Vol. IV. No. 83. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



185 



Cacao and Dye-woods in France. 



According to the Consular Report on the district 

 of Havre for 1904, the imports of cacao again showed 

 a falling off. The principal sources of supply were 

 Trinidad, the Spanish Main, Bahia, Para, Hayti and 

 San Domingo, Guayaquil, and Martinique and Guadel- 

 oupe. The prices were lower than ever. The Trinidad 

 product obtained higher prices than all others. 



The Consul impresses on those who grow and 

 pack cacao and other products in British Colonies the 

 necessity of seeing that they are exported in perfect 

 condition and are up to the standard they profess. 



Large quanties of dye-woods are also imported 

 into Havre, chiefly logwood and yellow woods from 

 Jamaica and Hayti. 



Cloves in Pemba. 



The exports of cloves from Pemba reached 

 a higher hgure during 1904 than in any previous 

 year, viz., i4,44.7,.586 ft., of the value of £200,394. 

 The actual output would probably have been eveu 

 greater, it is reported in the Consular Report for 

 1904, had it not been for unfiivourable climatic 

 conditions. In spite of very gloomy predictions as to 

 the insufficiency of the labour supply, the extraordinarily 

 abundant crop was successfully harvested, and this 

 augurs well for the future prospects of the island ; 

 the world wants cloves, and Pemba is the principal 

 •source of the world's supply. Of the total exports 

 from Pemba during 1904, representing a value of 

 £229,174, cloves stand for 91 per cent. 



■Colonial and Indian Exhibition. 



Elsewhere in this issue a detailed description is 

 given of the West Indian Court at the Colonial and 

 Indian Exhibition that was opened at the Crystal 

 Palace on May 12. 



It will be seen from that description that four of 

 the West India Islands, viz., Jamaica, Grenada, 

 Barbados, and Trinidad, have large and representative 

 ■collections of exhibits illustrating their resources and 

 products. Besides these, several firms doing business 

 ^¥ith the West Indies have show-cases and stalls 

 ■containing various West Indian products. 



The Barbados Exhibition Committee has received 

 from the Hon. Forster M. AUeyne, the Commissioner 

 for the island, an interesting report upon the section of 

 which he has charge. He mentions chat the exhibits 

 had been so carefully packed that very little damage 

 was done to them in transit. A prominent place had 

 been given to Barbados bananas, six magnificent 

 bunches of which had been received from lEessrs. 

 W. Pink & Son, who had promised to renew them 

 weekly. 



It is evident from these reports and the press 

 notices that the West Indies are well represented at 

 this important exhibition, and that a considerable 

 amount of attention has been attracted to West Indian 

 produce, and this should certainly assist in promoting 

 trade relations between these colonies and Great Britain. 



Vanilla in Tahiti. 



In an interesting article by Mr. J. R. Jackson, 

 published in the A<jricidta'ral News (Vol. IV, p. 88), 

 on the vanilla industry, mention was made of the 

 attempts that had been made by the American Consul 

 at Tahiti to bring into operation a scheme for com- 

 pulsory inspection of vanilla beans under the control 

 of the Government. It was stated that the industry 

 was likely to be ruined on account of the inferiority of 

 some of the vanilla that was being shipped. 



More recent information, contained in a Consular 

 Report, announces that exporters who desire to do so 

 can now submit their produce for inspection xmder 

 government auspices. Beans of the projjer quality will 

 be sealed and packed in the presence of an inspector. 

 A nominal charge is made by the Government to 

 cover the necessary expenses. In spite of opposition, 

 chiefly from the Chinese, the authorities a])pear to be 

 determined to institute a policy of government 

 supervision with a view to ameliorating the present 

 unsatisfactory conditions. 



^ I — 



Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. 



A pamphlet (No. 87) is issued to-da}' by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture which is entitled 

 Cultivation of Oranges in Dominiea. It contains 

 notes by his Honour H. Hesketh Bell, C.M.G., 

 Administrator of Dominica, who has devoted much 

 time and attention with the view of arousing interest 

 in the establishment of new industries in the island. 

 Experiments on a small scale would appear to 

 indicate that the cultivation of oranges is an industry 

 particularly suited to local conditions, and this 

 pamphlet is issued with a view to assisting those who 

 have already embarked in the industry and also with 

 a view to directing attention to its possibilities in the 

 future. The pamphlet contains detailed directions as to 

 the operations that are necessary in establishing an 

 orange grove, particularly with the operation of 

 budding, for great stress is laid upon the superiority of 

 budded over seedling fruit. Reference is also made to 

 the necessity for systematic and regular spraying with 

 the view of keeping insect pests, especially scale 

 insects, in check. 



In the preface to these notes the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture urges very strongly the 

 desirability of paying close attention to the picking and 

 shipping of the fruit, and suggests that steps might 

 be taken by the Government or the Agricultural 

 Society to initiate a system of inspection with the view 

 of preventing any but the most carefully selected and 

 best packed fruit from being shipped. 



Taking 400 fruits as a fair estimate for a seven- 

 year-old tree, it is calculated that an acre of 100 trees 

 should yield 40,000 oranges equal to about 220 cases. 

 Experience has shown that a net profit of 4.9. to 5s. 

 may reasonably be expected on shipments from 

 Dominica. At that rate the produce of an acre should 

 represent about £4.5. As the annual cost of bringing 

 an acre of oranges into bearing should not exceed £4, 

 very handsome profits may be expected from the 

 cultivation of oranges in Dominica. 



