Vol. XI. No. 259, 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ill 



allowing the bare trunks to stand. This' leaves the ground 

 free from obstacles and prevents the trunks from forming 

 breeding places as acceptable to insects as they would do if 

 the trees were cut down and the trunks left lying on the 

 ground. 'If the rot extends below tlie crown, it would be 

 advisable to pour over its surface a pint or so of coal oil and 

 then set fire to it.' When a large number of trees have to be des- 

 troyed they should be felled, their tops removed and burned, 

 and their trunks piled up together and heaped over with earth. 

 According to Johnston, it would probably pay to girdle the 

 trunks about 4 feet from the ground, after cutting off the 

 tops and destroying them, to allow the trunks to dry out 

 and then to use them for timber on the estate. 



Since it is probable that insects carry the disease, 

 Johnston suggests that the following measures may prove 

 effective. The spread of infection might be ])revented 

 by placing bands of cloth soaked in coal tar, and 

 about 6 inches wide, on the ground round the base 

 at about 5 feet from the tree. This would prevent 

 the access of crawling insects. When rats or larger 

 animals are present, a band of galvanized iron about 

 8 inches wide might be fixed round the trunk at a height of 

 5 feet. Turkey buzzards might advantageously be destroyed. 

 It is uncertain, however, if spraying the tops of the trees 

 with insecticides has any very marked effect in reducing the 

 number of Hying insects in the crown, while it is a somewhat 

 difftcult operation to perform. Lastly, the cultivation should 

 be kept free from bush, so that as little shelter as possible is 

 provided for insects. The soil should be manured and well 

 drained in order that the trees may be given the best con- 

 ditions for their growth. There can be no doubt that 

 destruction of diseased trees and careful attention to general 

 sanitation and cultivation have materially reduced the preva- 

 lence of the disease in Jamaica, and that these measures 

 would give beneficial results in practically all cases. 



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 February 1912: — 



The position of the markets during February has shown 

 but very little change since our last report. Though business 

 has been by no means brisk, there has, however, been a steady 

 demand for most of the well-known drugs The close of the 

 month has, unfortunately, suffered considerable depression in 

 all trade circles, by the realization of the long threatened coal 

 strike, resulting, as it has already done at the time of writing, 

 in the closing of many large factories, and the suspension of 

 much of the passenger and goods traffic on the railways. In 

 West Indian produce there is but very little to report upon, 

 as the sales have been only of a normal character. 



GINGER. 



At the first spice auction on the 7th, ginger was repre- 

 sented by 168 paclsages of Cochin, which were sold without 

 reserve at from 28s. to 30s. per cwt. At the last auction on 

 the 28th, as many as 1,400 bags of Cochin and Calicut were 

 brought forward, 170 only were sold, at the following rates: 

 small, rough, wormy Cochin, 38*'. to 38,5. Qd.; good bright 

 cuttings, DOS.; fine, bright, rough Calicut, and washed rough 



Cochin were bought in, the former at 53?., and the latter at 

 44s. to 47.<. per cwt. 



NUTMEGS, M.\CE .\ND PIMENTO. 



On the 7th of the month, nutmegs were represented by 

 113 packages of West Indian and 82 packages of Eastern. 

 The former sold at the following rates: 83's, o^d. to Qd.; 

 92's to lOl's, od. to -Jirf.; 103's to 110'.s, bhd. to 5|rf. Only 

 a part of those from the East found buyers, 56's fetching 

 Is. Id.; 6.5's, garbled and slightly defective, 10|<f.; 8.5"s, bid.; 

 and 120's, 4Jc?. On the 14th, 20 packages of West Indian 

 were brought forward and sold, 87's fetching 5fc?., and 94'a 

 to 103's oid. to .j|rf. per lb. A week later, as many as 300 

 packages of West Indian were brought forward, and sold at 

 full rate.s, 63s to 72's fetching 6.W. to 8irf., 91s to 106's 

 od. to 6rf,, and llO's to 130's bid. to Gd. At the last auction 

 on the 28th, 16 packages of West Indian were ottered, and 

 sold at similar rates. Of mace, at auction on the 7th, 22 

 packages of West Indian were sold at 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6c7 , and 

 broken at 2s. 2d. to 2s. 3d. per ft, A fortnight later 61 

 packages of West Indian were brought forward, and sold at 

 slightly increased rates, which were maintained at the last 

 sale on the 28th. Pimento is reported firm, but little has been 

 done with it at the sales. 



SARSAPAKILLA. 



The continued scarcity of grey Jamaica and the demand 

 for it, ensures the ready sale of all that is brought forward at 

 every auction; at the first drug auction on the 8th, the supplies 

 were small, consisting of only 6 bales of grey Jamaica and 8 

 bales of native Jamaica, the former were all disposed of at an 

 advance of about '2d. per lb. over previous rates. Fair fibrous 

 fetched 2s. Id. to 2s. 2d. per ft., and sea-damaged Is. >id. 

 per ft. Of the native .Jamaica, 4 bales only found pur- 

 chasers, 2 bales of good red fetching Is 2d. per ft. and 

 2 bales of ordinary dull red lOd. per ft A fortnight later 

 the offerings of grey Jamaica had increased to 14 bales, which 

 were all sold at a further advance of ]d. per ft , fair grey 

 fetching 2s, 3<7. and part slightly rough 2s, 2d per ft., while 

 11 bales of Lima .Jamaica, all that was offered, sold at Is. 4d. 

 to Is. 6d. for fair, part slightly country damaged, and Is. od. 

 was paid for rough and chumpy. 



KOLA, LIME JDICE, LIME OIL, 

 CASSIA FISTULA, TAMARINDS AND CASHEW NUTS. 



At the first auction in the month 11 bags of fair 

 bright Jamaica kola in halves, were told at 3^d. per ft. 

 and again on the 21st, 10 bags of good clean dried Jamaica 

 halves were brought forward and all disposed of privately, it 

 was stated, at 3\d. per ft.; and quite at the end of the month 

 it was reported that ihd. had been paid for good West 

 Indian halves Lime juice has been scarce throughout the 

 month. At the first auction 14 hogsheads of Antigua were 

 .sold, realizing from Is, 3</. to Is. id. for fair browni.sh, and 

 for 11 puncheons of fair palish Jamaica, Is. 5d. was paid. 

 A week later, it was reported that Is. 9icZ. had been paid 

 for some very fine pale juice West Indian distilled 

 lime oil, at the beginning of the month, sold at Is. 2d. 

 per ft. The new crop of Cassia Fistula was referred to at 

 the end of the month as arriving freely on the Hamburg 

 market, 23s. per cwt, being the price quoted. Tamarinds 

 were represented on the 21st by 8 barrels of West Indian, 

 common dry stony, 10s, Qd. per cwt, in bond being paid for 

 them. A large ijuantity of cashew nuts from Bombay were 

 brought forward, at the beginning of the month, and part sold 

 at 24s, per cwt. for husky. GOs. being the price wanted for 

 clean pale. 



