Vol. IV. No. 85. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



223 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



Drugs and Spices in the London Market. 



The following report on the London drug and 

 spice markets for the mouth of May has been received 

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



The condition of the drug and spice markets during the 

 month of May lias shown slightly more action than in jire- 

 ceding months, and it is worthy of remark in this connexion 

 that at the spice sales Jamaica ginger experienced a remark- 

 able advance, especially amongst the higher rpialities. The 

 following are some of the details affecting West Indian 

 products : — 



GINGEE. 



At the first auction, on the 3rd. of the month, as many 

 as 482 barrels and 37 bags of Jamaica were offered, of which 

 310 packages were sold at prices ranging from '29s. to 47s. 

 At the same sale Cochin was offered to the extent of some 

 1,000 packages, 100 of which were sold at 18s. for small 

 plump mouldy. A week later Jamaica had advanced 2s. 

 to 3s. per cwt., 120 barrels of low medium selling at 46s., 

 while 38s. Qd. to 41s. was paid for common to good common. 

 At the third sale, on the 17th., there was an extremely 

 good demand for Jamaica ; 800 packages were offered and 

 600 sold at the following rates : good to fine, 50s. 6(7. 

 to 67s. 6d., one lot realizing as much as 74s. ; small to fair 

 washed, 41s. 6rf. to 48s. ; fair to good common, 35s. 6d. 

 to 40s. ; common, 33s. to 34s. 6(7. ; rough common, 30s. 

 to 30s. 6(7. ; ratoon in barrels and bags, 29s. ; and common 

 small, 32s. to 33s. There was no demand for Cochin and 

 Calicut. At the last sale, on the 24th., Jamaica was still in 

 good demand, prices ranging from Is. to 2s. advance on 

 the previous rates. Three hundred barrels were offered and 

 disposed of, while there was still no demand for Cochin. 



ARROWROOT. 



At the first sale, on the 3rd., some 300 packages of 

 St. Vincent were offered, all of which were bought in at 1 f i7. 

 for good manufacturing. None v,as offered in the following 

 ■week, but on the 17th. 665 barrels of St. Vincent were 

 offered, and 475 sold, of good manufacturing, at from If (7. 

 to l^J. per tt). Twelve half-barrels of Bermuda were also 

 disposed of at Is. 11(7. to 2s., and in the following week, 

 1,046 barrels of St. Vincent were offered and 400 sold, good 

 fair at 2d. ; and good manufacturing at 1 fc/. 



NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO. 



At the beginning of the month some 197 packages of 

 West Indian nutmegs were offered and disposed of at steady 

 rates agreeing with those of the preceding month, and but 

 little or no change occurred either in prices or demand 

 afterwards. The demands for and sales of mace were also 

 steady, realizing at the first sale 1 s. M. for bold pale West 

 Indian ; Is. 6c?. for good bold ; Is. 2c/. to Is. 3c/. for 

 ordinary to fair mixed ; and Is. If?, to Is. 2(7. for red. 

 For the remainder of the month mace was dull of sale. In 

 pimento but little interest was .shown : fair (juality 

 realized 2§c?. at the first sale of the month, small sales of 

 which were made at the same rates at succeeding auctions. 



SAESAPAEILLA. 



The market opened with the arrival, amongst others, of 

 15 bales of Lima- Jamaica, and 6 bales of native-red, but no 

 grey Jamaica came to hand. i\Iexican was quoted at 4J(7., 

 and Lima was held at Is. A week later Lima- Jamaica was 



oflered and sold at an advance of \d. per lb. At the same 

 .sale, middling red native .Jamaica sold at lid. to 8(7. At 

 the last auction 25 bales of grey Jamaica were offered and 

 all disposed of at prices from Is. 2(7. to Is. 3c7. per tt). Five 

 bales of native Jamaica were also offered, consisting of bright 

 palish yellow, and fair reddish to pale, St7. per lb. being 

 offered but refused. 



ANNATTO SEED, LIME JUICE, KOLA, ETC. 



At the beginning of the month annatto seed was 

 reported as scarce, being held at 7(?. per R).; a week later 

 2 bags of fair bright East Indian sold at the above price, and 

 1 bag of Calicut at 5 k?. At the end of the month good 

 bright Madras, rather damp, sold at from 6c?. to 6|(?. 



Cassia Fistula was offered at the auction on the 11th., 

 4 bags of good bold fresh AVest Indian being disposed of at 

 20s. per cwt. 



At the .same sale 13 bags of kola, comprised of 

 small to medium West Indian mixed with African, were 

 disposed of at 3|(7. to 3ic7. per lb.; and 2 bags of slightly 

 wormy West Indian fetched 4-i(?. per lb. 



Lime juice was offered on the ISth., 10(/. to Is. per 

 gallon being paid for good raw West Indian, lower prices 

 ruling for commoner qualities. On the 25th., 2 tons of 

 damp West Indian quassia chips were offered but held at 

 =£6 10s. per ton. 



In connexion with the subject of the possibility of 

 a trade being established between the West Indies and the 

 mother country in orange peel, referred to on pp. 93 and 

 119 of this volume of the Agricultural News, it may be 

 stated that on the 11th. of the month some small sales of 

 ilaltese and Tripoli strip peels were made at 5c7. per lb. 



United States. 



The Consular Report on the trade of Philadelphia 

 for 1904 contains tables showing the imjjorts into that 

 city from the British West Indies, from which the 

 following information is extracted : — 



Bananas were imported to the value of £88,853; cocoa- 

 nuts, £11,450; logwood, 2,681 tons, valued at £7,420. 

 These articles were imported free of duty. 



The following articles, subject to duty, were also 

 imported: orange.s, 1,765,426 B)., of the value of £4,463; 

 other fruits, £699 ; salt, £3,197; asphalt, £1,972; hats, £319. 



Austria-Hungary. 



It appears from the Consular Report on the 

 foreign trade of Austria-Hungary that the trade 

 between the Dual Monarchy and the British West 

 Indies is of considerable dimensions. The following 

 brief review of the tables published in this report is 

 likely to be of interest :— 



The total value of the imports into Austria-Hungary 

 from the British West Indies in 1904 was £61,117, as 

 against £60,858 in the previous year ; the exports to the 

 British West Indies were valued at £5,624 in 1904 and 

 £3,028 in 1903. 



The principal imports are classed as follows : colonial 

 good.s, £31,760; beverages, £11,940; spices, £6,249; 

 minerals, £2,754; gums and resins, £2,413; dyeing and 

 tanning materials, £1,788. 



The exports comprised wooden and boue-ware, metals, 

 paper goods, etc. 



