychelles, though inveterate drinkers of this spirit, show 

 * decided aversion to the locally manufactured article. The 

 distillery is no longer working, and the total stock has been 

 exported by the assignees in the bankruptcy of the firm 

 which carried on the business. The stock was ottered for 

 sale locally, and the highest tender was at the rate of 5c. 

 a litre. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



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

 lowing report on the London drug and spice market, 

 for the month of November I9I1: — 



The month of November has not been marked by any 

 great changes, either in price.s or demand, since our report 

 for October. Commencing with a very quiet tone, accompa- 

 nied, perhaps, with a slight increase in the prices of a few 

 well-known drugs, there was, in the middle of the month, 

 a slight drop in the price of Buchu leaves, which have main- 

 tained a high position for some months past. This fall was 

 said to be due to the prospect of an early arrival of the new- 

 crop of leaves from the Cape. At the auctions in the last 

 week of the month, a slight improvement was noticeable, both 

 in the quantities disposed of, and in the prices realized for 

 drugs generally. No product of the West Indies, however, 

 calls for any special comment. 



GINGER. 



At the first auction on the 1st of the month, some 600 

 bags of Cochin were offered, and 200 bags washed rough sold 

 at 46s. to 46.S 6d.; slightly wormy realized Us. Some cases of 

 Calicut were brought forward, the reserve prices for which were: 

 bold cut Oi.';. 6d., and small cut 72s. 6d.: 76 bags of partly 

 mouldy limed Japan were sold without reserve at 40s. per cwc. 

 A week later the sales were as follows: out of a total of 401 

 bags of Cochin brought forward without reserve, only 41 sold 

 at 69s. 6(7. to 70s. for good small; washed rough Cochin was 

 bought in at 46.<. per cwt. At the end of the month, though 

 the quantities otiered were large, the sales were slow, and 

 most of the offerings were bought in; thus 50 barrels from 

 Jamaica were bought in at 56s. for small, bright, but wormy; 

 843 bags and 63 cases Cochin and Calicut were held at 90s. 

 to 95s. for finest, down to 45s. to 50s. for washed Cochin. 



NUTMEGS, MACE .4ND PIMENTO. 



On the 1st of the month nutmegs were represented liy 



89 packages of West Indian, and 102 packages of eastern; 

 the former were partly sold at the following rates: wormy 

 and broken 160's ihd., 124's to 140's 4](/. The latter, 

 namely the eastern, were also partly sold, 63's fetching Is , 

 78's 8d. and 95's &hd. A' fortnight later, 88 packages of 

 West Indian were ottered, and partly sold at the following 

 prices: 63's to 69's 8|c/. to M., 71's to 75's 7d. to 8d., 98's 

 5hd. and 112's 6hd. On the 22nd, as many as 411 pack- 

 ages of West Indian were brought forward and nearly all 

 sold at prices of [d. to hi. [ler lb. advance on previous rates. 

 On the 15th, West Indian mace fetched from 2s id. to 

 2s. 6'/. per lb. and eastern 2s. 2rf. to 2s. Qd., and on the 

 22nd the same prices were realized for the bulk of a consign- 

 ment of 128 packages of West Indian, Pimento at the first 

 auction was represented by 50 bags, all of which were 

 bought in at 2ld. per lb., a price that has been maintained 

 throughout the month at private sales. At the last auction 

 on the 29th, 83 barrels of St. Vincent arrowroot were h.'-ought 

 forward, only 20 of which .sold at S^d. per Bb. for good 

 manufacturing. 



SARS.tPAKILLA. 



At the first drug .sale on the 2nd of the month, grey 

 Jamaica sarsaparilia was represented by 13 bales, all of 

 which found buyers at Is. Sd. to 1,« lOd. per ft., 15 bales 

 of Lima-Jamaica were also brought forward, and 9 sold 

 at Is. Id. for fair, and Is. for part coarse; only 3 bales 

 of native .Jamaica were offered and .sold, 2 of which, 

 consisting of yellow and red mixed, realized 10-/. 

 per ft. On the 16th, another consignment of 13 bales of 

 native Jamaica was offered and all sold, fetching Is. lOd. 

 per ft. for fair grey, part slightly roughish; the rest, 

 sea-damaged, was sold at l.s. Hd. per ft. Six bales of 

 Lima-Jamaica were also offered, but were held at Is. 2-/., 

 while 4 bales of native Jamaica, all that were ottered, 

 sold at Is Id. per ft for good red, and lOd. per ft. for dull 

 red. On November 30, grey Jamaica was entirely absent 

 from auction, Liraa-Jaraaica and Native Jamaica being the 

 only kinds offered, and of these only 3 bales of each, all of 

 which sold at the following price.s, Lima-Jamaica, part coarse 

 Is. 2d. and fair hanks Is. 3d. per ft. while native Jamaica 

 realized Is Id for good red, lOhd. for red and yellow mixed, 

 and 9(7. for dull red. 



KOLA, LIME JDICE, LIME OIL, AND TAMARINDS. 



At auction on the 1st of the month, a single bag of kola 

 from Samoa, mostly in halves, dried, and of a darkish colour, 

 fetched 3d. per ft. A fortnight later, kola was represented 

 by 26 bags of Jamaica, all of which sold at from 3 jd to id. 

 per ft. tor fair partly washed, chiefly in bright halves, while 

 one bag of ordinary dried West Indian halves realized id. 

 per ft. At the end of the month these prices were still main- 

 taintd, 13 bags of West Indian being thus disposed of, while 

 for good bold bright St. Lucia id. was wanted. Some <i bags 

 of fair Ceylon, chiefly in halves, were also offered and sold at 

 3i'7 per ft Lime juice was represented at auction on the 

 1st of the month by 10 barrels of raw Dominican, which sold 

 at Is. 3hd. per gallon for fair palish, while 20 hogsheads of 

 browner kind were bought in at Is. 2d. per gallon. A fort- 

 night later, 7 hogsheads of dark to ordinary brown Antigua 

 were ottered and bought in at Is, id, and fair at Is. 3d. At 

 the beginning of the month fair distilled West Indian oil of 

 lime was sold at Is. 1(7. to Is. 2(7, per ft.. 5s. 3d. being quoted 

 for hand pressed, A fortnight later, 1.', 2(7. per ft. was paid 

 for 4 cases of fair West Indian (listilled. For Barbados 

 tamarinds 16s. has been paid in bond, and for Antiwua 

 12s. 6(7. to 13.«. The former are reported to be scarce. 



