YoL. IV. No. 95. 



THE AGEICULTUKAL NEWS. 



383 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drug and 

 spice market for the month of October has been 

 received from Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S. : — 



AVith regard to West Indian products, the continued 

 scarcity of grey Jamaica sarsaparilla is noted. The following 

 are tlie chief features in other products of the West Indies : — 



GINGER. 



At the first spice sale, on October 4, there was a slow 

 demand for all kinds, and nearly all the offerings were 

 bought in at the following rates : Jamaica, of which 

 135 barrels were offered, 39s. to 46s. for common to fair; 

 Cochin and Calicut were rejiresented by 530 packages for 

 which there was practically no demand. A week later much 

 more activity prevailed, 15 barrels of Jamaica being sold 

 without reserve at 48s. to 49s. for fair bright, while 800 

 packages of fair to good washed Cochin were disposed of at 

 19s. to 20s. On the 18th., there was again no demand. 

 At the last sale, on the 25th., a few packages only of low- 

 quality Jamaica were disposed of at 36s., and ratoon at 35s. ; 

 there was, however, practically no demand for any kinds. 



NUTJIKGS, M,4.CE, PIMKNTO, ETC. 



At the first spice sale a few ca.ses of nutmegs were sold 

 at 11(7. per K). for 92's, some defective seeds being disposed 

 of at 5c?. to 5icZ.; at the remaining sales during the month 

 lower rates prevailed, but without much interest. At the 

 early sale, Penang mace of ordinary quality was bought in 

 at Is. 4(/., and fair pule at Is. 6d. per lb. ; on the 25th., 

 42 packages of West Indian were offered and sold at the 

 following rates: ordinary to fair. Is. ]d. to Is. 5rf.; good. 

 Is. 6d. to Is. 7d.; low, \0d. to lid., and pickings, 9d. per tti. 

 Pimento at the commencement of the month was bought in 

 at 2|(/. per R).; a week later some 38 bags were offered and 

 disposed of without reserve at from 2^d. to 3ld., and at the 

 last auction 42 bag.s were sold at 2|(;/. for fair, and 2l,d. for 

 good. 



Mombasa Capsicums of fair quality ranged at 28s. per 

 cwt. and good at 34s. 6d. 



ARROWROOT. 



At the spice .sale, on the 11th., tho only offering was 13 

 barrels of good manufacturing St. Vincent, which were sold 

 at IJrf. On the 18th., 180 barrels of St. Vincent were 

 offered, 68 of which sold without reserve at about previous 

 rates, and at the last sale some 35 barrels realized from 1 ^'7 

 to lU. 



SARS.iPARILLA. 



At the drug auction on the 12th., the quotations 

 for Lima-Jamaica were from Is. to Is. 2d. per H). for 

 .sea-damaged to good sound ; 1 bale of good red to palish 

 native was sold at 10c7. On the 25th., 6 bales of grey 

 Jamaica were offered. Is. 6d. per lb. being given for 2 bales 

 of good fibrous, and Is. id. for 2 bales of fair. Three bales 

 of fair reddish to pale native Jamaica sold at Is., and dull 

 red at lOd. Three bales of Honduras were offered and held 

 at Is. 3(7. per lb. 



KOLA, TAMARINDS, OIL OF LIIIES, ETC. 



Good bright West Indian kola was offered at the sale 

 on the 11th. and bought in at 4(7. per lb. ; 3 barrels of bright, 

 but smaller, realized 3ld., and mouldy from 2ld. to 3d. 

 A week later, 7 packages of dried Grenada found buyers at 

 from 2},d. to 3j(7. per lb., and on the 25th. some dark to 



slightly mouldy West Indian were disposed of at from 2J<7. 

 to 3c7. per lb., in addition to 13 bags of dried West Indian, 

 which realized from 3<?. to 3^(7. per lb. On the 11th., 

 3 casks of dark dry West Indian tarmarinds were sold 

 without reserve at 7s. 6<7. per cwt. in bond. At this auction 

 1 1 cases of fair West Indian distilled oil of limes sold a^ 

 Is. 5(7. per R)., but a fortnight later the i>rice had dropped 

 to Is. id. On the 25th., 8 cases of good West Indian oil of 

 pimento were offered and bought in at 6s. per B). Annatto 

 seed is reported as being very scarce, ordinary bricky Ceylon, 

 offered in the early part of the month, being bought in at 

 6(7. per lb., and good bright Madras, at the end of the month, 

 was held at 7(7. An offer of £17 10s. per ton for quillaja 

 bark, recently referred to in these notes, has been refused. 



AGRICULTURA.L CO-OPERATION. 



A bulletin entitled 'Agricultural Co-operation' 

 has recently been issued by the Natal Agricultural 

 Department. Reference is made to the action taken 

 by the Irish Department of Agriculture in sending 

 a deputation to Denmark to inquire into the bacon- 

 curing industry. The following e.xtract is of interest: — ■ 



The valuable report on 'Co-operative Associations and 

 rural conditions in Denmark,' submitted by the members of 

 this deputation, unanimously attributed the whole of the 

 success of the Danish farmers to co-operation. So strongly 

 impressed were the members of the dejiutation and the 

 officials of the Irish Department of Agriculture by their 

 investigations, that steps were immediately taken to organize 

 the agricultural industry of Ireland on the same lines, with 

 the result that Ireland has, in its turn, also forged ahead. 

 The growth of co-operative bacon curing in Denmark, from 

 1888, when it practically started, to 1902, was stated by the 

 deputation to be as follows : — 



No. of No. of .^,^j^^ Average 



factories. Pigs killed. ' Price per pig. 



1888 1 23,407 £57,000 £2 9s. 0(/. 



1902 27 777,232 £2,-500,000 £3 4s. 6(7. 



It will thus be seen, as regards that one industry alone, 

 what an enormous advance was brought about by co-opera- 

 tion, and an interesting fact to be noticed is that, whilst the 

 number of pigs dealt with had so enormously increased, yet 

 the average price per pig had risen from £2 9s. to £3 4s. 6(7. 

 The increase in average price per pig was progressive each 

 year. 



PARA RUBBER IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



In his Annual Report for 1904-5 the Commissioner 

 of Lands and Mines in British Guiana makes the 

 following reference to the prospects of Para rubber in 

 the colony : — 



Special attention has been paid of late to the 

 possibilities of obtaining Para rubber in the colony, and 

 during this year a rubber expert. Dr. Bovallius, has made 

 some careful prospections in the north-western district and 

 on the head-waters of the Ireng and Potaro rivers for this 

 rubber, and, I am pleased to report, with fair success, a true 

 rubber tree having been found growing healthily, though not 

 in large numbers. It has now to be ascertained whether, 

 with careful attention to cultivation and surroundings, the 

 tree can be induced to grow in as large numbers as the bullet 

 tree. The experiment of planting these trees is being tried 

 on a grant held by Messrs. Dinklage and Young in the 

 Aruka river, and so far they are doing well. 



