Vol. IV. No. 78. 



THE AORICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ill 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



I 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following is Mr. J. K. Jackson's report on the 

 London drug and spice market tor the month of 

 February: — 



It will have been noticed that for some time past our 

 reports on the London drug markets have indicated a con- 

 ■dition of inactivitj' that lias scarcely been relieved by the 

 ordinary fluctuations due to the exigencies of supply and 

 demand, let alone by the recurrence of those unusual 

 features which have been known to produce excitement in 

 special products. The writer of a very important article 

 that appeared in the Phanimceutlcal Journal for February 

 2.5 last, under the head of ' London's position as a Drug 

 Market,' suggests that this dullness of the auctions is 

 an indication of a change in the character and nature of the 

 markets that is likely to become permanent. The writer 

 attributes the decline to the fact that other ports are now 

 receiving direct shipments of drugs which fifteen years ago 

 all came to London and states that there is every indication 

 that such shipments to foreign ports will increase rather 

 than diminish. 



Looking back only a matter of fifteen years or so 

 we find that, as far as the drug trade is concerned, the best 

 part of the world's drugs came to London in the first jilace. 

 Little by little this is changing, and we now find that direct 

 shipments are going to other ports. For instance, it is only 

 in recent years that opium has been shipped direct from 

 Turkey to the United >States of America, that ipecacuanha 

 has reached Hamburg and Paris direct without touching 

 London, that .Japan and China produce has gone to 

 Hamburgh before coming to London. Marseilles has only 

 recently become the chief market for gum arable, run close by 

 Trieste. These are only a few examples which illustrate 

 only too well the direction things are taking. These changes 

 are easily explained : shipping facilities are infinitely 

 greater than [they used to be and are still increasing ; 

 continental banks support and influence industries to a much 

 greater extent than English banks ; the travellers for 

 continental manufacturers are found all over the world and 

 the goods are paid for in produce which is shipped direct to 

 continental ports. The conclusion arrived at by the writer 

 is that drugs will continue to reach these shores direct in 

 smaller quantities, but that in the face of twentieth century 

 competition, collectors and shippers will, sooner or later, 

 realize that by shipping direct to the consumer and avoiding 

 the middleman they reap a larger profit, the difference being 

 the amount of the London charges for handling these goods. 



With regard to West Indian produce in the London 

 market during February, the following is a summary : — 



GINGER. 



Throughout the month this article was in very small 

 demand and prices ruled low. On the first of the month at 

 the spice sales, 11 cases of medium and bold native-cut 

 Cochin realized 43s. to 46s. per cwt. Fair limed Japanese 

 was sold at 17s., at which rate 20 bags were disposed of. 

 A week later new crop rough Calicut was bought in at 22s., 

 washed rough and cuttings at 20s. At this auction small 

 sales of Jamaica were made at the following rates : Low to 

 middling 32s. to 37s., and small dull 29s. On the 15th. 

 prices had somewhat declined; brown Calicut was c^uoted at 

 28s. for small and medium native-cut, and 32s. for medium; 

 wormy and washed rough Cochin and Calicut were sold 

 without reserve at 13s. to 14s. : common small Jamaica 



fetched 28s. 6(/. and middling washed 37s. to 38s. ; for limed 

 Japan 1 6s. was the price quoted. At the concluding sale of 

 the month, ginger had a dull tone generally; Calicut and 

 Cochin were rather lower in price while a few packages of 

 good ordinary Jamaica were disposed of at 34s. and good 

 bright small at 37s. 



NUTMEGS, MACE, PIMENTO, AND ABROWROOT 



At the first sale nutmegs were quoted at somewhat 

 lower rates than in the previous month. The prices for 

 mace being for fair palish West Indian Is. 3(?. to Is. id, 

 per lb. ; fair reddish partly bi-oken Is. 2(/. and pickings Is. 

 Little or no change in these prices took place during the 

 remainder of the month. 



A few bags of pimento were disposed of at the first sale 

 at 2^c/. per lb. and this price remained steady through the 

 month. Arrowroot attracted little or no interest and when 

 offered was mostly bought in. 



SAESAPARILLA. 



At the first drug auction on the 2nd. Jamaica realized 

 \d. per R). in advance over last month's quotations. Is. 2c?. 

 being paid for sound roughish and Is. \d. for sea-damaged; 

 two bales of grey .Jamaica were also disposed of at the latter 

 price, while for ordinary dull mixed and sea-damaged native 

 Gd. to 6i</. was obtained. At the second sale on the 16th. 

 no grey Jamaica was oflfered, but of rough Lima-Jamaica 

 11 bales were sold at 9|c?. to \Q\d. per lb. Towards the 

 close of the month it was reported that there was no grey 

 Jamaica to be had first-hand and second-hand holders were 

 asking Is. 3(/. per lb. The latest quotation of Lima- 

 Jamaica was \\d. 



LIME JUICE, ANNATTO, MUSK SEED, ETC. 



Of other West Indian products the following may be 

 noted as occurring during the month, in the early part of 

 which a hogshead of concentrated West Indian lime juice 

 was oflered and sold at £13 10s. per pipe. Fair bright 

 Maltese strip orange peel was also ofiered and disposed of at 

 from 9(/. to \0d. per lb. 



Of 55 parcels of annatto seed offered in the early part 

 of the month none were sold, the highest bids being id. per lb. 

 for good bright red Madras slightly damp. A few lots of 

 these were, however, sold a week later at 5c/. per lb. 



Some fine bold musk seed, from Martinique, said to 

 have been of fine aroma were also offered and 3s. 2-/. per Bx 

 asked. On the 16th. of the month 3 bags of bold dark washed 

 West Indian kola nuts realized ild. per ft). 



Fair palish unworked Dominica lime juice in hogsheads 

 was sold at lOicZ. per gallon and 1 hogshead of concentrated 

 lime juice also from Dominica was limited at £13 10s. per 

 pipe. Tamarinds were offered to the extent of some 67 

 packages ; a small quantity of fine bold dry from Barbados 

 being disposed of without reserve at 8s. 9c/. to 9s. jjer cwt. 

 in bond. 



Rabbits Wanted. A correspondent in British 

 Guiana desires to obtain from some reliable rabbit keeper in 

 Barbados the undermentioned animals : — 



Two pure-bred Belgian hare bucks; 



One „ „ _ „ doe ; 



One pair pure-bred Flemish Gianfc. 

 Eabbit keepers willing to supply these rabbits should 

 communicate with the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 stating the cost put up in secured and addressed boxes and 

 placed on board one of the schooners sailing for British. 

 Guiana. 



