Vol. XI. No. 266. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



223 



In cross section, diseased limbs are more or less zoned 

 with brown, and rings of growth are prominent. Cross 

 sections of shoots show only one or two discoloured zones. 

 'Jiie disease is similar to gummosis, but the degeneration 

 does not proceed as far in the young xylem cells. The con- 

 nexion is, however, evident and there can be little doubt that 

 squamosis is also dependent for its appearance on a ready 

 supply of water combined with vigorous growth. It occurs 

 under very varying environmental conditions, and its true 

 cause is uncertain. Butler suggests that it arises from bark- 

 binding that causes a pressure on the cambium, this pressure 

 being released at a time when the trees are growing rapidly 

 and the tissues are full of sap. 



There is no known remedy for the disease at present, 

 though slitting the bark may be resorted to as a palliative. 



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 May 1912: — 

 The following notes refer to West Indian produce. 



GIXGER. 



At auction on the 8th the offerings amounted to 200 bags 

 of .Jamaica, 4-52 bags of Cochin, and 10 bags of Liberian. 

 The .Jamaica was bought in at 5.5s. and most of the Cochin at 

 42s. to 4 4s., a few bags of mouldy fetching 30s. 6d. while the 

 Liberian was sold without reserve at 25s. per cwt. for small 

 brown. On the 15th, 392 bags of Cochin were offered, and 20 

 bags of fair washed were sold at 41s per cwt. Some small cut 

 Calicut in cases was bought in at 70s. It was stated that 

 privately the market both for Cochin and .Jamaica was firm, 

 but unchanged; a week later the offerings amounted to 88 

 barrels of Jamaica and 660 packages of Cochin. 



NUTMEGS, MACE AND PIMENTO. 

 At the first auction on the 2nd of the month 64 pack- 

 ages of West Indian were offered and sold, 68's fetching Ihcl, 

 79s to 85's 5hd. to 6'7 , 102's to 109's .5|d. to ohd., ill's 

 5i)d. to 5^d.; 198 packages of Eastern were partly sold at 

 the following rates: 60's to 68's Id. to 9d., 70's to 80's 6d. to 

 Id., and 100s 5d. to 5f</.; a week later 43 packages of West 

 Indian were sold at the following rates: 69's to 7rs 6rf. to 

 7d., 80's to 87's Ud. to Qd. and 104's to 109's o^d. to o^d. 

 On the 15th, 792 packages of West Indian were offered, and 

 780 sold, commencing at steady rates and closing rather 

 easier. On the 22nd, 34 bags of West India sold; o9'8 to 

 70's at 5Jrf. to 6'i., 89's to 98's, 4^rf. to 5]d, lOl's to 115's 

 4|rf. to od., and 134's 4|rf ; 56 boxes of Eastern were sold 

 without reserve at 6i(7. to Id. for 78's. At auction on the 

 1st of the month mace was represented by 1 2 packages of West 

 India, good fetching 2s. id. to 2s. 6d. per B). and broken 

 2s. \d., at which rates the whole was disposed of. In the 

 following week a few packages only of West India were 

 sold at 2s. 2<7. to 2s. id and broken at 2s. 2d. to 

 2s. 3d. East India fetched from 2s. 3d. to 2s. Id. 

 On the 1 5th, 306 packages of West India were sold, fetching 

 2s. 1(Z. to 2s. 5d for good, and Is. lOd. to 2s. 3d, for broken. 

 On the 22nd, 11 packages of West India were sold at the 

 following rates: for fair, 2s. 3d.: for red, 2s. 2d; and for 

 broken, 2s. At auction on the 8th Pimento -ifas represented 

 by 100 l»gs which were sold without reserve at 2jrf. to 2|(i. 



Again on the 22nd, 186 bags were sold without reserve at 

 2Jrf. per ft. 



SARSAPARILLA. 



There has been a steady demand throughout the month 

 for this drug, though prices have been, for some kinds, 

 lower. At the first auction on May 2, 24 bales of grey 

 Jamaica were brought forward, and the whole disposed of 

 at 2s. id. to 2s. od. per lb. for fair partly coar.se, 2s. 2d. 

 being obtained for very coarse. Ten bales of native 

 Jamaica were also offered and sold, fair to good red fetch- 

 ing Is id. to Is. 6d. per lb.; ordinary to palish red Is. Id. to 

 Is 2d, and common yellow mixed lOd to Is. Four bales 

 only of Lima-Jamaica were brought forward and sold. Is. ijd. 

 to is. Id. being paid for good, and Is. od. for inferior coarse. 

 A fortnight later, namely, on the 16th, the offerings con- 

 sisted of 6 bales of grey Jamaica, 13 of native Jamaica and 

 2 of Lima-Jamaica. The whole of the grey Jamaica was 

 sold at 2s. 3d. to 2s. id. per fi)., being Id. per lb cheaper 

 than at the previous sale. Of the native Jamaica 6 bales 

 only found purchasers at Is. Qd. for good, Is. Id. to Is. 2d. 

 for fair red, and Is. for dull. The 2 bales of Lima Jamaica 

 which were ordinary rough were not sold, a bid of Is. od. 

 being refused. On the 29th of the month there was again 

 a fair supply at auction consisting of 24 packages of grey 

 Jamaica, 10 of Lima- Jamaica and 4 described as 'Panama', 

 all the grey .Jamaica was sold at a still further reduction on 

 the previous auctions, of from Id to 2d per Bb , 2s. 2d. being 

 paid for fair, Is. lOd for rather mouldy, and Is. 7d for sea- 

 damaged; of the 10 bales of Lima- Jamaica brought forward, 

 only 4 were disposed of. Is. 5d being paid for rather coarse. 

 The 4 bales described as Panama which was somewhat of 

 the character of rou ghLima fetched Is. 5d per ft). 



KOLA, LIME JUICE, LIME OIL, TAMARINDS, CASSIA FISTULA. 



An unusual source of kola was brought to notice at the 

 first sale in the month of a single bag of fair halves from 

 Sydney, New South Wales, which were sold at S^d. per R). 

 At the second auction on the 15th, 35 packages of Kola were 

 brought forward, consisting of Java halves and West India 

 halves, of the former iid. was paid for fair, id. for darkish, 

 and 3|d for small wormy. For the West Indian 3Jd was 

 paid for fair bright, 3|d fur dark, slightly mouldy, aqd 2 

 bags of small bright, but shrivelled fetched 3d per lb. Lime 

 juice has commanded firm rates during the month. At the 

 first auction 23 packages of West Indian were brought forward 

 and 19 sold at the following rates: nice pale raw 2s. Id, fair 

 pulpy Is. lOd to Is lid and ordinary brown Is. 8d to Is 9d 

 A week later it was stated that,notwithstanding recent arrivals, 

 there was practically nothing to offer in Mincing Lane, but at 

 Liverpool some 424 puncheons and 59 hogsheads had arrived 

 from xMontserrat 'on behalf of a well-known propriety 

 brand.' On the 15th, 2 puncheons of good pale green raw 

 Jamaica fetched 2s. Id and fair green Is. lOd per gallon. 

 Two barrels of brown from Montserrat were also quoted at 

 Is. lOd, as well as one hogshead of brown Antigua at the 

 same price, 13 packages of ordinary brown Dominican fetched 

 Is. 9d per gallon. Of lime oil, a single case only has 

 appeared in the market and was sold at 6s. 5d. per lb. 

 for hand pressed West Indian. In the middle of the 

 month, it was reported that 170 barrels and 14 tierces of 

 tamarinds had arrived from Barbados, 25 barrels from 

 St. Kitts, and 392 barrels from Antigua; and that fair juicy 

 new crop Barbados was quoted at 17s. per cwt. On the 

 15th May, 22 bags of fair Dominica Cassia Fistula were 

 offered and all sold at 20s. to 22s. per cwt. Quite at the 

 end of the month a considerable advance on. this price was 

 asked, 11 packages of good sound Dominican were offered 

 and a bid of 24s. 6(7. per cwt. refused. 



