Vol. IV. No. 87. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



255 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on drugs and spices iu the 

 London market for the month of June has been received 

 from Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S.: — 



GINGER. 



It is satisfactory again to draw attention to the 

 continued demand and good prices realized for Jamaica 

 ginger which, at the spice sales on June 7, met with brisk 

 competition. Out of 690 barrels of Jamaica offered, some 

 600 were sold at prices ranging from 'Ms. to 42s. for ratoon, 

 to 54s. to 69s. for good bold bright. The demand for 

 Cochin and Calicut was slow : ordinary rough Cochin was 

 bought in at 2'2s. 6d. A fortnight later the prices for 

 Jamaica stood somewhat higher. Some 1,200 packages were 

 offered and 500 sold. Cochin and Calicut met with a slow 

 demand. At the last sale on June 28, a quieter tone 

 prevailed ; of 300 barrels of Jamaica offered, 100 were 

 disposed of. The higher qualities still fetched steady prices, 

 but the medium qualities dropped from Is. to 2s. Again 

 there was but little or no demand for Cochin and Calicut. 



ARROWROOT. 



At the sales in the early part of the month this article 

 was very little in demand, but at the auction on the 2ist. 

 there was a steady sale of St. Vincent at l^d. per lb. for 

 good manufacturing. 



NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO. 



All these articles sold at steady rates throughout the 

 month. 



On the 7th. there were small sales of mace at 2s. 5d. 

 for fine bold, and Is. If/, for broken. Good pale West Indian 

 sold at Is. -id. to Is. 5(/.; fair, Is. 2d to Is. .3(/.; and l.*. for 

 pickings. 



The quotations for pimento of fair quality were steady 

 at 2|f/. per fc. 



SAESAPARILLA. 



At the auction on the 8th. 4 bales only of grey 

 Jamaica were offered and sold at Is. id. for fair grey. 

 Dark coarse fetched Is. 2d., and 7 bales of native mixed 

 were bought in. A fortnight later the drug was still 

 quoted at firm rates. Fifteen bales of grey Jamaica were 

 offered and sold at Is. id. per lb. for good sound grey to 

 country-damaged, and Is. 'M. for grea.se-damaged. There 

 was no Lima-Jamaica offered, and it was stated that none 

 was to be had in New York. 



LIME JUICE AND TAM.\KINDS. 



Lime juice throughout the month was in steady demand 

 at increasing prices. At the first sale five packages of raw 

 West Indian of fair flavour were disi)0sed of at Is. per gallon. 

 A fortnight later good raw pale West Indian fetched Is. Id., 

 which price was maintained at the close of the month. 



The prices asked and obtained for West Indian 

 tamarinds showed an upward tendency. In the middle of 

 the month fair Barbados were quoted at lis. Qd. in bond; 

 13s. 6rf., duty free, was asked by one holder. At this sale 

 fair black Calcutta realized 9s., and the commoner sorts 

 relatively lower prices. A week later the new-crop dark 

 Antigua, in bond, sold at 8s. 6d. to 9s., and good pale 

 12s. 6c/. to 13s. Gd. 



ANNATTO SEED AND KOLA. 



At the auction on the 22nd. seven packages of fair 



bright West Indian annatto seed were .sold at 6-/. per lb., 

 and at the close of the month 61-/. to Id. was being asked. 

 Of kola it wiis reported in the middle of the month that 

 dried West African nuts were being disposed of at Liverpool 

 on the quay at 2k/. to 2|(/. |)er lb. A week later 1 bag of 

 fair washed West Indian was offered at .Mincing Lane and 

 sold at 4hd. On the 28th. twenty-four baskets of green West 

 Indian were offered and eight dispo.sed of at 7hd. per. ft). 

 These probably formed part of a consignment that arrived 

 by the ' Trent ' and which I saw on board that ves.sel during 

 the unloading of the Barbados bananas at Plymouth on 

 June 14. They were then in splendid condition, plump, and 

 of a healthy green. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCE STALL. 



The accompanying illustration (fig. 17), the block 

 for which has been lent for the purpose of reproduction 

 in the Ayricultural Xews by the Secretary of the 

 West India Committee, shoivs the West Indian Produce 

 Stall at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, to which 

 reference has already been made in these C(>lumns 

 (p. 220). The stall -stands in the centre of the West 



Fig. 17. west indian produce stall. 



Indi 



Court. 



Hie 



Her« 



every 

 and sncr 



India 



kind of West 

 produce is displayed, and such articles as sugar, 

 preserves, honey, lime juice, and arrowroot, find a ready 

 sale among the numerous visitors to the exhibition.' 



Produce may be sent to this stall for sale, subject 

 to payment of 10 per cent, commission to the West 

 India Committee towards expenses, and 2| per cent, 

 to an attendant, freight to be paid by the consignee. 



