Vol. X. No. 241. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



•239 



country where root disea.se is known tn e.xist, particularly if 

 sereh has not previously made its appearance there. 



As was stated above, there is some doubt as to the 

 number of countries in which sereh has actually made its 

 appearance. It has been found in Malacca, Borneo and 

 Bangka, and appears to be more or less indigenous to that 

 part of the world. It has also been reported from Australia, 

 Mauritius and Reunion, but there apyiears to be reason for 

 doubting its actual occurrence in these localities. Up to the 

 present time, it has never been reported in the West Indies, 

 although there has recently arisen cause for the belief that it 

 may occur in certain places. Dr. Wenr, whose name is well 

 known in connexion with diseases of the sugar-cane, was 

 unable to find it in Surinam, ten years ago, even after exten- 

 sive search; nor did he observe it in Trinidad, Barbados, 

 St. Eustatius or St. Martin, though in these islands he did 

 not have the same opportunity of making extensive obser- 

 vations. It would appear, however, that most careful 

 investigations should be undertaken to determine with cer- 

 tainty if the disease is present, and to distingui.sh it defi- 

 nitely from root disease, so that the necessary measures may 

 promptly be undertaken to control it. 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



Mr. J. R.Jackson. A.L.S., has forwarded the fol- 

 lowing reporb on the London drug and spice market, 

 for the month of May : — 



The beginning of May brought with it a decided improve- 

 ment in the drug and chemical markets. The advent of 

 really fine and warm weather has resulted in an increased 

 demand for such articles as citric and tartaric acids, lime 

 juice, and products of a nature that enter into the composi- 

 tion of summer, or cooling drinks. There has been a steady 

 sale in most commodities, but nothing in any one of a nature 

 to command note. The condition of the markets in individ- 

 ual products has been as follows :-^ 



GINGER. 



At the first .spice auction on May 3, 60 barrels and 214 

 bags of Jamai.^a were off"ered, a few only of which sold. 

 Bold fetching 61.s. and fair washed 56.v. per cwt. A week 

 later the prices had dropped for all kinds. Ten barrels of 

 fair bright Jamaica were offered and bought in at 6.5.<. per 

 cwt. Seventy bags of limed and mouldy .Japan were also 

 brought forward and bought in at 40s. per cwt. Cochin was 

 in large supply, out of 5.54 bags washed rough oflfered, 524 

 were sold, fetching for fair to good bright 35s. 6c?. to 37s. 6rf. 

 per cwt. On the 17th of the month, the inices obtained were 

 50s. to 53s. for good common, at which rates 60 bags were 

 disposed of, middling dullish realizing 57.«. Bold and medium 

 brown rough Calicut, of which 160 packages were offered, were 

 bought in at 51s. per cwt. At the last f.ile in the month, the 

 general tone of the market was very dull. Jamaica was repre- 

 sented by 991 packages, all of which were bought in, though 

 it was afterwards reported that several lots of good washed 

 had been disposed of at from 60s. to 63s. per cwt : 42s. and 

 37s. were the prices at which washed rough Cochin and limed 

 Japanese, respectively, were bought in. 



NUTMEGS, M.\CE .\ND PIMENTO. 



At the first spice auction on the 3rd of the month, West 

 Indian nutmegs were represented by 105 packages, the prices 

 ruling being as follows: 58's, Is. \d.; 63's, lOd.; 70's, Sd.; 

 87's, 5hd.; and lOO's, 5d. to 5^(1 For the produce of the 

 East, the prices were: 60's, Is.; 65's, lOrf.; and 70's, 9d. 

 A week later, 108 packages West Indian were offered, and 

 disposed of at similar rates, while those from the East were 

 all bought in. On the 17th no West Indian were offered, 

 but on the 24th the West Indies were represented by 234 

 packages, most of which found buyers, the prices paid being: 

 64's, 9(1; 66's. 8d.; 7rs to 72'.s, 6<l. to 6 -id; S5's to 86's, 

 5hd. to 5Jd: lOO's, 5^rf. Of mace at auction on the 3rd, 42 

 packages of West Indian sold at 2s. '3d. to 2s. 8d. On the 

 lOth, 60 cases West Indian sold at 2s. 2d. to 2s. id., while 

 broken fetched 2s. to 2s. Id. At the last sale of the month, 

 87 packages West Indian were disposed of at from 2s. Id. to 

 2s. 7d. There has been but little demand for pimento during 

 the month, the offerings in the early part of the month being 

 all bought in. On the 17th, 30 bags were offered, and sold 

 without reserve, at 2-Jrf. to '2ld. per R. At the last .sale on 

 the 24th, some 25 bags were offered, and bought in at 2-|rf. 

 per lb. 



ARROWROOT. 



For this article there has been but little demand. At 

 the beginning of the month, some private sales were effected 

 of about 700 barrels of St. Vincent, chiefiy at the rate of '2d. 

 per R). This price was paid at the end of the month for 

 a further consignment of 200 liarrels. 



S.\R.SAPARILLA. 



At the first drug auction on the 4th, sarsaparilla was 

 well represented by 22 bales of grey Jamaica, 36 bales of 

 Lima-Jamaica, 32 bales of native .Jamaica, and 8 bales of 

 Guatemala character. The whole of the grey .Jamaica and 

 Lima-Jamaica were disposed of, the first at Is 9d. per lb., 

 and the second at from Is. to Is. Id. per tt). Five bales only 

 of the 32 offered of native Jamaica found buyer.s, at Sri. per ft. 

 for dull reddish; fair red being bought in at lid. A fortnight 

 later, 13 bales of grey Jamaica were brought forward, and dis- 

 posed of at from Is. 9(/. to Is lOfZ. per lb. for fair, partly rough. 

 Eight bales of native .Jamaica were also offered, but 2 only 

 found^buyers, good red fetching Is. 3d. and dull red Qd. per ft. 



KOLA, CASSIA FISTULA, LIME .JUICE, LIME OIL, TAMARINDS. 



One bag of good dried AVest Indian kola was brought 

 forward at the beginning of the month and sold at 4-|t?. 

 per ft. Of Cassia Fistula, the East Indian supply is reported 

 to have quite failed, and as there is also a great deficiency in 

 the West Indian supply the article is much enquired for. 

 In the early part of the month the quotations for West 

 Indian lime juice, ordinary to good raw, was from Is. to 

 Is. 3d. per gallon. At the end of the month it was I'eported 

 that though the supplies were small, the prices quoted were 

 somewhat lower, namely lid. to Is Id per gallon. For 

 West Indian concentrated lime juice for the same periods, 

 the price has been uniformly, £18 2s, 6d. to £18 7s. 6d. 

 West Indian distilled lime oil, early in the month realized 

 Is. 5d. per lb, while hand pressed was quoted at 5s. '3d. 

 At the end of the month Is. id. was the quoted price for 

 distilled oil, and 5s. for hand pressed. At the first auction 

 on the 3rd some 10 casks of ordinary black Calcutta tama- 

 rinds were sold at 10s. Gd., and for 11 more casks, slightly 

 mouldy, 2s. Gd. was paid. On the 17th, 8 barrels of pale juicy 

 sold at 14s. per cwt , and 15 barrels of dry Antigua were 

 bought in at lO.f. 



