Vol. XI. No. 257. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



79 



nodes above, while it is accompanied Ijy an increase in 

 glucose. This is partly due to the fact that the fungus secretes 

 an inverting enzyme. Appropriate comparative experiments 

 also showed that the decrease in sucrose and increase in 

 glucose in the juice of canes attacked by the moth borer are 

 probably mainly due to the presence of the red rot disease 

 in such canes, following the attacks of the insect. 



Finally, it may be stated that the remedial measures 

 recommended by Edgerton are very similar to those already 

 employed with success in the West Indies, with the exception 

 that no mention is made of the growing of immune varieties, 

 or of the need for the introduction of new varieties for trial. 

 He apparently considers that adequate preventive measures 

 will do all that is necessary to control the disease. 



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 January 1912: — 



The first week of January in Mincing Lane is always 

 a period of slack and unsettled business, a condition that is 

 often carried well on into the second week, when , the drug 

 auctions are resumed after the Christmas holidays. The 

 present year has proved no exception to that general rule; 

 the drug sales were not commenced until the 11th, conse- 

 quently our notes, so far as drugs are concerned, will cover 

 a period of a fortnight only. The general tone of the markets 

 throughout the month has been of a normal character, not- 

 withstanding the continued industrial outbreaks that have 

 occurred in many branches of trade, particularly those aft'ect- 

 ing the cotton and coal industries, the last named of which 

 has such far reaching effects. 



The details referring to West Indian products are as 

 follows — 



GIXGER. 



At the first spice auction, ginger was represented by 290 

 packages of wormy, washed, rough, Cochin, 89 of which found 

 buyers at 42.s. per cwt., a week later the offerings had in- 

 creased to 628 packages, washed rough Cochin was bought in 

 at 50s. per cwt.; wormy at ios., bold selected Calicut at 95s. 

 and small cut at 72s. 6c7. Forty bales of Formosa were 

 offered, and found purchasers, at 34.v. for dark and lean, 

 coarse. On the 17th of the month some .300 bags of wormy 

 washed rough Cochin were brought forward, of which 20 

 were disposed of at 41s. per cwt.; 100 bags of rough brown 

 Formosa were also offered, but found no buyers, being bought 

 in at 35.1. On the 31st. 161 bags of rough, washed, wormy 

 Cochin were offered, and bought in at from 42s. to 45s. per 

 cwt., while 168 bags of good limed Japan were sold without 

 reserve at 31s. 6d. to 32.s. per cwt. 



NUTMEGS, JIACE AND PIMENTO. 



At the first auction on January 3, West India Nutmegs 

 were in good supply, 231 packages being brought forward, 

 most of which sold at the following prices: 55s. Is. 2d. 60's. 

 to 68's, Id. to 9id; 70'sto 80"s 5fd. to 6hl.; 91's. to lOl's. 

 5i</. to 5fd; 123's to 157's. o^d. to okL A few packages 

 of Eastern were also sold, limed fetching the fallowing prices: 

 60's to 70's. Id. to 2d.; and 80's. to lOO's, 6</. to 6^. The 



following prices were realized for 32 packages AVest Indian 

 brought forward on the I8th, 66's. Id. OS's, to 78's. 5fc7. to 

 Gkl; 92's to 102^ -xl. to 5|d; and 118s, o^d. At the fisst 

 spice auction on the 3rd, 39 packages West Indian mace were 

 sold; fine bold fetching 2s. 8d. ordinary to fair 2s.\ld. to 2s. 4d. 

 and broken Is. lid. to 2.s. Id.; 22 cases of Java were also 

 ottered and 1 1 sold, 2s. id. being paid tor pale reddish and 

 2s. '3d. to 2s. id. for heavy dark red. A week later a few lots 

 of West Indian were sold at 2s. 3d. to 2s id., while broken 

 fetched 2s. 2d. On the 17th there was a steady demand for 

 West Indian, sales being effected at 2s. 7d. per lb. for bold 

 pale, 2s. id. for fair, and 2s. 2d. for red. Three cases of 

 Wild Bombay were sold without reserve at Q-^d. to 6gc?. per lb. 

 Of Pimento there is little or nothing to report. At the begin- 

 ning of the month none was offered at auction, but privately 

 it was quoted at 2J;d per lb., the later offerings have all been 

 brought in at about the same price. 



ARROWROOT. 



This article has been quiet at auction, through the month. 

 On the 3rd 20 cases of Natal were brought forward, as well as 

 10 half barrels of Bermuda, the former were bought in at 

 lO'i. per lb. and the latter at Is. 6'i These consignments 

 were submitted to auction again on the 17th, with similar 

 results, and in addition 20 barrels of fine St. Vincent were 

 also offered and bought in at 3Jrf. per B). 



SAESAPARILLA. 



At the first drug auction of the year, on the llth, the 

 offerings of sarsaparilla were exceedingly small, consisting of 

 2 bales of grey Jamaica, 8 of native .Jamaica, and 3 of Hon- 

 duras. For the 2 bales of grey Jamaica, for fair, somewhat 

 coarse. Is. \0d. to Is. lid per lb. was paid; of the native 

 Jamaica, 2 bales only found buyers, fair red selling at Is. Id., 

 and dull red at llhd. per ft).; red and yellow mixed were held 

 at Is. \d. per ft)., while the 3 liales of Honduras fetched 

 Is. 5d. per ft). At the auction on the 25th, 19 bales of grey 

 Jamaica, 2 of native Jamaica, and 2 of ilexican were sub- 

 mitted; the whole of the grey Jamaica met with a ready sale, 

 at from Is. 11c?. to 2s. per ft., fair fibrous; partly dark and 

 coarse, fetching Is. lOd.: the 2 bales of native .Jamaica went 

 for Is. to Is. Id. per lb. for fair red, while the Mexican was 

 held at Is. Id. 



KOLA, OIL OF LIME AND TAMARINDS. 



At auction on the 10th, 44 packages of kola were brought 

 forward, and II sold, fair halves and whole St. Lucia fetch- 

 ing 3^d. to 3ki. per ft)., :ind fair Dominica 3id At the sale 

 on the 24th, 4 barrels of West Indian kola were offered, 2^d. 

 per ft), being paid for ordinary dull mouldy. Two cases of 

 West Indian distilled oil of lime were ottered in the early part 

 of the month, and disposed of at from Is. to Is. 3d. per B). 

 At the end of the month. Is. 2d. to Is. 3d. was the price 

 ijuoted for fair distilled, and 5s. 3c?. for West Indian hand 

 pressed. There has been <*. steady demand for lime juice; at 

 the end of the month a barrel of good, raw, brown Jamaica 

 sold at Is. id. per gallon, and 2 hogsheads from Montserrat 

 fetched Is. 3c?. per gallon. At auction on the 10th, some 16 

 packages of fair dry Antigua tamarinds were offered, and sold 

 at I2s 6d. per cwt., in bond. 



It is reported from Portuguese East Africa that large 

 trees of a species of Balanites, producing fruits whose kernels 

 yield freely a fine oil, not unlike olive oil, have been dis- 

 covered in the Lebombo Mountains and on' the Umbeluzi 

 River. The return from each tree at maturity is stated to be 

 as much as 1,200 ft), of the fruits, each containing 60 per 

 cent, of oil. 



