Vol. XI. No. 263. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



17.5 



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 April 1912: — 



The month of April began with a more cheerful outlook 

 for the future than has been the case with the previous 

 months of the year, and was hoped that the brighter pros- 

 pects of peace in the coal trade dispute, and the gradual 

 resumption of work in factorie.s, that had for weeks been idle, 

 together with the gradual return to the normal railway traflic 

 would bring with it, when Easter had passed, an increase in 

 trade generally. To a certain extent this hope has been 

 realized, but it was not till the end of the month that business 

 matters began to assume anything like their normal condi- 

 tions. No individual product affecting these notes has claimed 

 special attention, as the following summary will show. 



GINGER. 



At the first auction on the 3rd of the month, no sales 

 were effected, the offerings being all bought in. and it was not 

 until the end of the month, n.imoly, at the auction on the 

 24th, that any amount of business was done, when the offer- 

 ings amounted to 343 packages of Jamaica and 454 bags of 

 Cochin and Calicut; of the former only 24 bags were sold, 

 dull washed realizing 52s. Qd., and common 50s. M. per cwt. 

 Of the Cochin and Calicut, 77 bags were disposed of without 

 reserve, washed rough fetching 40s. per cwt., and B cut 

 68s. 6d. 



NUTMEGS, MACE AND PIMENTO. 



At the first spice auction on the 4th of the month, 1 12 

 packages of West Indian nutmegs sold at the following rates: 

 64's to 68'3, Id. to 7irf.; 73's to 79's, 6^;. to 6K; 82's to 92s, 

 o{d. to 6(i., 109's to 120's, 5\d. to 6d. At the next auction 

 on the 17th, West Indian nutmegs were represented by 157 

 packages, most of which were disposed of at slightly altered 

 prices, as follows: 55's, Id.; 64's to 72'.s, dd. to Td.; 76's to 

 86's, bid. to 6ld.; 103s to 113's, 5|d to 5|(f. At the last 

 auction no nutmegs were offered. Mace was represented at 

 the first auction by 42 packages West India, and sold at 

 2s. 2d. to 2s. 8d , broken also fetched 2s. 2d. A fortnight 

 later West India was again represented by 42 packages, part 

 of which was disposed of at slightly reduced rates, namely 

 2.«. 2d. to 2s. 5d. lor good, and 2s. \d. to 2s. 2d. for 

 broken. No further quotations have been made. Pimento 

 has been quiet throughout the month. At the last sale on 

 the 24th, 33 bags were brought forward, and bought in at 

 3d. per S). Arrowroot has also met with little or no demand 

 the offerings for the most part being bought in. 



SARSAPABILLA. 



The general scarcity of this drug has been a subject of 

 comment for some weeks, and none has been forthcoming 

 till at the auction of the 18th; 16 bales of grey -Jamaica, 

 31 bales of Lima-Jamaica, and 10 bales of native .Jamaica 

 were brought forward. The whole of the grey Jamaica and 

 native Jamaica were disposed of, as well as 26 bales of the 

 Lima Jamaica, 2s. 4d. was readily paid for the bulk of the 

 grey Jamaica, while 2s. was paid for ordinary part dark, and 

 Is. 8d. for mixed. The native Jamaica also fetched good 



prices, 7 bales of dull pale reddish fetching from Is. Id to 

 Is. 2d., per lb. and ordinary pale red \\d. to Is. For 24 

 bales of Lima Jamaica Is. 6d. per lb. was paid, whilst two 

 other bales fetched Is. 7d. per Bb. 



LIME J0ICE, LIME OIL, KOLA, TAMARINDS. 



At the beginning of the month, lime juice was reported 

 very scarce and hardly any was offered in the open market, 

 good pale unracked was fetching 2s. 3d. per gallon, at 

 auction on the 17th; 3 hogsheads of fair palish raw West 

 Indian realized Is. lid. per gallon, while it was said that 

 2.S. had been paid for fair raw. At auction on the 17th of 

 the month four cases of hand pressed oil of limes from 

 Dominica were offered, and held at 6s. 6d. per lb. Is. 6c?. 

 per tt). being asked for five other cases of ordinary distilled. 

 A steady business was done with kola in the early part of 

 the month, od. being quoted for fair halves, at auction on 

 the 17th 3 bags of West Indian whole nuts and fair halves 

 were held at i^d. per lb. At the same auction tamarinds 

 were represented by 10 barrels of new crop Barbado.s, which 

 were held at 17s. Gd. per cwt. in bond, and 43 casks of fair 

 black East Indian which sold without reserve at 9s. 3d. 

 per cwt. 



GOAT IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS 

 IN BELGIUM. 



Belgium has many important syndicates for the improve- 

 ment of goats, and, in a subordinate degree, of sheep, at least 

 in East Flanders. Their object is the provision of their 

 members with first class milk-giving goats, placing at their 

 disposal choice he-goats of selected stock. 



The goat improvement syndicates amounted, on Decem- 

 ber 31, 1909, to 425—191 in West Flanders and 182 in East 

 Flanders; they had 40,260 members, owners of 48,505 goats. 



The working of these syndicates is very simple. Active 

 members pay a quite infinitesimal annual contribution, 25 

 centimes [nearly 2^d.] for example. The revenue of the 

 societies is increased by donations made to them by subsidies 

 granted by the public authorities. The management buys the 

 he-goats and chooses the members to whom they are to be 

 entrusted. For each service members pay the keeper a fixed 

 amount, for example 50 centimes, which is forwarded to the 

 syndicate. The keeper must register the services. He 

 receives an allowance. The breeding registers are kept by 

 the secretary. Heads of division selected from among the 

 council are entrusted to register the she-goats and to see that 

 the regulations are strictly observed. Experts judge the 

 qualities of the she-goats registered, supervi.se the main- 

 tenance of the he-goats, and present proposals for the improve- 

 ment of the breeds. The syndicate has right of preference as 

 purchasers of the kids. It pays 50 to 60 centimes a head. 

 It also concerns itself with the rearing of the animals it has 

 bought and arranges to place a certain number at the dispos- 

 al of the active members of the syndicate, either chosen by 

 lot, or in some other way. 



If possible, every year, the Board organizes a show 

 among its members. These syndicates have united in arron- 

 dissement and provincial federations: there are four provin- 

 cial federations in West Flanders, five in East Flanders and 

 one in Brabant. They keep books, and organize shows and 

 exhibitions. (The Bulletin of the Bureau of Economic and 

 Social Intelligence, of the International Institute of Agri- 

 culture, November-December 1911, p. 40.) 



