Vol. IV. No. 95. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



371 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT TRADE. 



The British West Indian Fruit Co., Ltd., have 

 written to the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 under date of November 10, as follows : — 



We beg to inform you tliat we have acquired the fruit- 

 importing bu.siness of Jlessrs. W. Pink and Son.s, which we 

 shall conduct in much the same manner as they have done. 

 We shall be very glad to have your continued help in the 

 establishment of the West Indian fruit trade in this countr}', 

 and it will give us very much pleasure to endeavour to help 

 the interests of this trade in every possible way. 



ORANGES IN TRINIDAD. 



The following is extracted from the Annual 

 Report on the Trinidad Botanical Department for 

 1904-5:— 



The supply of budded oranges has been maintained, and 

 the extra sections started last year enabled the Department 

 to meet successfully the demands made upon it. The 

 increase of interest in the fruit trade has given great impetus 

 to the growing of selected named varieties, and our first sales 

 of this class of supplies have done so well, generall}', that 

 the demand for plants is steadily on the increase. Trinidad 

 oranges shown at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition were 

 much appreciated, and were fully equal to any exhibited by 

 other colonies. That they can be successfully carried to the 

 English market, if due care is taken in the packing and 

 shipping, has been fully proved. In the writer's knowledge 

 small annual consignments have invariably arrived in 

 England in excellent condition during the past five years. 

 The budding grounds have been filled, emptied, and filled 

 again during the past season. The system of budding 

 adopted is very successful, and the nursery lada are fast 

 becoming expert operators. The success of the system has 

 resulted in reduction of the sales of seedling oranges to the 

 lowest minimum known. It is an encouraging feature that 

 our people are beginning to recognize the value of named 

 varieties of this fruit, as the planting of such kinds must result 

 in the production of fruit infinitely better suited for export. 

 It has been proved to the hilt that, given good package and 

 stowage, Trinidad oranges can reach the English market in 

 excellent order, and there appears no reason to doubt the 

 success of those who are interesting themselves in the pro- 

 duction of this class of fruit. Fruit from seedlings should 

 always be tested before export, as one single case of inferior 

 fruit will do much to lower rates paid, while good and well- 

 known brands, which can be depended upon, will always 

 command a ready sale. 



BANANA VINEGAR. 



The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural 

 Society gives the following recipe : — 



Peel the ripe bananas and place them in a jar or large 

 vessel. Pour off the juice each day as it accumulates, until 

 there is only the coarse, spongy debris left. Strain the juice 

 through a thick piece of brown calico (the calico must be 

 washed first), and let it stand until turned to vinegar. The 

 vessel that holds the juice should not be corked, but have 

 a piece of thin muslin tied over its mouth, to let the air in 

 and to keep out insects, etc. The time for the juice to 

 become good vinegar depends on the condition of the bananas 

 used. Indifferent fruit makes poor vinegar. A common 

 way to make banana or mango vinegar is to fill a corn bag 

 with the ripe fruit and hang it over a wooden tub to collect 

 the juice, but the flavour of the vinegar is not so good as if 

 a jar or enamelled vessel were used. 



referred to the cacao 

 the substance of his 



the price of cacao, more 



CACAO CULTIVATION IN GRENADA. 



The Grenada Chronicle and Gazette, of October 

 28, contains the report of an interview with the 

 Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. After discus- 

 sing the prospects of establishing a banana industry, 

 the Hon. Sir Daniel Morris 

 industry. The following is 

 remarks in this connexion : — • 



As an ofifset to the fall in 

 attention should be devoted to the cultivation of the existing 

 areas of cacao, and he was of opinion that the cost of 

 production might be reduced without lessening the output. 

 Considerable waste of material and labour might be saved. 

 Every ounce of manure used under scientific control can be 

 made to yield a remunerative return. 



He believed that even the good results which are now 

 obtained on some of the best estates, and which are far 

 beyond the average for the island, could be considerably 

 increased. The output of cacao had not kept pace with the 

 increased area put under cultivation. It would seem that 

 the return from some of the peasant holdings had been 

 considerably affected by large trees, like mangos, cocoa-nuts, 

 etc., which had been permitted to grow among the cacao. 



He was of opinion that the prize holdings scheme, so 

 successfully adopted in .Jamaica, if carefully organized and 

 started in a district where a large number of peasants could 

 be enlisted to compete, .should prove the simplest and most 

 effective means of raising the standard of cultivation on 

 peasant holdings. 



