Vol. IV. No. 80. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



m 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The fullowiiitr is llr. J. R. Jackson's report on the 

 London drug and spice market for the month of 

 March : — 



In considering the constantly recurring statement as to 

 tlie slackness of trade in the iiroduce markets generally, it is 

 a matter of no surprise that a certain amount of inactivity 

 should prevail at the time of ^vriting, when the accounts of 

 the nation's expenditure for the past year, and the prospects 

 of the coming twelve months, are on the eve of being 

 presented to the taxpayers. Drugs and spices, however, arc 

 usually but little affected directly by budget considerations; 

 though the principle of when one memlier of the commercial 

 body suffers, all the members sutler more or less with it, is 

 borne out in the world of trade. 



At the auction on the 1st. of the month no Jamaica was 

 coffered but (Jochin sold without reserve at the following 

 prices : small and medium native-cut 31s. 6rf. to 32s., 

 a bolder form realizing 33s., while small medium fetched 

 26s. 6rf. to 27s., and cut-tips 25s. Washed rough and brown 

 Calicut was bought in at 21s., while 15s. per cwt. was paid 

 for 20 bags of Japanese. A week later, ginger appeared at 

 the sale, only in small supplies, 3 barrels of Jamaica being 

 c>flFered and sold at the following rates : small bright, 35s. 

 G(/.; mould}', 31s. 6rf. Calicut was bought in at 18s., as was 

 also new-crop, limed Japanese at the same price, while small 

 and medium, rough Bengal was jiartly sold at 17s. On the 

 15th. of the month Jamaica again realized steady prices, 9 

 barrels of ordinary small being offered and disiwsed of at 

 35s., while some 700 bags of Cochin and Calicut were 

 bought in at prices of from 28s. to 36s. In the following 

 week a few bags only of ordinary common Jamaica were 

 disposed of at 30s. 6d. to 31s. 6(/. At this .sale about 400 

 bags of Calicut were sold at the following rates : fine bold 

 rough, slightly mouldy, 21s. to 21s. 6(/.; fine brown rough 

 19s., unsorted native-cut was bought in at 37s. 6rf., and fine 

 bold Calicut at 35s. At the last sale on March 29, 

 80 barrels of Jamaica were sold, fair washed fetching 38s. 6(/., 

 good common 33s. 6(7. to 36s., and common 30s. to 32s., 

 while unsorted Cochin native-cut was bought in at Sis. 



ARKOWEOOT. 



At the spice auction on March 8, 454 barrels of fair to 

 good manufacturing St. Vincent were offered and sold at 

 1^(?. to Ifc?. per ib., 600 barrels being also disposed of 

 privately at the latter rate. A week later from 70 to 80 tins 

 of St. Vincent were sold at prices from 2f</. to M. per lb., 

 and again in the following week steady prices were obtained 

 for 84 packages out of 290 oft'ered. 



PIMENTO, NUTMEfJS, AND MACK. 



The quotations for pimento at the auction on March 8 

 were 2g(7. to 2ld., at wliich rates 78 bags were sold. On 

 the 22nd., as many as 900 bags were catalogued, and over 

 500 .sold at from 2|(7. to 2:.'(/. per It). 



Nutmegs were in goocl demand at the first spice sale of 

 the month, realizing from Id. to \d. per ft. over previous 

 jtrices for medium sizes, and a similar decline for the larger 

 sizes, from 80's; little or no change occurred in these prices 

 throughout the mouth. 



Mace was in steady demand with limited sales at prices 

 from Is. 3d. to Is. 4^/. per tti. for ordinary to fair West 



Indian, and Is. 2d. for red. At the last sale, on the 29th., 

 better prices were obtained, fine pale West Indian being 

 quoted at Is. Sd., fair Is. id. to Is. 5(/., red Is. 2d. to Is. 3(/. 



SAESAPAUILLA, KOLA, ETC. 



The month opened with an absence of grej' Jamaica. 

 Ten bales of Lima of barely fair quality fetched l\d. per B)., 

 while 6(/. to 7d. were the prices obtained for ordinary dull 

 nuxed pale-yellowish native. At the last auction 9 bales of 

 grey Jamaica were offered, 2 bales of ordinary sound fetched 

 Is. 5(/. per It)., and 7 bales of badly sea-damaged Is. 2(7. to 

 Is. 3(/. per lb. Middling Lima-Jamaica, of v.'hich 13 bales 

 were offered and sold, realized lOld. ; for 2 bales of sea- 

 damaged native .Jamaica 6.',<7. was obtained, and didl-red 

 was bought in at 9(/. to 9^,(7. per lb. 



Of other West Indian jiroducts the foHowing may be- 

 mentioned as appearing during the month: — At the first sale- 

 a small parcel of Canel/n. alha bark, small to medium, pali.sh 

 quills sold at 35s., while good quill was held at 50s. per cwt. 

 At the drug auction on the 16th., a case of hand-pressed 

 West Indian oil of lime .sold at 2s. 9c7. per lb., and a case of 

 fair distilled at Is. "id. In this connexion it was reported 

 that a large business had been recently done in West Indian 

 distilled oil at Is. 6<7. At the same .sale, fair small West 

 Indian kola was quoted at 5(/. per tt)., and for good bright 

 Madras annatto seed 5^7. to 5fc7. was paid. Musk seeds 

 Avhich appear in the market only occasionally, were repre- 

 sented by 3 boxes from Ceylon of fair quality, wdiich sold at 

 4(7. per tt). 



RAINFALL RETURNS. 



St. Kitt's. 



Mr. F. R. Shepherd has forwarded the following 

 returns of the rainfall on six estates in St. Kitt's for 

 the past five years (1900-4, inclusive). These estates 

 represent the entire circle of the island, and the 

 returns therefore give a fair average of the island's 

 rainfall : — 



Barbados Supple Jack. This is a climbing shrub, 

 the stems of which were used as switches and riding whips. 

 Formerly, it was no doubt, common ; but at present it is- 

 confined to comparatively few localities. A specimen in fruit 

 was received a few days ago from Miss Burton, of Staple- 

 Grove, Christ Church. This was loaded with dense clusters 

 of brio-ht-red capsules, and presented a very attractive appear- 

 ance. We commend the Barbados supple jack {Paullinia 

 hirhadensh) as an interesting ornamental climber for 

 verandahs and trellis work. It appears to be found nowhere 

 else except at Ba.rl:>ados. 



