Vol. X. No. 230. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



63 



EXPORT TRADE OF FIJI, 1909. 



The main exports, and the staple products of the Colony 

 continue to be sugar, copra and green fruit. 



The quantity and value of the principal exports during 

 the past five years are given in the following statement : — 



Year. Sugar. Copra. Green fruit. 



Quantity, Value, Quantity, Value, Value, 



tons. £,. tons. £,. £>. 



190.5 .58,488 539,594 10,200 125,892 28,996 



1906 38,523 347,198 9,772 14.3,683 97,678 



1907 66,597 602,820 11,290 182,788 79,891 



1908 66,149 647,306 12.931 1.54,488 62,217 



1909 60,825 607,969 1-5,880 226,599 98,491 



The figures show a decrease in the export of sugar for 

 1909 of 5, .3^24 tons as compared with 1908. This deficiency 

 was due, to a certain extent, to the short crop at Labasa, 

 occasioned by the prolonged crushing sea.son in 1908, dur- 

 ing which year the mill at that centre was closed for crush- 

 ing purposes in order to renew machinery and enlarge the 

 mill. The cane just left over for inclusion in the 1909 out- 

 put was very considerably less, both in quantity and quality, 

 than it would have been under ordinary circumstances. 



The output of copra during the year was exceptionally 

 high, showing an increase as compared with 1908, in the 

 value of the quantity exported, of £72,111. This was due 

 mainly to the greater demand and the consequent higher mar- 

 ket price of that product which obtained throughout the year. 

 The quantity exported exceeded that of the previoas year by 

 2,949 tons. 



A considerable increase has taken place also in regard to 

 the exportation of green fruit. This item consists chiefly of 

 bananas exported to Australia and New Zealand. 



The following statement shows the quantities of bananas 

 exported during each of the past five years : — 



Year. Bunches. Cases. 



1905 31.3,829 — 



1906 604,617 191,640 



1907 462,139 192,591 



1908 .3.56,180 14-5,110 



1909 58-5,713 188,577 



After deducting the three principal items of export from 

 the value of the total exports of the colony, the value of the 

 minor products exported during each of the last four years 

 amounted to: — 



Year. 

 1906 

 1907 

 1908 

 1909 



£. 



9,799 

 12,157 

 1.3,321 

 13,7-52 



The principal minor exports were: molasses (£5,682), 

 turtle shell (£2,381), hides and pelts (£1,333). and maize 

 (£932). 



The following table shows the value of the total imports 

 and exports for the past five years: — 



Year. Imports. Exports. 



£ £ 



1905 442,852 706,403 



1906 609,496 603,410 



1907 643.007 881,364 



1908 662,654 878,393 



1909 636,250 947,136 



{Colonial Reports — Annual, No, 657.) 



TO DESTROY FOWL TICKS. 



The following is taken from a report by a Com- 

 mittee of the Agricultural .Society of Trinidad and 

 Tobago, which wa-s appointed to enquire into the ques- 

 tion of fowl ticks. The report appears in the .Journal 

 of the Society, Vol. X (December 1910;, p. 496. 



To rid a badly infested fowl house of these pests is 

 a difficult undertaking, and if the building is old or badly 

 constructed, so that it affords an abundance of hiding places 

 for ticks, it is often cheaper to replace it by a new and 

 suitable structure. Never use the old material for the new 

 building, nor erect a new fowl house on the site of the old, or 

 near it. If the lumber from the old house is good enough for 

 some other purpose, store it out of reach of the fowls. 



A jet of flame from a blast lamp is probably the most effect- 

 ive means which can be used to destroy ticks in an infested 

 fowl house. Pass the flame slowly and carefully over every crack 

 and crevice, and force it in as far as possible. After this ha.s 

 been thoroughly done, paint the whole inside of the fowl 

 house with tar and lard oil (2 oz. of oil to 1 gallon of tar). 

 Aim at sealing all cracks with this preparation. It will 

 adhere well, and will remain sticky for a considerable length 

 of time. Some prefer to heat it before applying. The floor 

 .should be cleaned, and lime freely used on it. If necessary, 

 reconstruct the roosts on lines above indicated. Destroy the 

 old nesting boxes, and care for the new in the proper manner. 

 Adult ticks will be found on the fowls only by night. Only 

 a small portion of the pests would be found each night by 

 searching on the bodies of the birds, and this procedure would 

 disturb the flock too much. The larvae remain on the hosts 

 for several days, and can be found in the daytime. Here 

 hand dressing, if a somewhat slow process, is effective when 

 properly done. Oils thoroughly rubbed in are the best reme- 

 dies. They will clog the breathing pores of the creatures, 

 and so destroy them. 



Kerosene oil and sweet oil give most satisfactory 

 results. Kerosene oil and cocoa-nut oil in equal propor- 

 tions have proved very eflicacious. A mixture consisting 

 of sweet oU (2 parts), 10 per cent.- solution of caustic 

 potash (4 parts) and kerosene (6 parts) is highly recommended 

 from Australia as a dip. Careful dusting with Keating's 

 powder by means of a blower — pushed along under the 

 feathers so that the powder will reach the skin — wiU also 

 answer well for this purpose. Among the numerous insect 

 powders on the market, this brand has proved the most 

 reliable. The fresher it is, the better. 



All these preparations deteriorate rather quickly in our 

 climate. Fowls which are infested should never be placed 

 in a new fowl house. They .should be kept separate, and 

 treated until entirely free from parasites. If some members 

 of a clean stock become infested, they should at once be 

 segregated and given attention; the fowl house in which they 

 have roosted should be inspected and tarred. 



Fowl ticks can be exterminated, but painstaking care 

 must be exercised in order to accomplish their destruction. 

 Unremitting vigilance is the poultry raiser's greatest safe- 

 guard against these pests. 



It is reported by H.^I. Embassy at St. Petersburg 

 that the second preliminary estimate published by the ^linis- 

 try of Finance gives the production of white sugar in the 

 Russian Empire, during 1910-11, at 113,639,180 poods, 

 which is just over 1,825,000 tons. 



